The Girl was here for the long holiday weekend and so of course, I sent the HH on a long errand so The Girl and I could break out the Sawzall and trim a boatload of branches while he was gone.
For some strange reason my husband doesn’t think certain trees need to be trimmed up… but as soon as it’s done, he’s like…. wow… that looks really good.
Husbands are weird.
If I suggest we need to cut some tree limbs, he automatically thinks I’m asking him to do it. Or that he’s the one that should do it, thus adding more chores to his list. Or maybe he thinks I’ll somehow hurt myself with the saw. I don’t know. I just know that husbands are strange when it comes to power tools.
Whatever.
The good news is though… The Girl and I apparently escaped getting a case of poison ivy after spending an hour walking around and working in the stuff. It probably helps that we immediately threw our clothing in the washing machine and ran it through 2 cycles and then scrubbed down with a bar of Fels-Naptha as soon as we came in.
Living in New England… there’s a huge learning curve. And I feel like I’m starting to round the corner.
Yesterday, it was such a nice day out, that I tilled up a tiny patch in the field with Manny and tossed in a few seeds.
I’m thinking about planting a HUGE garden in the field next summer {and maybe eventually install a greenhouse} but first I want to see if anything will grow out there.
Supposedly the first frost date for our area is October 13th, so I’m probably cutting it a bit close with the winter squash seeds I planted, and we’ve got a ridiculous amount of wildlife… but still, what I really want to know is how well the seeds will germinate.
If they do well, or really even just okay, I’ll probably go ahead with my plan of a giant vegetable patch next spring. I’ll have plenty of time to worry about amending the soil and installing a fence over the long winter months so I’m not worried about that part.
Fingers crossed everything goes okay.
The last of the radishes… for now.
But boy oh boy, they were sure good while they lasted.
Does anyone know what this is? Winterberry maybe? At first I thought they might be currants… but the leaf pattern is all wrong and since I have no interest in putting a plant id app on my phone, I need your help with identifying it.
We have several of these tall bushes at the end of our driveway and I was thinking about cutting them down and replacing them with lilac bushes… but if they’re edible… I might not.
Summer, in Maine… it’s absolutely lovely {now that the black flies are gone}. 🙂
Here’s to a wonderful Tuesday,
~Mavis
Cecelia says
Google says honeysuckle. Not edible.
Susan H. says
Down home in West Virginia we called them chokecherries. Beautiful but not edible.
Katie B. says
True chokecherries are edible which these are not. You can juice them to make them into jelly. This was one of my favorites my Grandma used to make. They grow on the land our farm is on and we make jelly and syrup with them.
Gretta says
Mine are honeysuckle. The flowers are very fragrant before they turn to berrys.
Terri says
They look like Nanking cherries and are edible.
Diana says
My plant ID app says honeysuckle Morrow Honeysuckle, and that it can be poisonous to pets.
Jenz says
my app says japanese honeysuckle.
suzanne says
Good luck with the garden. I hope it works out for you.
If you get a spaghetti squash you should try it with browned butter and mizithra cheese. I fry the leftovers up like hash browns the next day.
suzanne says
On another note. I just tried braised radishes on a whim as I had a bumper crop and they where fantastic. Great texture and the bite disappears.
Kim says
I may have a tree trimming addiction. Perhaps you do, too.
Heidi N. says
Looks like the honeysuckle bush we have in our front yard.
Amy B says
That bush looks like honeysuckle. It sprouts all over the place here
Heidi P says
It’s so good to see you without your full body netting on while gardening!!!
Linda T says
When I lived in Maine we had them in the yard and we,too, called them choke cherries. Not edible but the bushes made great hideouts. You’re probably beyond that stage, so lilacs sound better.
Richelle says
I also thought chokecherry. The berries are edible but very tart, though don’t eat the seeds or leaves (according to the resources I read). They form a nice screen and don’t require much in the way of care.
Brooke says
Looks like autumn olive to me. It is edible and invasive. Makes a good jam but sort of fussy to make with all the seeds.
Candice says
Hey Mavis,
You know I think you could be like the settlers. They probably moved around a lot, too, until they found the perfect homestead. 🙂
Mable says
I live in Alaska and my yard has several chokecherry trees and this does not look like a chokecherry. Their berries grow in clusters, not like the ones in the picture you have. Chokecherry berries make a great jam or syrup, but are not edible due to arsenic containing pits (which you take out to make the jam or juice or syrup).
Jennifer says
Those are not definitely not choke cherry or autumn olive. DO NOT MAKE JAM!! They are a type of invasive honeysuckle and are poisonous. Not sure how poisonous, but I’m not willing to find out either! I do wish folks wouldn’t go around recommending eating poison berries! There are tons of wild edibles to be had, but these are not it.
Diane says
Hi Mavis,
Well when I live in the Pacific Northwest and I get two mentions of poison ivy in the same day, I took it as a sign to pass info along. Below is a link to a article/video I was sent via my email today. I’ve read his articles for some time and have gleaned some good info. I don’t have first hand experience with poison ivy so can’t vouch for this, but thought you might like to check it out. He also knows the old-timers trick of felt naphtha. He always has a bar in his truck just in case. Hope this is helpful!
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/10/how-to-get-rid-of-poison-ivy/?subscriber=1
Diane says
oops autocorrect should be:
Fels Naphtha
Mary says
You are wise to trim those branches. We are in the middle? Maybe just the beginning, of fire season and we keep our trees trimmed so they don’t touch the ground where fire could reach them and cause the flames to head up the tree… BC would love some rain, if anyone has a direct line to Mother Nature.
Barbara N Gantt says
Nanking cherries. They are sour but make an awesome jelly. They bloom early in the Spring. There will a cherry between each leaf. The birds love them too. Dont cut them down.
Some people make juice from then or use in cooking. I just make the jelly. It will be a beautiful red color, my kids use to call it the Christmas jelly , great for gifting.
Chris says
Check out the University of Maine Extension website. You could always have the HH take a sample to your local county Extension for expert identification – might give you more time to trim up the trees! I’ve used our local Extension office and they have been so helpful.
Erica says
I also refuse to download a plant id app. I find google reverse image search can usually do the trick.