Choke Cherries and Money Savers

Yes, we are still alive.

We have just had a lot of life come at us at once.

I'll fill you in on that later,

but wanted to show you.

 Here are my choke cherries all picked, cleaned, 

and ready to juice for some jelly.
(Working on Christmas gifts now.)

What do you think of that great metal bowl?

It is actually one of two.

I call them my fruit bowls.

They are just deep and wide enough to hold a lot of fruit

without crushing it.

They were purchased for $1 each ~

on clearance in the automotive section of the store.

They are really for changing oil.

Also, if you need buckets,

check out the automotive department.

The same buckets that you will find in the cleaning section

by the mops and brooms is often

a fraction of the cost if you get them in the auto section

of the same store.

The only difference being maybe the color.

Other items you might find cheaper over there are

scrub brushes, buffing/polishing cloths, and spritzer bottles.

If there is something you need along those lines,

you might just check out the automotive dept.

before buying it from the 'regular' dept.

and save yourself a couple dollars.

Tonight, we'll be cleaning the elderberries

into the other bowl:)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Eating in Nature: Do's and Don'ts

I will state right away

that I am not a pro at knowing

all the 'foods' of the wild;

however, there are some basics that

I think it would be wise to know

even if you were just traveling.

Last weekend, Mr. LB went

motorcycling with a friend.

I went along, dropped him off, then

went into town to get some groceries.

I returned way before they were back

so I began to get my camera and walk around.

I found a bush full of beautiful rose-hips

so I went back to the pick-up and got

a cup so I could pick some.

DO

As I was picking,

there were several people who

asked what kind of berries they were.

One fella even said, after I had answered him,

"Are they edible?"

I told him they were.

I didn't think rose-hips were anything weird,

but evidently a lot of folks

don't even know what they are.

And just for your knowledge,

you are supposed to wait until after the

first frost to pick them.

So I decided to show just a couple

very common things.

DO

Elderberries can be eaten just as they are

or made into such things as:

jelly, syrup, or of course wine.

They are a little seedy if you eat them just plain,

but the juice is very flavorful.

DON'T

I only know these as coyote berries.

Do Not eat these!

They are poisonous.

Blackberries are common; however, 

there are two kinds around here.

The ones with the big fat leaves are good.

The ones with the skinny pointy leaves are bitter.
The berries look the same, 
but the flavor is reeeealllly different.

These aren't uncommon things,
but I sure get the questions
when I am picking them.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Berries, Babes, and Bags

Good Morning,  I just had to share a couple of things with you.  First, I found these adorable little dolls in John Day at 'A Little Bit of Europe.'  They were made in Germany, and I just couldn't resist.  I'm not entirely sure just what I will do with them yet, but finding 3 that are the same is so rare.  That was my find for the day.  

Theeeen, I picked a few raspberries.  It took a little while, but I did it.  They are now all safe and sound in their freezer bags - except for the ones that will be eaten soon.  If your screen were only a scratch-n-sniff.  Okay, wait.  That makes for a disturbing image, funny, but disturbing:)  A really quick recipe for summer. 

Bramble Berry Pie: About 4-5 cups raspberries, black berries, blue berries (whatever you have.)  Mix in 1 container strawberry glaze and dump it all in a graham cracker crust.  Chill for about an hour.  Top with ice cream or whipped cream.  MMMmmmm

Lastly, my bags are packed, and I'm ready to go. Watch out Baker City.  Here we come!!!  Quilts, fabric, stitching, antiques, mocha...  Does life get any better than that?  

Wishing you all a fabricilious weekend,

JoeyLea