I'm not sure if food projects qualify as a craft, but this one kinda does.  It looks very crafty to me.

 

Julie told me that she went to a charcuterie class last week, and when I saw this picture, I just had to share it.  It's a little too much food for happy hour, but it looks like great fun for a Christmas party, or any party for that matter. And this one doesn't look that complicated.  Go ahead, try it!!!  If you do make one, send me a picture.  I love crafty stuff.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

 

I've shown you the blueberry bushes before, but usually when they are blooming or fruiting. Today I want you to see their fall color.  Did you know that blueberry bushes are deciduous? Yep, they are, and before they drop their leaves they turn this beautiful red.  We have eight bushes on this hill, and they are all blazing red.

 

Next on the agenda for the blueberry bushes, after they drop their leaves, is to prune them. You do it when they are dormant.  We will pick a warmish day in January or early February and get out there and cut them back.  The plan is to take out the old canes, trim back the newer ones to within reach, and generally get them into shape, before they set new leaf and flower buds for next year's berry crop.  It is a good thing to do every year, and we have been pretty good about it.  

 

And these bushes have been giving us blueberries (almost every year) since we planted them in 2012. 

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I am thinking about getting this quilt kit for a winter project.  It will finish at 81 inches square, and the colors are just right for my marsh room.  It says skill level:  intermediate.  I'm ok with that, but it looks like needle-turned appliqué, and that scares me a little.  It is very precise, requiring serious attention to detail.  

 

OK, you talked me into it.  

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

 

 

I saw this little lady on my dill and I had to take her picture.  She is so cute surrounded by all that green.

 

And, I know what she's doing there.  She's feeding on the aphids that have invaded my garden.  I don't know how many aphids one little ladybug can eat, but she's happy, and I want to be rid of as many aphids as possible.  The aphids don't hurt us, and can be washed off easily, but they get on the kale and dill, and I don't like it.  

 

So, little lady, eat all you want.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

This is the chickweed growing in my arugula bed.  There is no way to "weed it out" short of pulling everything out of the bed.  So, for the rest of the season I'm going to use it along with the arugula, adding it to soups, stews, and fresh on grilled cheese sandwiches.  We've tried it before and it melts just like spinach.  

 

Most people know chickweed as a weed that invades their lawns and flower beds.  Yep, that's chickweed alright.  But it is also an herb and a nearly year-round source of salad greens.  

 

Please do not use my pictures for plant identification.  Positive identification needs to be done using a reliable field guide, internet pictures, your Seek app., and making sure that the plants you are seeing are indeed what you think they are.  Once you are sure, then try just a bit, because it may or may not be to your liking, or your body's tolerance.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I wanted to show you how the arugula is holding up to our cooler weather.  When I looked at it more closely, I saw that the bed is full of chickweed.  Chickweed along with arugula is not a problem, as they are both edible as salad greens and cooked vegetables.  So when I harvest the arugula, I don't have to "weed out" the chickweed.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We made our yeast rolls for Thanksgiving.  We make them every year, mostly for turkey sandwiches afterward.  I will add our recipe to the recipe section.  They are really good, and fun to make.

 

Wish you were here.

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

I have shown you this Bradford Pear Tree more than once.  It is our favorite.  It is the end of November and it is showing us green and purple.  In years past it has been red and yellow and purple.  I wonder why it happens this way.

 

I don't know.  I have read about fall color in great detail, and every year it seems to be different.  I am just thankful.

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

This is the Shagbark Hickory on the corner.  I put the Seek app on it, and this is what I got.  ;)

 

You really need to add Seek to your App library.  It is free, and it is fabulous.  It identifies plants, mammals, insects, amphibians, fungi, and it is usually correct.  Sometimes it is a bit indecisive, but most of the time it's right on.  I don't depend on it for plant edibility, but I think it's a great resource for further investigation.  

 

At least it gets us in the ballpark.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

It's looking a lot like winter here, just not as cold, yet.  Although, on Thanksgiving we are expecting a cold front to come through.  After that, we will be looking at lows in the twenties, and a couple nights in the teens.  EEK!!!

 

Can't complain, though, our fall was quite warm.  I guess winter has to present itself eventually.  And it is almost December.

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!!!