Precious Delights Part III - Apples

Unfortunately, we are one apple tree down this year.  We aren't sure what happened, but it just fell over.  But my red apple tree on the other hand, has treated us well.  Apples are very abundant, falling on the ground, feeding me, my neighbors, the rabbits, the deer, and even the butterflies and the bees.  One of my cousins came and picked a five gallon bucket to take home and make apple butter.  She also grabbed a bag full of bruised apples to take to feed her chickens.  I am so glad that I have been able to supply apples for so many different species! At least they all didn't go to waste.  I have a couple more trees that will be ready soon, in which I am hopefully going to make some apple butter.  My front apple tree didn't do so well this year.  I think the beetles must have eaten most of the blooms, because there weren't many apples at all.

I went out one day to get just enough apples to fry for our dinner.  The rain from the night before had prepared the apples their own little home on the ground, washing up enough dirt around them to keep them from rolling.   I just couldn't resist a photo.  Just another example of the beauty of nature, taking care of its own relatives...

I brought the apples around front and sat them on the picnic table to photograph them as the first apples from my trees in 2012.  I didn't realize until after the photo was taken, that I had an uninvited guest on top of the red apple! I told him he didn't have to go home, but he couldn't go inside with me!


When I got the apples inside, I placed them all in the window seal in my utility room.  Leela decided to inspect them, since they were in her spot at the window.  I guess she allowed them to stay, because she never harmed them. After a few sniffs and biffs, she simply made room for her tiny little paws to keep her balance, and then laid down beside them.

All of these precious stories...all because a seed went underground.  I have never enjoyed the small things in life this much. It is such a beautiful scene to watch, the crops growing day by day.  And then the best part is that we get to indulge when it is time to harvest.  Talk about organic and local?? It's all right here in my yard baby...and all it cost me was my time.

Precious Delights Part II

Blackberries & Raspberries.  I planted blackberries and raspberries, knowing that they wouldn't bare any fruit this year.  But, I have had my fair share of wild blackberries growing in the edge of our woods to satisfy my taste.  One day, while I was out and about in my yard, I picked this wild blackberry. I wanted to save it for later, so I laid it down on the edge of my raised bed while I checked on the tomatoes. When I came back, I found this little guy, carrying his dinner home to his friends family.  I was hoping he was only taking a detour, because I sure wasn't going to share my first blackberry of the season with him.  After all, he obviously had his own dinner! Nature sure is a blessing!

My planted blackberries have done well so far!  The little leaves just never cease to amaze me.  The plant had one bloom, and boy it was precious! That one bloom tried its very best to produce a berry, but all it could do was form one little morsel of one little blackberry! It was sooo cute. I can't wait until next year to have at least a handful of berries that I grew all by myself!

The raspberries that I planted this year are doing real well also.  They didn't bear any fruit, as expected, but they did produce long stems with multiple bright green leaves, and tiny red "pricklies".  They really are a sight to see. I can't wait to see them bloom next year.  Raspberries are my absolute favorite berry, in my cereal, in my chocolate mousse, in my ice cream, or in my smoothie, what a treat!

Herbs.  I decided to plant herbs for the first time this year too. I planted rosemary, thyme, cilantro, basil, and oregano.  I planted them in a plastic box that we found in one of our old sheds.  They did real well, at least until the heat wave took over, then I had to move the box under the carport.  They simply couldn't handle the heat, even if they were watered correctly.  I picked some basil to enjoy with two of my maters...summer-licious!

Precious Delights Part 1

Sorry, I have been away for awhile, taking care of the goodies that I have been blessed with in my own cupboard.  I feel like a quick update is way over due...so here it goes...

Peaches.  My last couple of posts were about the Lil Peach Tree that could. The peaches were starting to turn red, and they were starting to drip sap.  I am a little disappointed to have to announce that from there, it got extremely hot and dry, and most of them fell off the tree before ripening.  The good news is that I have 2 other peach trees, and now I am hoping the best for their future...we'll see.  To recap the peach tree that could, here is photographic story of how it appeared to me at different stages of the season...it may not have bared any eatable fruits, but it definitely showed off its beauty along the way...

3/6/12  Bare tree...

3/11/12  A few buds are popping up...

3/15/12 The blooms opened...

3/21/12  More blooms...

3/23/12  Blooms and Leaves...

4/3/12  All leaves...

4/25/12  Lots of leaves and little peaches...

5/14/12  This is about all she produced :(. Better luck next year!

Cucumbers & Squash. This year I went out on a limb and tried my hand at growing squash and cucumbers, too.  They did real well until the temperatures here were 100 degrees or higher for 10 days straight.  I have now laid them to rest until next year. But, check out what I was blessed with before they withered away...I had 1 eatable cucumber with all of it's pricklies, and 2 squash, who showed off their beautiful blossoms before leaving me.  It just seemed like I could not keep them watered enough, and next year I think I will plant them directly in the ground, instead of in large pots. You live, you learn, I guess.  On the bright side, it was a pleasure watching them grow!

Grapes.  My mom and step-dad assisted my husband and I with the trimming back of the much dreaded grapevines. They hadn't been touched in at least 10 years, and were full of poison ivy, morning glory, and honey suckle.  We spent many, many hot and sticky hours cleaning and pulling out unwanted plants by their roots.  This was not an easy job.  Ken cut them back first with a special piece on his weed eater. The vines bled abundantly.  But much to our surprise, for the first time in the 9 years I have lived here, we have recognizable grapes!  The new growth seems very happy, taking over the old chicken wire, which was originally placed by Charles' grandmother and grandfather.  We are pretty sure that we have at least two different types of grapes, one on each side, one of them being the concord, which are harvested in the summer, and the other one being scuppernongs, which aren't harvested until the Fall. So far, I have only gathered small hand fulls at a time of the concord grapes, not really enough to do anything with.  I am hoping they will do better next year since they were severely trimmed this year.  There may be some grape jelly in my future for next year...we shall see!


Well, I guess that's a wrap, until next time...stay tuned for Part II...I have plenty more to share!