"That's the Berries"

"That's the berries."  I've heard this expression often but what does it mean?  I think it means "Well that's something."  Some say "something" means "great" and others "bad."  Right now I say it means plentiful.  My fridge is filled with berries of all kinds. 

I am just finishing up strawberry season.  It was another awesome year for strawberries which by the way are not true berries but an aggregate accessary which has something to do with pollination, two ovaries, I don't know.  Raspberries and blackberries fall in this category also.

Also in my fridge are elderberries.  Some may ask, "What are you going to do with them?  They taste absolutely awful, bitter, seedy...."  I say elderberry pie, elderberry jelly, yum.  I like the nuttiness from the seeds and the rich flavor when sugar is added.  Elderberries are high in phosphorus, potassium and  vitamin C.  As a kid I used to love to walk the railroad tracks, before they started spraying, picking elderberries and bringing them home for mom to make pies and jelly. We were looking for huckleberries when I spotted the elderberries along the Clearwater Lake road.  I yelled, "Stop!" making both my husband and daughter jump out of their seats.  "Elderberries," I yell, "and they are black and oh so ripe."  Bob stopped and we found several bushes picking the dark blue to black clusters of berries. 

Yes, we also found huckleberries.  They are a terribly fickle fruit.  We have many patches that we check  because you never know if they will be producing that particular year.  They are affected by late frosts, too much snow, not enough snow, too dry, too wet, too hot, who knows?  There are about 40 species of huckleberries found all over the United States.  Some bushes are tall and bushy while others are short and squatty.  They can be blue, black, red, purple, and yes, even white.  There are big berries, little berries, and all sizes inbetween. They are found on mountain sides, in meadows, old growth, new growth, burns. Where ever you find them you do not reveal their location to anyone.  Their taste is unique unlike any other fruit.  It is a strong flavor in comparison to the milder blueberry.  They are great in pancakes, muffins, pies, crisps, and jams or jellies. 

All my berries are going into the freezer to be pulled out on some cold snowy day to remind us that summer will come again with all its berries.  Now "that's the berries!"

Bob and Adrianne picking huckleberries.

The Lush Greenhouse

I tried something new in the greenhouse this year.  I now have raised beds following the Square Foot gardening method.   I filled the boxes with 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite.

What a difference it has made! My greenhouse is looking fabulous with ripening tomatoes,

Greenbeans, cukes, peppers, lettuce, zuchs, and onions, crowded into a little eight by ten space.

 

 I added flowers this year also to attract the bees to help polinate my vegies.  My mom loved zinnias and usually had a few growing in the garden. They are killed here easily due to our frequent frosts so I have them in the greenhouse.

                                   

                                                My kittie cat, Cheech is checking out the place. 

Strawberries, WOW!

    

     Well I know most of you have already picked your strawberries and they are in jars of jam in your pantry or frozen in your freezer waiting to be placed on shortcakes in January or strawberry daiquiris soon, but not here in Seeley Lake, Montana.  I have  just started to pick and man do I have strawberries.  They are huge and so delicious.  I have picked three days and have over 2  gallons already.  Bob wants a strawberry rhubarb pie.   I want strawberry crepes and some yummy oatmeal strawberry cookies.  The problem is I am trying not to eat sugar so ...

     I think strawberries are my favorite fruit along with huckleberries.  I also love blackcap raspberries but I can't find them in Montana.  I  remember picking black raspberries in Ringses Woods or along the railroad as a kid and mom baking me a black raspberry pie.  I would love to have a piece of that pie right now.

      Alright back to the strawberries.  I have a slug problem.  Every year I put out slug saloons.  They love to sit around drinking beer and being a little sluggish in my slug saloons but luckily for me they drown themselves while in there alcohol stupor. After about a week of partying and drinking themselves dead I no longer have a slug problem.  YeeHaa!!  I love strawberries!!

Foxglove, Good or Bad

I am in a quandary, what should I do about my foxglove? 

I love the cottage garden affect I get from placing foxglove in my garden.  I like the vertical and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous.  I also like the pastel colors they provide against the often bright reds and yellows. 

Here is the problem.  While doing a little research on foxglove for this blog I discovered a few negative characteristics that is making me think I need to dig them up and get rid of them.  It seems that not only can it be dangerous if ingested but it has been known to cause severe skin rashes that won't go away.  Seed pods explode and are ingested causing breathing problems.  The plant also reseeds its self quite easily and spreads rapidly.  We often have horses on our property so we don't want it to spread to our pastures.  Foxglove is poisonous to all mammals if ingested. 

What to do?

 It has been around forever in old Victorian gardens and cottage gardens.  I would like to keep it in my garden but now I am a little concerned.  Let me know what you think.  Do you have foxglove in your garden?  I would love to hear from you on this topic.   

Here are a few more pics from my July garden:

The sugar Ann peas are more than five feet tall.  Wow!

Happy July 4th One Day Late.

     Well I am finally home and posting again. I have been back from Ohio for a week but I have been so busy hoeing all the weeds in my garden I have had no time for the computer.  Yes, I came home to nothing, (I first thought), but weeds.  After much hoeing and hand picking I can finally see the  rows of vegies.  Yes, I really do have Swiss chard, lettuce, beets, and onions.   I have also been busy setting traps and catching the culprits that ate my beans.  So far we have caught two pocket gophers in the garden.  I replanted the beans but it might be too late.

     Here's the clincher, I awoke to 32 degrees this morning and yes the potatoes have been zapped.  That's right, here it is July 4th and we have freezing temperatures.  So what's new in Seeley Lake?  Nothing!  I covered my poor eaten beans and two lonely zuchs but forgot the spuds.  Luckily I have beans and zuchs in the greenhouse and potatoes are cheap.

     Here are a few fun pics from my garden on July 4th, 2012.

My thyme is beautiful and probably should be trimmed back and harvested. 

 











The forever- onions are contortion artists.

This is a little taste of my flower gardens.  The lupine and iris are bloomimg along with the pinks.

    

 This is my native garden.  It has snow berry bushes, solomom seal and a very fragrant white flower.  It came up on its own. 

A River Runs Through It

I love this time of year.  The world is green instead of black and white and everything is so new.  This is Mountain Creek running past our house headed for the Columbia and the Pacific Ocean.

  All my hard work planting is starting to show with little sprouts popping up through the soil.  In the back ground are the peas, Sugar Ann, Montana Marvels, and Green Arrow.  The strawberries are covered with blossoms in the foreground, yum, strawberry shortcake soon.

I moved my babies to the greenhouse.  They are just covered in little baby tomatoes.  I worried about my babies during the night.  They are not used to temperatures in the 30's.  I sure hope they like their new home.

 Does anyone know what these white flowers are?  Their foliage remains green all winter and the flowers are some of the first to bloom.  Could they be candy tufts?

 My creeping thyme is blooming.  I love the lavender flowers and the great smell.  I put thyme in many of my soups especially those with a cream sauce as in potato or asparagas. 

This will be my last post for awhile, I am headed to see my family in Ohio where you can grow just about anything you want.  Oh well even though my gardening is limited I love where I live. 

Spring = Rhubarb, Yum

I know everyone else has already enjoyed their daffodils but mine are just now blooming and I love them.  They have had a rough week trying to look beautiful through cold, winds, snow, rain, and hail.  Each day I would go to the garden to find more daffodils pressed to the dirt.  I rescued them and brought them inside to brighten the gloomy days.  A few survived the week and are soaking up the sun today.

Spring is back and what a beautiful day!  My garden is rototilled and ready to plant.  In fact I planted lettuce and spinach this morning.  It just makes me feel good all over. 

The rhubarb is up and ready to eat.  There are so many uses for rhubarb: pies, muffins, bread, sauces, jams, and yes, cake. Rhubarb Crumb Cake is fast and easy and very yummy.  It has a crumb topping therefore no frosting to deal with.  I cut back on the sugar in the topping and used 1 cup of whole wheat and one cup of white flour in the cake. 

          Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Cream:      1/2 cup of shortening

                 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

Add:          1 egg

                 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine:   1 tsp. baking soda

                 1 cup buttermilk

Add alternately with:

                  2 cups of flour

Stir in:        1 1/2 cups of rhubarb cut into 1/2    

                  inch pieces

                  1/2 cup chopped nuts

Place in a 9 x 13 inch greased and floured baking dish.

Sprinkle with topping:

                   1/3 cup of sugar

                   1 tsp. cinnamon

                   1 tsp. butter

                   1/2 cup chopped nuts

Bake @ 350 for 35-40 minutes 

Check out my blog down the road for more rhubarb recipes.  Happy Spring!!