Yesterday was another day of fruit picking. The strawberries just keep on coming and the redcurrant bushes still look as though we haven't picked any fruit. At least the branches that were weighed down with berries have begun to lift back up.
We have taken the netting off the redcurrants and will share the rest of the bounty with the blackbirds. Has anyone noticed how dirty it gets under fingernails when destringing redcurrants? Whilst I've been sitting in the garden preparing the currants for freezing and acquiring disgusting nails - I'm sure the blackbirds are spying on me as any squashed berries placed on the bird table are quickly gobbled up. The birds keep one eye on what I am up to - just in case it is a trap - and also love any spoiled strawberries.
The alpine strawberries are really prolific too producing masses of fruit. As I was picking yesterday there was a sudden movement as something brushed past my knee and there sitting on top of the container of fruit was the most beautiful, large frog. It hopped back under the plants before I could reach for my camera - it's hopefully gorging itself on anything that may have decided to gorge itself on our strawberries.
The Glencoe raspberries are just ripening and taste of ... well raspberries ... We only had about a couple each so the quality of flavour was difficult to assess but if all the young fruits continue to ripen we should have a good crop.
I hate to end on a negative note but it looks as though all the kiwi flowers have dropped without producing a single fruit - oh well you have to have challenges in life and it looks like obtaining a kiwi fruit is one of ours!
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How lovely of you to share some of the crop with the birds - fair swap though, they will be clearing the soil of all sorts of grubs and pests for you.
ReplyDeleteNo strawberries or redcurrants here. But raspberries are producing a lot more than last year.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I have eaten first pear of this season. It wasn’t mine, but from a neighbors garden. It was delicious!
BW - And for entertainment value during the winter months!
ReplyDeleteVrtlarica - Pears already - wow - we have little pears growing but nothing like ready to eat and hopefully lots of raspberries soon.
Crikey forget about the kikwi for this year - you have done amazingly well! We didn't get any redcurrants again this year - darn birds but the strawberrie just keep coming and the raspberries are all ripening well - we're in a crazed jam making mode here - no freezer (no house yet)
ReplyDeleteHi Carrie - it was all the flowers on the kiwi that gave false hope lol.
ReplyDeleteStrawberries seem to be winding down now but the alpine strawberries are still in mass production. If it wasn't for netting we wouldn't have had any red currants either!
Hi there. Beautiful garden...I'm a little envious! About your kiwi--I know you have two plants, but is one male and one female? I know that the kiwi plants available in my area (Atlantic Canada) need a male pollinator. Also, my parents have a couple of monstrous kiwi vines that are about 10 years old. They are pretty prolific producers now, despite being neglected, but it took a few years before they bore any appreciable amount.
ReplyDeleteVivian
Hi Vivian and welcome,
ReplyDeleteThe two kiwis grow mingled into one another and were bought to allow for cross pollination but I have a feeling that only one produced any flowers so that could be the problem. Also when I ran my finger on the stamen of the flowers no pollen brushed off so it wouldn't brush off onto any bees etc either. Both plants were badly affected by frost so that could have stopped the other from flowering.
What a shame about the Kiwi, I don't know anyone who has managed to grow them here. The Glencoe raspberries look lovely, such a dark colour.
ReplyDeleteHello Jo - Next year!!! Glencoe are a lovely colour - pity our yellow fruiting ones don't fruit until late or we could have mult-coloured raspberry fruit salad.
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