The sumac is starting to turn red.
On this first day of September, I am trying to enjoy what I have right now. I have a tendency to feel melancholy at this time of year. I love summer and dread winter. I like seeing things come to life, not die, as beautiful as the fall display can be. And I like to have my kids with me, so I'm sad when they go back to school. Yes, I've considered home-schooling, but I've never quite come to the point where I decided to do it. School starts next week for us, so I consider myself lucky to still have my kids on summer vacation this late.
Today I went to our little woods with my son to pick wild grapes.
We have many wild grape vines, some of which are very easy to get to without braving the thorns much. We have thorny bushes in the woods, which discourages exploration. So my son and I picked the little bunches of frosty blue grapes we could reach with minimal scratches. I plan to turn them into jelly.
If you think you have wild grapes, please carefully compare the plants to photos of grapes to make sure you're not eating something poisonous. We have something growing on a bush with different leaves that looks just like the grapes.
Our chickens have found the grapes, also. If you look in the background of the grape photo above, you'll see a hint of red that is a chicken. They jump up to get them, which is so funny to see.
The woods are still green, fruit is still growing, the weather is beautiful, and my kids are still home with me. Hey, September first isn't that scary.
While picking wild raspberries this summer, we discovered we also have wild choke cherries on our property. And, this week, I also noticed regular size cherries! I'd love to get a book on local wild edibles. It would be so fun to see what else we might find on our property.
ReplyDeleteI don't like when my kids are gone, either. :) It's nice when they're home!
~ Jennifer