I supposed to post this yesterday but wasn't feeling well, so I missed @lenasveganliving's #fruitsandveggiesmonday challenge. Thus I'm posting it today. The first part of the series was posted on Sunday, Garden Journal - Welcome To The Jungle for @simplymike's Hive Community Garden Journal Challenge and this is the second part.
Raspberries
Raspberries and currants are the two fruits we have in the garden, plus gooseberries. Raspberry is like gold, it's very expensive at the farmers market, and people love my jam, have clients asking for more every year.
I had a conversation with @abitcoinskeptic about his garden, that he called jungle. It's a nice garden, it's not a jungle at all. This is a jungle. This is the raspberry totally gone wild. I supposed to cut it back in the spring but this year is crazy and due to my dad's health problems, then the covid-19 pandemic, there was no way I could do it.
So the raspberry is growing in every direction. Now it's too late to do anything with it, so this year it's going to be a wild gardening year.
As far as I can tell, there will be plenty this year, so I don't mind. Last year we had almost no fruits, it was about time to get a good amount.
Mulberry
When I was a kid, this tree was also a kid, wasn't this high and we were on it all day long, eating as much as possible, looking like pigs at the end of the day as these fruits don't have mercy on your clothes or skin. Those were the good days. Now the tree is big, getting bigger and older every year. The lower branches had to be cut as were killing everything around them and we eat less and less fruit.
Hazelnuts
This is the highlight of the gardening year. This hazelnut tree was planted six years ago and this is the first year we're going to get some fruits.
That is obviously wishful thinking, as if the squirrels get here first, we can kiss the hazelnuts goodbye.
If that happens, I won't be sad at all. They have to survive somehow.
Grapes
For those of you who are not familiar with grape flowers, this is it, this is how it looks. Too bad I don't have a better camera to do some macros.
Grapes are tricky, especially this type. It's white, it's called Zala gyöngye, a Hungarian type, similar to muscat.
Judging from the photo, there will be plenty but the truth is, this type is so delicate, sensitive, needs a lot of attention and care not to be affected by different types of diseases.
This is another variety, bigger than the other. There are three or four types of grapes.
Walnuts
This is another fruit that is like the lottery. You have one good year, then two bad, then one two good and two bad years and so on. Two years ago we had so many walnuts that we still have a part of the harvest.
Last yeas all we got was a few kilo's, to fill one small shopping bag.
This year I can count on my fingers how many we're going to have.
Gooseberries
My grandmother had a bunch of gooseberries and she was always making jam. Then those bushes have died, now we have new ones. This is from the Netherlands, it's a very good type, gives a lot of fruits.
This year won't be any different, it's already full of gooseberries and we can harvest in a month or so.
This is another type, these don't grow so big but are delicious and turn red when ripe. I still have some jam from last year.
Currants
We have both red and white currants but unfortunately I only have photos about the red one.
Unfortunately missing the trimming in spring shows. These are suffering, the whole place looks like a jungles as the weeds are ruling the place.
I still hope to get a decent amount this year so I can make some jam.
I grew up always having currant jam made by my grandmother and I can't imagine my life without it.
It's perfect for crepe, the whole family loves it and there's no better than a healthy, homemade currant jam.
This is what the garden could do on its own. It is still amazing, how these fruits grow without any care. You will be surprised by what I'm going to say, but looking at them, I really feel sorry and feel guilt for neglecting them, even though it wasn't my fault. It wasn't negligence or laziness.
I hope next year will be better though.