7/27/2010

Create your own umbrella

I'm trying to bring my camera along when I walk in my forest so I can share bits with you... At the same time I planted the forest I planted about 1000 shrub seedlings provided by the department of wildlife... One variety was elderberry.... As they started to grow the deer grazed on them mercilessly and it looks weird to see all the stems growing devoid of leaves...but they persevered and eventually the stems were taller than the deer and started to branch and leaf out until now they look like this... The deer continually munch on the underside to get any new growth...thus creating this umbrella-like effect.

And as if they knew what they were doing they now use them as resting area in the heat of the day... You can see all the tall grass is smashed down where they have been. How comfy is that? Your own cushion in the shade of your own umbrella... Later this summer these huge plants will be loaded with gorgeous purple elderberries.. hence a very fruity umbrella...

p.s. on the dessert front this week I'm batting 0 for 2... My lemon cream pie turned into a pudding in a crust... This one I can salvage tho as I will scoop it out and add a lot more whipped cream and freeze it and serve it as a lemon mousse on Friday..

And also yesterday a Heloise reader said she hated plunging her hands into hamburger and sausage to mix them for meatballs and used her mixer... Not my favorite either so tried the mixer bit this morning and it worked great... Hooray for Heloise...

3 comments:

Momma Bear said...

ahhh yes, my most hated job as a child was the mixing of the meatloaf.
I really don't like the way it feels squishing through my fingers, yucky!
so hooray for Heloise!

Cathy said...

Gerry, the elderberries (and mulberries) grow wild here (in Iowa)- almost a noxious weed. I remember the first year I moved here and picked them to make some jam. They must have so much pectin in them because the jam turned out so stiff I couldn't even get it out of the jars. I use Pomona Universal Pectin to make jam so I didn't add much extra to get it so stiff.

My husband now sometimes mixes the elderberries, mulberries, wild raspberries and goosberries and sometimes wild grapes into a wild wine.

So, that's an elderberry and a catastrophe all rolled into one!

Cathy L

Cathy said...

I am The Lazy Woman Chef and I proudly buy my meatballs from Costco. But ... I’ve been making apricot jam for a week now (our tree went nuts this year!) and will be canning this weekend.... Hugs, Cathy

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