Sunday, September 17, 2017

Buffalo berries and backaches...

My favorite jelly in the whole world is buffalo berry.  I always get a lot of questions about buffalo berries, so I took quite a few photos on this berry picking trip.  I am thankful to have a good friend who's pasture is loaded with buffalo berries.  She is always accommodating when I ask to come picking.  They grow in draws on the prairie.  The berries are super tart, but not so bad if you can wait until a frost.   Which they had a frost that morning.
My heart leaps to see bushes loaded with berries.  Do you see all of the bushes farther back?  This lady's property is a paradise when it comes to picking.
 All those pretty red jewels surround one nasty sharp thorn.  These are not fun berries to pick.  Though I have to say four hours of berry picking passed quickly as Lois and I visited.  I am thankful to know such a wonderful, smart, and kind lady.
 When we got all done picking and as I went to help her carry her plunder she surprised my by telling me to keep her half.  She had just come along for the company.  I must say I was almost in tears.  Again, these are not fun berries to pick.   Thank you Lois.   You are a grand lady.  

Along the lines of thankfulness.  My husband got me what I'm sure is every woman's dream.  A giant truck of compost.  Do you see that truckload?  I'm in heaven.  When I wasn't picking berries I was loading wheelbarrows and directing where the tractor scoops would be dumped.  



Many projects were completed.  My strawberry, sometimes flower, bed was in dire need of decent soil amendments.  I cleaned it out and filled it to the top.  I am determined to make it back into a strawberry bed.  This means I need to find somewhere for my butterfly bed.  I'm sure I will figure something out.
 It froze this Sunday.  I knew it was coming, so I went to close up the greenhouse.  I had to cut the pumpkin vine to my pumpkin on a pedestal.   Remember him?  Well, I was in the greenhouse and cut the vine attached to him without thinking twice, knowing that he was on a solidly built pedestal.   I wish I had a photo of my face as I watched the pumpkin catapulting out of sight.  I guess the vine was keeping tension on the whole shebang.  I went flying out of the greenhouse expecting to see pumpkin pieces everywhere, but he somehow landed safely.   Of course I forgot to take a picture for the blog.   I am saving the pumpkin pedestal as that isn't the first pumpkin I've had on the greenhouse roof.

 I am still harvesting from the garden.  Dill, peppers, lemon cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash.  Right now I our fridge is filled with cucumber slices in water.  I am waiting until the water is infused and then I will take out the cucumbers and freeze the water.  There is nothing more refreshing than cucumber water.   I'm hoping my idea will work and I can enjoy the treat long into winter.  
 Well, that wasn't everything and it certainly wasn't in a nutshell.  This weekend flew by.  There wasn't enough time in the day.   My back is killing me from all of the shoveling, pulling, and picking.   What have you been working on?  Have you ever had buffalo berries?  Have you had cucumber water?  

9 comments:

  1. Hello Bonnie,
    I never heard of buffalo berries. They don't grow in Germany, but they remind me on sloes. I also like to make jelly. So I can imagine that your buffalo berry jelly tastes phantastic. Your vegetable harvest looks great, but I never heard of cucumber water.
    I harvested apples this weekend. Unfortunately this spring all over Germany we had frost just during the time when apples, cherries and plums were blossoming. In my garden I couldn't harvest any cherries and plums. And the apple harvest is also not that great as years before.
    Whish you a nice week
    Sigrid

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  2. Hi Bonnie! Cucumber water is lovely!
    Wow! No wonder your back hurts, good farmer.
    I hope the berries make something delicious.
    I must pull out the zucs. Your pumpkin story is funny!😂

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  3. Ha1 I can just imagine the look on your face when your pumpkin took off! The berries remind me a bit of red currants. Will you make jam, or wine? -Jenn

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  4. A friend makes his smoking mix with the leaves. I never tried it.I would love to pick some.I am in shorts today, no freeze for a while here in central IA.i plan on going for a swim this week still.

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  5. I've never even heard of buffalo berries or cucumber water and that really is a lot of compost

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  6. Of all things, I'm in the process of moving strawberries 😊 We don't have buffalo berries around here but sometimes those bitter berries make the best jellies. Glad you got them. Can't wait to see what good things all that compost brings forth come spring.

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  7. Good Morning Bonnie! What a lovely gift!! I know last year when I had my mulch pile how much I loved it. It was so nice to have it to put in with every thing I planted. No, I have never even seen Buffalo berries but I wish I had. They look lovely. I am finishing up my last flowerbed today. I am hoping I will have a bit more warm weather so my pumpkins can grow a bit more. It is almost time though to finish up my summer garden and see about a winter one. Everything is just lovely.

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  8. I'm waiting for my Autumn olives, cousin to buffalo berries, to ripen a little bit more. This will be the first year I've used them, and I'm going to make jam.

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  9. I have never heard of buffalo berries! Farming such hard work, but very rewarding!!

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