Sunday, June 06, 2010

Nature walk

Blackberries (dewberries?) are ripening. I picked about two pounds yesterday. For the thorns, I wore long pants, for the heat I wore a wet towel on my head. Blackberries don't all ripen at once.
Sand plums will be ready soon!
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These are called sensitive mimosa or something.
Sumacs are starting to bloom. They are good nectar source for bees, then the berries make a yummy tea high in vitamin C.
And the cat tails that made it into our pond are blooming for the first time. These are one of the highest density edible foods ever!
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3 comments:

  1. Do you eat the cat tails or something else? Those berries look delicious! I'm lovin' the early summer bounty!

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  2. I would love to try a sandplum? I have no idea what they are! Isn't it a luxury to watch fruit grow? We's rich;)

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  3. I haven't eaten the cattails yet, but yes, they are edible from head to toe. The lateral shoots are supposed to be the yummiest part. Maybe sometime I'll carve out some time to try it.

    Sandplums are just like regular plums but a bit smaller. They're also called chickasaw plums. They are fairly small trees that grow in thickets. This is the first year that it looks like we'll get some. They often get frozen with late frosts and so this year might make up for all that.

    We also have some larger wild plums around too. It's a bountiful year for the plants and animals. We even have garden bunnies this year. Fortunately, so far they're only eating grass, so I approve.

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