Fruit

[tamarack]

How's the fruit comming along down south ? Can't wait for the cherries and peaches to start making it north .

 

[Nesikep]

Apricots didn't do much this year for us, cherries are swelling but no sign of ripening any time soon.. Early haying this year though, about 3 weeks ahead of normal at least.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Early haying this year though, about 3 weeks ahead of normal at least.

This year was our biggest snow melt on record for April. The consensus is that the snow melt has been getting bigger every year. I'm not enjoying the warming trend. Whatever's causing it, it's going to cause issues if it continues.

 

[Jogeephus]

Berries are looking good here. Haven't seen many peaches to say but what few I have seen look good.

 

[M-5]

Picked a nice batch of dewberries last weekend, the mulberries are playing out and black berries are starting to bloom. My peach tree set a nice crop and the lemons and Satsuma's are loaded down. The figs are loaded and have about another 45 days . I found several sparkleberry trees in the woods over the weekend but you'll work yourself to death trying to pick a mess of them.

 

[greybeard]

Pears are now about the size of a big fig and lots of them, but I'm sure the coons, possum, and squirrels already have the 'ripe date' figured out to the day.
My grapes look real good--need to get the bird net up pretty quick tho.
The storm that blew thru here a couple weeks ago blew all the blackberry/dewberry blooms over into the next county so don't know how that's going to work out.
I was down on Bolivar Peninsula last weekend--my brother's banana crop looks like he's gonna have nanners coming out his rearend this year. He's probably got 20 banana trees on his double size lot.

 

[callmefence]

Got lots of dewberries. Peaches are looking fair. Plums looking very poor.

 

[tamarack]

Thanks for replies have been busy calving. Just trying to catch up, what are dewberries and sparkleberries?

Snow has just about gone and lots of calves popin out had 5 yesterday just glad most hung on till after storm lost 2 for sure only find bits of them guess the coyotes got them.

 

[Nesikep]

Nice pair there, sorry you lost a couple though... Weather's been cool here the last couple weeks, but we haven't had any significant rain right where we are.. In town it rained most of the weekend though.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Tame blackberries loaded as well as figs.
Pecans black walnut and hickories are loaded.
Peaches or Apple not so well didn't get cold for long enough or to much water I don't know.

 

[Rafter S]

Thanks for replies have been busy calving. Just trying to catch up, what are dewberries and sparkleberries?

Snow has just about gone and lots of calves popin out had 5 yesterday just glad most hung on till after storm lost 2 for sure only find bits of them guess the coyotes got them.

Dewberries are wild blackberries.

 

[M-5]

Thanks for replies have been busy calving. Just trying to catch up, what are dewberries and sparkleberries?

Snow has just about gone and lots of calves popin out had 5 yesterday just glad most hung on till after storm lost 2 for sure only find bits of them guess the coyotes got them.

Dewberries are wild blackberries.

dew berries are a thorny vive that the leaves are waxy and the stems are kinda redish purple and they are low growing . black berries have a small leaf and lighter shade of green and stem is green and they grow more up right. the size of dewberries are larger also. but in taste the are about the same. sparkle berries look like miniature blueberries but are a deep purple/black color the bushes resemble blueberry bushes but twice as big

 

[backhoeboogie]

Berries are looking good here. Haven't seen many peaches to say but what few I have seen look good.

Yessir. 2 to 3 gallons of boysenberries a day. Two days I had a little over 4 gallons. Went out to the junk pile and built a berry press. Went to town and bought SS bowls. Perforated one with a drill motor and deburred it with a grinder. Works like a champ. Think I should apply for a patent. Biggest set back is that it runs into a 2 gallons milk bucket. The bucket needs to be bigger. I generally press around 10 gallons when I go to pressing.

The boss lady built me a berry pie. From scratch. I wound up getting it all down in my stomach. Brought another one to work. Big mistake. Peers want me bringing one every day.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Do you remember those little half gallon Ocean Spray juice bottles? I have 8 of them filled with berry juice in the ice box. Friday is going to be jelly making day. I've got tons of orders for jelly. Don't none of ya'll go telling Uncle Sam about this! Our little secret okay?

 

[Jogeephus]

Isn't it just sill that you need a permit to make and sell jelly?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Isn't it just sill that you need a permit to make and sell jelly?

Not if you treat it like moonshine. Maybe I'll be on a TV series some day. "Jellyshiners"

 

[Jogeephus]

You could go by the handle of the Jellmeister. :lol2:

 

[backhoeboogie]

$156 worth of jelly sold today Jogee I could have sold 6 more jars if I would have had them with me. I'll bring those from home.

 

[Jogeephus]

Not bad. Sounds like it sells as fast as souse does here.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Not bad. Sounds like it sells as fast as souse does here.

I'm calculating $1.71 cost per jar for sugar, pectin, and the jar. There's electricity cooking it. There's the dishwasher cost washing up utensils but that really aint much. Probably less than $2 a jar considering the unknowns. No fuel costs because I take it with me or they come get it. I grow the berries and have water costs in them too.

The boss lady wants peach trees again. I let mine go in the drought. I am hearing a bushel of peaches is $70 Think I might just buy a couple of bushels. Plant some trees but just buy some quality peaches until the trees mature.