Two years ago, we planted several Hansen’s bush cherries. I’d seen pictures, but know the pictures weren’t of Hansen’s bush cherries, so I never knew what they were actually like. Well, now we know! They are black, fleshy cherries that kind of taste like mild chokecherries when raw. They’re too small to make pies from, but will make terrific cherry jam! I eat them, but they kind of make me pucker. They are terrific producers, as you can see. We’ve also planted Joel and Joy, along with Crimson Jewel and Crimson Passion bush cherries, but it’s way too early to tell about them, yet. One Joel has two cherries on it, so we’ll see just what kind of cherries they produce.
Our little apple trees are looking so good! The chickens keep the weeds and grass down (and we keep the orchard mowed, as well), so there isn’t any problem with voles in the winter. (We also are sure to put wire around every tree in the fall.) No insects, either…nary a grasshopper. But plenty of full turkeys and chickens. Our Norland apples are ripening and getting bigger. I can’t wait. This year we have about a dozen and a half…last year, we harvested three. But the trees are all growing nicely and we’re anxiously waiting for the future when we have bushels of apples to store away for winter.
Yesterday, we raked and baled two and a half wagon loads of hay, then brought it home and stored it away in the storage building’s bottom bays. The hay mow is packed full with 600 bales of hay, already. What a great feeling! And we have one more field yet to cut, but we’re going to hire our neighbor to put most of it up in big round bales; our storage building is about as full of hay as it can get! — Jackie
