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?