We picked black cherries last night. It was a good year for them, though they are small despite the rain and floods. Cherry picking is usually a one-time effort for us. The season is very short--the fruit was falling on us as we picked! In the last light of the day, in the cool of the long shadows, it was so nice. These cherries will go to jam, as they nearly always do. It prolongs the harvest in the most efficient way.
There are other cherry trees besides my grandmother's--the Swing Place and the Settler's Museum. My hope is to check those trees in the coming days and see what we find. This next three months are devoted to food collection and preservation on a moment's notice. It is exciting, frugal, and a little exhausting, but it is a pleasure to see our own stores grow as the Summer goes.
In our times, of course, these kind of efforts are not truly necessary, but they do bring such joy and substance to life. My thoughts match well with this segment of Victorian Farm. There is so much fruit just waiting for someone to come and collect it. The birds have more than their fair share and don't mind a bit. My own childhood had a lot of berry and cherry picking in it, and I wish the same for our children. June second is forever in my memory as the day we pick cherries.
Love your recommendation on "Victorian Farm"! Started it tonight and it is quite interesting! We, too, picked wild cherries today and I made jelly. It is so lovely in my MIL's old jars -- ruby and rich! Yum! I agree; food is everywhere if we could just see it! We pick apples all over Grayson Highlands in the fall! LOL Soon, it will be berry picking time. Can. Not. Wait!
ReplyDeleteHave a joyful week!
All the shows those folks appear on are so interesting. :-) My son loves the Victorian farming the best, though I am forever partial to Tales from the Green Valley. It is hard to choose! We have picked apples in the Fairwood area, not too far from the Highlands. Yes, berries are starting to turn here.
DeleteLovely cherries - my favourite fruit! Ours are still far from ripe and we will have to work hard to keep them from the birds while they ripen. Enjoy your jam making - cherry jam - my favourite!
ReplyDeleteOurs are quit small this year, but they are plentiful. I ended up having to make the jam while not feeling well, but it got done (and yay for boiling!)
DeleteGosh yes, no time to waste when you have the harvest in. But horrible to feel so ill and still have to go on. Hope you are all resting lots. hugs
ReplyDeleteYes, I spent the rest of the day resting. Luckily, Mike was home for most of it. I think we have now rested until we are quite crazy. Still waiting for one last child to make more recovery.
Delete:-)
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