Berries, Taters, Corn & Other Agricultural Marvels

I've got crops!

I am SO glad I took a bucket with me on our walk down to the pond yesterday! I had a sneaking suspicion that the big rainy day may have spurred the blackberries to plump out and ripen up, and I was right! I came home with several stickers that needed to be removed with tweezers, red-stained fingers and about 2 quarts of berries!

What a difference from last year's dried up tiny blackberries! I am amazed at what our over-abundance of rain has done. This year's berries are big and juicy, and they're just getting started. The chore of picking them will have to be added to my daily routine from now on.

On our way down, Echo and I also spied germinating corn:

I still find it amazing that one can put a seed in the ground and consistently get results. I mean I know it's supposed to work that way, it's evolutionarily designed to be that way, but I'm always over-abundantly thrilled when I see those shoots poking up through the soil.

For instance, here's what happens when potatoes get forgotten in the kitchen and start getting all soft and sprouty. Instead of throwing them out, I went outside and stuck them in the ground. Three months later, a handful of new, free potatoes appear! Amazing!

The tomatillos are starting to form. I love their little Chinese Lantern-type shapes:

The tomatoes are fruiting:

Anaheim chiles are starting to produce:

And bell peppers too:

I am such a dope about stuff like this. To me, gardening (or just gathering, in the case of the blackberries) is all magic and delight. Even with the stickers.

And wait until you see the PEARS!

To be continued...