We are a small country in the mountainous Balkans
There were influences from all sides.
So we have picked up a little bit of everything on our menu in terms of nutrition and vegetable growing.
Of course we also have our own specificities.
For Vojvodina, a mandatory Sunday lunch consists of soup, boiled potatoes and red sauce made from boiled tomatoes, and of course poppy seed strudel :)
But thinking about what we grow for a reason and what is specific to Serbia, I would say for the entire region of the former Yugoslavia.
**That would be Ajvar**.
The main ingredient of ajvar is **red pepper**.

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Every house has its own recipe for ajvar and I will share our recipe with you later.
For ajvar I grow red peppers called elephant's ear and horn.
Every house has its own recipe for ajvar and I will share our recipe with you later.
For ajvar I grow red peppers called elephant ear and horn.
This year we only have horn for ajvar .Horn is a little less demanding than elephant ear
It also gives a good yield and large, fleshy peppers.
We made our own seedlings, installed a watering system , installed a shade net, also mulched it .
We regularly feed it with natural preparations .
Although this year is difficult for peppers, we hope that we will manage to get enough horn to make ajvar
When the peppers are ripe, completely red, they are picked and then washed in water
I have a stove made from a metal barrel, and you can also improvise a stove on a metal plate
Many of our housewives use stoves called ,,smederevac,,.
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You put on a high fire and roast the peppers from all sides until they are almost black, then remove them from the oven and cool them
When they are cool, peel the peppers and remove the blackness.
Then the paprika is ground.
In a large saucepan, add the ground paprika, add oil, salt, and optionally add garlic and roasted eggplant. We make it with only paprika, oil and salt.
All this is simmered on low heat for three to four hours until the desired thickness.
Then the hot ajvar is poured into sterilized jars, which are sterilized at a high temperature of around 70 degrees Celsius

In addition to the pepper that we grow specifically for ajvar, we also sow tomatoes called ,,Novi Sad apple,,
They say that it is an old well-known tomato variety in our country.
A medium-early variety, very tasty. The fruits are round, smooth, intensely red in color, with an average weight of 130-150 g.

And finally, I would add Loquat.
I love it and I planted a sapling last year.
In our country it thrives in the Bačka region, Probably the climate here suits it.
because it is not grown in other parts of the country.
Loquat originates from Iran, South-West Asia and South-East Europe. Medlar is believed to have been cultivated for 3,000 years.
The fruits are dark in color with a well-developed calyx and many seeds. fruits are firm and quite acidic, but during ripening they soften and their insides rot. The flesh of fully ripe fruits is soft, brown in color, with a sweet and sour taste. In appearance, the flesh of the fruit looks like well-cooked apple puree. Such fruits are suitable for eating fresh.In our area, Loquat arrive in November and December and are not bothered much by the first frosts.
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Thanks for reading
Until next time, stay healthy

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