Sunday, April 1, 2012

No Fruit 4 You


Free Strawberry bed started from 3 orginal plants bought 11 years ago
3 or 4 days ago our freakishly warm early Spring turned on us. First a very chilly night like a wing man who has forgotten that it's all about moi, then more like a spurred lover giving us a hard frost. Yesterday it was all about a disgruntled wife who has realized that her fun loving grass is greener on the other side of the fence husband, was planning on moving along solo.

Yesterday I awoke to a blanket of wet snow less than an inch which brought us up short.
It really wasn't a great surprise since we all knew that the beach party weather of  last week was a freak of nature, "Little girl you want some eye candy"?

The Strawberries I'm not so much worried about because they have the resiliency of a child who grew up in a broken home. Short daylight hours & heavy foot traffic that doesn't always stay on the walk, this bed just keeps on surviving.


No warmth felt from the stacked stone cellar
As you can see Woodsrunner, has been busy putting in next year and the year after firewood. Every few days he works on splitting a round. 
The early warm Spring not to mention a relatively warm Winter meant that we had just gotten away with enough of wood to keep us warm. Currently we are burning windfall gleaned off the city's hell strips or gifted from neighbor's yards. Annie a few houses over actually thought enough to box & toss a tarp over the pile she gave us. I get allot of looks as I pull the garden cart behind me walking around the hood. 
NP, free heat can smooth over any of the hurt feelings I might have.




No signs of frost damage perhaps being an antique variety is the key.
This tree a Sops of Wine from Miller's Nursery in Canandaigua, New York. It has yet to give us fruit I have despite this recent cold snap. The fact that there's no blossoms may be the saving grace.


Climbing Pink Rose originally planted over a hundred years ago.
Pink Rose Bush seems to be very hardy. 
My neighbor behind me LaShonda, had tossed it over the fence in my direction when she heard me hanging laundry last Summer. Just as the root ball went up in the air clearing the peak of the garage she gave me a shout out. I'm glad she didn't see me hit the dirt. She kept half replanted that along a fence line. I potted this half up until I can afford to make a trellis for under the kitchen window. I think that a view of pale pink roses @ the kitchen sink will compliment my gray & white kitchen. 

Looking a little like Sanford & Son despite the new layer of mulch

Earlier this morning when I looked out the kitchen window @ my two Peach trees all I could hear was the voice of the actor who played the Soup Nazi in the classic Seinfield episode, "No fruit for you ... NO FRUIT FOR YOUUUUU"! 

My plan was to go down to the furniture store and snag some plastic wrapping outta the dumpsters then wrap my precious Peach trees. Yeah I know ... but have you ever had a sweet juicy Peach rip from a tree grown in your own backyard. Then don't judge me ...

All I can hope for is that my Peach trees Frost variety will survive & produce because locally the fruit orchards were hard hit. I didn't can as much fruit as I should have, poor planning on my part. If I had then this glitch in food production could be easily rode out until 2013 or even 2014 harvest. 

Now I need to come up with an alternate plan to put fruit in on the family menu.
  1. Schedule time to go foraging for wild berries I slacked last year.
  2. Scope out new opportunities a.k.a. make contact for gleaning of any available urban fruit.
  3. Increase garden fruit plantings such as melons to provide fresh fruit then all tree fruit can be preserved. 
  4. Consider stocking commercially caned fruit (although expensive since we would need low sugar/no sugar).


~~ pelenaka ~~

10 comments:

  1. An other great post. You always leave me with a smile on my face. I hope your peach trees survive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weather gal is calling for a low of 29 degrees ... payback for those flip flops I wore last week.

      Delete
  2. Mother nature can sure blindside you. Hope your peach trees make it. I grew up in TX, we had peach trees in the backyard. So, I know exactly what you mean about a fresh peach. I foraged for blackberries last year, it was a bumper crop. Don't know if you coupon..but I'll keep my eyes peeled for canned fruit coupons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TY, when I think of all those empty mason jars down in the cellar begging to be filled I'm so very sad :-(

      Delete
  3. I note your comment about no/low sugar canned fruit. This is a thought that has been exercising me for a while - ie how to do my own bottled fruit without using sugar in the process - so any thoughts you have on that would be welcome (as I dont wish to use sugar at all and am currently expermenting with a range of healthy "sugar substitutes"). I DO have a dehydrator now - so am drying some "surplus" fruit for the future and its good to have the chance not to waste what extra fruit I manage to get.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I can is use an artificial sweetener a store brand of Splenda. I have a friend who has a friend who claims she is able to use Stevia. I wouldn't even begin to know how to test a jar of homemade preserves made with Stevia for viability. Shame because we can grow Stevia.

      Delete
  4. Oh, I'm so sorry for your peach fruit loss! :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. Send me citrus I'll feel better, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seems to me I read about folks growing dwarf apple or pear or (name-your-fruit) in containers. This enables moving the tree into a protected area should cold-warm-hostile weather ensue.

    I think the recent Farm Show had one of these articles. Which publication, by the way, may be just up your tree!

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree that is a good article, as well as a good publication. We thought about this but in reality there is no room @ the inn a.k.a. Wood's man cave a 12x20 1929 garage.

      Delete

Thanks, good to know there are other's with this interest