concords

divining from the looks of the concords in the fir tree that it was time to harvest i got out my anvil shears and a five gallon bucket and went to work...

the vines there produced a reasonable amount of fruit...

however that was the low hanging fruit...

the vines in the catalpa tree were somewhat further off the ground...

and they held a bit more in terms of grapes...those collected...

i moved to the vines in the mulberry tree...

which were somewhat less laden with fruit...i did leave some bunches that were higher up in the tree for the birds...at least in part because i was not interested in getting much more than eight feet off the ground and reaching over my head to cut grapes down...we will make do with what i harvested...

the lot weighed in at 5 pounds 10.575 ounces which i washed off in the sink drowning more than a few earwigs...

i did save some seed just to see what might happen come spring...

i removed the grapes from the stems, and covered them with water in a stockpot...

it takes a while to bring grapes to a boil, however they finally did and i simmered them for ten minutes filling the kitchen with the aroma of warm grape juice...they are cooling now and in another hour or two i will strain the juice though some cheese cloth and refirigerate it until it is time to produce some homemade grape jelly...we will see how that goes.

nearing the end of july out back

my back yard recieved a touch over two inches of rain in about two hours yesterday evening...no complaints about that...

there was no hail, however the rain was heavy at times and it caused some of the teosinte to lean...

no worries though...it is a maize ancestor, and like its progeny you can simply stand it back up...i buttressed them with some garden soil and no harm done...

recent rains have induced new irruptions of dryad's saddles on the dead elm...

a bit of left handed scale...

the jerusalem artichokes have topped six feet and under that netting to the left are a wealth of seedless grapes which the camera seems unable to focus on...i have some stunning shots of the netting however...

i could get some clear photos of the concord grapes in the fir tree however...these will be netted soon enough as well...

the mooseberry bush, which looked like a dead stick to me a couple of springs ago, has topped the cage with new growth...we will be turning him loose soon...theey can reach twelve feet in height i am told...the jerusalem artichokes have a challenger for the verticality crown...

the everbearing strawberries are bearing...

the four corners potatoes are looking robust...

and the largest is signaling an attempt to bloom...these are new to me, however i would presume if the blooms hold there may be four corners potato fruits in the offing...i will keep my expectations in check...potatoes produce fruits rarely ( around here at any rate...cool, wet weather seems to be a requirement )..and these are of the same family...more news as it occurs...

there are tomatoes...

and the hopi blue maize is looking sturdy, if short.

blooms

concord grapes...

seedless grapes...

asparagus...

winter rye...

winter wheat...

alfalfa ( amazing how that worked out...the alfalfa leaf cutter bees arrive next week )...

winter vetch.

eleusis in the back yard

however there is a cmapus trip to relate first...out early to have a look and take care of a few things...

over in the asparagus bed there are new spears...

continued "ferning"...

and multiple blooms...there may be "berries" this season...

seven of the nineteen spuds i planted behind the asparagus have come up...

while over in my "official" bed...

there there are now four garlic plants up and running...

with easily as many volunteer potatoes...

i popped up one of the unsprouted garlic cloves and it seems to be inert...this may change...i have never attempted spring garlic before and, given current results, probably will not again...that too could change...

the alflafa is expansive...

and my favorie correspondent will be pleased to learn it is stil scoffing at any sort of limit...

i have a number of potatoes chitting away at home and so brought five to the campus to plant...

i added two to the asparagus bed population...

then moved some rocks around the perimeter of the "official" bed and add three to the volunteers there...after which i headed home...

where i began by checking on the teosinte seed i soaked a few days ago...thirty-three of sixty-five have germinated...a shade over fifty percent and there may be more...so the seed is viable and it is time to prepare a bed...

out back the einkorn wheat is coming along...as well as some native growth that needs tending to...

there are emergent seed heads on the rye by the locust tree...

and the winter wheat on the compost pile...

is "keeping up with the ryes"...eleusis comes to the back yard...

the container spuds are in full leaf and the containers will be back filled shortly...

the strawberries are producing...

and there are signs of grapes to come on the vines in the fir trees...there's more...however that is another post.