From the Cupboard: Our "Lil" Peach Tree--Part 3 & Other Updates

Our Lil Peach Tree, April 3, 2012.

This tree just never ceases to amaze me. It's little dark brown or black looking branches just never stop giving. It has gone from buds to blooms, and now to these beautiful bright green leaves. We have been lucky to have rain and fair temperatures lately. Hopefully this trend will continue throughout the summer, especially the hot days and cool nights, which is what will produce my favorite sweet juicy peaches! Stay tuned!

Refreshed Grapevines.

It is so nice to see these severely pruned grapevines showing some green! They have bled a good amount, but I think they are going to produce this year! Spring has been so good to us, and I hope it continues. There are also some tiny bunches of grapes (pictured right) starting to form here and there.

My Favorite Apple Tree.

All I can say when I look at this picture is WOW! Can you believe that every little bloom could possibly produce an apple if pollinated?? That's a lot of apples! Actually, this is the apple tree that produces the largest amounts of apples in the summer, with its branches hanging full, all of the way to the ground. As I was photographing this beauty, I couldn't help but noticing the sweet aroma that the blooms were giving off, reminding me of sweet, sweet honeysuckle. The honey bees and yellow jackets were in love with it just as much as I was--there were bunches and bunches of them, at least one on every other bloom, just a pollinating away, creating a pleasant buzzzz and hmmmmm. Hopefully this is a great sign of what the future holds for this tree. Last year, with the apples from this tree, I made my bubbly summer apple triple crust cobbler, fried apples, and homemade apple sauce. But the options are endless I guess, so we'll just have to see what the future holds...

Blackberries & Raspberries.

This year I branched out (ha ha) a little bit and planted Thornless blackberries and Brandywine raspberries, neither of which have I planted before. Growing up we had plenty of wild blackberries, which won't compare to the nice juicy ones that planted ones can produce. These are somewhat of an experiment, and I am willing to accept the challenge!