Well, I finally got most of the mulch we bought put out. And, just in the nic of time because it's supposed to get really hot here this week. It took longer than I expected because I was weeding and cleaning up the beds as I went. But, they look so nice and uniform. I got all the way across the back, but still have 5 bags to go that I'll put in the side bed and in the larger flower pots.
I also got two pairs of rows assembled on the double wedding ring quilt.
And, I made a batch of strawberry jam. It isn't perfect, but for a first try, I think it came out fine. I ran into trouble along the way. The pot I chose to cook the jam in seemed big enough until it started to boil and foam and came right out the top of that pan. I pulled out another pan and put some of the jam in it and brought them both back to a boil, but ended up over cooking them, so my jelly is a little thick (my mom would have called it leathery). But, we had it on biscuits for dinner last night and I can assure you it tasted just fine. Over cooking also meant more of the fruit cooked away than I was hoping, but I think there's still enough to qualify it as a jam.
I made this because I was paying $5.75 for a 12 oz jar of French jam. That's 49 cents an ounce. Mine cost me 19 cents per ounce, not counting the water or gas (stove) or the jars I already owned that had been sitting empty. I chose a recipe for a small batch, 7 half pint jars. It was easier and quicker than I expected and it's strawberry season, so the fruit was less expensive than normal. Next time, I'll make the jam in the dutch oven I was using to water bath in and find a different way to do the water bath. Or maybe skip that. My mom never water bathed jelly, she just let the heat seal the jars. I don't know. We'll see.
It's daylily season.
There are still a lot of yellows this year, despite me giving away several clumps last year. I was disappointed, but then I looked at the yard as a whole and I kind of like the fact that there are yellow daylilies all around. They have a kind of continuity and there are enough oranges to help them pop. It also helps that the yellows aren't all the same.
This one has a very unique shape. I thought it was a fluke, but they've all come out this shape.
This one must have descended from one of the spider daylilies we had. It has very long petals like those did.
Technically, these are yellow, but they're a shade of yellow that looks green. Not so much in a bright light, but when they're in the shade, they definitely take on a green hue.
And, the oranges.
And, there are plenty of new scapes that haven't even revealed what they'll be this year. Daylilies that I found in pots and couldn't remember what they were, so I planted them to let them bloom and find out.
The coneflowers are getting started. These self seed so easily and I wasn't as diligent as I should have been about weeding them out this year. Normally, I pull them, pot them, and give them away, but this year, I let them stay...I'll give them away later. And, they're all covered with blooms, ready to open. I'm not the only one enjoying them either.
Of course, with that many birds, my veggies need protection, so I've partially built a bird proof area. I made a mistake and ran out of steam before I finished it, but when I'm done, it should be a 7' cube of bird proof area. I tasted that first ripe blackberry yesterday and "the birds shall not have them" (said in my best Charlton Heston as Moses voice).
Saturday afternoon was sunny and beautiful. And, then it wasn't, and dark clouds rolled in with thunder and then heavy rain that fell straight down. Then, there were strong winds. And, then hail. I assumed my garden was done for the year as we watched it hail for about 5 minutes. Fortunately, it never got bigger than pea sized, so no damage to the cars or the house or even the garden, though it took out a few flowers and there are holes in a few large leaves. I felt very, very lucky. The planet is fighting back.
Okay, that's it for me. I'm tired and my hips hurt from being busy all weekend. Thank goodness my job is mostly sitting. But first, some yoga to get me moving again.
Everybody have a great week!
Lane
