So I'm not going off grid anytime soon...

I have a confession. Amid all our homestead efforts and my desires to move toward a more "back-to-the-basics" lifestyle, my mom bought us a huge flat screen TV for Christmas...and....here's where it conflicts a bit with this blog's ideals....I LOVE IT. Seriously.

It's 40 something inches and mounted to our wall and movies are incredible on it. Best of all...I didn't pay for it. There's no way I would have spent this much $$ for a TV, so it really was a blessing that we'd never have allowed ourselves. It came with a free Blue Ray player which makes movies jump right off the screen. It's incredible.

Another great thing about it is that I was really perfectly fine with our old TV. I didn't even covet anyone else's flat screen (I sometimes really struggle with coveting other's blessings.) So, this came as a huge out-of-the-blue kind of blessing.

There...I've confessed. I know this does not really jive with many of the ideas I've written about here, but it's true. I'm not going off grid anytime soon...it would mess with my reception of the Food Network. /blush/

Christmas Blessings on the Homestead...

I was gifted with many, many blessings for our homestead this Christmas! Here's a list:

Tons of canning jars from my husband's grandmother...she is no longer canning and wanted to pass them along. I can't tell you how much fun it will be to fill them with the garden's bounty this summer knowing that they were used countless times by NeeNee Davis. Priceless.

A pizza stone and pizza peel for my bread baking!!

A bamboo cutting board that is absolutely beautiful.

My dad wants to build the chicken coop for me! He's quite handy and also very thrifty. Dad plans to use mostly materials that are available on the farm, so that'll be an added bonus knowing that all the stuff was from our family place that once belonged to my grandparents. Those of you with family farms know that the tin on a family farm has been recycled several times...it is never thrown away. Aside from the value of recycling...I'm also a hopeless sentimentalist.

A clothes rack for air drying clothes indoors. This increases the humidity in your home in the winter (when heating tends to dry out the air) and cuts down on energy usage/costs.

Aside from all the goodies, I was blessed with time to spend with family and friends. We are really building some powerful friendships in our little hometown and it is such a gift from God to have good friends surrounding you. I am so thankful that our jobs allow us three weeks off at Christmas. That is a gift unto itself.

I'd love to hear about your best homestead blessings this Christmas! Please share!

As for our plans for coming days...I'm baking bread tonight and hope to cook up another batch of apple peel jelly in the next few days. I've got two gallons of apple cores/peels in the freezer that were left over from recent apple butter and applesauce canning. Oh, and I'll be cleaning house and cooking for a Bible Study party we're having at our house on New Year's Eve.

Finally some photos...and a bit about myself...

As you may have noticed, I am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to uploading photos from the camera. Not sure why I dislike this job so much, but I do. There you have it...confession over. Now on to the pretty photos...

Waaaaaay back when, I said I'd show you some photos of the Mother Earth News bread I've been baking...well, here are a couple of loaves. It truly is yummy bread and quite versatile. My Bible Study group is loving this bread...lemme tell ya.

We even made grilled cheese sandwiches on it and they were maaavelous.

I decided that the only thing missing from this bread was real, homemade butter. The girls took turns shaking a bit of heavy cream. They shook and they shook and...

Took turns shaking some more!

Let me just recommend that you try this bread with homemade butter. 'Nuff said.


Lastly, I'm pondering a remark made by a friend of mine concerning Christianity and environmentalism. I have to say that I see these two going hand-in-hand, although I think in our political times, there is an assumption about Christians that they are not environmentalists. Well, I'm inventing a new term....CRUNCHY CHRISTIAN. That's me. (In case my witty sense of humor is not quite connecting, I'm referring to the "crunchy-granola" stereotype of those some would label as hippies...whatever...I'm funny in my own head...please bear with me here.)


The way I see it, if I give my children a toy, I expect that they will take care of it. Put it away so it doesn't get stepped on, clean it off if it gets milk spilled all over it, etc. I believe that God made the planet Earth for us; therefore, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of this planet. Yes, I am a Christian who prefers products with less packaging, is trying to eat more organic foods, grows some of my own food, composts, and prefers to buy local produce (though it is not terribly available in our area) when I have the chance.


Also in line with CRUNCHY CHRISTIANITY (perhaps more on the hippie side of things), I am a whole-hearted supporter of breast feeding. After all, Mary fed Jesus this way and I see the design of our bodies as a beautiful testimony of God's provision. I loved wearing my babies and had quite a collection of baby wearing options. Ring slings were my favorite. Oh, and I love folk music....not sure if this really matters at all, but I thought I'd throw it in there just in case.

You wanna make some jelly????

As I was walking through Wal-Mart yesterday, I spotted one of those clearance carts they sometimes park randomly in the store. This cart was different, though....IT WAS PACKED WITH CANNING STUFF!! The boxes of pectin were marked 10 cents...no kidding. I bought 25 of them. They're good until 2011. Score!

I also got some Pickling Salt and Pickling Lime for 50 cents each in huge canisters.

The young boy who was checking looked at me a bit strangly...because of the pectin and because of the mystery veggie he couldn't identify. I explained that it was rutabaga and he continued to peek up at me through a veil of long curly hair. I further explained that our family wanted to try a new vegetable this week and rutabaga was in season, so there you go. Suddenly he thought this was a neat idea and said maybe he, too, would try to cook rutabaga. He wanted to know how you cook it and said, "Let me know how it turns out, okay?"

Bendy Dolls...

My girls have a beautiful wooden doll house that mostly sits and collects dust. It's a mystery to me as I'm constantly trying to lure them into playing with the thing. I recently ran across a tutorial for "Bendy Dolls." These are the most adorable little dolls ever that would fit perfectly into the doll house. They have some similar little people figures, but not nearly this cute and imaginative. We've just watched Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and I think the little knights and princesses would inspire some Narnia play. Perhaps over Christmas break I can aspire to make several of these little gems.

BBA Unite!!!

This post is for fellow members of the Supreme Order of Bread Bakers Anonymous. I have discovered a wonderful secret for members only. (Okay...my mom discovered the secret.) After sampling the Mother Earth News bread I'm currently baking at record pace, my mother went to Sam's looking for a good deal on yeast. She found 2 lbs. of yeast for $4!!!! That's right...it's not a misprint...I won't have to buy yeast until September 2011 according to the expiration date on the package. Awesome!

In other BBA news, I mixed up a new batch of dough tonight and threw in two handfulls of wheat germ. I think it'll give the loaves a nice nutty taste. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Lastly, but also of notable BBA importance...I finally liberated 6 bananas out of the freezer to make two loaves of banana bread. I have a fantastic recipe for banana bread that has gotten rave reviews everywhere I take it.

Banana-rama Bread

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick sweet cream butter (unsalted)

2 eggs

4-6 bananas

1 t. soda

2 c. flour

1 t. vanilla

handful of pecans

1. cream butter & sugar
2. add eggs - mix
3. mash bananas & add to mixture
4. add flour, vanilla & pecans (if desired)
5. bake @ 325 for 55 min. (loaf pan) or 30 min. (cupcakes)

A few notes:

The kiddos love to mash the bananas! Hand 'em a fork and let them mush bananas to smithereens!

I've made this with half white flour & half wheat as well and been quite pleased with the results.

I never throw out a banana. Overripe ones go in the freezer then I thaw them as needed for bread. They look terrible when they thaw, but you just rip off the end and squeeze out the banana like toothpaste. I swear these make the best bread ever!

Also, I don't like chopping pecans so I add them whole. It's rather tasty to bite into a chunk of pecan!

Found some interesting blogs to share...

http://simplicityfirst.wordpress.com/

http://green365.wordpress.com/

Hello...my name is Stephanie and I'm addicted to /sniff/ bread baking...

Admitting it IS the first step, isn't it? Mother Earth News sent out a another fabulous newsletter with this article about how you, too, could have freshly baked bread in only 5 minutes a day!! NO WAY, I thought to myself..IMPOSSIBLE! I will have to just try this for myself!

And I did try it...all weekend long. I made 5 loaves of yummy artisan bread this weekend. I've also started another batch to use throughout the week. Ummm...hmmmm...I'm officially a member of Bread Bakers Anonymous (BBA). Anyone else want to join my club?

The great thing is that the original recipe can be tweaked for almost endless possibilities. The article also talks about making cinnamon rolls and pizza crust with this same starter. WOW! Try it...you'll like it.

(I'll try to upload some steamy photos of fresly baked bread for my fellow BBA members in the next few days! ;-)

In other news, the girls and I made some homemade soaps to give as Christmas gifts. We included Tea Tree Oil as a natural anti-bacterial. It smells great!

Coop De Ville

I think I've found my coop design. After much debate & discussion...DH and I have finally decided on something like this:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5595010

My dad saved several wooden screen doors from my grandma's house when he tore it down. I hope to build the run around grandma's wooden door. The sound of those doors clap-clap-clapping shut bring back so many memories.

Since we have a huge yard fenced with privacy fence, I think I can clip the chickens' wings and allow them to do some free grazing. If that doesn't work out, I'll come up with a portable run that can be moved around the yard during the day.

DH and I are both college professors, so it really helps that we have summers off to pursue gardening & homesteading efforts. I'm teaching an online class this summer, so I'll get some summer salary and be able to work from home. It's a pretty good compromise.

Apple Pie

Remember that great deal on apples...and the apples I froze? Well, here they are:

They went into a pie crust...

Got covered with a nice crusty blankie...

And came out of the oven looking like this...

It was goooood!

In other news, the kind folks over at Little Homestead in the City had a recent blog entry about showing off the inside of our pantries! Well...after a bit of reorganizing (is that allowed?), here's a photo.

I just learned to can last November, so I'm really proud of what I was able to do this year. Our garden here in Oklahoma didn't produce as well as it will in normal years (we had a very hot, dry wind that fried lots of area gardens), so I have high hopes for next year!

This year, we did tons of jelly and jam, pickles, applesauce and applebutter. On the right side of the bottom shelf are the dried herbs for seasoning and teas. There are also some dried lavender bloosoms there that the girls and I will be making into soap to give as holiday gifts!

Special thanks to Little Homestead in the City for providing the inspiration to get my One Acre Homestead up and running. Next year, my goal is to double the gardens and add a small flock of chickens. In the future...bees! Stay tuned!!

I love weekends!

I got busy yesterday & canned:
6 pints of applesauce
5 pints of blackberry plum jam
4 pints of apple plum jam
and....

are

you

ready

for this?

4 pints of apple peel jelly

After much lamenting over tossing apple peels & cores out to the bunny or the compost pile, I finally found a use for all that appley goodness. I came across this little tidbit in the Backwoods Home Magazine:

You can make apple PEEL jelly from the apple peel you’d ordinarily pitch or compost.
Place apple peels, lightly packed, into a 4.5 qt. pot with 5 cups of water. There should be about 3-4 inches of peels in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and boil for 15 minutes, stirring as little as possible. Remove from heat, put the lid on the pot, and allow to stand overnight. (Optional, add a cinnamon stick when you let it sit overnight.)

Strain the liquid into a measuring cup, and make certain you have 5 cups. Return to the pot. Gradually dissolve 1 box of pectin into the liquid and bring to a full rolling boil, over high heat. Add 7 cups of sugar (all at once), stirring to dissolve. Return to boiling, and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim foam if necessary, and can into ½ pt. jelly jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

The red peels make the jelly a beautiful rose-pink. It makes a really light, flavorful jelly that went over well with homemade biscuits this morning.

You may be thinking...what in the HECK are you going to do with all that jelly? Well, we'll eat our fair share of it and I'll be giving some as Christmas gifts. I'm hoping to have at least one more super productive canning Saturday before the holidays roll around. Homemade gifts are always the best!

More on chickens...

I just read a nice little article from Mother Earth News (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2007-12-01/Best-Chickens-for-the-Homestead.aspx?page=5) that recommended Barred Rocks for a nice docile egg layer. It is important that my two young 'uns are able to interact with the flock, so these are a strong possibility!

Barred Rocks
(These look just like Dominiques to me!)

Here chick...chick...chick!

The gardens are just about ready for winter. I have to do my yearly leaf gathering run through town soon to pick up fall leaves people have raked and left outside for the trash. Those go over my beds for winter (beautiful leaf blankies) and into the compost pile to make some awesome spring compost. I'm also considering making my own leaf mold. I've read that if you add just a bit of water to leaves in a black trash bag and leave them sealed until spring...you'll open them up to find leaf mold. Another garden additive that would benefit my terrible clay soil...all for free! I also love that I'm keeping these leaves out of the landfills...what a waste!

Aside from knitting, I'm doing research this winter. I hope to add a small flock of chickens (4-6 lovely ladies) to the OAH in the spring. While I love the "Easter Egg" layers, I need chickens that will give the most eggs dependably. I also love the speckled eggs, but can't seem to find which chickens lay those. Anyone have suggestions?

Here's what I've got so far:
Rhode Island Reds McMurray Hatchery claims that these are the best layers.
Dominiques A friend who has these says they are supposed to lay dependably through the winter...though the website doesn't say anything about that. This is her first year with her chickens, so I'll look forward to hearing if this holds true.
White Rocks These are classified as "heavy chickens." I wasn't really looking to go with larger breeds; however, they are supposed to lay through the winter.

I'm also looking for the perfect coop or chicken tractor. I'd like to have it built in early spring...maybe April or so.

Felting magic

Like I said, the knitting kicks in around October 15 around the OAH!

My first project of the season was a Bible cover as my brand-spankin' new purse sized Bible was taking a beating. I decided that said Bible cover would need to be felted so the fabric would be solid and durable. I also decided that it needed to be created out of the beautiful wool yarn that I purchased during a recent trip to Seattle. The yarn is Poems by Wisdom Yarns which just seems right for a Bible cover! Special thanks to the ladies at A Dropped Stitch yarn shop in Sequim, WA!

Here's the final product:

I also needle felted a small cross on the corner. I'm pretty pleased with the results. What do you think.

Puttin' up apples

These are gonna be yummmy this winter! I used a recipe called "Crock Pot Apple Butter" that I found online. Here's a shot of the apples cut, peeled, cored, and sprinkled with sugar, apple pie spice, and cinnamon.

After two and a half hours on high, they looked like this:

After five hours they were perfect!! I wanted my applebutter to have some big chunks of apple in it, so I scooped out about half of the mix and gave it a couple of turns around the blender before dumping it right back into the crockpot. Here's what it looked like when I was done:

Time for a water bath!

Then a cup of coffee while I sat and listened to all the jars pinging...what an awesome sound...

Apples, apples, who's got apples?

WE DO! They were on sale at our local grocery, so we took advantage of it and got 15 pounds of apples. I canned 7 jars of apple butter and froze four batches of pie filling. I had hoped to share some photos with you today, but my camera battery went kapooey, so you'll just have to wait a bit while it is recharging.

I couldn't help but look forward to our own trees putting out enough apples for us to preserve. It is so hard to wait! I know we're making improvements on our little chunk of Oklahoma that will really pay off in the long run, though, and I'm trying to be patient. It's a lesson God has been trying to teach me for years, peace and tranquility in the waiting, and I think He's found a way to get through to me in the garden...or at least force me to practice.

The girls have put their stamp of approval on the apple butter...they've already eaten the half jar that was not full enough to process.

Our OTHER crop...

Here at the OAH, we do have another crop that we routinely grow...Miniature Australian Shepherds! DH recently did a business plan for running cattle or goats on a larger parcel of land and found that we were profitting much more on the puppies we breed, love on, and bless other families with. Here's a taste of the puppies we get to love on for 8 short weeks before sending them off to "forever homes."

We've only got one puppy left from this litter and it's always a bit *too* quite around here after the last pup is sold. The girls go in the back and seem a bit lost without little pups nibbling at their toes and tugging at their socks...begging to play.

Mini Aussies are great dogs and we keep in touch with many of our buyers...getting photo updates and hearing about how their furriest family member enriches their lives. It's an awesome, fun side business that allows my girls to learn responsibility and get tons of payoff in puppy kisses!

If you'd like to see more info about our Aussies, check out our business website at sitekreator.com/miniaussiepups.

Busy...busy...busy!

DH found a big sale at Lowe's and brought home just a few trees & bushes. After planting them all, here's the current count:

4 Peach Trees
2 Apple Trees
1 Pear Tree
1 Apricot Tree
2 Pecan Trees
8 Blackberry Bushes
3 Blueberry Bushes

WHEW!!!!!!

The veggie garden was a bit slow this year, but I hear that from a lot of gardeners. The stars of the garden were the potatoes and the black-eyed peas. My tomatoes have JUST started producing and I'm holding my breath that the first frost will hold off a bit longer.

As for Fall...I've taken my knitting needles back up. You see, knitting is my fall and winter hobby (aside from perusing seed catalogs, that is). In the spring and summer, I'll be back outside in the garden with perpetual dirt under my raggedy nails.

If you'd like to branch out this fall and winter, keep reading and I'll share some knitting magic with you! It's all part of the homestead! ;-)

Scavenging @ the ocean...

While we were on vacation, I picked up a few things for the garden! We found a few beautiful pieces of driftwood. One piece used to be a huge stump of a very old tree. I think she'd be happy in her new home. I'm adding her as an end table in one of our sitting areas...just as soon as I can load it into the riding lawnmower trailer. After a bit of deliberation I decided to let it dry out a bit before trying to move it as it is a bit spongy in places around the edges.
Here are some nice, straight pieces of driftwood that I plan to use as edging. They're so organic...much better than plastic edging, which seems a bit jarring in a natural environment.
These flowers are from a plant my Father-In-Law gifted me...he called them "Mexican Petunias." I don't know if that's the real name, but they are amazing! At least 4 feet tall and they can be dug up and divided every year.

Harvest Keeper Challenge!

After checking in on one of my favorite blogs, Brambleberries in the Rain , I was totally turned on to a movement called Harvest Keepers. Check it out for yourselves here! Join the club! We can all use a bit of homecanned produce in our lives! I can taste the blackeyed peas now...

There is a very good reason...

...that I've been a ba-a-a-a-ad blogger lately. I promise. It has something to do with this:

But I'm back and I'm going to make it up to you. Really....here, look at this pretty picture!

That beautiful blue candy jar belonged to my grandparents. It's perfect for a single hydrangea bloom. The colors on this one keep me guessing. When I planted it, it had snow white blooms. I expected them to change to pink or blue, but I am delighted with this green. The rust on the tips makes it pop. Love it!

These tomatoes seem frozen in time to me. It's a killer. I go out everyday expecting them to be ripe and this is what I find...everyday...day after day. Do they look any different to you?

Remember that ONE pear that was holding on to the tree after the "hit the fraidy hole" Oklahoma storm? Here he is...still hangin' on and growing. Thanks for all the good pear vibes!

The blackberries are shaping up nicely. We'll have a heaping bowlful to harvest this year and next year...well, my hopes are high and I'll leave it at that. No need to count the chickens before they hatch and al that jazz.

Tomorrow I'll post some photos of the stuff I scavenged off the beach! Great garden props! C' you then!

Bloomin' Hot!

It's bloomin' hot here in Oklahoma! Despite the heat, I've got some beautiful blooms to share! Remember the sunflower I showed you last week, poised to open? Well, here she is! These sunflowers came from some I dug up on the side of a country road last year! They're only as tall as my waist, and a bit thicker green growth than the seeds I've planted. The only thing better than lovely flowers is FREE lovely flowers! :-D

The cantalope is growing like crazy out in the West garden. At the bottom of the photo you can also see my secret weapon against crappy clay soil...coffee grounds! (Warning...the west garden is rough, but this is it's first year. I do hope that it is a bit more visually appealing next year. Let's be honest, we've got a bit of weeding to do!!)

The cantalope is blooming like crazy. Check out the little yellow flowers:


And here's a photo of the corn we're growing in the west garden. This area could use some serious mulch, which we have, but it's not all spread yet. Hang on, corn!

Long time, no blog....

Wanna know what we did this weekend? We picked up 2 gallons of blackberries at a roadside stand near us then went back home to process all that berry goodness into blackberry jelly. We got 11 jelly jars and 3 pint jars from 2 gallons of berries...not bad!


Cindy over at http://www.brambleberriesintherain.com/ asked to see some photos of our dolls. My 6-year-old took this photo of her doll laying on her lavender pillow. I think she's got a good eye for photography! Here you go, Cindy:



I managed to snap a quick photo of a few recent strawberries from the garden before we popped them into our mouths! The girls love these fresh out of the garden.

Here's a shot of our homemade mozzarella. Now I know why these photos always feature some yummy tomatoes as well. Mozzarella is not so visually appealing, but it WAS gooood!

Here's a photo of our homegrown potatoes with some of our dill and scallions. Add a tad of olive oil and you're in business!!

Next time I'll post some shots from the garden!! ;-)

Humpday Harvest!!!

Here's the weekly harvest report:

42 Potatoes
8 Onions
2 Bowls of Lavender Buds
Lettuce and Sugar Snap Peas for a Medium Sized Salad

My lettuce is beginning to bolt, so I fear that the heat has been too much for it. I'm considering replanting in my harvested squares, but I'm not sure if it will pay off with 100 degree days becoming more of a norm.

I'm still waiting for the tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and blackeye peas to take off. The cantelope is growing well and the corn also looks good...just beginning to send up tassels.

In other homesteading news, the girls and I used the lavender buds to make sleepytime pillows and two wool felt dolls. It was fun to do together and the girls now have some lavender scented sleep buddies!

We also made mozzarella cheese together! It was so fun and super easy. Check out Mother Earth News for directions. I think we'll be making more cheese in the future.

What did you harvest this week?

It's Raining...It's Pouring

We're getting a good, slow rain today...one of those rains that wakes up a heat weary garden. I'm hoping this will give my veggies a boost.

I took a few photos right off the front porch. Check 'em out:



Another tidbit of good news...I thought my strawberry season was done, but it seems that maybe my strawberries are the everbearing variety. I've got a whole new crop coming up and it seems that these berries are larger and meatier than the last bunch. I shall reissue the slug/rolly polly war to protect these beauties! ;-)

Does anyone know if this is normal with strawberries? I'm curious about the difference in the first harvest and this one. I've added some coffee grounds and mulch to the bed and wonder if it made a difference in the berries...or maybe it's normal to have a stronger second crop??

What's wrong with this picture?

Look closely...




Here, let me help you...




Those are my pears...on the ground. It is indeed a sad day here on the OAH. My dreams of canning up a bunch of pear preserves have been dashed by the crazy, unpredictable nature of Oklahoma weather. For the past two days we've had windiness here...like DUST BOWL windiness. Then, last night, a storm came. One of those "Head for the fraidy hole!" Oklahoma storms.

According to our trusty weatherman, this baby was preceded by 80 mile an hour straightline winds and had tons of rotation inside the storm. All in all, though I am truly mourning the loss of around 20-25 pears, I'm just happy we didn't sustain more property damage than we did (the pear tree and a few pickets off the fence).



The good news? There's one pear left. He must be a determined little bugger! Let's take a moment now to send happy, healthy pear thoughts to this little guy. He won't make a batch of pear preserves, but it's a start.

A bit more good news? Pete (the bunny) will have some yummy treats over the next few days! Have fun, Pete...next year the pears are all mine!!


(The photographer wishes to apologize for the crappy nature of this photo. Apparently I was focused on the fence behind the actual subject of the shot....my bad.)

Humpday Harvest Revisited...

(Two posts in one day? No way!)
As promised...proof that we have blueberries. Well, we HAD blueberries. They. were. yummmmmmmy.

Humpday Harvest!!!

This is the first of a series of blog entries to be published each and every Wednesday (unless I'm on vacation) detailing harvests from the week. (A good idea, no?)

I dig up potatoes as I need them...I'd say we've harvested around 35 potatoes this week.

We've also harvested enough lettuce and snap peas for 4 family sized salads. (Sorry...no photo...I'll do better I promise!)

Lastly, I ate two delicious blueberries yesterday!! They were so delicious that my resolve to raise my own berries was renewed. I originally planted three blueberry bushes. One did not make it through the nasty, icy winter we had. The other two are so tiny still that I had considered giving up on the great blueberry quest...until yesterday! YUMMY!

(Note: I took a photo of the blueberries, but my camera battery died (DRATS!), so I'll have to post it for you later.)

A bit of exciting news from the West garden...the cantelope are blooming, profusely. I can't wait to sink my teeth into some home grown cantelope! I'll take that over a sticky ol' watermellon anyday! The only problem is that I believe I *may* have overdone my planting. Anyone know how to preserve cantelope??????? :-/

Orchard Update...

The pears are growing...

And the peaches, too...though a few have shrivelled and fallen off the tree. Not sure what's going on with those, but I'll be happy to get any peaches this year as it's the first year for these trees!

And yes, there are a few blackberries on my precious little bushes.