Harvesting and Cooking

I’ve been cooking the last two days. These are the tomatoes I gathered during the past week.

I peeled and chopped them, and added them to some sautéed onion and garlic in a large pot. A bit of seasoning and some tomato paste to thicken, and voila!

Seven quarts of marinara sauce.

And on Sunday, four pounds of blackberries turned into this…

to make several containers of blackberry jam for the freezer. We are eating some of these goodies now too.

With our family of five, this little bit that I preserve doesn’t hold us all year, but it is nice to make use of what we’ve grown and what nature provides. 

The Hazards of Blackberry Picking

Today our weather has cooled and there was drizzle this morning. That got me to thinking that I had better check on the blackberries.

Like everything else this summer, the blackberries are later in ripening. We have not picked many yet. So I grabbed a container and headed for our very large blackberry bush.

It has been a few years since I did any of the blackberry picking. I expected the scratches from the thorns, and the stained fingers. No big deal.

What was a surprise to me was this threatening-looking spider. Now that made me look extra-carefully at where my hand was heading. (I steered clear of that area.)

There were lots of berries out of my reach, I’m sorry to say. Besides, when you lean in to reach, your clothing gets snagged and it can be hard to back away.

Another surprise was realizing I need to watch where I step. You know I love the deer, but with deer comes deer poop.

Because it was a cool day, I didn’t have to contend with the yellow jackets. Otherwise, I never would have picked blackberries in mid-afternoon.

And it was all worth it. Here are just some of the beautiful berries we’ll be enjoying. Can’t wait to make blackberry jam.

Full Moon and Harvest

Last night we had a full moon.

When I first spotted the moon from where I was sitting in the living room, I thought what a great picture that would make. I went outside to take a picture, but was unable to get a good vantage point because the moon was still low in the sky and all the trees were blocking the view.

So, I waited. About 9pm I was ready to try again. Just as I went to step out on our front deck in the dark, I spotted a glimpse of white in the darkness. Uh-oh. A skunk. Luckily he/she didn’t hang around too long. I’m actually sorry not to have a picture of the skunk, but I really didn’t dare open the door with it just feet away… another time perhaps?

Yesterday afternoon I ventured to the apple tree again. Here’s what I picked within reach.

They certainly sweeten up with time.

Our tomatoes are coming on strong now. Looking forward to homemade marinara sauce soon. As for the zucchini, they win first prize for the most prolific of vegetables. And there are lots more coming!

Birds...nope, Deer...yes

We’ve had lots of young birds learning to feed at the feeders in the last several weeks. There has been a lot of chirping going on. And I was trying to get a good picture of these young birds, but because their colors are muted, and I cannot get close, I have been unable to photograph them well.

I did get this photo of a goldfinch at the birdbath.

Not long after trying to photograph the birds, this mother and fawn appeared.

They were a bit more cooperative.

I even talked sweetly to them…

and eventually was rewarded.

Our Apple Tree

At the corner of our property, we have a single apple tree. There are loads of apples hanging off its branches.

I am excited to have an abundance of organic apples free for the picking. In fact, as you can see here, I already picked some because I just couldn’t wait.

They are beautiful. Okay, they’re a little tart right now, but that won’t stop us from eating them. Even our dogs like them.

The dogs came along with me while I took pictures and picked a few apples. They love excursions, especially when a trail is involved.

So many smells to sniff. After all, deer like trails too.

As for the apples, I am so looking forward to baking and cooking with them. I haven’t always taken advantage of our apple tree, but this year I will.

This apple tree has been here long before us. It bears gifts. There’s something wonderful about being able to harvest from nature.