Berry Frenzy

End of July and we are in a frenzy of wild berry picking. This endless rain has produced a bumper crop of wineberries and blueberries. (Note to self, look up why it is a bumper crop?) Both berry crops are peaking and there aren't enough dry hours in the day to pick so for the second time this week, we were picking in the rain. You just can't stop because even though you are hot, wet and muggy and the mosquitoes are having their own feast on your limbs, you see just ahead of you another branch full of plump, red delicious berries and if you don't pick them today, they won't be there. I figure the birds have had their chance to gorge out and the really ripe ones will just fall down and become compost and they are just too sweet and gorgeous for that fate.
So we ended up with quarts of berries and on the strength of another blogger's entry, I went ahead and made wineberry jam. (My jam recipe doesn't mention wineberries but the blogger said she used a recipe for raspberry of blueberry jam). I think the name wineberry jam has a musicality that makes me think it should be in a song. Seeing all those jars of delectable jam, makes me very happy! I just think ahead to a chilly November day, opening up a jar, taking a good whiff and then spreading all that summer sweetness all over the toast. Suddenly July will have returned.

How Sweet it is

Perhaps its because there haven't been that many beautiful days this summer but when they do come, I'm loving it. Clear sky, warm sun and a slight breeze- a perfect day to repaint the deck and check on the bees. We opened up the hive and found only three frames not pulled out. The one on the end is ripped and I will have to ask what to do about that. We moved the undrawn out frames to the center. We got a good look inside and found a few bees taking time out and recharging their wee selves by lapping up some honey.(if you look very carefully you may be able to see them drinking honey in a pool of wax). I'm so glad they were also taking time to enjoy this beautiful day too.

Daffodil Hill in July

Picture perfect day: Blue Sky warm sun, slight breeze and everything is in bloom.

Berries from Heaven

To me finding wild berry bushes is better than finding money. Nobody plants them (except I suppose the bird that ingested the berry and pooped out the seed) you don't cultivate them and best of all you don't have to drive to a farm and pay someone to pick them.The blackberries are starting to ripen and two days ago we got a handful of blueberries from the fields above. The chickens get the low growing blackberries and raspberries but that's only fair. I think they taste better than the bigger domesticated berries especially in muffins. July is for making berry everything; muffins, cobbler and crisp and jam.
Bee Blog- We checked the hive today and they are working on the upper frames. Looks like the middle two or three frames are filling up but they have plenty to do. I stopped the sugar water on June 30th. We see them more often now drinking water from the bird bath.