Monday, June 29th, 2009
We had a little adventure yesterday. We went to Rose’s Berry Farm in South Glastonbury to pick some strawberries and raspberries.
This is one of those events we like to do every year but consistently screw up the schedule. We have good intentions, but somewhere along the lines, we miss what we are looking for. At times, we have been pleasantly surprised by some available “pick your own” crop and went about our day full of smiles. Well, I think I have fixed the whole scheduling problem.
A few weeks ago, Laura printed out the berry, apple and pumpkin schedule from Rose’s website. The schedule is accurate for basically any pick your own farm around here. Also, after we go picking, I put the event on my Outlook calendar and make it yearly recurring. That way, we won’t miss it next year.
Anyway, the day went well. Rose’s is a pretty enormous farm. It was much bigger than I expected and we actually needed to get a ride in a truck to go out to the strawberry and raspberry fields. I liked the truck ride. Wait until you see the photos below to see what kind of truck it was.
The strawberries were very tasty, but picked over a little bit. We are pretty late in the season for them and unfortunately, many other people got there before us. We did manage to get a bunch of nice ones though. The raspberries were in plentiful supply. I ate a whole bunch of them while picking. There really are only so many you can eat while on the job, but I did my fair share.
Next up is blueberries in early July. Rose’s has tons of blueberry bushes full of blueberries, but I think we are going to try out a different farm in the area, just to see what they are like. It’s nice to experience some variety.
Here are those pics…
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Strawberry field at Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury, CT
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Truck ride at Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury, CT
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A few strawberries in carboard bin
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Raspberry hanging from bush
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Strawberries and raspberries
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Pint of raspberries
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Pile of strawberries
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Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury, CT
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Monday, June 8th, 2009
I was going to call this post, “My Mini-Garden.” Then, I thought of the word “micro” and figured that it sounded much more “green” and “organic,” so I used that. Now I can be like those hippie folk up in Ithaca who live in their “ecovillage.” All I need now is a guitar and a little chair.
Okay, the truth of the matter is that Laura found a squirrel sitting in the bucket where my strawberry plant is planted. He was sitting there, not eating strawberries, but eating the actual plant. We have some very badly behaved squirrels. Very bad indeed. I knew where this was headed, so I had to do something.
I walked around the yard and found all the scrap wood I could muster up. Then, I ran out to the hardware store and got some of that rabbit (or whatever it is) fencing and got to work. After a few hours, this is what I cam up with…
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Empty fenced in mini-garden
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Empty fenced in mini-garden – pic 2
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Fenced in mini-garden with strawberry, squash, zucchini, beans, etc…
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Fenced in mini-garden with strawberry, squash, zucchini, beans, etc… – pic 2
I know it isn’t perfect, but I needed to figure out something fast on such short notice. I didn’t think the squirrels would actually eat the plants. Geez.
The fencing is stapled nice and tight to the sides. The top part is just a piece of fencing held down by bungee cords. I think it’ll be okay.
I have a feeling it’s going to get mighty crowded in that little garden, but at least I won’t have any issues with the vermin. Next year, I think I will limit my little mini-garden to just strawberries.
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Thursday, May 21st, 2009
On Saturday, while driving around Glastonbury with my parents, we accidentally came across a local farm. We love these local farms because we never know what we are going to find in them. Since we were with my parents, I decided to pull in. I thought they would get a kick out of it.
As we started walking around, I got the strange sense that I was going to have to soon pull out my wallet. It’s funny…the same thing always happens. I think we are just going to take a nice stroll through these places, but later on find myself loading up the back of the car with all different types of plants.
This time wasn’t too bad. We bought a few packets of seeds; Cucumber, Squash, Beans and Zucchini. We bought anything that can be planted in late Spring. I really wanted the Peas, but the lady told me that Peas like cool weather and that I was too late to plant this year. Yesterday, I planted what we bought in some 5-gallon buckets on the back porch.
The seeds were exciting, but the real champ of the day was our award winning Everbearing Strawberry Plants. We bought this huge hanging planter with three Everbearing Strawberry Plants planted in it. We currently have the whole thing hanging on the back porch.
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Everbearing Strawberry Plants
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Growing Strawberries and Strawberry flowers
From what I read about Strawberry plants, it’s good to plant three near each other. That way, they can get sufficiently pollinated.
You have to see this thing; it’s huge. There are so many flowers and Strawberries that are beginning to grow. While purchasing this plant, I asked if it was a perennial. The lady told me that it was an annual, but that it’s everbearing, meaning that it produces fruit the entire season. I found that appealing, since we really like Strawberries.
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Thursday, March 12th, 2009
So, I have this little problem…I can’t stop eating the Wasabi Wow that I received as a gift in the mail today.
Wasabi Wow from Trader Joe's
The other day, a very good friend of mine informed me that his beautiful wife bought me some Wasabi Wow from Trader Joe’s and that he was going to mail it out to me. I was a bit skeptical, because I am not used to such random acts of kindness. I thought it would be a while to receive the gift, so I left a few voice mails on my friend’s cell phone demanding the Wasabi Wow. Low and behold, today I retrieved a bag of the trail mix from the mailbox and have been eating it ever since.
Actually, as I am typing right now, I am planning my next scoop. Man, these guys were right when they said this stuff is addictive. Let me tell you what’s in it: Almonds, cranberries, redskin peanuts and wasabi peas. There are a bunch of lesser ingredients, but these are the main ones. I think it’s the wasabi peas that get ya.
If you eat sushi, you know how wasabi can clear out your sinuses. The first few handfuls of this trail mix made my nose tingle, but I am getting used to it now. I just wish we lived closer to a Trader Joe’s so I could get some more of this stuff. I bet no one would put me on a schedule of regular deliveries…would they?
Anyway, thank you Michele and Rob for the thoughtful gift. I love the Wasabi Wow!!!
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Sunday, October 15th, 2006
As I have said a million times, or maybe about eight times, the best time to go to the nursery is in mid to late October. The nurseries are just about ready to throw everything in the dumpster out back, so either go in and purchase what you want for half price or wait until nightfall and take your chances at the dumpster.
I got everything for half price…even the mulch. The first type of plant I picked up today was a Silver and Gold Chrysanthemum. These are really pretty cool looking and grow to about 12″-18″. I planted three of them and I think they will fill in quite nicely. As stated on the site I linked to above, you can divide these after a while. That’s great, because like bulbs, once you make the initial investment, you can play for years to come.
The second type of plant I picked up was an Ilex Glabra Shamrock. This one grows about 3′-4′ tall, so I planted it towards the middle, so it will surround the new pear tree. This is a really good looking shrub because it has glossy leaves and some berries. I will have to keep my eye on these because of the deer.
Lastly, like I mentioned above, I purchased 2 bags of great looking “Black Forest” mulch. This will keep all the bulbs and iris covered and protected during the winter. It also just looks so damn good. Take a look…
I am really looking forward to Spring so I can take some pictures of all the freshly sprung bulbs…almost as much as you’re looking forward to it, I’m sure.
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