And Oh I am so happy! The trees have all started bearing their fruit, and for some of us its already time to start picking.
Already this season we've had Mayhaws, Blackberries, and for some of us red plums are already ready! It's nice to take something so natural and wholesome (and also DELICIOUS) and make something out of it! Now I have to say with all the rain we've had down here in Texas I'm just proud that fruit even made!
I'll say though, getting Mayhaws was not fun because of how high the water was! We had to wade through it just to get to the trees, and catching the fruit as it drifted away was even harder. This was my first time to pick Mayhaws though - and perhaps that's something best left to the boys to get?
Blackberries on the other hand - well everyone who has ever picked wild blackberries knows exactly how ... tough it can be! Thorns and thorns and on some occasions, snakes. Fortunately I have not yet seen any snakes while I was picking, but I know they can be out there! What made it tough was the ground was so wet (did I mention it's been raining?) the ground just sucks your feet in, and a LOT of the berries were washed away. It definitely wasn't easy but I did finally get some blackberries !
And then we have plums! Stone fruits need a lot more sun to ripen (at least it seems that way!) and with all the rain we've had, the sun hasn't really shown it's face much, All of my plums picked rather easily today, some few were red, but the majority were yellow. Please note, I *DO* still pick fruits when they're not perfectly ripe. Slightly unripe fruit has higher amounts of natural pectin which means it'll jell better.
I'm so happy for jelly making season!
A couple's simple guide to home farming
Saturday, May 30, 2015
A little summer fun project!
Well, summer is almost here, and I'm sure you're looking for things to do with your kids. As I'm sure you're well aware, almost all children are almost too plugged in to technology! I know I'm not much of one to talk being a millennial and all, and to be honest I would have been happy living my life behind a screen until the day I met D and learned just how beautiful the world is once we unplug.
So, in the spirit of warm weather, clear skies, and summer vacation - here's an easy little project that will help your kids (or the child in you even :D) learn a little more about nature, nurture and taking pride in their work!
Some of you may have primped and primed gardens that are almost a requirement to keep up (HOA anybody?) and maybe some of you have vegetable gardens? Speaking of - ours is finally planted. It's been a wet wet spring here in Texas and on the one good day we got sunshine, I got one hell of a good sunburn that day, but that's what summer's about! Hard work, having fun and getting some sun!
Today I'm gonna teach you how to sprout your own lemon seeds! Lemonade is a classic summer drink here in the south and nothing's more refreshing on a hot summer day than some sweet and tangy lemonade. Handsqueezed lemonade can be a pain to make, but I promise it's delicious. Plus, you'll get the seeds out of your lemons that you can use to grow your own lemon trees!
To start you're going to need some lemon seeds! Fresh out of the lemon, they're yellow-ish. I should have taken pictures of this part, but shame on me, I didn't! Gently, with a knife, or even your nails if they're strong enough, nick the yellow part and slowly peel it off. This will reveal a brown seed coat.
If you want to get extra fancy, you can very gently peel off the brown seed coat, or you can leave it on. Lemon seeds will sprout pretty quickly regardless!
Then, gently wet some paper towels, and wrap your seed up in it. Seal it up in a plastic baggie and stick it in a window that gets plenty of sun!
Check on it every day or so.
If you peeled the brown seed coat off, you can watch the seed turn green. Within a few days you should start to see little roots growing from the seeds. I like to wait until a small sprout has formed before transitioning it to soil because it makes it easier to know how deep to bury it.
And there you go! The start of your own little lemon tree!
So, in the spirit of warm weather, clear skies, and summer vacation - here's an easy little project that will help your kids (or the child in you even :D) learn a little more about nature, nurture and taking pride in their work!
Some of you may have primped and primed gardens that are almost a requirement to keep up (HOA anybody?) and maybe some of you have vegetable gardens? Speaking of - ours is finally planted. It's been a wet wet spring here in Texas and on the one good day we got sunshine, I got one hell of a good sunburn that day, but that's what summer's about! Hard work, having fun and getting some sun!
Today I'm gonna teach you how to sprout your own lemon seeds! Lemonade is a classic summer drink here in the south and nothing's more refreshing on a hot summer day than some sweet and tangy lemonade. Handsqueezed lemonade can be a pain to make, but I promise it's delicious. Plus, you'll get the seeds out of your lemons that you can use to grow your own lemon trees!
To start you're going to need some lemon seeds! Fresh out of the lemon, they're yellow-ish. I should have taken pictures of this part, but shame on me, I didn't! Gently, with a knife, or even your nails if they're strong enough, nick the yellow part and slowly peel it off. This will reveal a brown seed coat.
If you want to get extra fancy, you can very gently peel off the brown seed coat, or you can leave it on. Lemon seeds will sprout pretty quickly regardless!
Then, gently wet some paper towels, and wrap your seed up in it. Seal it up in a plastic baggie and stick it in a window that gets plenty of sun!
Check on it every day or so.
If you peeled the brown seed coat off, you can watch the seed turn green. Within a few days you should start to see little roots growing from the seeds. I like to wait until a small sprout has formed before transitioning it to soil because it makes it easier to know how deep to bury it.
And there you go! The start of your own little lemon tree!
Friday, May 1, 2015
Growing dragonfruit cactus from cutting!
Well, its no secret that cuttings grow much faster and readier than growing from seed.
Somewhere on the magical land of the internet I read something awesome. The dragonfruit cactus is called Hylocereus undatus. And, supposedly if you go to the local lawn and garden store you'll find these cute little cacti that are green triangular "stems" and a brightly colored ball shaped cactus on top.
Supposedly the green little stem is the same hylocereus that produces dragonfruit. Its the right shape, and definitely prefers more water than not. I've spoken to several people who have either killed this cactus or given up on it because it grows too slow. Now I will say, firstly I cut off the brightly colored cactus on top and treated both halves like cacti.
The bright red one loved it. The hylocereus not so much.
Well, when I started to treat it like the tropical plant that it was... away she grew. The first new growth popped up on April 10th.
Today is the 29th and its already grown pleasantly fast! I'm so proud of how big it's getting! Those on the sides are my baby peach trees. Hopefully I'll get pictures of them up here soon!
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