Fruit In Our 2012 Garden Plan - Part Three

Elderberries!

In my plans for our garden, I do not forget the wild fruit plants that adorn our forest and around our homestead.  Some are used for medicinal purposes, but are a food source as well. My mother always told me that her favorite pie was elderberry. I never remembered having it until we moved out here. It grows abundantly here in New York state. I do not have to do anything with it except try to guard a bush or two from the birds, so it can ripen. They eat them before it has ripened, so they get it all while I am waiting for it to ripen.

Wild Blackberries

Blackberries is another berry that grows wild around here. In fact, they will take over your yard and pasture if not controlled. Don't have to worry about them either. We have more than enough for the bees, birds and us, to eat all we want. They are everywhere. 

Wild Cherries

Wild cherries grow all over around here. There are more than a few varieties. Chokecherries seem to be popular and used for jams, jellies and wine. I haven't tried them yet myself, but have them on the top of my list for this year. 

Grape Vine

Wild grapes, or better known as Fox Grapes, grow through out our state forest. Now this is another fruit I have so much trouble harvesting, due to the birds and the bees. The bees are all over this all summer. Kind of hard for me to get near it, let alone harvest it. When we first moved here, I was able to can a lot of grape juice, jam and jelly from this plant. Since that time though, more birds and bees come to our little homestead now. 

Apple Tree

When we first moved here, our property must had over 30 wild apple trees. They were the old heirloom types, planted long ago. Now we only have a few left on our property, but new ones have sprung up. This year apples were plentiful.

A Hawthorne Tree

Hawthorne berries grow all over our area also. They are the ingredient in some of the newest heart medicines. So they are a very healthy snack. Just pick a handful when you are outside in the forest. 

Wild Strawberries

Wild strawberries grow all over too. I plant some of my own because they are bigger. But these little berries are the jewels of the forest. So good! But you'd have to spend quite a few hours picking to fill your bucket.

These are just a few of the wild fruits of the forest and fields around us. I plan to add more fruits every year. None of these were planted by me, so they were free for taking when we moved here. I will be writing about the new fruits I plan to add to our homestead this year. 

Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole