Potpourri

I cannot believe how far behind I am!   I was taking a picture of some applique pieces I was working on and came across these! 

Blueberry jam, chutney & sauce 

This is just a portion of the 57 pounds of blueberries that were picked this year.    Eleven and a half pints total  of blueberry jam;  four and a half pints total of blueberry sauce;  and 6 half pints of blueberry-ginger chutney.  I'm sorry I didn't take picture of the luscious berries, but here's some of what I got a couple of years ago and I went to the same place. 

I went the first day by myself and picked about 29 pounds.  All those were frozen for Hubby to use on his cereal throughout the year.  And, he'll use them all up, too!!!  A couple of weeks later, he and I both went up to the blueberry farm and picked another 28 pounds.  I used most of those to make these cooked items.  However, I got so tired of looking at blueberries that I did give away a big bag full of them.  Just couldn't stand looking at or handling another one. 


Dr. Lundy grows many, many different varieties of blueberries, both high bush and rabbit eye.  He encourages grazing until you find the one you think tastes best and then you start picking.  His bushes are very well groomed and cared for, making it very easy to pick lots of berries in a short period of time. 


As for my sewing, I finally got the borders on my Island Chain quilt. 

Island Chain, designed by Kim Brackett

I have no idea when it will get quilted.  It is a large quilt, about full size. 


I also went on one  expedition.  My Birdlady friend led a birding field trip up to Blackwater State Forest but I couldn't attend due to family obligations.  At any rate, the next day she called me all excited.  She wanted to take me to see something special and wondered if I was free that afternoon.  Sure, why not, so off I went to her house.  She took me back to the forest to Tetlow Bog, at least that's what we all call it.   There in the bog were the most gorgeous pitcher plants!!!!

Sarracenia Leucophyla

Sarracenia flava

I sent picture of our find to a botanist friend who likes pitcher plants.  He was quite excited with our find of the purple and white ones, Sarracenia Leucophyla, as they are quite uncommon.   I am woefully ignorant of wildflowers, so I had no idea.  This area covered several acres and was just spectacular.


There was also a lovely little purple orchid.   Its blossom was just a tiny little thing about an inch big. 

Whew, enough for now.  I'll be back soon.


Y'all take care. 

Yum, Yum and more Yum!!!

Must be a phase I'm in right now, because I've been more inclined to do domestic things and be happy about it.

Last night I made a peach pie using Sherry's crust recipe and, oh my, how delicious it was still warm from the oven and with a dollop of whipped cream!. In fact, it's delicious today with a quick warm up in the microwave. Thank you Sherry for that wonderful recipe. I'm more a cake baker, so a quick and easy way to make pies is appreciated. Do you think we liked it? I love the rustic look of the crust just pulled over the top. Now, if she'd just figure out a way to take the calories out of it, it'd be just about perfect.

Today I was up and out very early (at least for me) to go blueberry picking. Hubby was still in sleeping at 6:20 a.m. this morning when I left. Was expecting nasty hot weather but lucked up on cooler, albeit very wet, weather. Was a bit of a drive to get there (about 40 miles), but the company was pleasant and the time passed fast enough. When we arrived, we got our fancy berry picking waist thingies so that both hands would be free. What a wonderful invention!! Dr. L, the orchard owner, told us he had 7 1/2 acres of blueberries. And, unfortunately, he also told us that he was hoping to sell the orchard because he has developed some health issues that are making his work in it very difficult. He loves that place, but it's time to pass it on to someone else who will cherish it and tend it as lovingly as he.

The bushes were just loaded with luscious pink and blue berries and also dripping from the recently ended rain. Since Dr. L had invited us to eat as many as we wanted while picking, we just had to take him up on it!! Oh, they were so good.






She'd have a fit if she knew I took her picture!!

All those pink berries mean the goodness will continue for a while.





About midway in our picking, the lovely little drizzle turned into a downpour so we had to abandon our rows and pile into the car. After a few minutes of torrential rain, I figured I'd better get the Little Red Car out of the field and onto more stable terrain just in case, so we drove back to the roadside stand where Dr. L. invited us in out of the rain. After a good long while, the rain stopped and we were able to head back out to the field to finish our task. I picked about 13 pounds of the most glorious blueberries I've ever seen and they've all been washed and dried and are in the process of being batch frozen so they can be put in bags for easy access to a handful all year long. I fully intend to go back up within the next week or so to get more so I can share with the kids. I was thinking of homemade blueberry ice cream. Think it would be worth the effort?