Friday, August 1, 2008

A Trip to the Raspberry Patch

After doing u-pick strawberry this year and then making strawberry jelly, I decided to do the same thing with raspberries. Having never picked raspberries before I found out in a hurry that it is a little tedious, it took 1.5 hours to pick 4 litres(4 quarts.) The plants did not have many thorns so that was a good thing and the weather was nice so it was rather enjoyable to be out in the field. I did manage to get raspberry juice on my new, white patchwork shorts, never been one to dress appropriately. I am going to make jelly, a cheese cake as well as freeze what's left over the next couple days.

I also found many insects in the plants so I will post photos’ of them below as well as other photos I took. It really is amazing the variety of things you can find in plain sight. It seems now a days everyone wants you to think the environment is going to hell, it seems like it is doing fine to me. As well as the whole arctic melting thing, last time I checked to form ice it would have had to be water at some point so how is it unnatural for it to melt again? Anyhow that is my rant of the day.

I will post about the vegetable garden in the next couple days, exciting things are happening!!!


Milk Weed beetle, on a Milk Weed plant.

Grasshopper

Japanese Beetle


Soybean

Big Green in the field, about the closest thing it gets to manual labour.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, those are some awesome photos of the insects. Raspberry picking sure sounds fun. I want to grow a raspberry plant, but i'm afraid the birds will eat it all and I won't have a taste at all. that's what happened to my bosenberries. Very sad.

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  2. The red bug looks like a stretched out Lady Bug! lol...

    Our truck pulls a boat and hauls pine straw so a true work horse. lol...

    I am with you on the Earth Hoopla, I think we need to be more concerned with what is happening to mankind! Some one hit my new car today while parked in a parking lot and just ran off without owning up to their mishap! This is only one of daily disappointments I see in the human race.... Sorry I ranted… :(

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  3. dp - it was fun. I remember having a small raspberry patch when I was younger, I don't recall bird problems but I probably was not paying attention either. You could also put some netting over them just before the fruit ripens.

    skeeter - I first thought the beetle was one of those asian long horns that has been killing trees around here. Turns out to be a milk weed beetle so that is probably a good thing.

    Now I do think we should reduce some of our emissions and energy use. With that said, I think the whole "green" thing has become more of a money marker then a movement of any substance.

    Ranting is welcome here so no need to apologize. Some people really do suck!

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  4. Ah raspberry picking. When I went this year it was cloudy when I got there and sunny when I left, only to give me a sunburn that lasted weeks before it peeled. The berries were great though! And yes, they take forever to get much.

    Great shots of the bugs! You are such a great photographer it's unreal! Bravo!

    Ok, now you're going to hate me. I didn't see one bee in your photos. I've seen 3 honey bees all year long, and I applauded them each time. My garden wouldn't be here without the bumble bees that I have seen though, thank goodness.

    Though I can agree with you that "green" is the new black this year. It's pure marketing, but if it gets enough of us to change our consumption habits and grow some food, the earth will thank us by being as beautiful in your photos today when my grandkids see the world.

    I'm not green, I just compost to save money and grow food because I took up gardening as a hobbie at just the right time (lucky, not smart). No mater why I do the right thing, it's doing it that counts.

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  5. Sin - We defiantly need to be more efficient in every respect, energy, waste, food and so on. Do I believe all these crazy predictions that humans alone are warming the earth, not in a million years.

    Maybe if this so called "Energy Crisis" last, It will have a huge impact on being more efficient. If it is anything like what happened in the late 70's then what goes up will go down and the masses will be back to being energy hogs.

    I think the key statement here is change has to have an economical factor. If it is costing a fortune to condition homes to fridge in the summer and boiling in the winter then energy will be reduce. If it starts to cost to much to put those 5 bags of garbage out every week then waste will be reduced. The problem with this is the people who will be left behind.

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  6. forgot to add, I will keep my eye out from a honey bee. I have seen a couple this year but never had the camera handy. When the privet hedge was in bloom it had a few honey bees in it.

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  7. Hi Dan - followed my way over here from Tiny Farm Blog. Just wondering where the u-pick raspberries are that you went to. The last couple of years I've picked up in Buckhorn - wondering if there's anything closer.

    ~ Liz in Cavan

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  8. anonymous - I picked these at Brantwood Farm on the north side of Brantford, Ontario.


    http://www.brantwoodfarm.com/

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