My Grandfather fancied himself a gardener. I, however, have not inherited these proclivities. Digging in the dirt is fun--don't get me wrong--but the resultant sunburn and thousands of insect bites really are not to my liking. I'm trying to (sort of) maintain what we inherited--meaning, mostly, that I'm trying to keep the fruit trees and bushes alive. We've lost the battle with some of the peach trees, and they will be coming down in the near future so as to keep us warm during the winter. But some of the others are actually faring quite well. Look at what I saw yesterday during my shower! (Yes--we have a window in the shower. The Beloved hates it. Fortunately, we have a big backyard and you really can't see in unless the window is wide open.)

That, my friends, is a fine looking peach. While I knew we had peach trees, I was under the impression that they weren't bearing fruit. Well, until the end of last summer when The Beloved was griping that they had all fallen off the trees and were mouldering on the ground making it near impossible for him to mow the lawn. This summer I'm hoping to be better prepared and to get some of them picked. I'm not sure of the quality--we don't spray with anything, so I don't know if they're wormy or infested with other vermin. But I'm hoping to pick some just the same and cut them up (so as to see the state of the fruit) and perhaps make some preserves or at least a homemade peach cobbler.

I have a cobbler recipe that I like, but have a feeling that The Beloved may appreciate some diversity. If anyone has any recipes featuring peaches or recipes with which I can use peaches (eg: cobblers, coffee cakes, pies, etc), send them down! You can e-mail them to me, or post them in the comments section. And, to make this fun, perhaps I'll include prizes :)

Yes. I think prizes will be good. I'll have The Beloved taste test the creations and his favorite will get either a jar of preserves or a skein of my handspun--winner may choose.

And if this goes well, you all may be pressed into duty again in a few more weeks when the blackberries ripen. While we'll have a fair amount of peaches (I think we have three or four still-living trees), we'll have an unholy amount of blackberries. The bushes span about half of our backyard. They are thirty paces, end to end. And the berries, they are a-growing.

Late last summer I went out and picked berries most afternoons once they began to ripen. You'll be pleased to know that my picking habits still have not changed. But I began to run short of recipes, and while I can freeze the blackberries, they are oh-so-much better when fresh. So, put your thinking caps on for berry season... I know I'll be doing the same.

You should know that I ate this ripe one immediately after taking the picture. It's quality control. I had to make sure they were going to be as good as last summer. They're coming along nicely.

As is my new sock. Click here if you'd like to take a peek. Here's another shot. I'll start posting, maybe, next week. Or when I complete one. It's that surprise thing again. I'm generally horrible about giving things away, and so I'm trying really, really hard to be good.