Useful pursuits: herb gathering

Well, I´m back. Having spent a day and night in the bliss of a swimming pool. Now, the cup dashed from my lips, I prepare to battle the first serious heatwave of the summer inside this very hot city.

I´ve spent every available moment in the garden, which is lovely, very big and rambling, and half of it is very civilized and trim, and the other wild and prickly with pine needles.

One of the best things is foraging for goodies to bring back home.
I haven´t found any pine cones with nuts in them. Since the squirrels came back, they always get there first. But I forgive them, because I love watching them jump from impossible branches.
Thyme and rosemary grow wild on the hill at the back of the house. And a huge laurel bush by the kitchen door keeps all the family supplied with bay leaves for a year´s worth os soups.
There´s a bed of roses that always seems about to be smothered by mint bushes. It´s considered very helpful of me to cut huge swathes in it.
I also took a fair amount of leaves from the big climbing vine on the porch.
And, for the first time in years, I found a few wild oregano plants. That more than compensated for the absence of wild strawberries. Now I´m bragging. There are never more than a two or three berries, at the best of times, but still.

Last night, for dinner, we had fake pizzas with pita bread.
I put some roasted tomatoes on the bread, a few pieces of fresh mozzarella, and a lot of fresh oregano leaves.
The pita bread was frozen, which kept it from burning while the mozzarella melted and the tomatoes heated up.
Once out, a drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper, and some salad on the side, made it a perfect sunday night dinner, crisp and comforting.
I´m looking forward to a week of playing around with all my herby treasures.