26 October 2010

Postcards from the Farm ~ Part 3

Part of the fun of the farm is producing some of our own food.

The ancient pear tree is loaded with fruit this year.

Pear Crisp, Ginger Pear Coffeecake, Pear Honey Marmalade, Pear Preserves... the list goes on and on of wonderful things to make with pears.

And my kiwi vines have finally produced kiwis! The Guy built the arbour and I planted the vines some ten years ago. I can't even count the number of kiwis. Many of them are in pairs, but there are a lot of singles, also.



Kiwis are supposed to get ripe around the end of October. What? Oh yes! That is where we are now!!! I did pick one and will cut it open in the morning to see if it is ready or not. If it is, we will pick kiwis this coming weekend. I need to look for kiwi recipes this week.

Prairie Fire Crab Apples:

This is the first year I've had enough crab apples to pick, too. I believe there are enough to make at least one batch of crab apple jelly.

The kids all went fishing. This is the largest bass they caught. And my nephew was using my lucky red casting rod. (Yes, I love red so much that The Guy bought me a red fishing pole! )


All in all it was a wonderful weekend at the farm. I loved it!

namasté,
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10 comments:

Martha said...

I grew up with an ancient pear tree -- we had pear preserves, pear "honey" while I was growing up -- you didn't buy "Jam" when you had fruit to use!

Thanks for the memories!

Margie said...

How exciting to find all the fruit (and fish!) bounty at the farm! Can't believe you've got kiwis... maybe you'll consider a New Zealand style pavlova topped with sliced kiwis.

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I have seen kiwis growing....how interesting. I love them in salads! And your pear tree...fabulous. We have one old peach tree that bears tons of fruit but the deer get them before I can and we even put a net over it this year. But still lost all the fruit. xo

Southerncook said...

Becky, I thoroughly enjoyed all your pics from your farm. I haven't been up to our farm in I can't even remember when??? I am inspired by your pics to go soon. I feel quite certain that our Pear trees are just loaded with fruit too. We did get lots and lots of blueberries this year so I guess mid summer was the last time I was there. DH has enlarged our back deck and I am on the look out for some outdoor furniture so I think a trip this weekend is in order.

Lucky you that you have Kiwi. I'm going to look into finding out if we can grow them here. I never have given it a thought. This time of year as you know is just amazing in the country with all the wildflowers, butterflies and the quiet of nature. Thanks for sharing your time at your farm.

Carolyn

Anonymous said...

I'm so jealous of the lovely fruit you have available at your farm. And kiwis!! I had no idea kiwis grew down south. My grandmother used to have a pear tree in her backyard and it was so much fun finding ways to use all that delicious fruit. Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Craig Miyamoto said...

I wish I could go fruit-picking.

Becky said...

Martha, we never had store-bought jams, jellies, or preserves either. My Mom and grandmothers always made ours from the various fruits they grew. We are really looking forward to some Pear Preserves this year.

Margie, thanks for the idea. We love pavlovas so I will for sure put that on the list. I'm hoping Mike & I can have time on Saturday to do some fishing, too. I'd love to cook some bass for dinner.

Lynn, how sad that the deer get your peaches! We have peach trees too and those typically get ripe in July. So far the deer haven't bothered them.

Carolyn, I have so been missing the farm. I'm sure you must be missing your place, too. LMK if you get out there this weekend. I'll be interested to hear what furniture you've chosen.

Brenda, I was really surprised at the kiwis myself. The vines have been growing all this time, but I'd about given up hope of them ever producing. I am just thrilled. And I'm going to be looking through cookbooks for some recipes for both kiwis and pears.

Craig, I would be glad to let you pick some fruit, but are you allowed to take it from the mainland to Hawaii?

Erica (Irene) said...

Becky.....I love all your photo's of the farm. It looks like a fabulous place, so peaceful and beautiful with all that nature around.

We also had a pear tree when I was growing up, every pear was canned or baked one way or another, nothing went to waste. My neighbours next door have a huge pear tree but they neglect it and the pears are all on the ground. But I did manage to pick some and made some pear crisp.
Crab apples I have 5 trees that are over 50 years old and very tall. They are like a buffett for squirrels, Blue Jays and all sorts of other birds.
Thanks for sharing......Erica :-)

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

What gorgeous fruit...and kiwis??? What a blessing! I can't wait to hear about all the wonderful things you make with those pears...mmmmmm

Becky said...

Erica, isn't it funny how so many of us grew up with pear trees? And you are right, not a bit of the produce went to waste. 50 yr old crabapple trees? I had no idea they lived that long. We have a lot to anticipate!

Lizzy, thanks! The recipes for Pear Crisp (which was one of the main desserts my Mom made when we were kids) and the Ginger Pear Coffee Cake are both posted on CK if you want to give them a look. I'm going to try to do them with pics and post here in the next few weeks. And what in the world am I going to do with BUSHELS of kiwi? LOL. Share with friends, family and neighbors, for sure. I see several batches of Kiwi Lemon Marmalade in my future.