The focus has shifted here from planting and maintenance to harvesting now. That includes harvesting excess honey from the bees as well. What a manic couple of weeks we have had recently. It’s not just about picking y’know. There is also the protection measures that have to be carried out. To begin with, we removed the enviromesh from the Brussels sprouts. It remains to be seen if it adequately protected them from a certain pest. At any rate, that net was muddy and wet from the rains, so we sort of spread it over the plum tree to dry out before putting it away. Do you see a sort of man under there with a big, round head and a moustache...sort of hunched over? Nor could my Bride, but I have a good imagination, an over-active imagination she might say. That plum tree had to be covered to protect the ripening plums. Before covering this trees branches, i gave the fruits the once-over and here is one thing i found. I was not looking for this wasp (Trichrysis cyanea...or a similar sort). As I said, it wasn’t about the wasp, rather the shiny globs on the bottom of the fruit. Internal leaking, indicating that there was a larva of the plum moth (Grapholita funebrana) eating-away inside the fruit. There was nothing for it, it had to be tossed. All packed-in: The Opal plums packed-in. Not only the plum trees and blueberry bushes are covered but both apple trees as well. The onions cured and were removed from the fence. We took some home but the Bride strung these for hanging in the pantry. First though, we will let it further dry in the greenhouse. The bees had to be tended-to. First, a bee outlet was placed in the hive for them to go below the honey supers and into the brood chambers, then after a day, I went in and the honey chambers were almost beeless, so I easily removed the honey frames without disturbing the girls too much. Here is a frame during the centrifuging process. I removed a band of cell caps in the centre of the frame to show the underlying honey. I did sustain a couple of stings. They were so prickly that day. Thet got me on the wrist and foot. They crept in-between my shoe and the sock. I now have an elephant foot. Then at home, after a couple of days of “ripening”, we potted it ip and labelled the jars. Back to the fruit trees—the blueberries are going blue and so they had to be covered with curtains as well. We have already harvested enough to jam-up eight pots. We have already harvested beetroot twice and here is another group of them. We harvest them a little smaller than others do for the taste. We lifted them, washed them and placed them up on the greenhouse to dry off before taking them home to be processed. The French beans are starting to roll in now, as well as the runner beans. Here they are then— some to eat and all the rest were frozen-in. The neighbour lady gave us these two beauties. Oh, Sweet Jesus !
Sjoerd, first, the chubby man in the netting, you did release him, correct? like You and your Bride do an amazing job of growing food and the honey? OH MY!
Yes, of course I let that cheeky little bandit go. Heh, heh, heh. But them I did go in right away and harvest the berries off that bush and checked all the other ones for security.
Today was just picking a few lovely tomatoes and a few cucumbers. Tomorrow the beans must be picked. Neighbors seem delighted with abundant food source.
