artificial selection. grapes, nuts ( not grapenuts ), the pheonix and more

i had a few volunteer spring wheat plants pop up and they have finished their season...that's hard red spring wheat on the left and emmer wheat and its 10000 year old dna on the right...the emmer is about a foot shorter than the "improved" wheat...

which has much larger seed heads...

with twenty ot better "berries"...

as opposed to nine on the ear of emmer...emmer can produce more given the correct conditions...however not as much as the "improved" variety...but remember they were volunteers and i left them to what the environment gave them and the environment here has been mostly dry...i am considering a bed of emmer in the coming spring and if i do plant we will see how it does with human intervention...

the seedless grapes which are not seedless are producing well...

and the squirrels here seem to be getting lazy as i am finding windfall black walnuts under the tree by the kitchen window...

the grape vines from the pheonix concord grape roots continue on their way into the fir tree...

and the tendrils are busy anchoring the vines...no grapes for a few years...no matter..i am pleased at the rebirth...

in other news, pickles...

and beans are emerging into the summer...if it ever rains to a sustainable degree ( we are still in "moderate drought" ) i will wind up the garden hose...no time soon it would seem.