edibles and lunch guests

Looking for blackberries

We had some friends over for lunch after church. We took them out to the garden to let them see it. It's amazing how quickly things can change! The last time I went to the garden, the grapes were still green, and this time they were wonderfully purple. There isn't anything much more satisfying than grapevines....they're so extravagant and rich. I love the purple against the green.

We have Interlaken, Suffolk Red (or possibly Glenora, I never can remember?), Concord, and an unnamed variety. The Concord was a start from All41's grandma's garden, and the unnamed one is a start from the neighbours above us. It's amazing, but we found the vine a couple years ago (before the new neighbours bought the place, when there was a cherry orchard there) way at the top of the property where it's never watered, basically in the desert near the sagebrush. But oh, what sweet and wonderful grapes. There's an apricot tree there as well. How cool is that? Plants growing on something like 10 inches of rain a year and yielding fruit. One of the first things our new neighbours did was put an arbor with a seat up there, train the grapes over it and water the heck out of them. They're so happy to see water, they're all over that arbor.

When we were planning on planting grapes in our yard, we called up the head of the WSU agriculture department (or something like that, I forget titles). I knew him from my Master Gardener classes, he taught a few of them. He lives in Wenatchee, on a double plot and his backyard is so amazing! He manages to squish so many fruits and vegetables in his backyard. He's constantly testing things for growing in our unique environment. I asked him if All41 and I could come and look over his garden and get advice about what to grow in ours. I wish that I had pictures. Anyway, he said that the 3 best grapes to grow in our area, because of winter and stuff, and for best sweetness and flavor, was Interlaken, Suffolk Red, and Glenora. Because we're at a higher elevation and going up the Squilchuck canyon, he wasn't sure if we'd get a harvest. He didn't know if the winters would create a problem for the fruit. We ordered the 2 vines from a nursery that he recommended, but they had discontinued the 3rd. We've had the grapes there for the 3rd summer now, and they're happy as can be, and so loaded with fruit that I can't believe it. I called him last year and let him know that our grapes were getting along great, so he could know for his research.

The picture above, shows that the grapes make a little arbor that you can sit in, it's wonderfully shady and intimate. This is where I took all of the pictures from here on from.











Here's some pictures of everyone enjoying the zipline and yard (I left out some lovely ones, I thought they showcased the children too much and I don't know if the parents would appreciate that).