June 8, 2016

Garlic, Raspberries, and More

June means...

garlic harvest,

the beginning of raspberry season,

green tomatoes,

apples blushing,

elders blooming,

popcorn needing weeding,

peaches almost ready (I should have thinned them!),

first picking of green beans imminent,

and a bowlful of wild blackberries.

What does June mean to you?



41 comments:

kymber said...

so happy that you are harvesting so many things! we don't start harvesting anything real (except for herbs, chives and salad greens) until mid end june. everything looks great Leigh! congrats!

sending love. your friend,
kymber

Anonymous said...

Happy to see fruits ad veggies harvested by you. All has grown up and yielded out good. You have a good collection of plants!

Dawn said...

you must be a good month ahead of us, those peaches look fantastic something i need to get is peach trees :-)

DFW said...

Everything looks great Leigh!

Seeking Serenity said...

WOW! we just have lots of baby birds here and the start of strawberries

Mama Pea said...

June for us, this year, has meant lots of cool and wet weather! I don't even have my warm weather crops planted yet because they would shrivel and "kick the bucket" from shivering!

Your garden and fruits look WONDERFUL. Once again, how very different our climates are!

When you harvest your garlic now when the weather is so warm, do you have any trouble storing it (after curing, of course) so it's good all winter?

Ed said...

Living off the land as well. I am awaiting the transition from salad greens into the peas and beans time which will turn into the tomato and sweet corn time which turns into the fall crop time. Always something delicious!

Unknown said...

Wow, gorgeous! Those peaches are amazing!
- Amanda (www.littleredfarmstead.com)

aart said...

In SW Michigan it means picking strawberries and the garlic scapes are just beginning to emerge.

Fiona said...

You made me drool!

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

My June means picking beans (green and purple podded), harvesting lettuce, strawberries, and spinach. Let me rephrase that, I'm not allowed to harvest/pick.....specific rules from my husband while I recuperate. He will do all the cooking, cleaning, garden work, and take care of me. You and I both know how that will work out!!!

I love all of your pictures!!!! Beautiful garden, gorgeous berries, and wonderful fruit tree's.

Renee Nefe said...

Hail! Yesterday I ran out and put some rabbit mesh over the tomatoes in hopes of saving them. I still need to go and check on them this morning to see if I can tell if we got the hail (we were in the next town for a class when the storm came through) and if the rabbit mesh held.
I saw seedlings yesterday.

Mark said...

Leigh that all looks great!! Kudos to you and Dan for getting all that going AND your building project, too!

Farmer Barb said...

Wow! I didn't get all of my everbearing raspberries cut, so I will be having a few of them. I build a Chipmunk Excluder so I will have strawberries for the first time. My gooseberries, blackcurrants and blueberries are netted and waiting for some more heat. My tomatoes are tiny and my arugula is EVERYWHERE!. The chipmunks ate every one of my bean seedlings, so a new set is now under cover until they get big enough. Berry boxes with rocks on top. My plum trees didn't really set fruit, but this is only their 4th spring. Tomorrow, the real covers go on the gardens to keep out the millions of birds. My son is learning to dispatch rodents. I hope it helps!

Quinn said...

Well, after reading your post, it means my mouth is watering!

Leigh said...

Kymber, it will be the middle of June before you know it!

Leigh said...

Thank you!

Leigh said...

Dawn, there is nothing finer than fresh peach pie! Unless it's peach ice cream, or peach cobbler. :)

Leigh said...

Thanks! Hoping we get timely rain so it stays that way.

Leigh said...

My strawberries are just finishing up. I love the other fruits, but miss those when they're gone.

Leigh said...

I usually end up storing my garlic in the fridge. Otherwise it dries out too fast. But then, I let it dry out and use it to make garlic powder. :)

Leigh said...

One of the things seasonal eating has taught me is how to really enjoy my homegrown foods. I only get them certain times of the year and they just seem so much tastier that way. :)

Leigh said...

We have two peach trees and this one is doing so much better than the other. But at least one is doing well!

Leigh said...

Have to love those strawberries. :)

Leigh said...

I'm just thankful to have something to drool over!

Leigh said...

Sandy that sounds great. And I'm glad you're letting Bulldog Man take care of you! You'll be at it soon enough.

Leigh said...

Hail! Oh no! But I have to say that the rabbit mesh is a brilliant idea. I hope it works!

Leigh said...

Thanks Mark! Unfortunately, the building project is on hold while we wait on an order of new saw blades. Getting lots of other things done, but I'm impatient to get my barn done!

Leigh said...

Chipmunks, oh no! I should loan you Meowy. :)

My plum tree dropped all it's fruit early so no plums for us. I think I need a few more trees or at least a replacement.

Leigh said...

We just had our first mess of steamed green beans tonight. I couldn't believe how sweet they were!

Renee Nefe said...

it worked wonderfully and held up too. I didn't even bother trying to secure it anymore (I had just slapped it together when I put it in there, I was in a hurry before the rains came.) While the pinecones down could have been from wind, they could have also been from hail. Fingers crossed.

Perry - StoneHillRidge said...

Wow, great pictures and produce. Been a very wet spring here and everything is stunted, hope the current dry spell holds out to give everything a chance to grow.

Cassandra said...

Gorgeous photos, all of them. Looks like everything is doing well. Happy harvesting!

I. Nantz said...

Regarding the elders, will you pick the blooms for elderberry syrup or let them ripen for the berries?

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Hi! Raspberries! I am glad yours are producing! The wild blackberries look good too. Everything looks like it is doing well! Nancy

Leigh said...

Crazy, isn't it? Too much rain or too little and nothing is happy! We need rain at the moment, so I hope we get some and you don't!

Leigh said...

And so are the weeds, LOL. Yesterday I discovered some lovely melons growing, buried under the green beans and weeds. Today's project is going to be to much that bed.

Leigh said...

I've always only picked the berries, in fact that's the only syrup I've seen recipes for, i.e. using the berries. Mostly I use them to make jelly, because it's a family favorite. I'll have to look into uses for the flowers.

Leigh said...

I'm very excited about those raspberries! This is my first year to have a real harvest of them. :)

Diane Donald said...

I know I'm late to the game, but it's almost elderflower season again! I have made elderflower cider and champagne (yum yum), elderflower tea, elderflower candies, and yes, elderflower syrup. it's got a lovely flavor.

Leigh said...

It doesn't matter, welcome Diane! You know, I've not tried anything from the elderflowers, just the berries. Considering how many berries the birds eat, I should try working with the flowers too!