Huckleberry Heaven

Well.

Today, I have news.

When I went out at 6 am to let the cockers out, it was 64 degrees.  LOVE it.  When I let the baybays out, they lost no time in exiting their pen for the great beyond.  Very brave at less than 5 weeks.

After a quick breakfast, I had to get to the garden as it was so cool.   I turned on the irrigation, since there is no rain in the forecast.  Very disappointing as Raleigh is getting hammered and we have nothing.

BUT.

Hurricane season is days away.  Be careful what you wish for.

Anyway, I pulled up a lot of lettuce that had gone bitter (directly onto the compost pile, except some to the cockers), and some grass around the collards.  Where I pulled lettuce, I planted some volunteer tomatoes.  Then I ran two surface irrigation lines to the last two rows of corn as it looked like it wasn't getting enough water.  I had to search for my punch and my hammer as the tool devils sneak in and move things on a regular basis.  After this, I went to the back garden and pinched suckers from the tomatoes.  Some looked good, but my heirloom brandywines looked BAD.  I think this is the last time I try these.   They just don't like this soil.  My melons looked great.

After that, I gave a quick stir to my compost tea.  I think it is ready tomorrow and I will place on plants as far as I can.

Not oolong, but ooh boy

Then Jim came home with a BUNCH of garden peas from our organic farmer.  He had brought them home for market cause they all didn't sell.  Gmar and I spent 3 1/2 hours each shelling same.  I LOVE shelling peas and beans.  I could do it for hours (obviously).  We froze what we shelled for yummy dishes this winter.

Just as I shelled the last pea, Jim walked in with a 50 gallon cooler two thirds full of cull blueberries from our neighbor's blueberry pack house.

OMG, gotta LOVE the country.

This is 240 pints, just for scale.  I took 20 pounds off the top for my first batch of wine for the year.  The rest we bagged and froze.  And the season has just begun.  I cannot express to you how GREAT rural life is.  So.  Processing this bounty took me the rest of the evening.

Chickens up, baybays up, dogs up.

Time for porch, wine and fireflies.

Bak Bak