Bunches of Blackberries

The wild blackberries are in full swing right now.

Mr Chiots and I have been picking almost every day. Some days we end up with a 2 bags, on Friday we picked 5 quarts in one day!

Picking berries has it’s own challenges, the thorns on blackberry bushes are wicked. I have so many scrapes on my hands, arms & legs (and I’m even wearing long sleeves, heavy pants & boots).

It’s not for those afraid of bugs either. I almost stuck my face in this guy one day (and he’s pretty big too, about 2 inches around).

Even the Chiots likes to head out with us. She enjoys running around in the weeds & eating grass while we pick. She gets an occasional berry as a treat as well.

So what have I been doing with all these blackberries? Making pies & cobblers and freezing the rest for winter enjoyment.

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My First Ripe Tomato

I picked my first ripe tomato on Sunday. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. I plan on canning a bunch for sauces & soups this winter. (it is a Viva Italia Tomato)

So what did I do with the first one? It graced the top of our grilled pizza in thin slices. Perfect!

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OOOOOOO, I want that

I’m a huge fan of any kind of green flower. When I got my latest seed catalog and I saw this new Echinacea ‘Green Jewel’ – I fell in love. Perhaps next year it will be cheaper and I’ll get one.

Someday I would like to have an all green flowerbed filled with Bells of Ireland, Green Envy Zinnias, Green Jewel & Coconut Lime Echinacea, Limelight Hydrangea, Frosty Morn Sedum, Cypress Spurge, and Lady’s Mantle.

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Adventures in Composting

We have been composting here at Chiot’s run since we first moved in. We have a small yard so we can never make enough compost to help with our terrible soil. Throughout the years I have bought bagged chicken & cow manure, mushroom compost, and a few other amendments, but I have been looking for a local source of bulk compost. A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon an ad on Craig’s List for compost. Mr Chiots and I borrowed my parents Durango & trailer for the task. When we arrived at Hawk Trucking in Massillon and Tim loaded 2 1/2 yards of compost into the trailer.

Of course, since it’s always an adventure with us, the tire went flat as soon as the tons of compost hit the trailer. I must admit the poor trailer is old and well-advanced in years so I guess a flat tire wasn’t so bad.

Tim was super great and helped us pump up the tire and we were on our way. After a slow trip home we arrived sans any other problems. The trailer was unloaded and we have a huge pile of compost ready to be worked into the flower beds.

Tim’s compost is GREAT (and fairly inexpensive)! I plan on making a few more trips so I can add some to all my flowerbeds. This will be put to good use when I plant all those Hydrangeas I bought at Donzell’s!

I love this sign Tim had hanging back by the HUGE compost pile.

If you need any compost let me know, I can send your e-mail address to Tim. If you don’t have a trailer you can always take a few rubbermaid totes and fill them with compost (we filled the back of the durango with totes full of compost to make the most of the trip).

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The Glory of a Sunny Morning

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