Now that we've picked most of the raspberries, the blackberries are ripening. We use blackberries in many of the same ways as raspberries, but we seem to have so many more of the blackberries, as you can see. Since the berries were already here, growing rather wild, we chose the "live and let live" approach, which is very much in keeping with Permaculture principles. We opted to observe and see what would unfold. Lo and behold, the abundance revealed! Years ago, we … [Read more...] about Easy Blackberry Jam
General
Garden Update
It's time to give you a quick update on the garden! We've been enjoying the bounty this year, that's for sure. The above photo shows some vigorously blooming oregano! In general, my flowers are a little more sparse than usual right now. I'll have to work on that and figure out some "late bloomers" that I can plant next year! Wild Looking Garden At the moment, I have a jungle-like flowerbed just outside one kitchen window. Outhouse Plant The tall plants in that bed are called, "Outhouse … [Read more...] about Garden Update
The Beet Goes On|Pickled Beets Recipe
Are you a fan of the beet? Or not so much? I've always liked beets, but Joel, well, not so much. Then one day, we were at a local eating establishment, and pickled beets were one of his side dishes. He tasted them and liked them! The key was the recipe. It contained some spices that really amped up the tastiness. If you've never eaten store-bought pickled beets, they taste a lot like pure vinegar. I searched through my canning recipe books, as well as … [Read more...] about The Beet Goes On|Pickled Beets Recipe
Food and Flowers in Permaculture
When practicing permaculture, food and flowers can live harmoniously. They can even be one and the same. Even though we have a designated vegetable garden, we don't exclusively plant vegetables there. One of the joys of permaculture, as well as of gardening in general, is the endless way we can combine plants for multiple reasons. This is how to "stack functions," and "stack elements," which are part of the bigger picture in permaculture principles. Let's first … [Read more...] about Food and Flowers in Permaculture
Raspberry Season
Ah, the raspberry! We have them growing wild here at the Mountain Farmhouse and we love them! I planted a few of the plants myself, but for the most part, they seeded themselves and grew. The birds help with that. Several years ago, I would not have wanted the raspberries to grow so wild and abundantly. I was trying to control nature too much. After learning about Permaculture, however, my outlook and approach became very different. Joel and I decided to let nature run its course, and … [Read more...] about Raspberry Season