Berry Picking 2020

Arielle, Benny, Stacia and I went berry picking again this year. 

 Benny was no longer contained in a back pack. LOL There is something magical about being alone on the mountain, picking berries...hyper alert for bears. 

Benny was able to help this year. 

Alaska picking etiquette is to leave berries closer to the road and easier to reach for the elders. Yes, many elders still forage every year. You also pick them carefully so as to leave unripe berries for those who will pick after you. Most are careful - and we appreciate it. 

Millie enjoyed the outing too. 

Benny got tired of picking and honed his climbing skills instead. 

We certainly got more berries than we did our first year of picking. We got enough to DO something with them. I think Arielle put hers in the freezer. I made sugar free jam...or ice cream topping. LOL 

It's fun to be blogging these almost exactly 2 years post adventure. It has confirmed what I THOUGHT I remembered...this is a much rainier summer/fall than we have had since being back up here. ::grin:: We tried to go picking yesterday (8-26-22) and got rained out. Sadly, Arielle reports many have found the spot and it's becoming quite busy....and some are NOT picking carefully...meaning they are destroying things for those who come behind them. 

Michael & His Chicken

 If Stacia has a shadow, then Kotori is Michael's shadow. He carries her to the many spots of his day. 

She pretty much has free reign of the garage. 

I think she's getting a bit entitled. She certainly seems to question us when we enter the garage. 

I'm not sure if I documented Kotori in other spots on the blog....so from the vantage point of 2022 let me say she integrated with the flock and still feels entitled to Michael's attention. LOL She is happily laying eggs. 

Garden and Kitchen Time

The garden continues to dominate my time. The corn is simply not going to make it. 

I went on a purple theme this year...not sure why. LOL 

Acorn squash 

A few more peas...

Time in the garden leads to time in the kitchen... 

Beets...now that I know I can grow them, and that Michael likes them, we'll plant more in future years. 

Millie isn't overly fond of canning days when she has to be out of the kitchen. 

home-grown flowers

Stacia's Shadow...

Stacia has a shadow these days. 

We planted purple and green beans in the space where the greenhouse had been last year. They did well. I thought that meant I had figured out how to grow beans in AK...looking back from 2022 I realize it was an unseasonably warm summer and they did better than typical. 

Stacia harvests beans while Millie plays. 

purple beans

The squash is doing great too. 

Spaghetti squash 

It's satisfying to pick the veggies we need for the next few days.  

We harvested all the beans and will put these up for winter's use. 

Millie helps with dishes....

She's not as great a help in the kitchen as she thinks she is. 

We've never had a dog big enough to snatch food from the counters. Millie as a pup could. We began working on stopping this. 

Some of the veggies are used as Stacia creates this wonderful pan of yakisoba. 

More Zucchini pickles.

Zucchini EVERYWHERE

Today is all about zucchini. 

 

I made lots of relish, shredded some for the freezer, and even made some pickled.

Note from 2022...I used monk Fruit in place of sugar in my canning. Everything tasted great. HOWEVER, when I refrigerate the relish, pickles etc...the monk Fruit crystalizes. This was disappointing. I have heard there is a way you can use it and it won't do this - but I've not tried again. 

Lap Dog

 Millie continues to think she is a lap dog. She is the cuddliest dog we've ever had...ironic as she is the biggest dog we've ever had. LOL 

Sibling Climb

 Krista, Nolan, Stacia and Millie took advantage of the nice day to climb to the top of the Butte. The view is great from up there.