It looks like it's going to be a berry abundant summer when it comes to the mulberry and raspberry harvest. We have already taken two gallons of mulberries off two of the trees and they are still coming on...and we haven't touched the third tree yet. The cobbler I made Saturday night turned out amazingly well and it was gone by Sunday night.
When I gathered all the mulberries I could reach without a ladder, I took a walk along the edge of the woods and the fence line and it looks like the raspberries are loaded as well. They are just starting to fruit up, so it will be a little bit before they are ready to pick. I should have plenty of frozen berries for the winter.
Finally finished up planting the garden last weekend. My pumpkins didn't germinate, so I had to get some plants and while I was at it, I grabbed some acorn squash too. I prefer acorn squash over butternut or yellow...load it down with butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg and it's a fantastic fall side dish. Now I have about a 10x10 area in the garden that isn't planted and I'm not sure what to do with it. I really need to figure that out pretty soon though. I have pumpkin, cabbage, squash, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, peas, zucchini, and cucumbers. I put out a patch of asparagus, but it won't come on for a year or so. Then I put out three blueberry bushes and two blackberry bushes. It will be a busy canning season this year.
I was really disappointed because I bought a medicinal herb garden seed collection and not a one of them germinated. And to find some of the plants that was included in the collection is nearly impossible. I did manage to grab some lavender, echinacea, and chamomile and already had some yarrow. Now to figure out where to find the rest such as marshmallow, poppy, calendula, and feverfew. I'm not too worried about the chicory because it grows wild out here.
Last weekend, I harvested my wild lettuce, something else which grows wild out here. Got the stems all cut up and put in a jar soaking in vodka for tincture. Wild lettuce makes a fantastic pain reliever. I'm going to use the flowers for tea. I also need to cut the wild grape vines that seem to want to choke out my roses. Wild grape tea and tincture are good antioxidants.
Speaking of roses...it's amazing how two scrawny throw away rose bushes are now about ten foot tall and loaded with blooms. I didn't expect that, so now I have to rearrange some things in the flower bed in front. You can no longer see my lilies for the roses and the irises have overtaken the hostas. Fall is going to be a time of thinning and replanting.
Enough of the chattering for tonight. I need to get some serious writing done! Good night, all!
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