Well it took me a bit and a lot of batteries, but I finally got some elderberry pictures in case anyone was going to check around.
They can be used as a shrub in the yard like this young one..
Yes.. those are bowling balls. Slight problem with tractors missing the road entirely and cruising through the yard. It is hard to adjust those headphone/radio do-hickeys and drive at the same time.
That is planted in full sun, partially on the edge where the water runoff is along the street. When you plant Elderberry in full sun, the berry crop ripens more quickly. This one was done awhile ago and didn't have much to offer. It is trying to bounce back from heavy borer damage.
A little ways down the street, between the road and the forest is this lovely group..
The berries
The leaves
It is a pretty easy to control shrub, but it does not appreciate the traffic of a lawn mower or the nicks of a weed whacker. It also does not handle many chemicals well. They can send out suckers, but not obnoxiously.
In case you are curious about the nutritional value of these little gems..
When I gather them, I bring clippers and snip off the cluster. They set fruit on that year's new growth, so it does not effect next year's crop. In the spring, they do well with a little well aged compost but overall this shrub can handle a pretty decent range of soil conditions.
It is considered a honey plant. The bees worked them daily, but they bloom when a lot of other flowers are at full force as well.
As always, make sure to positively ID a plant before snacking on it.
I'll be asking DV for permission to gather a few of those beauties so I can plant the seeds. I have just the spot to put a large group on the north side. That will be on our property bordering DV's place.. and as well an ideal location for hives later.
Next up for me is trying to get some chestnuts. The darn squirrels have snapped almost every one up! I managed to get 2.. and hoping to find a few more.
Only am getting a few moments back at the house and trying to get done as much as possible! The last few days have been blustery, cold, windy.. cabin fever set in about 10 minutes after the rain began. The wind has been sending patio furniture flying, eradicated any chance to catch up on laundry, and making for some very misbehaved poultry.
I may need a sign soon, if only to warn the drivers as they go down the road..
"caution! Assless chaps and nude chick(ens)"
Maybe a series of signs..
"Slow chickens"
"seriously, they aren't very bright"
The guineas have handed many a rooster their tail when confined in the coop for more than 6 seconds past when "they" think they should be out. Hence the "assless" chaps.
Guineas get first dibs on everything, regardless if they like it or not. Apples, corn, and the occasional Sprite melon have been on the daily afternoon menu. I cut the apples up and throw them everywhere so everyone gets some. The guineas like it best when I hold a piece, so they can peck at it. Some days they have good aim, some days it is like wearing Lady Gaga's meat dress around a pack of wolves.
I'd probably be less fond of them if they didn't come racing out to me every time I go outside. My minions... they are greedy, feathered, flighty and feeble minded.. and really darn cute. Up close, guineas remind me of Dr. Suess.. and a horror flick at the same time.
Anyhow... elderberry is well into their season. I'm trying to grab up what I can, mainly to plant them later. The seeds can take up to 2 years to germinate.
The berries can be dried for use later in teas and such. Personally, I like them in jam best. Back when I could consume sweets.. we used to make a syrup from elderberry and black caps. It is lovely over pancakes... or mixed into 7-up or Sprite. Often we'd have cottage cheese with sliced canned pears and drizzled with the berry syrup.. or doused over ice cream. Oh man... I miss sugar.
If you dry the berries, the seeds can be stored for over a decade. Elderberry usually start producing at about 3 to 4 years of age. The fruit sets on first year wood. It is an understory shrub, but one that exists more often along the edge of a forest, or even along streams. They can handle full on sun, but appreciate a bit of shade.
They are a shrub that defies juglone producers.. like black walnut. There are several cultivars.. and a native red elderberry (do not eat this one..) that is not edible. Most of the dark fruited wild ones seem related to European strains in this area of the Midwest.
While not a very long living shrub, the fruits are fairly rich in antioxidants. They have a history of several medicinal uses, but I like them for their taste. They were one of the things we would snack on as kids as we romped around outside.
Hoping to get some more time soon. Hope you all are doing well.
Things still are hopping around here and there just never seems to be enough time to tackle it all! I try to get back to the house to catch up whenever I can. A bit of hope is out there as there may be a job opportunity. I'm not holding my breath, but I am crossing my fingers.
Meanwhile, I've been trying to keep a handle on the tomatoes which means every other day I am making sauce. I'm grateful for every jar as this is one thing I use a LOT.
The imperfect tomatoes go to the chickens and the rest gets used fresh or into various sauces. This morning I just made a plain stewed tomatoes. I love adding tomatoes to beef barley stew or I use it to smother fish (I lay out a bed of veggies sliced rather thin.. then whatever firm white fish I may have on hand over it.. top it off with crushed stewed tomatoes and bake it.)
The Queen Anne tomatoes are rather juicy, thin skinned, seedy.. which lends well to eating fresh, but not too great for sauces. The Goldman's Italian American ( GIA ) are much less seedy, drier, well flavored.. and a bit thicker skinned. Blanching the GIA's was fast as they easily slipped out of their skins and are rather large tomatoes too.
I of course could not stop myself..
I am still awaiting the Jersey Giants. No wonder that strain is "rare" if it is almost September and still the tomatoes are green. A strain I will try again next year should I get seeds from them, and I will make sure to start them well ahead of the rest.
The hornworms successfully nailed all of my other paste/ sauce type tomatoes. The yellow pears have been in high demand. They are the perfect snack size and are great to toss into various dishes. I've tossed them in with carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions that were around a roasting chicken (the gravy made from that was fantastic. We brought some to DV and he came to the house the very next day to ask how I made it.) I'll typically put a dash of olive oil in a pan (although my husband likes the bacon version better.. chop up a few lean slices and crisp up in a pan.. set bacon aside and use the drippings instead of olive oil).. thin sliced onions, sweet peppers (sometimes I'll toss in a chili pepper with the sweet), thin cut carrots, and several handfuls of the yellow pear tomatoes. At the end I'll put in minced garlic and pour this over pasta. The yellow pear tomatoes will soften and break to create a lovely sauce. I can make endless combinations (beans, corn, edamame, mushrooms.. almost anything works!) The bacon version.. the bits go on top as a garnish usually with chopped chives and parsley.
I haven't yet jarred up any salsa. That is on the list for next year. We can eat a lot of salsa when it is around.
I have several good sized squash stashed away. Many winter squash are best eaten after they have had some time to cure. Fresh off the vine many seem bland and water.. their flavor improves as they dry out a bit. They will be wonderful in the middle of winter!
This is my latest treasure..
Pink old fashioned hollyhocks courtesy of yet another neighbor. His Grandmother planted this stand of hollyhocks before he was born. That puts it sometime before the 1940's. I have collected up enough of these seeds to plant an entire city block. Hollyhocks are biennial and in some areas will keep reseeding themselves quite happily. After drying.. these seeds will go into the freezer for 2 weeks to remove any potential weevils.
The honey bees have been happily visiting these flowers all day long. (Unfortunately.. so have the Japanese beetles.. munching on the foliage.) The seed pods remind me of wheels of cheese. A long sleeved shirt and gloves are helpful if you have to mess with these a bit as they have irritating hairs all along the stems and stalk. His hollyhocks are not staked up (they are planted along the wall of a free standing shed).. so in the crazy wind storms they got knocked over. They are well over 7 feet tall and still putting out blooms.
Today we have apple picking to tackle. I need baskets. Those old apple baskets of woven wood slats would be incredibly helpful right now. Many of our apple trees on the bigger farm have been nailed by a blight. Flowering very well.. heavy fruit set.. and then BLAMO! A few trees didn't blow their load, but most did. (Quite a few fruit trees will probably need to be removed. Sad.. but necessary. Fruit wood is quite lovely for smoking meats..)
The pears are still going crazy.. but they are a wild sort that nature planted. Small, heavy producing, highly russeted.. they won't be winning any beauty contest. They do however taste very good and are sweet.. even though I sampled them while they were still very unripe.
Black walnuts should be along soon. A few have dropped unintentionally, but they are not ready for picking yet. It should be a decent year for them, but in no way great. There are not nearly as many nuts on the trees this year.. but still more than enough to keep me busy. The husks smell lemony.. a good thing as I forgot I had stashed several of them in my backpack.
It rained most of the day yesterday.. so gardening is not going to happen. In the next day or two I will be keeping my eyes peeled for puffballs. Mushrooms are triggered by both moisture and temperature fluctuations. It is kinda like playing a slot machine.. just with better odds of a pay out. I swear I have been dreaming about these mushrooms.. with wine, caramelized onions & garlic, and steeping in a beef broth.. and a crusty bread to dip into it. That can be made with any mushroom.. like button.. and it still is very good.
And to my surprise.. I found that Guineas and chickens can cross. As Roy, the Americauna rooster has displayed his vim and vigor... in the front yard...with what feels like every time a car passes... I am not concerned. Mainly because Roy... likes guinea boys.
Back to work I go. I hope you all get a moment of more to enjoy summer while it is still here!
Mulberries are in season. They ripen at different times and a little wind sends them dropping all about. The easiest way to harvest them is to spread out a large sheet and jiggle the branches. The fruit will drop mostly on to the sheet, unless a strong wind comes up or your hilarious spouse shakes the branch over your head while you are not paying attention. They are delicate and will stain the sheet, your hands.. and your carpeting should you forget to check your shoes.
The darkest berries are good to eat fresh, juice, or jam. The slightly under ripe berries are a bit more tart and are good for baking (toss in muffins, cobblers, etc.) The white ones I'll toss into the compost. I'll be making juice, jam, syrup and cobbler.
Mulberry is one of my husband's favorites to snack on so he was quick to have found the better flavored berries. One tree behind the small house in town is particularly good flavored and sweet. Some of the trees on the bigger farm are incredibly tall and out of reach. No doubt he try to find a way to get some of those too! It took us maybe 30 minutes to gather these up.
Mulberry trees start producing fruit at about 10 years of age. If you want to try and grow some from seed, plant the mulberry drupe right after you pick it. The trees can be cloned, something to consider if you find a particularly tasty one.
Here's a link to some nutritional information about mulberries.
The ones we are picking are the red mulberries. They are quite common around here and often considered a weed tree. Birds also like the berries (guess what color my chickens' beaks will be!).. and what goes in.. comes out with a purple vengeance. As in.. don't hang a laundry line near the tree!
My husband is thinking about making mulberry wine. I think he should. I also think he should try to make some mulberry vinegar! (Fig vinegar has to be my all time favorite, but I like various ones.)
Tossing more batteries into the charger.. I am hoping to get some chicken and farm pictures. I named many of my chickens after my friends. Granted.. I am now discovering that the names are a bit off, but I rather enjoy the fact that I have a hen named Dave.
