We picked the last of the red apples, and turned them into apple cakes and apple butter.  We also shared a bunch with friends in exchange for all those fabulous raspberries.  Good trade.  Jon also quartered a ton to give to the deer.  They love them.  

 

As you can see from the picture, these apples were near the top of the tree, where the birds could (and did) help themselves.  That's ok, we peeled them and chopped them up anyway.  

 

HAPPY END OF SUMMER!!!

 

 

 

 

 

We've been watching the Persimmons, and they are starting to turn orange.  That's a good sign.  They should be ready around the first frost.  Our first frost won't be for a couple months, usually around November 15th.  

 

Until the fruits start falling, we can only look at them, and enjoy how pretty they are.  You NEVER want to rush a persimmon, and NEVER pick them.  Until they are totally ripe, they are so astringent that they turn your mouth wrong-side out.  But when they are ripe, they will fall to the ground, and then they are delicious.  They taste like apricot jam.  They have 5 big seeds, so we don't bother collecting and preserving them.  We just snack on a few, and let the deer have the rest.  They love them too.  

 

Don't you know, I love seeing this many persimmons on the trees.  

 

HAPPY ALMOST FALL!!!

 

This apple tree has almost no leaves left.  But this morning when we went out to pick apples, we saw this!!!

 

Not sure why she's putting out new leaves in September, but there are several on this tree, and a few on the Granny Smith tree too.

 

So if you have been a little confused lately, you are not alone.  We are all feeling it.

 

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!!

 

Last spring we bought 2 banana pepper plants.  Right now they are sporting about 200 peppers!!!!  We are eating a lot of sweet banana peppers.  Fortunately, they are really good, and easy to add to just about everything:  raw, sautéed, roasted.  And they make me smile every time i see them in the garden.  As the peppers mature, they turn orange, then red.  Maybe I can string them into ristras, like they do with chili peppers.  I love them.  But...

 

Next year I will only plant one.  That should be enough.

 

HAPPY END OF SUMMER!!!

 

The Devil's Walking Stick is looking really pretty right now.  The white flowers have given way to purple berries atop these beautiful red stems.  If you are walking, you have to look up to see them, as they are about 8-10 feet tall.  But if you are driving, they are easy to spot along the highway.  Just look for tropical looking stalks with fluffy red poufs.  The birds love the berries, so some plants that you see will just have the red stems, and no berries.  

 

They are deciduous, and will drop their leaves in about a month or so.  Then you can hardly notice them at all, until next spring when they start to grow again.

 

It's a fun plant to watch through the seasons.  

 

HAPPY END OF SUMMER!!!

 

The Sumac has bloomed and is now in its glorious fruit stage.  

 

I have a friend who makes a pink lemonade using sumac berries.  The berries are quite astringent, so you have to add a lot of sugar to make it taste good, but it's pretty and kinda fun to do...once.

 

HAPPY END OF SUMMER!!!

 

 

 

Next time you are out walking in the neighborhood, look up.  The wild grapes are ripening.  

 

And take my word for it:  they are SOUR!!!  But the birds like them, so they can eat all they want.  

 

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!!

 

I was in the garden the other day, and noticed this caterpillar on one of my dill plants.  Unfortunately it had eaten ALL of the plant, so I moved it to another dill.  This caterpillar is really tiny:  less than an inch long.  And the Stokes Butterfly Book tells us that when the caterpillars are small like this they look very much like bird droppings.  Good plan to keep from getting eaten by birds.  As the caterpillars grow larger, they become green, which camouflages them against the leaves on which they are feeding.  

 

I know that it is the larva of Black Swallowtail, because I've seen a few million of them.  It will grow, and split its skin several times before it pupates.  I just hope I have enough dill to feed this one until then.  

 

KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED!!!

 

Patty told me about this nest in one of Lee's dogwood trees.  I went looking for it, and couldn't see it, UNTIL I walked right up on it.  It is about 6 feet off the ground and really close to the road.  

 

Isn't it beautiful?  It is a hub of activity when the weather is warm and sunny.  A little calmer when it's cloudy.  I have read that between 400 and 700 wasps inhabit a nest this size.  I've also read that they are extremely aggressive at protecting their nest.  So DO NOT get too close!!!  

 

Patty took this picture, I hope using a telephoto lens from a safe distance.  Thanks, Patty.  

 

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!!

 

These are those gorgeous hydrangeas in the Blairsville intersection near the VFW.  They start out greenish white and fade to this beautiful rose color in the fall.  This is only about a third of the planting.  I had to edit the picture to get rid of the power lines, vehicles, and campaign signs.  But these hydrangeas are still breathtaking.

 

I love seeing them through the seasons.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!