It's the berries

[altivo]

They all come in at the same time, usually. I got some nice strawberries at the supermarket this morning, and while washing and slicing them I was reminded that I should check the state of our own scattered wild berries. We have gooseberries, but they are small and seedy, so I let the birds take them. We have black raspberries, which are tasty but really seedy, so I don't usually bother with them either. However, there are a couple of decent blueberry bushes and those I watch carefully every year to beat the birds to most of them. Today was the day. I got about two pounds of large blueberries, but there won't be much of a second picking. Not a bumper crop, but tasty.

We have red raspberries. These are an escape from cultivation. Someone gave a bunch of slips to our former neighbor on the west. She tried to start them in damp sand as instructed, decided they were dead, and tossed them into her compost pile. They rooted there and spread. Since the compost was right near the fence line, and birds love to sit on fence wires and poop out seeds of things they have eaten, red raspberry bushes have been springing up all along that fence. I was able to pick about a pint of red raspberries. Then came the blackberries. We have a heavy crop coming in this year, but most are not yet ripe. The very first ones are just ready today, and I got about a pint of those. I guess a berry pie is in order all right. Too bad the rhubarb is all dormant now. I like what is called "bumbleberry" pie where you dump in as many kinds of berries as you have, plus some apples and some rhubarb.

Gary and Rob went to play the farmer's market this morning, while I went to the spinning guild, where we had a demonstration of silk reeling. That's the process that originated in China of making a fine and lustrous thread by unwinding the fiber in a silkworm cocoon that has been softened in boiling water. It's a little tricky, but once you get it started it's amazing. A typical cocoon can yield a mile of unbroken single fiber. Amazingly, working with makeshift equipment, we got it to work. I skipped out early and went to join Gary and Rob for lunch in Woodstock.

I have just 30 more warp threads to pull into the loom and the threading step will be done. I'm going to go try to get that done and then go to bed.

Comments

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

Do you all get ground cherries out that way? There's definitely something to be said for wild, weedy berries that don't require cultivation :) I really should see if I can get raspberries and blackberries to grow up here, I have the sandy soil and moisture most years. But I keep thinking maybe that would be ill-advised, since they might attract bears...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

There may have been some in the pastures, but in early spring they are hard to distinguish from jimson weed and I wanted to eradicate that. Consequently I haven't seen any ground cherry type plants since.

We did try planting cape gooseberry, which is the same genus, but it never produced any fruit. Actually, we've had poor luck with every attempt at growing cultivated berries. I've tried to get strawberries going three times, and Gary has planted blueberries at least twice, without any measurable result. But if you don't mind rambling the whole property to collect them, we have gooseberry, black raspberry, red raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, elderberry, wild cherry, and wild grapes in abundance. The last two make good jelly if you get them before the birds do.

Yes, I imagine bears would be a concern in your environment, and keeping them out once they'd found your berries would be well nigh impossible.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*you hear the rumbling sound of pounding paws then in a flurry of whiskers and fur a cat appears beside your fridge* Pie?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I wondered how long it would take you to get here. Yes, I'm going to make one today, and you can have some as I promised. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Hooray :) *watches you and waits for a portion of the pie*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's cool enough to eat now. *gives you a plate with a slice of pie on it*

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Thankyou pony :) *savours the pie*

[keeganfox.livejournal.com]

I had blackberries behind my house in Utah, and they made delicious pies. :9

And since you seem cool, I'm friending you.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

They also make really good ice cream, and I like them as jelly though I'm too lazy to make that. Squishing them and then sorting out all the seeds with a seive is just too messy. ;p

Only a brief glance at your friends list makes it clear we have lots of overlapping interests, so I'm glad to return the favor. Thanks.

[bonnie-tiler.livejournal.com]

Our land is surrounded by wild raspberrybushes, they grow like weed here. In the forest it's covered with blueberries, the smaller european kind. We have a Canadian blackberry bush that's an inheritance from the previous owner, and this year is the first with flowers on it, very exiting! We also have a lot of cranberries in the forest but they ripe much later..
Have you had a look at the caterpillars on my blog? I wonder if anyone could tip me off what they are, they look mighty strange to me..
Oh..Do you have a good recipe for berrypie? And if so, would you be willing to share?
It's always interesting to read about what grows and happens in nature in other parts of the world, thanks for sharing 'tivo

Bumbleberry Pie

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sure. Make up pastry using your favorite method, and here's the filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup flour or 2 Tbsp. instant tapioca
1 c. thinly sliced apples
1 c. raspberries, red or black or mixed
1 c. blackberries
1 c. blueberries
1 c. rhubarb, diced

Line a large deep pie plate with pastry (or two smaller ones.) Toss together filling ingredients and put into pastry shell. Cover with another layer of pastry, or lattice work top. Be sure there are enough holes to help prevent boiling over in the oven. (I put a pizza pan under it just in case.) Crimp and seal edges. Bake at 350 to 375°F. for about 45 minutes or until crust is browned and filling bubbling. Cool before serving.

Sorry for the American measurements, let me know if you need help converting them to metric. :)

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, blueberries...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*gives you some pie too*

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*smiles, face covered in blueberries & pie filling* M'now, pmh rusf wom bin muh nuff *translation* Y'know, pie crust would've been good enough ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You're probably right. If I gave blueberry pie to my horse, she would immediately be nuzzling/licking me for more and I'd have pie all over me as well.