Ridge Berry Farm: It's now the Fall

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Well it's now officially Autumn and we are now at the tail end of harvesting. What continues to produce for us is our Crab Apple tree. In fact, I'm not sure we will be able to pick all of the apples before they fall to the ground. We can't possibly process it all into jellies fast enough so we've now decided to just extract the pectin and store it for future use.

What has been a surprise this week has been the Arctic Kiwis. When ripe they actually taste like strawberries. Although the plants are wild and we had not seen much fruiting, we were rather surprised when Tristan and I went on a "hunting" mission. The results were enough for us to also try creating an Arctic Kiwi jam (not bad at all!). Again after a couple of forays into our "Canadian jungle", we returned with more fruits than we could process....so to the freezer they went.

We also found some rather prodigious Rhubarb in the back of our old house. It was time to pick and again we had to decide what to do with the lot. We tried a jelly and although it turned a beautiful pink, it did not set (this is a common problem with us as we try to minimize sugar content). In the end we created a delicious Rhubarb jam. But once again, too much produce meant we had to freeze quite a bit for a later date (note: our freezer capacity has seriously reached its maximum).

Our jamming experiments did not stop, as we prepare for the Spring opening of our new country store (in the old barn that also houses the tea room). Our next trial was Purple Raspberry jam with the berries we picked when first arriving on the property. This worked out rather well (although once again a little runny). These Raspberries actually turned out tastier once cooked than they did fresh.

There is now no possible way for us to eat all of the experimental preserves we have on hand! So now everyone visiting is forced to accept a jar.

Another addition to our harvesting this week came in the form of nuts. I was rather surprised to stumble on Hickory when walking the property line. As a Canadian city boy, I did not know what they were or had ever tasted them. Once I did identify the fruits, I was quick to try it out. The results: fantastic. These nuts taste like Pecan (a tree related to the Hickory). A a result it did not take long for Tristan and I (and eventually the whole family) to go back for more. Now to crack them and then figure out what to do with them (I'm thinking perhaps something similar to Pecan pie?).

In the process, we also started gathering Black Walnuts. I had identified these earlier in the season after badly staining my hands. The fruit is quite odorous (reminding me a lot of "pot pourri"). I had found one and decided to cut it up and identify the fruit. The next morning and for 2 weeks, I looked like a "grease monkey". The Black Walnut contains "juglone" still in industrial use today as a dye (also apparently quite toxic to horses). The net result is we will have to be using gloves to clear the flesh off of these. For the moment, we keep them ripening on the porch along with some of our Hickory nuts.....under the watchful eye of a very jealous squirrel.

One of the things we now realize at the farm is that our entire lives revolve around food....and not just the growing but the preserving and preparation of food. Last week's experiments with gourds has continued and I must say we have had some wonderful dinners on our back deck (lobsters obviously not local but from Prince Edward Island)!

A cautionary note about gourd: last week I had categorized them generally as edible or "woody". I have to add a category under edible: unpalatable. And yes, we did come across one.

It turns out that some gourds contain some nasty "cucurbitacins". The result is a very, very, very bitter flesh. You would not know it until tasted. The one I ate (I was the only one to take a bite of this thing) had the colouring of Butternut squash, the smell of pumpkin and actually looked very tasty!

I should have read up on this, because it turns out that some Native American uses of bitter gourds are for 1. inducing labour or 2. as a purgative. I can't say much about the first, but after just one bite, I was in the bathroom for 12 hours feeling like I would deliver!

As we continue this experiment, we've now decided to take a quick taste of the seed before processing the fruit (although frankly I'm even reluctant to do this....I cramp up just thinking about it).

Of course, it's also now pumpkin season. Although we have none growing on the farm (this year), there are so many around some people will just give them away! This was the basis for our next recipe: pumpkin soup (there's nothing as warming as pumpkin soup on a cold Autumn day).

The ingredients for this recipe are simple (I basically took what we had on hand). Soften some onions, garlic in butter. Cube and braise the squash with the onions. Add stock and a bit of tomato paste. Cook the pumpkin until tender and then puree in a food processor...and voila! All you need is to top off with shredded Parmesan and fresh parsley (from our raised beds of course). For another spin this soup goes really well with a dollop of sour cream.

Wildlife still abounds on the farm. This week I have tried every single day to get a picture of the Heron that uses what I now call the Beaver Pond. I have had absolutely no success. By the time I see him he takes off.

I did however manage to catch this little fellow. I believe this is a North American Bittern.

As I take regular walks in the forest, I am also still trying to identify the many species of plants on our property. However, this week I was thoroughly stumped by this "thing" which looks like it may have dropped from another planet. Anyone with knowledge here is greatly welcomed to help.