Will the blackberries ever stop?!?

There are still more blackberries. So far, I have canned 12 pints of blackberry jelly. That took about 6 quarts of blackberries. Since then the kids and I have picked another 2 quarts of berries. And, it doesn't look like it is ever going to stop. Two bramble patches are finally picked out. But, there are at least three more patches close to the house that are still ripening or even only have immature berries. Then there's the multitude on the back part of the farm. That area is my normal picking area and, in good years, I have always been able to pick enough to make another 12 pints of jam. I could pick more back there, but by that time I'm tired of the heat and the mosquito bites. I usually decide I have enough and leave the rest to the June bugs. I haven't gotten to that point this year. The new canes are so close to the house I can't pass them by without picking berries. Now, the weather has turned pleasant and berry picking this week might even be fun.

I will, of course, leave some of the berries for the bugs and birds to eat and spread the seeds, but not nearly as much as I have in the past. We'll have blackberries all year long this time.

Blackberry Picking Time

It's time to pick blackberries again. Maybe. Mom told me that in Kentucky, you know it's time to head on out to pick the wild berries around the 4th of July. She said they should be ripe by then and the June bugs shouldn't have swarmed in to decimate the canes yet. But, for the last couple of years, the haul from the canes has been minimal at best. Last year, I waited to head out until a day or two before the 4th and they had already been picked clean by the loathsome bugs. The year before, a drought caused the crop to be puny and not even worth donning the overalls, long sleeved shirt, and hats in the sticky July heat.

This year, we have new canes growing on the road up to the barn. And they have been ripening for the last couple of weeks. As of yesterday, I already have over 4 quarts of blackberries picked from these new canes. And there are still a ton more that are bright red and won't be ready for almost a week. In light of this, I headed out to my regular blackberry patch yesterday morning. At first, I thought the June bugs had already been through as I didn't see a single red or black berry. But, as I tromped through the high weeds, scratched my face on the thistle thorns. and started at every sound in the woods, I discovered that the canes on the farm hadn't even popped their berries yet. The blossoms had just died back. Not a single cane showed any signs that my voracious enemy had been through.

So, this year it looks like Mom is right and not right. Very odd that the canes so close to the house have proved her wrong and yet those only over the hill may have proved her right. In any event, I will have pints and pints of blackberry jam for the winter. Too bad my nephews who had stolen so many of my jars the last time I made jam aren't here to do so again.

The Garden Grows

Well, the garden is growing along nicely. The raised beds seem to be working out really well. It's actually freed up a lot of space in the garden vs. my old traditional rows. So now, I can get seeds for plants I don't normally grow and try some new stuff.

I am trying potatoes this time. They're growing fast and thick, but the Colorado Potato Beetles are threatening them. They aren't bothering anything else. That's the plus. I've tried lettuce this year, too, and it is growing wonderfully. But, I seem to have too much. I do this every year. I guess it's better to have more than I need than less. I can always give away the excess.

The chickens are also growing quickly. The ducks, too. We had a mishap with the dog, though. He's left them alone this whole time. Nosed around a little, but stayed away from the barn. The fence is still incomplete, but we've been letting the chickens run outside of the coop during the day until we get it up. Big mistake. Sammy managed to get 4 of my chickens. Now, he spends his days in side until I can get the fence complete. At least he didn't get the two ducks. They are the kids' pets.