Berry Enticing Guest Gardening Post [Lex]

Don't those berries look enticing? Their fresh season is over in the Boston area, I think, but I have a friend who makes blueberry pie for Thanksgiving using frozen berries. Think about it: Blueberries are American berries, perfect for Thanksgiving!

As you read the inspiring guest post from Lex, think about berries that might be suited to your climate and maybe even to your own garden next year.
K.T.

Take it away, Lex!

The Great Blueberry Bush Battle

I bought a home in the metro-Boston area in 2009. Major renovations, which included a new landscape design, occurred in 2010. Among the fresh plantings was a bank of blueberry bushes.
I cannot remember if the positioning of the bushes was intentional or not, but because they were close to the house and never in all day sunlight (with irrigation able to provide ample coverage), they survived all winters, droughts, and potentially damaging storms.

From 2010 - 2019, the bushes grew, but I did not notice much fructification. Covid brought a lot of misery, but one silver lining about being forced to stay near home was paying more attention to the plantings. In the summer of 2020, it was impossible not to see a nicely developing crop of blueberries.

But I was not the only one who noticed.
At the end of July 2020, I went away for a week. When I left, the berries were beginning to ripen, but I delayed the harvest until my return. I figured…what’s a few days.
When I got back all the fruit was gone. Birds took every single berry.
For the following year, I vowed to protect the crop.

Typically these bushes blossom in May/June and the fruit begins to develop soon after. The berries are green into July when they start to turn red, then purple, and eventually blue. By the end of July or early August, they are ready to be picked. Birds mostly ignore the berries until these few critical weeks.
In July of 2021, I employed reflective tape and fake owls. This did nothing, and I lost another crop.

In 2022 and 2023, I tried traditional bird netting, but the mesh was not thick enough to deter. Several birds got caught in the nets, and I had to free a few while others died.

In 2024, I upped my game to deer netting. This is tougher stuff and the birds did not risk direct attack, but because this netting is not malleable it was difficult to drape it over the bushes without knocking off many berries. Thus, I had to stretch the netting high over the bushes, tying it to porch posts on one side while securing it to the ground with lawn staples on the other. This created many gaps, and the birds (especially Blue Jays) were able to fly or hop underneath and steal the fruit.
Additionally, if they did get stuck in the netting, the mad flapping that ensued caused many berries to fall off. Between theft and spillage, 2024 was another lost season.

Bushes with deer netting

Finally, in 2025, a solution arrived in the form of ‘thule’ or fine mesh netting. These nets are light and flexible, and I was able to gently drape them over the bushes and zip them shut. They are impossible to penetrate and light enough so deploying them causes few berries to shake loose.

2025 yielded a fine, unpoached crop, and I expect 2026 and beyond to be nothing but successful.
Like Gettysburg for the North in the early going, it was bleak, but at the end of the day I prevailed in The Great Blueberry Bush Battle.

Owl hanging out with protected bushes, just for fun

Gardens of The Horde

K.T. back again. Wasn't The Great Blueberry Bush Battle a wonderful representation of determination? Loved the detailed photos of the protective covers, which I expect would be great for some other crops, too!

Anything going on in your garden? Thinking about planting berries next year? Watch for climate adaptation.

Planning a trip to look at fall leaves?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Sept. 27

Is your grass still growing a foot a week? Check out the late comments for tips on pears and other edibles.

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:05 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Thanks for posting, KT. I could have done an equally long saga post about my apple trees. Perhaps next year, I'll chronicle that for the horde.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:10 PM (y4H1r)

2 Mercifully cooler weather.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at October 04, 2025 01:12 PM (2vTK0)

3 and p.s. I've seen the 'thule' nettings employed by neighbors for peach and pear trees. Apples too, but since those trees tend to be bigger it's hard to find a net that size. But for peach and pear and even one enterprising neighbor who was trying kiwi the thule nets are great.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:13 PM (y4H1r)

4 Blueberries from the store vary a lot. Sometimes they look good but get them home and pick through them and there's more bad ones than good sometimes.

Had some with the pancakes this morning. Every berry was good. From Peru, via Aldi.

Posted by: mindful webworker - she wore bluuuue berries woh woh at October 04, 2025 01:13 PM (fevhA)

5 That porch! Gorgeous home Lex. May your blueberries bring you joy for years to come.

Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 01:16 PM (gWBY1)

6 Thanks, LizLem. They bring me joy now that I have found a way to save them from marauders

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:19 PM (y4H1r)

7 Lex at October 04, 2025 01:10 PM

Sounds great! Apple pie!

Posted by: KT at October 04, 2025 01:20 PM (7vIsy)

8 I don't garden but I do like fresh blueberries. And it beats bee flag conspiracy theories or whatever.

Posted by: The intoxicating scent of potting soil at October 04, 2025 01:20 PM (TbWk/)

9 Strawberry shortcake,
Blueberry Pie,
Whose not ready,
Hollar 'I' ...

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 01:21 PM (3ZUWJ)

10 We have/had these amazing raspberry bushes. They were so fruitful this year! I just buckets of sweet berries with zero bitterness. But the canes got a bit out of control since I haven't pruned them for a few years.

A week ago my husband, bless his heart, without consulting me, told our son to trim them. He told the son to trim them waist high, and instead son weed whacked them knee high! I'm so scared we won't have any raspberries next year. But what's done is done.

My grandparents has an amazing huge garden with raspberry canes. When they got too old to care for it, they let their church members turn it into a church community garden. One of the members cut the canes short, thinking they knew what they were doing, and it killed them and they never grew again. I'm so scared our raspberries will have the same fate! I guess I'll have to wait until next year to see.

Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 01:23 PM (gWBY1)

11 Frozen blueberries (and or black or rasp berries) in my steel cut oatmeal, FTW...

Too much sugar in the instant oatmeal packets.

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 01:23 PM (3ZUWJ)

12 The fresh blueberries look wonderful.

I have to eat the store-bought ones. For those that don't know, storing blueberries in a mason jar keeps them fresh a long time.

Posted by: ScaryMary at October 04, 2025 01:24 PM (UCEkw)

13 The blueberries always deliver. Protecting them from birds was the problem. Apple trees are incredibly variable. One summer I had close to 1,000 apples (not all edible but the volume was staggering) and the next year bupkis.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:24 PM (y4H1r)

14 Blueberries are one of those fruits I don't much like on their own. I don't dislike them. But unless they've been sweetened up in a muffin or pie or put in yogurt or something, I don't usually eat them.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at October 04, 2025 01:25 PM (4WSjN)

15 I live in lower Alabama so our season in over in May. I have 8 bushes, some of which are large. I used to drive in stakes around them then cover with mesh. The bushes were getting too large for that plus the mesh would catch on the berries and pull them off.

So, I built a "bird exclusion device". I sunk pieces of 1-1/4" pvc into the ground. 1-inch pipe fits inside. I made uprights and cross pieces of 1" then draped the whole thing with mesh. All 8 bushes are covered with one giant mesh. I created a doorway where I can go in and pick berries or mow the grass. Probably cost me more than buying blueberries for the next 10 years but I don't lose any to birds. My wife's comment is that it is a good thing we don't live in an HOA.

Posted by: Peaceman at October 04, 2025 01:25 PM (8BSff)

16 9 Strawberry shortcake,
Blueberry Pie,
Whose not ready,
Hollar 'I' ...
Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 01:21 PM (3ZUWJ)

5, 10, 15, 20...

Posted by: Schoolhouse Rock at October 04, 2025 01:25 PM (TbWk/)

17 You really can't beat the flavor of oatmeal, blueberries, and toasted pecans unless you put too much honey and butter in it...then it's really good.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 04, 2025 01:26 PM (gZoFe)

18 10. I had a wonderful peach tree for a few years. One summer lightning hit a tree in my back yard. Luckily, it didn't hit the house, but it was laying on the ground all the way down the length of the back yard. I went to Vermont and told my normally trusty landscaper if he could remove the fallen tree while I was gone. That summer the peach --in the front yard-- was wilted so it looked kind of dead. The landscaper thought I meant remove anything dead, so he got the tree but also took out the peach tree. Very distressing.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:27 PM (y4H1r)

19 No, not married. berried

Posted by: dreamingrobot at October 04, 2025 01:28 PM (EyfuW)

20 Posted by: Peaceman at October 04, 2025 01:25 PM (8BSff)

Thanks for sharing this.

Posted by: Frasier Crane at October 04, 2025 01:28 PM (CRFqj)

21 so jealous of Lex and his bodacious blueberries!!

such an excellent fruit, and so healthy for the body

we get them from nearby New Jersey, but nothing beats fresh-picked from your own plantings.

congratulations

Posted by: kallisto at October 04, 2025 01:28 PM (dCxaZ)

22 Our bushes are protected by hardware cloth, meaning all the way around above, and below. If it isn't caged here, it's not yours. The deer/elk/rabbits/coons/voles each take their 100% of whatever tbey can get to.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at October 04, 2025 01:30 PM (gZoFe)

23 when I started rinsing store bought produce in a vinegar bath I was kind of horrified at what the water looked like when I strained out the berries

Posted by: kallisto at October 04, 2025 01:35 PM (dCxaZ)

24 Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake:

https://tinyurl.com/ytrb3pkp

Very good. Use less sugar.

Posted by: RS at October 04, 2025 01:38 PM (SuU/K)

25 Fresh blueberries on top of homemade French Vanilla ice cream...with a simple crumble mix (flour, sugar, butter).

Posted by: Orson at October 04, 2025 01:41 PM (dIske)

26 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Had to make a hole so to speak for moving the compost bin under plastic sheeting for the new crop.

Posted by: Skip at October 04, 2025 01:41 PM (+qU29)

27 I'm so scared our raspberries will have the same fate! I guess I'll have to wait until next year to see.

Any room to plant a few new bushes?

If the cut back ones do die, you have a head start ...

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 01:42 PM (3ZUWJ)

28 Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 01:23 PM (gWBY1)

that's painful

I have a huge pyracantha bush that I allow to overgrow (on my property) for its biennial display of orange-red berries, that just cover the plant.

One year there were delightful cascades billowing over into my driveway that I loved so much because when I opened my back door I was greeted by a symphony of red berries that blocked out the world until I navigated around them to get to my vehicle.

One of the menfolk just chopped all that beauty off, without my knowledge. No more spectacular screen against the world for 45 seconds of every day.

Painful.

Posted by: kallisto at October 04, 2025 01:43 PM (dCxaZ)

29 28. I have a yearly conundrum with a hydrangea bush by my garage. It is one of the fastest growing plants I've ever seen, and when they start to flower they block part of the garage entry. So I have to steer around them and avoid the many bees that come to pollinate. I love seeing the white flowers and rarely trim before mid-October, but it does create a daily annoyance getting in and out of the garage. When the season is over, I trim a good 5 feet, but they are always right back the next year.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 01:47 PM (y4H1r)

30 "Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 01:23 PM (gWBY1)

that's painful

I have a huge pyracantha bush that I allow to overgrow (on my property) for its biennial display of orange-red berries, that just cover the plant.

One year there were delightful cascades billowing over into my driveway that I loved so much because when I opened my back door I was greeted by a symphony of red berries that blocked out the world until I navigated around them to get to my vehicle.

One of the menfolk just chopped all that beauty off, without my knowledge. No more spectacular screen against the world for 45 seconds of every day.

Painful."

To LizLem: It may be a good idea to move raspberries periodically to avoid disease. Check pruning instructions, as most canes only bear once, and when pruning, it's a good idea to tie up the canes you expect to bear the next year. "Everbearing" raspberries bear on new wood in the fall, at the tops of the canes.

To Kallisto: You can make jelly with pyracantha berries, maybe with some pumpkin spice.

Posted by: KT at October 04, 2025 01:50 PM (7vIsy)

31 Looks like the Thule netting can double for thick spider webs on Halloween?

Posted by: TXMarko at October 04, 2025 01:51 PM (7flhA)

32 Mmm, blueberries! They're too expensive for me to purchase, except for special occasions.

About 20 years ago, I bought 2 blueberry bushes and planted them in a nice spot that got sun in the early morning & late afternoon, but shade a midday.. Perfect, right?

No. It was under a walnut tree. I learned the hard way about juglone toxicity.

Posted by: JQ at October 04, 2025 01:53 PM (rdVOm)

33 Those raspberries should recover. We had some get mowed down and those didn’t.

Here, I have planted raspberries, blueberries,Marionberries, and a blackberry. You don’t know what a leap of faith that took, as they are horrible pests where I used to live. I got a handfulof raspberries off the one in a pot, that I planted last year. I am going to transplant that in the ground this week. The blueberries need some attention for next year. I haven’t had much success with elderberries. I have one that is alive and one that died.
And I have a grocery bag of irises to plant, from a neighbor’s yard

Posted by: Notsothoreau at October 04, 2025 01:55 PM (kUxzU)

34 Those blueberries look fantastic,

Posted by: Skip at October 04, 2025 02:02 PM (+qU29)

35 Living in Valley of the Sunstoke, I have had absolutely no luck with any berries I have planted.

Frozen for me ...

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 02:04 PM (3ZUWJ)

36 Posted by: Peaceman at October 04, 2025 01:25 PM (8BSff)
You just brought back a 30+ year ago memory. First duty station in Europe, I meet this guy, not unlike "Bubba" from Forrest Gump in accent, but an athlete. Anyway, he tells me he's from "L.A.". I looked at him quizzically (he sounded like a caricature, but the accent was real) and he paused, then cracked up, and drawled "Lower Alabama". I saw him get a kick out of that with new guys for the next two years. Never tired of it.

Posted by: Lincolntf at October 04, 2025 02:04 PM (vV6n9)

37 O.M.G. … ! I would gladly pay you next Tuesday for those blueberries today …

Posted by: Dr_No at October 04, 2025 02:05 PM (ayRl+)

38 31. Great idea for Halloween! I'm going to double as a goblin for Halloween myself. No costume required

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 02:05 PM (y4H1r)

39 JQ !!!

A 'Pumpion Pie' recipe for you ...
: -))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0HnhuzGak

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 02:06 PM (3ZUWJ)

40 The 3-month-long blast-furnace of summer finally shut down a couple of weeks ago. Now, we get about a month of comfortable days/chilly nights before cold, grey winter sets in. Wish it was one month of heat, and 3 months of pleasant, instead!

Posted by: JQ at October 04, 2025 02:06 PM (rdVOm)

41 @ 30 "Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 01:23 PM (gWBY1)
that's painful - I have a huge pyracantha bush that I allow to overgrow (on my property) for its biennial display of orange-red berries, that just cover the plant.

One year there were delightful cascades billowing over into my driveway that I loved so much because when I opened my back door I was greeted by a symphony of red berries that blocked out the world until I navigated around them to get to my vehicle.
_________________________________

In New Orleans, we could always tell when Pyracantha Season arrived 'cos the birds would eat the berries, get drunk, fly into windows on 20-story buildings, and fall dead to the street …

Posted by: Dr_No at October 04, 2025 02:08 PM (ayRl+)

42 Lex what state/zone do you live in?

Posted by: lin-duh: I'm offended! at October 04, 2025 02:10 PM (Kcw7x)

43 Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake:

https://tinyurl.com/ytrb3pkp

Very good. Use less sugar.
Posted by: RS

Evil, Sin, & Wickedness !!!!

ahem. I just ordered a 1 oz bottle of Fiori di Sicilia ...

I did find a diabetic friendly version of the cake, so ... no harm, no foul.

Posted by: Adriane the Weird Accordion Solo Critic . . . at October 04, 2025 02:10 PM (3ZUWJ)

44 "Pumpion pie" recipe looks good, Adriane. Thanks!

Posted by: JQ at October 04, 2025 02:12 PM (rdVOm)

45 >>> In New Orleans, we could always tell when Pyracantha Season arrived 'cos the birds would eat the berries, get drunk, fly into windows on 20-story buildings, and fall dead to the street …

Oh, wow, that must have been a sight!

Here we have some gorgeous Rowan trees on our property, and they have berries on the trees all winter. This spring I was like crap, I don't remember what we do for them...do they fall and I have to rake them all up?

The birds returned in the spring, and ate every. Single. Berry. They devoured them greedily, and we had a fun bird display for a few weeks. The cats about died watching them.

Posted by: LizLem at October 04, 2025 02:13 PM (gWBY1)

46 I am waiting to see if the Tennessee Cornfield beans beat the first frost. They took off and covered the little trellis. I have pods, but not much in the way of beans yet. And I have green tomatoes. I am making plans for next year and hope I don't get sick this time. I really need to put in some irrigation.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at October 04, 2025 02:13 PM (kUxzU)

47 42. Eastern Massachusetts. It was a very hot and dry summer. Still the same now that it's fall. Blueberries, at least mine, don't seem much affected whether it's hot or cool, wet or dry. My apple trees are another story. Hit, miss or somewhere in between every year.

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 02:14 PM (y4H1r)

48 I love blueberries!

Don't like the juvenile snake which we found in our house yesterday.

And Mrs. BD didn't like the fox which she encountered in our backyard today in the afternoon.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at October 04, 2025 02:22 PM (z+UA5)

49 48. I was relaxing in my backyard hammock last month and a fox darted out of the bushes about five feet from me. I don't think it knew I was there. I tumbled out of the hammock and almost broke my ankle. The thing ran off but jeeze....

Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 02:24 PM (y4H1r)

50 It's a conspiracy!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at October 04, 2025 02:26 PM (z+UA5)

51 I have my two monkey statues and their pedestals. They are really cute. They each weigh 175 pounds. One is going on the corner since I am on a corner lot.

We have a number of statues around the house. There's a large dog on the front porch. There are some polar bears in the back. A nice memorial Collie statue. I'm not sure how my late mother would feel about the monkeys but it is my house now.

You can see them at this link. They are A075 near the bottom of the page.

https://tinyurl.com/33hr9bku

Adorable.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at October 04, 2025 02:27 PM (Sco7b)

52 What a great story! It could be a Mitch Albom book. Thanks for persevering and documenting your journey to ultimate victory.

Posted by: LASue at October 04, 2025 02:27 PM (lCppi)

53 >>>Don't those berries look enticing?

They are beautiful!

Posted by: m at October 04, 2025 02:33 PM (aURVT)

54 The thing ran off but jeeze....
Posted by: Lex at October 04, 2025 02:24 PM (y4H1r)

That's crazy. A fox? Wow.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at October 04, 2025 02:33 PM (Sco7b)

55 Yum!!!

Posted by: Diogenes at October 04, 2025 02:38 PM (2WIwB)

56 There are a few houses in our neighborhood that have elaborate large yard sculptures. I like driving by them. An 8-foot dragon, a 3-foot gnome, a ceramic squirrel that looks poised to cross the road in front of me, etc. That's all at one property and I covered only 10% of their yard-ware. There are a few similar homes.
Now the giant Halloween things are going up. Today I got stuck at a light with a 9-foot werewolf looming over my car. My dog was displeased.

Posted by: Lincolntf at October 04, 2025 02:39 PM (vV6n9)

57 I have a blueberry patch along the South facing wall of the garage. There 12 bushes of different varieties so I can get berries starting late Spring up to late September. I even have a huckleberry bush mixed in but it hasn't produced. I'm thinking I need another one to cross pollinate.

Made a lot of blueberry pie and cobblers this year. Also had one of my bushes stripped of berries. I narrowed the culprit down to either a raccoon or the person that used to steal our cherries. We actually cut down 3 cherry trees because people would come on the property and take them.

Posted by: Beartooth at October 04, 2025 02:40 PM (W0IUn)

58 56 There are a few houses in our neighborhood that have elaborate large yard sculptures. I like driving by them. An 8-foot dragon, a 3-foot gnome, a ceramic squirrel that looks poised to cross the road in front of me, etc. That's all at one property and I covered only 10% of their yard-ware. There are a few similar homes.
Posted by: Lincolntf at October 04, 2025 02:39 PM (vV6n9

That's very cool. The monkey will be cute on the corner. I can put scarves on him when it gets colder. Santa hats. I think he'll brighten up days.

They did have a 3 piece dragon which looked really cool but I don't want to go crazy. There's a smaller bigfoot statue. I have a perfect pkace for that. And there's a 1000 pound turtle.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at October 04, 2025 02:45 PM (Sco7b)

59 57 I even have a huckleberry bush mixed in but it hasn't produced. I'm thinking I need another one to cross pollinate.

Posted by: Beartooth at October 04, 2025 02:40 PM (W0IUn)
_______________________

I know for a fact that you need to cross-pollinate with a huckleberry bush. Also, if you are a coffee drinker, throw some used grounds around the base. Not much, but Hucksters like acidic soil. Also, well watered, but not drowned. That will get you a good crop of fruit.

Posted by: Orson at October 04, 2025 02:45 PM (dIske)

60 I freeze some of practically every pint of blueberries I buy, theres a plastic container in the freezer they get added to.
Freezer right into pancakes works fine.

Posted by: From about That Time at October 04, 2025 02:55 PM (n4GiU)

61 BLUEBERRY SALSA
Our family enjoys this served with lime-flavored chips ... Lots of recipes on the internet, but Southern Living has a good one to start with ... Suggest serving at outdoor events and placing the bowl well out of the reach of children (unless removing stains is a favorite hobby).

Posted by: Kathy at October 04, 2025 02:57 PM (zuKcR)

62 I want blueberry pancakes

Posted by: Skip at October 04, 2025 03:02 PM (+qU29)

63 I want blueberry moonshine.

Posted by: Eromero at October 04, 2025 03:03 PM (LHPAg)

64 And I think that one of the roses that I thought was dead has put up a shoot. It does not seem to be the rose that did survive. I had two in that order and I think there were enough roots of this one to recover. If it makes it through the winter, I'll be able to tell

Posted by: Notsothoreau at October 04, 2025 03:12 PM (kUxzU)

65 Blueberries are the bestest berry.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 04, 2025 03:14 PM (7nrYO)

66 Wouldn't blueberry salsa be alsoa chutney? I keep seeing people throw that word around on the internet and it just seems to be a mishmash of crap.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 04, 2025 03:14 PM (zZu0s)

67 Thank you for posting about the thule netting. I've given up on netting when I found a dead juvenile robin in it one year. I planted cherry trees last year, and this year I had five cherries, all picked clean by the robins. i will look into the thule netting next.

Posted by: Nancy@7000ft at October 04, 2025 03:16 PM (qFnnL)

68 Fresh blueberries on top of homemade French Vanilla ice cream...with a simple crumble mix (flour, sugar, butter).
Posted by: Orson at October 04, 2025 01:41 PM (dIske)
====
Mrs. F. makes a baked blueberry crumble like that. The berries thicken into a jam and the ice cream melts all over it. Yeah.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 04, 2025 03:24 PM (7nrYO)

69 >>>@66 ... Wouldn't blueberry salsa be also a chutney? I keep seeing people throw that word around on the internet and it just seems to be a mishmash of crap.
================
Technically, yes ... However, I would never label anything "chutney" for a picnic ... In fact, I betcha people less than 50 years old would first look the word up on their phones before they'd even consider trying any food labeled as such.

Posted by: Kathy at October 04, 2025 03:27 PM (zuKcR)

70 In fact, I betcha people less than 50 years old would first look the word up on their phones before they'd even consider trying any food labeled as such.
Posted by: Kathy at October 04, 2025 03:27 PM (zuKcR)

That's my point. And yet I constantly see the word used. Usually when someone is talking about their wonderful cranberry chutney- instead of by god American cranberry sauce with the ridges in the side from the can!

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 04, 2025 03:33 PM (zZu0s)

71 Lex,
Great blueberry saga...and your boxwood has leaf miners!

Posted by: MkY at October 04, 2025 04:13 PM (cPGH3)

72 From Boise area: lows 46-63 F. Highs started the week at 88 and dropped to 61. Fall rains have started. Still picking paste and slicing tomatoes, gold zucchini, green beans, lavender. I already removed the bean plants killed by bean rust. We've picked some very nice Golden Delicious apples (off the tree we planted in 2020), and some Warren pears, which I am enjoying with my breakfast yogurt.

We canned 7 pints of Golden Delicious applesauce (brown sugar added).
Husband burned the fall burn pile.
Husband started the ferment on a 2-gallon batch of pear cider (perry).

Downtown Boise had a hard cider festival today! We got to taste 8 different kinds, some of which were excellent, some of which gave us ideas for our own future cider making efforts.

Posted by: Pat* at October 04, 2025 08:05 PM (FsRpE)

73 PS from memory lane:
Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie,
Who's not ready? Holler "I".

Bushel o' wheat and a bushel o' rye,
Who's not ready? Holler "I".

Twenty nickels make a dollar,
I didn't hear anybody holler.
All eyes open, here I come!

Posted by: Pat* at October 04, 2025 08:11 PM (FsRpE)

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