I don't know about you, but we have had some odd weather patterns this year. We had a very wet spring, (not like Iowa, but wet nonetheless), and then no rain at all since Farm Day, August 9, until this past week. I haven't mowed our grass since the second week of August.
Green Barn Crop Report:
Grapes are abundant! We have a very good crop of green and purple grapes. I haven't done any research on them to know what they are. The purple ones don't seem to be dark enough to be Concords, but they taste a lot like them. The green ones are aromatic and bursting with flavor. Ruth and I were going to can grape juice this weekend, but the rain and head colds took our motivation away. We made a date to get it done on Tuesday evening. Hopefully the racoons will be distracted by some other neighborhood treat and leave my grapes alone this year.
Maybe the grapes on the right side below are Concords?
Harvest Mooned
I did not spray the apples this year, so my trees were very successful in growing rotten apples. As you can see, the tree did its part, and was heavily laden this year. I don't remember now why I didn't spray them. I must have had a good reason. We did manage to find enough for Ruth to make an apple pie for my dad's 80th birthday. The deer are eating them as fast as they fall. They are noisy eaters! I wish there were viable options to spraying apples, but it seems to be fruitless. If you have information about other means, please share!
Pears
This picture tells it all. What does it tell you?
This one tells something too. I added some cognac to the syrup. I think I'm going to like that.
I did manage to get lots of green beans, three egg plants, twenty bell peppers, and oodles of mini carrots. I have aspirations for gardening, but no expertise.
Next year I am going to get dirtier.
I'm glad I don't earn my living by the way I garden. If so, we would be in dire straits!
38 comments:
Everything looks great to me and it's nice to know that your deer will be well fed and ready for winter.
I hope your colds get better soon!
We have had nothing but rain all summer this year, and I think my chickens are morphing into ducks. Quack!
Man, those grapes pictures look good. I am jealous of your fruit syrup too. I bet that keeps you warm this winter!
What an awesome harvest! I look forward to growing grapes in the near future, along with a variety of other southern fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit, etc.
Did Michigan really get Ike remnants on Sunday? I heard Chicago got flooded.
You and me both, can't garden worth a crap, we have the neighbors apple tree hanging over our back fence, that's how I get my apples, they are awesome!
When the remnants of Gustav blew through our area this weekend, it blew lots of apples off the trees. I went out there tonight and filled a 2 gallon bucket with the fallen apples. The chooks got some and we got the rest! I think next year will be the year I finally start a garden. I'll use the long winter months to plan it all to the last detail.
Yeah, I know what you mean. We would starve if we had to depend on our garden. We get better every year though.
YOU HAVE DEER!?!?
LOL! I'd love to see those matey!
:D
Our apple & pear trees were abundant with fruit this year, too! I'm not sure what it was, but everywhere we went for a while there were TONS of apples! We didn't do anything with them, though...
Sharon: Thank you, Yes the deer are geting nice and fat this year, especially from my apples. Maybe we need some venison jerky?
berthddu suit: Rain Rain Go Away! We got dumped on by hurricane Ike as he traveled up the Mississippi Valley all the way to Michigan!
Your poor chickens, mine were getting tired of the rain after just three days. Yours must be looking around for Noah.
warren: The grapes are good this year. I need to get my arse out there and harvest!
carole: we had a lemon tree in Pasadena and I loved making fresh lemonade and lemon meringue pie!
loring: yes we got a good soaking from Ike. My barn is still wet from Saturday.
bob: do you spray the apples? If I don't I get brown, gooey things that smell up the orchard. I need to get me a green thumb.
amy: i said that last year and made a feeble attempt. I want to do a nice fenced in garden with nice tidy rows, and lots of good loamy soil.
mandie: that's a good way to do it, and to look at gardening: get a little better every year.
less pressure!!
stiggy: Yes we have deer, way too many deer! They are white-tailed deer.
Michigan is a big deer huner state. I think about 700,000 deer are taken each year by hunters. Maybe I'll get ruth to snap some pics of some of them. I know she has some from last year when we had two fawns sleeping in the yard.
chickengirl: chickens like apples! make some applesauce
Hey, if you need help with turning those grapes into wine, the ascended grape, let me know. Auntie Sandy will be there pronto..
Enjoyed your post and of course the photos are always great.
So will look forward of pics next year of you looking dirtier and in the thick of gardening....
They are banty chickens, that is all I know, tehe. We love them so much too. I saw your beautiful colored eggs, those are great! I do have a question for you... we found a cracked egg in their nest. Is that okay to eat or should we disgard it into the compost?
sandy: We'll make the wine if you do the barefoot smashing thing!
mandie: Whatever your chicken is, it is adorable!
About the cracked egg. I would not eat it as it may have bacteria in it from the crack. I found some outside, and didn't know how long they were out there and didn't eat them. I know about the floating test, if an egg floats, it's not edible, but just had a little bit of the heebies about the outdoor egg!
The thing is, Don, even if you don't think so, everything you touch seems to turn to gold. You clearly have a green thumb and I KNOW that if/when the day comes that you will (want to) live off the produce of your land, you will totally figure it all out!
Wow. Those grapes look fabulous!! And our apple tree just got knocked down in the wind storm, so we have apples out the wazoo. I may have to try my hand at apple pie making!
And you make me want a pear tree. I've never eaten fresh pears!
ginnie: it's all smoke and mirrors! I think I have too big a dose of A D D to truly be an effective farmer!
jen: too bad about your apple tree. make some pie, if you have a juicer, make some cider, if you have a food dryer, make some of those unchewable apple ring thingies, bob for them in the horse trough, throw them at the neighbor's dogs, sneak some to the neighbor's horses,
OK, enough...
i'm sure Brian would enjoy that pun about spraying being "fruitless"! excellent.
the veggie garden did very well! i am proud of our pursuits, of your pursuits, and of the beauty of your garden/orchard/vineyard. is that the apple tree we want to stand under for the ceremony? that rain did the farm good.
i love you.
Don, you heard me say I can't garden,lol, whats a spray?,lol, the neighbours apples lasted a couple weeks without going brown , had them all eaten by then,lol.
lesley: I was a thinking about Brian as I wrote "fruitless" and wondered if it was worthy...;)
bob: I'm glad the apples were good! I think if they are hanging on your side of the fence, well, they're yours, and obviously they were!!
Your jars of pears look absolutely delish! (I have a concord grape pie recipe I can send you if you're interested?) Grape vines, leaves, and bunches look like they'd be great to paint!
Unusual weather here too, leading to a very disappointing tomato crop. My plants are producing more now than they did all summer.
And all my plans for revamping my plantings have come to naught--but there's nothing unusual about that!
Your jars of pears look absolutely delish! (I have a concord grape pie recipe I can send you if you're interested?) Grape vines, leaves, and bunches look like they'd be great to paint!
Unusual weather here too, leading to a very disappointing tomato crop. My plants are producing more now than they did all summer.
And all my plans for revamping my plantings have come to naught--but there's nothing unusual about that!
Concord grape pie? That sounds a bit unusual.
Since we are having a wedding on the farm next summer, I have some planning to do. The bride wants lots of sunflowers and black-eyd susans. SO, my plans for a cute, fenced-in garden will wait another year. (or so)
My tomatoes were not that great this year either. Frying up a lot of the green ones probably didn't hep much!
Wondeful pears, Don,, they will taste pretty fine when You look out and see snow on the ground...
Have you ever tried making cider with your apples.. The best cider is made from windfalls... the natural yeast helps them ferment quicker...
Gwen: we have a little juicer that can make cider. I forgot all about it! We will have to get a little more serious next year about apples.
Snow is just around the corner! It seems as tho we get a flurry or two in mid October but nothing serious until about Novembr 26th, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Sorry Don I shouldn't have mentioned snow..
I don't know what I was thinking.. I really don't want to see the stuff!!
I must admit.. I am definitely a summer person!!!
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