Fall Foraging: Rose Hips

We have wild roses everywhere. In some ways they are a nuisance, but they are also useful, so over the years we've thinned them out. I still have several areas, however, where I gather rose hips.

The wild rose hips are tedious to gather because they are so small. It takes a while to get a worthwhile amount.

Over the course of several weeks I was able to gather and dry a pound. A quart jar holds them nicely and looks pretty on a kitchen shelf.

Occasionally, I make tea. 

Crush gently.

Simmer a tablespoon in a pint of water for 10 minutes.

Very tasty with a drizzle of honey.

Rose hips are traditionally used in cough remedies or to treat diarrhea. And of course they are rich in vitamin C. I also feed them to the goats!

I have some rugosa roses too, but they've been taken over by honeysuckle and Virginia creeper. Hopefully, this winter I can rescue them. 

Anyone else collect rose hips?

Fall Foraging: Rose Hips © Nov 2020 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Homestead Harvest: Fruits and Nuts

August has found me busy picking and preserving fruits.

Blueberries. I'm able to harvest these for about 4 or 5 weeks.

Figs all ripen over a couple of weeks.

Apples. Our first year to harvest!

The blueberry bushes and fig trees were well established by the time we bought the place. We planted the apple tree almost four years ago and this is the first year it's produced enough for even a small harvest.

Another first harvest is elderberries.

Elderberries beginning to ripen.

These bushes, too, were planted our first year here and, finally, I've gotten enough to pick. Well, I might have last year, but competition with birds is stiff, especially since they'll eat them green. I'm wanting to make elderberry jelly with this first harvest.

Peaches were ready earlier in the summer, but they produced only a pitiful few.

Peaches

Last year I was able to freeze three quarts in addition to eating them fresh. This year, barely enough for a bowl or two of cereal. Not even enough for ....

Peach pie, made with last year's frozen peaches. I used my whitest rendered
goat fat for the crust, and it was the tastiest and flakiest crust I ever made!

I got about a dozen plums for the first time, but almonds were a complete no-show although there were loads of blossoms. Neither did I get any hazelnuts, but those trees are still pretty small. Pears have yet to produce and I think my few cherries were eaten by the birds.

The other thing I've been harvesting is rose hips.

Rugosa rose hips

Still to come, wild persimmons and pecans. Maybe even some wild muscadines too. Last year I didn't get any persimmons or muscadines, but it was my best pecan year ever.

In the garden, melons have been a bust I reckon because of all the rain and so little sun. No matter, I'm thankful for whatever we get.

Homestead Harvest: Fruits and Nuts © August 2013 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Fall Foraging

Beautiful autumn weather seems to be meant for foraging.

Good pecans this year

I've gathered quite a few pecans, and so far they're all good ones.

Shelling pecans for Thanksgiving's sweet potato casserole

We have a number of pecan and hickory trees, and interestingly, they all produce different size nuts. The squirrels love pecans too, so there is competition for these.

Only a few persimmons left on the upper branches

There is competition for persimmons too, because deer and possums love these, probably other critters too. Our persimmon tree is tall, so the fruits look like dots on the branches. I can only collect the ones that fall to the ground. I can see the top of the tree from where I sit at the milking stand. It is visible out the door and above the treetops. I managed to get some last year, but this year, there isn't much left.

We are having a bumper crop of acorns!

Acorns

These are from white oaks. In some places, the ground is completely covered with them. I collect them to feed to my goats when the winter forage pickings get slim. They aren't especially rich in protein, but they do add roughage, carbohydrates, and fats to their winter diet, and they love them. We could eat them as well, though I haven't tried that yet. (For more information on processing acorns, read Jackie Clay's article, "Harvesting The Wild: Acorns").

I've also managed to collect a few wild rose hips.

Wild rose hips

I showed you my rugosa rose hips in my "Last of the Summer Harvest" post. These are teeny in comparison; all seed and no fruit. I tried making jelly of these, but it turned out pretty badly. That's one of the reasons I planted the rugosas. Plus those hips are easier to collect.

The goats love the wild ones though, both leaves and hips. We used to have tons of wild rose bushes before we got goats. Most of our bushes were cut back when we added fencing. What remains the goats eat. Only a few are out of their reach and these are from those bushes. I gather what hips I can, to dry and feed to them during winter for vitamin C.

Some things, like the acorns especially, may seem a tedious thing to gather. But a pocketful here, and a pocketful there, make for a pleasant way to take a break from other chores, or to spend a few minutes outside when I'm doing indoor projects. It reminds me to be thankful too, for all the little things. Acorns included.

Fall Foraging © November 2012 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

June Harvest 2012

I didn't get much early planting done this year, so there aren't many summer veggies to show. Just these...

Cucumbers! 

These are on the to-do list today to become relish.

Most of June's harvest has been things planted last fall or before, and fruit (no complaints about that). I've already told you about the peaches, also my garlic harvest and first half of the potatoes. My second potato bed produced a slightly better yield. In addition, I've harvested:

Onions

Of onions I've harvested two types: regular yellow from sets I planted March of 2011,

Finally harvesting onions from sets planted March 2011

and multiplier onions I planted last fall.

Multiplier onions planted last fall

They practically harvested themselves actually; they were just laying there on top of the ground. I'll save the largest ones to replant this fall.

Strawberries

I had no hopes of many strawberries because I had to move my bed again this year. While I was weeding the asparagus, I found these....

Strawberry harvest? This is it.

I reckon the only reason the birds didn't get them is because they were hidden under the weeds! Not enough for jam or strawberry shortcake, but I loved them on my morning cereal.

Blueberries  

First blueberries of the year, early!

Blueberries are early and thanks to all the rain, they are bountiful, plump, and sweet.

I've been freezing some of these and the other day canned seven quarts of pie filling. I had canned some two years ago, using the recipe from PickYourOwn.org. The pie filling was okay, the pies tasted just like a restaurant pie, i.e. lots of sauce and less fruit. This year I used the blueberry pie filling recipe from Putting Foods By. The recipe was much easier and used almost double the blueberries, so I'm curious as to how well we'll like it.

Rugosa Rose Hips

Rugosa rose hips

I've read that rose hips aren't ready to harvest until after a frost. Makes 'em sweeter they say. As you can see, quite a few of mine were drying on the bush, so I picked them. I'll dehydrate them to use at a later date.

Grapes

A handful of grapes

The grape vine was here when we got here. I found it hidden in the brush. The past two years the birds got most of them. This year I got them. They are sour and seedy, I assume wine grapes or for jelly. These are all I got, so I'll freeze them along with a few other things and make a mixed jelly later.

Nothing else to show, but I've got green tomatoes growing, borage blooming, cantaloupe vines blooming, a scattering of volunteer potatoes, and soup beans drying on the vine. I still have more to plant too. So tell me, how is your harvest coming along?

June Harvest 2012 © June 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

Fruits & Nuts 2012 Tour

Looks like it's going to be a good year for fruits and nuts.

Peaches

Peach trees planted fall of 2009

My peach trees are loaded, one (pictured above) in particular. The branches are bending to the ground under the weight of the fruit. Impressive but not good management. I should picked off a bunch at an earlier stage. That would have meant less of a burden on the branches, and larger peaches. Last year all my peaches were loaded with worms. I'm hoping for better this year. They're almost ripe so we'll be harvesting these later this month.

Apples

Apple trees planted fall of 2009

This will be our first year to get a few apples! I planted two varieties, Gala and Fuji, and we'll get some of both.

Crabapples

Crabapple tree planted fall of 2010

I have one crabapple (our first) on my little crabapple tree! I planted it because my brother loves crabapple jelly. Also, I'm hoping to use these to make cider vinegar one of these days.

Blueberries

Surprise trying her hardest to get a taste of blueberry bush

I have to say that the blueberry corral has worked very well. Last year it was an ongoing battle with the goats to try and harvest any blueberries (that tale here.)

Blueberry bush was here when we bought the place

This year will be a different story because the bush is loaded with unripe berries. Blueberries are ready to harvest here in July.

Elderberries

1st elder bushes were planted winter 2009.

We planted our first elderberry bushes December 2009. I've added more every year since, with a goal to make an impressive hedge. This year we have more flowers than ever before, but experience has taught me that the birds love elderberries, even green ones. Maybe I should net them. Hmm.

Red Raspberries

Red raspberries, planted spring 2010 and 2011

I haven't done well with my red raspberry plants. For every three I plant I lose at least one, often two. It may be the spot I chose to plant them, up the hill from the elder bushes. The higher up the hill the more quickly the ground dries out. Watering more would have helped, but some things are difficult to get to. Above is the sum total of my very first raspberry harvest, two whole berries. (Hey, it's a start, right?)

Sand Cherries

Sand cherries, planted spring of 2011

Something unexpected has been our sand cherries. I planted these to make a pretty privacy hedge, not thinking a lot about the fruit, except that I try to only plant things that are edible or medicinal. The largest plants have produced these for me....

My very 1st bowlful of cherries

Not enough to do much with and they're pretty extremely tart. Still, they aren't as seedy as I expected for a native type cherry bush. One of these years they'll probably make an excellent batch of jelly.

Figs

Baby figs are beginning to grow. Mature trees were here when we got here.

I discovered that we had fig trees while I was clearing out overgrown brush our first summer here. Since then we've enjoyed a good harvest every year. My dad especially loves the canned ones and has put in his request for as many as I care to send. Fig harvest will be in August.

Grapes

One vine, variety unknown, was here before we were

One grapevine was here when we bought the place. I don't know when it was planted, but unfortunately it is now in all shade and doesn't do very well. The grapes will turn dark purple later in the summer and are seedy and very sour. The birds will get to them before I do. I should consider propagating a few of my own vines from this one, but we haven't decided yet where to put them.

We have Muscadines as well, wild ones. I got a good harvest our first autumn, but none since, so I'm hoping it will be a good year for them. Some day I will plant some muscadine vines.

Rugosa Rosehips

Rugosa roses with hips beginning to ripen. Planted fall of 2010

I love my rugosa roses. Beautiful, single hot pink blooms and huge bright red hips. I'd like to have an impressive hedge of these too. I did transplant some volunteers, two of which look like they'll survive if they get plenty of water this summer.

I also promised some nuts on this tour, and here they are,

Almonds

All-in-One Almond. Planted winter 2009

Last year we got a small handful of almonds, but this year looks like we'll have a modest harvest. Almonds are Dan's favorite nuts, so I planted it just for him. I love them too, so it's a welcome addition to the yard. I bought an all-in-one because I read that Hall's Hardy, while indeed hardy and easier to crack, weren't as sweet. All-in-one is self pollinating (not sure about Hall's) and it's pale pink flowers in the spring are a delight to the eye.

Pecans

Pecan trees just finished blooming, so we'll have to see what makes

Mature pecan trees were one of the bonuses when we bought the place. Last year was my best ever for pecans; not terms of quantity, but quality. This year? We'll have to wait and see. :)

Non-producers this year are the pears. Theses were planted the same time as the apples. Trees that are still small and young aren't producing yet either, my Stanley prune-plum, North Star cherry tree, and my two hazelnut trees. I also wasn't expecting much from the strawberries and wasn't disappointed. Last year's plants were swallowed up by wire grass. I transplanted the ones I could, and also planted some new. Unfortunately wire grass seems to love strawberries and it's found it's way into this new bed too. Some days I feel like I just can't win. On the other hand, looks like we've got a lot to be thankful for this year.

Fruits & Nuts 2012 Tour © June 2012 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

August Harvest & Preservation

There's been a lot of good eating out of the garden this month. Quite a bit of food preservation too.

Tomatoes. I have to admit that since I learned the trick about freezing tomatoes to peel them, I've been tossing all the ripe ones that we don't eat, into the freezer to save to make juice and sauce later. :) This has relieved me of some of the time pressure that comes with a heavily producing garden. After I had two plastic shopping bags I got to work...

Tomatoes preserved in August:

• tomato juice, 16 quarts canned
• pizza sauce, 3 pints

I also used garden tomatoes in the chicken & okra gumbo I canned.

Chicken & okra gumbo. Just add rice.

One thing I've figured out about canning soups, is to strain out the liquid first, divvy up the meat and vegetables amongst the jars, and lastly add the broth. This way I get fairly equal amounts of solids in each jar.

Preserved this month:

• chicken & okra gumbo with tomatoes, 11 quarts canned

Okra. Of that, I'm still getting more than I need. Besides the gumbo, I've also made and canned okra pickles.

Pickled, canned, okra pods

We've never tried these before, but so many of you recommended them last month, that I just had to give them a try.

Okra preserved this month:

• okra pickles, 6 pints canned
• frozen, sliced, 6 more quarts

My prettiest pepper so far

Sweet Peppers. I didn't have very good luck with any of my peppers this year. None of the seeds I planted indoors last spring germinated. Neither did any that I sowed directly into the ground. I finally had to buy 3 sweet pepper plants just to have some.

Even these haven't done well however, due to blossom end rot, the dryness, and the heat.

I like to preserve these by slicing and freezing for pizza and pepper and egg sandwiches. We won't get much for that I'm afraid.

Preserved this month:

• a handful, frozen

Figs. For two quick weeks at the beginning of the month, we had figs galore.

Bucket of ripe fresh figs

Besides the traditional August fresh fig cake, we don't eat these fresh, so all are preserved. I still have plenty of canned figs from last year, so this year I decided to preserve by making jam and dehydrating.

Halved figs ready to dehydrate

I wondered if I could substitute dried figs for raisins in recipes ....

Oatmeal fig cookies

The answer to that is, yup. They rehydrate well too, for cakes or muffins. One of these days I'd like to try  making a filled fig cookie too. Anybody have a good recipe?

Figs preserved this month:

• fig jam, 13 pints canned
• dehydrated, 1/2 gallon

Melons have been ripening and we've been enjoying both watermelon and green nutmeg melons.

Sugar Baby watermelon

We eat our fill and dehydrate what we don't eat. The nice thing about drying melon, is that it's a good option for both under or overripe ones. It makes a candy sweet, sort of fruit leather, perfect to snack on.

Melons preserved in August

• watermelon, dehydrated, 1 quart
• green nutmeg melon, dehydrated, 1 quart

Elderberries

Elderberries (what the birds didn't get)

I'm afraid the birds got most of these. They start eating them green (as they do the figs & pecans) so the humans don't seem to stand as much of a chance. My bushes are still young and just beginning to produce, so the elderberry harvest will only improve as the years go by.

Rose Hips. I also harvested my first handful of rugosa rose hips. A couple years ago I researched rose hips for jelly making and I read that they are best after a frost. Well, our frost isn't for another two months yet look....

Rugosa rosa hips

Some of them are drying out and shriveling. They simply won't last until October on the bush. So I picked them. It was just a handful, but it's a start.

Beans

Kentucky wonder pole beans on left
Hutterite soup beans in middle
Cowpeas on right

The Kentucky Wonders in the corn, I've given up on. The last time I picked there was just a handful of fresh eating size to be found, so I'm just going to let them dry to collect for seed. Fortunately we still have plenty of canned green beans from last year, so I decided not to worry about it except for fresh eating.

The Hutterite soup beans are being picked regularly. We have yet to do a taste test, so I don't know whether or not we'll grow these again next year. I do like a good white soup bean though.

Cowpeas continue to produce, but I'm saving all for seed next year. I'll grow them in the field then for feed.

Beans preserved this month:

• Kentucky Wonders - dried for seed
• Hutterite Soup Beans - 1.5 pints dried
• Cowpeas - also for dried seed

Black Oil Sunflowers (BOSS)

The drooping heads of black oil sunflowers

I planted these in two places; in the garden as companions to squash and melon, and in the field, on their own. The ones in the garden have done much, much better than the ones in the field. The ones in the field were disappointing, engulfed by weeds, small heads, many empty shells. The ones in the garden produced well. So well in fact, that I've been in competition with the birds for them

Several of the heads were bird pecked

BOSS ripe & ready to pick

When I saw that happening, I checked to see if the kernels had filled out with  seeds.

Sure enough they were ready. So I cut off the heads and put them on our screened front porch to dry. Without the ones in the field, I won't have a lot for feed, but I figure, live and learn, and I've got a start.

With September right around the corner, I have to say that both the garden and food preservation are winding down. Soon I'll be able to count the summer totals for my efforts, and put my summer garden to bed until next spring.

August Harvest & Preservation © August 2011 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/