All around my property grow wild berries...
I'll be honest and say that, I knew we had Raspberries growing here, but I wasn't sure if the dark ones were Blackberries or not. I had to Google how to tell them apart. I found THIS interesting web site. It does a great job of explaining the difference.
As it turns out, we have Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry and Blackberry plants scattered all through out the yard. They're growing right along edge the driveway and in the open areas.
I have to say that the Blackberries are my favorite... They are SO sweet. As I was making this post, I finished off my small portion of them, and saved a handful for Nancy...
I've also spent some time over at the neighbors place. He's the one that's building the garage and had offered me any of the downed trees... Well, I've just about cleared the place out. There's one log still to get, it's probably 10" in diameter and maybe 16' long. It will have to wait for colder weather, there's a hornet's nest in the ground next to the log... I'll be patient and let the frost take care of the problem.
I figure I now have 7.5 "face cords" of firewood. That would make a single row stack, 4' high by 60' long. I only have a small amount left to split and stack. If I pull anymore wood out the woods this fall, I'll have to make another rack to hold it. Everything outside is getting full.
No Motorcycle content in this post, except to say that I took the Wr250X out for a spin. I had to run over to the local hardware store to get a couple things to fix my bbq grill. The grill needed so attention. So, I took it all apart, replaced the regulator, knocked a big spider out of one the cast iron burners, cleaned the debris out of the bottom, put it all back together and fired it up It will reach over 700 degrees F now!!!
Not everyone can appreciate the total deep satisfaction that I know you are feeling. It's a winter thing, a self reliant thing, a Northwoods thing. I congratulate you!
ReplyDeleteI love thimbleberries, but didn't get to eat any last year for some reason. This year I have no idea where to find them!
Thimbleberries, I had to look those up. I'll be keeping an eye out for them.
DeleteLate summer bounty and full stacks of wood....the right way to proceed into what's ahead for us up here.
ReplyDeleteBoth 'accumulations' look great Erik!
Thanks Doug, some of the other plants in my yard are a bit slow to finish. My tomatoes are still green but the peppers are ready to freeze.
DeleteOur peppers didn't do as well; the tomatoes are getting red. Zucchini have been very productive. Our farmer stopped by with sweet corn yesterday so we're making that go away.
DeleteIt's berry time, in our region as well! As for the wood stacks, people here don't keep them for necessity, they have them because they like a wood fire place...
ReplyDeleteYa, you'd think with all the wood it was a "necessity", but it's just for the fireplace... Nancy loves to keep a fire going, so I guess it really is a necessity!
DeleteI'd like to get a wood stove in the house for some supplemental heating and take a load off the furnace. Maybe by next winter.. I guess I better keep stocking up on the wood!
That reminds me that I need to finish splitting and stacking for this winter as well. I have about 6 face cords done and 2 to go before we're ready. To think, all that work and it just goes up in smoke!
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that firewood is magic... it heats you 4 times
DeleteOnce when you cut it...
Once again when you split it...
Again when you haul it into the house...
And lastly, as you burn it...
But I agree, a lot of work to just burn!
For some reason I thought you were using the wood as a heat source. That's a lot of wood for a fireplace.
ReplyDeleteThe way Nancy burns through it, you'd think it was our primary source of heat!
DeleteI hope you don't have to get in a scrap with anything furry over those berries...
ReplyDeleteNearly time to stop lighting fires here and I've still got plenty of wood - a pretty mild winter this year. Outstanding!
I still keep my eyes open when I go out the door. The last thing I want to run into is one of the black bears that is trying to fatten up before his long winters nap!
DeleteIt's getting a little easier to see further into the woods. The thick underbrush is just starting to die off as fall approaches.
Soon it will be time to photograph the color changes.
I hope our winter is mild his year!
Nothing like berries picked from home. Yumm.
ReplyDeleteWe went camping at the coast Friday night and picked wild blackberries, so sweet. Made hubby scones with the leftovers yesterday morning.
Looks like you have quite the stacks of wood going. Let's hope winter is warm enough you don't need them all.
mmmmmm blackberry scones...
ReplyDeleteOnly about half the wood is dry enough to burn this winter, the other half will have to wait till next winter to sacrifice it's self for heat.
Erik:
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a wood fireplace until we got a cinder, then we converted it to a gas insert. Now all we do is push a button. Much easier than cutting, splitting and carrying in all the wood. Besides we don't have a tree source being in the city
I love blackberries and raspberries. we can buy raspberries but we have to find blackberry bushes somewhere . . .
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Erik, I received two terrific Christmas gifts last year - one was from #1 son, who with the help of a few friends dropped a chimney liner down the clay flue chimney making my wood stove operational again (saving $600 in heating costs over the winter) and the second was a cappuccino maker, from son #2 so I could brew my favorite beverage to enjoy whilst sitting in front of the fire.
ReplyDeleteCutting wood is not my forte so I have to buy it cut, split and dried for the winter.
Savings aside, there is nothing so comfortable as a cozy wood fire (unless it is rain on the roof!)
I've tons of wild raspberries (black and red - never knew the difference between blackberries and black raspberries, thanks for the info) but it's hard to beat the wild life to them.