Summer weekend
Yep, it’s definitely summer. We spent yesterday afternoon swimming at my parents’ house with my sister & my nephews, and today we picked berries in our yard. We didn’t have a gigantic harvest – maybe 2 cups – but it’s a nice haul, when you consider we only lucked into these plants and didn’t have to do anything to take care of them. They grow wild along the perimeter of our property. I’d like to know exactly what kind of berries these are – Neil thinks they may be blackberries, but they’re smaller and bright red. It’s possible they’d turn black if we left them on the vine longer, but leaving them on the vine would be like issuing an open invitation to the local wildlife to come and feast. These berries are always gone within hours of turning red. We were lucky to beat the animals to as many as we did. What am I going to do with this fruit? I think I’m going to try a blackberry cake. Last year I made jam, and it didn’t come out that great, so I’m going a different route.
I did get a chance for a little craftivity today. I made a hat I’ve been wanting to make! Unfortunately, the crown and the brim are both crazy tall. I think there is a problem with the pattern, since others in the Simple Sewing Flickr group have expressed similar sentiments. Luckily, I have a work-around: if I yank the hat way down onto my head and turn the brim up, it’s actually pretty neat! Yeah, I think I might be able to leave the house in it like this 
Earlier this weekend, son #1 and I spent his “special night” outside. We filled up the kiddie pool to dunk our feet in, and lit a whole bunch of tea light candles around the patio. While we sat out there and chatted, a few baby owls flew into the yard and had a conversation with each other on our swing set.
Ah, summer 
Lisa
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Categories: domesticity, excursions, food, parenthood, sewing, show and tell
Tags: flickr
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Links to “Summer weekend”:
- Polka Dot Creations » Blog Archive » Wineberry cake
- Polka Dot Creations » Blog Archive » Fruits of my labor
- Polka Dot Cottage Berry bounty
Replies to “Summer weekend”:
According to comments in this blog the berries are black raspberries, also nicknamed Pennsylvania blackberries. Should be darker, but like you said, the animals were already knocking them off.
I do believe those are loganberries Lisa. here’s a link to a berry on the plant. does the plant look the same?
http://www.conservationeconomy.net/pattern_images/photo04.jpg
Thanks for the link, Sweetie. It’s a shame we can’t wait until they are nice and dark before we pick them. I’d love to taste them at their ripest.
Hey, Kathi. They don’t look quite like loganberries. They’re not that long – they’re short, squat little things.
well heck…I gave it my best try. do they taste like blackberries? Did you make a crisp out of them?
lol, they look like raspberries to me, but I’m rotten at this stuff. Anyway, as long as they taste good it doesn’t matter what they’re called. And the picture is priceless anyway, what a face!
Love the hat, I’ve got a bag planned from some of those fabrics.
Kathi – I’m actually not much of a berry expert, so I couldn’t tell you *what* they taste like
I decided on a blackberry cake recipe that will also help me use up the last of the buttermilk I bought when son #1 had a hankerin’ for homemade pancakes. (Gotta love Allrecipes.com’s ingredient search!)
iSew – I love those fabrics, too! I made a skirt out of the lining fabric a while back and I love it. I have two other Freshcut yards that are probably going to be a tote bag, but I haven’t completely decided yet.
I think that hat is absolutely perfect just as it is!
They are called wineberries – native to this part of New Jersey – they grow wild like weeds. Here is a page with pictures ot them http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Wineberry.html They will not get black only deep red. Enjoy – as your neighbor I can tell you they grew wild in all our backyards and everybody picks them.
Karyn – thanks! I really do like it with the upturned brim, despite the fact that it wasn’t meant to be worn that way.
Diane – it’s great to hear a local voice who knows what those things are! Thanks for the link – I checked it out, and see that they have recipes there, too. I’m going to google wineberries later and see if I can find any interesting uses for them.