Cherry-Apple Jelly

Last week the boys and I spent three hours picking cherries at a friends’ house.  Then we spent part of the next three days pitting and canning.  We put up 10 quarts for pie making, candied one quart for minced meat, and made a couple of pies to eat right away.  There is nothing like “instant” gratification to keep boys working!  Hoever, we still had lots of cherries left…so we made jelly.  No pitting involved!

This is just the jelly!

My reciepe came from ”The Rocky Mountain Berry Book”, and was intended for chokecherries and crab apples, but they won’t be ready for another month, at least.

A Week of Gardening?

This last week, it being the beginning of June, I started planting my garden.

Monday the skies were fair, until I made that first wide row.  Then the clouds started to gather, and before I had finished planting the garlic, it began to rain.

Tuesday, it stormed all day.

Wednesday, there was fresh snow on the mountains.

Thursday, the sun came to visit again, and we planted lettuce, spinach, endive, augural, radishes (no, I don’t like them either, but you’ve got to have a few), carrots, peas, and turnip…before it started to rain.

Friday, it rained.

And Saturday?  We got snowed on. J

 

June 1^st, is supposed to be our last frost date—we have until August 15^th, before it is supposed to get cold again, but this morning there was frost on the compost pile, and in the garden walk ways.

What happened to global warming?  I was looking forward to some “climate changes”…maybe I need to throw more stuff away, use disposable diapers, and try hairspray.

Do you suppose that would help?

Gardening Has Begun!

 

Buying my husband a tractor may be one of the best decisions we have ever made. 

This weekend he tilled my garden to be!

We live in a zone 3, and old timers say rocks and weeds grow best.  I can attest to the rocks, as our harvest of them deepens everyday.

 

 

Due to the small size of my previous garden, we have only grown what we knew would do well; which means a 60 day or less growing season.  This year we plan to experiment with items that have a longer maturity date.  Our hope is that the long daylight hours will have an affect…much like Alaskan gardening.