As July draws to a close, the garden is at its most productive. The bees are busy, the fruit bowls are full, and the air carries the scent of summer in its prime. This is the moment when we begin our preparations — both in the kitchen and in the pantry — for the harvest days ahead.
Harvest Preparations
Late July is the transition from tending to gathering. Our beehives are heavy with capped honeycombs, and the kitchen is almost ready to welcome this year’s golden jars. Before harvest day, we:
- Clean and prepare our tools — extractor, strainers, and storage jars.
- Arrange the HomeandFashion.love pantry collection — hand-calligraphed jars, wax-sealed lids, and classic French-style glass.
- Check the hives at dusk, ensuring the honey is ready while leaving enough for the bees to thrive through the cooler months.
Jam Making: Preserving the Season
Summer fruits arrive in abundance — blackberries, plums, and the first apples of the year. Now is the time to turn them into jams and preserves that will brighten the colder days ahead. Some of our favourites this season:
- Honey & Raspberry – rich and tangy.
- Lavender & Blueberry – fragrant and soothing.
- Peach & Vanilla – warm and sunny.
These recipes join our Harvest Days Collection — a growing archive of seasonal cooking to be revisited year after year.
The Pantry: Practical & Beautiful
A well-stocked pantry should be as much a pleasure to look at as it is to use. We treat ours as a working display:
- Rows of honey jars catching the afternoon light.
- Handmade beeswax candles stacked neatly for autumn evenings.
- Bundles of dried herbs — rosemary, thyme, and sage — tied with twine and labeled by hand.
Linen cloths, polished wooden spoons, and French wire baskets complete the look, keeping everything functional yet charming.
Living with the Season
We don’t rush summer away. Meals are eaten outdoors whenever possible, with candlelight carrying conversations into the evening. As the days begin to shorten, we find ourselves looking forward to the comfort of a well-stocked pantry, ready for whatever the next season brings.
The HomeandFashion.love Harvest Promise
Each jar, candle, and recipe we create is designed to bring both beauty and function to your home. As August approaches, we invite you to prepare alongside us — to fill your shelves with handmade goods, savour the best of the season, and make your home ready for the months ahead.