Gathering

And then I blinked at it was gathering time. Wha...?? Autumn is almost fully upon us. I can't quite get my head around that fact. Maybe because the last four months have had solid rain, we haven't had a summer, and this is actually the first time this year that we've been to the farm...

Regardless of what time I think it should be, nature has definitely called time. Now is the time to gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

Literally.

Those Berries were Blue

An early start to the blueberry picking on the farm, with some early varieties ready to pop. Taking advantage of a nice day we all headed off with dreams and chatter of blueberry pie, blueberry crumble, blueberry with yoghurt, but requests for blueberry jam making the biggest noise of all.

It wasn't long before helping mummy by picking berries gave way to bug finding, cricket catching and playing hide and seek in the bushes. Making my way slowly up the rows of fruit, we found our own pace. A berry here, a few handfuls from the boys there, boo! from behind a bush, and after what seemed a good while our basket was full. Full of berry goodness, full of plans of what we would make with them, and full of an afternoon spent working and playing together.

And, as always, that's the bit that tastes the best of all.

Strawberry fields forever

We usually go for corn in October. Maybe pumpkins, depending on whether we have decided to 'like' them this year. But we found ourselves this past weekend picking strawberries instead. In a heatwave. In the sunblasted landscape of the farm. An anachronism amplified by the crazy long shadows usually associated with early evening in summer or, uh, October mid-day as we wrap up with hats and scarves.

Chatting with the farmer this is the first year in his forty years of farming that they've ever offered strawberries so late. And my mother informs me up north they've had rain. Of course. And maybe even snow will fall at the end of this week. The farmer and I agree - something's broken, surely?

Embracing the season we are in, whatever that happens to throw at us, we have been enjoying the Indian Summer as hard as we can - road trips, beach trips, days out, and pool play.

Next week corn should be ready, and if this weather persists it will be the only year in my life so far that I have been able to pick corn and berries on the same day.

And happy as I am to have summer back, I can't help but feel a little worried too...

The harvest bushel bag's (seen above) pattern can be found in the first edition of Seasonal Living and Learning. Out now.

*** *** ***

Jam

From this ::











To this ::







22lbs of jam hot off the stove, bursting out of the little cupboard designed to hold our stock of home made jars. And we still haven't been blueberry picking yet! And then there are the apples to make room for!

Seriously. We have jam. Why not make some for yourself too!


*** *** ***

Plum Picking

This farm, which we are so very, very lucky to live near, is never far from our minds in summer. Not many weeks go by without a hit and run reccie for fresh vege and perhaps some hand-picked strawberries for the table. Summer wouldn't be summer without fresh fruit.

And walking over the hills, searching for glistening hidden gems, breathing in all the fresh, quiet air, well, it's more than the tummy that gets fed, isn't it?

This time of year plums are beckoning and the boys and I fill up our baskets with fruit that will supply us with the best part of our year's jam batch. I think they know that when this fruit is ready for picking the last of the summer is winding down. They make the most of the farm, the farm dogs, the playground, the open, outside living.

And we gather as much of the summer as we can.


*** *** ***