Exploration, research and learning, even at my age!!

My days are now filled with research, learning and first hand experience. I am hot on the trail of all kinds of edibles. Have been picking Autumn Olive berries, Eastern Prickly Pear fruits, harvesting acorns, Groundnut and Yucca tubers and cleaning, peeling, cooking, dehydrating, and taste testing them all!! Having fun with the entire process. My foraging skills are expanding, as are my Google skills! I am doing more research on all of the species that I am learning to be edibles. There is so much more right around me than I had imagined.

In only 30 minutes I picked about a gallon of Autumn Olive berries, which I cleaned, cooked, pureed and made into fruit leather that Mia and the grandkids love!! Who knew, a free snack, growing right in my own gardens, and which is plentiful all around the area!!

So I have become very busy with all of this process. Today it is sunny so I want to get out to do more picking. I have lots of photos to upload, but need to get a few more for a complete post. I have lots also of late season happenings in the gardens. I need to edit and sort the photos before I can do more posting with photos, but need to get myself moving outside today.

I planted tons of seeds on Tuesday, but now am concerned they may have been washed away in the downpours of yesterday. Oh, well, that is the life of a gardener!! I am also gearing up for more baby sitting as my older daughter is getting ready to go back to work - So need to maximize these good weather days before they are gone.

Will have lots of time over the winter to share all that I am learning with all of you, as well as get the photos of all things gardening into lots of informative posts!

Have a great day in today's glorious sunshine - for who knows when the next downpour will spring up!!