It's Berry Time - How to Beat the Birds to the Fruit

It's time for the wonderful taste of fresh berries...strawberries are just done, or almost there in most of the country. But,raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries and all the other wonderful berries are getting into full swing.

There's nothing more frustrating, however, than heading out to pick a few, only to find that the birds and other berry munching wildlife have beat you to them! This photo shows one berry with just a small section left after the birds were finished!

Foil them
Birds can be skittish, so if you hang strips of aluminum foil or a cut up mylar balloon in the bush or around the canes, the light that reflects off the strips will startle them and send them away. If you have fruit trees, like cherry trees for instance, hanging some foil pie tins in the tree will also help keep the birds from having a feast.

Try Tricking Them
Place a short length of old garden hose on the ground near the bushes, but in plain site. Birds arelikely to mistake the hose for a snake and stay away.

Cover Them
A slightly pricier, but more certain method of protecting the fruit in you yard, is to cover it with netting that's specifically made to keep birds from eating the berries. For less than $10 you can purchase a 7 foot x 20 foot net and there are larger mesh nets available.

Depending upon the size of your berry patch, you might be able to cut the larger size down to cover fruits in different locations in your yard. The best thing about this investment, is that it is reusable each year as long is it is carefully removed, folded and stored once the fruit is gone. I like to store these sort of items in a 2 gallon plastic zipper bag, which helps protect them from snagging on something and tearing.

Do you have other methods of keeping the birds from stealing the berries from your yard?

Bees Are A Gardener's Friend... Or So I Thought

This gardener is a little irritated because she's been stung twice in as many days. Both times on the right ankle, just above the sock line. The stings are wonderfully symmetrical,too. One on the front and one on the back. It's like a grand plan or something. I might even believe there was a master plan, but it happened in two different yards. Fortunately I am not allergic, so while I'm whining that "it hurts" at least I'm not swelling up like a balloon.
So, now I'm on the prowl for sage advice about avoiding stings and what to do for the pain. I wanted to share a couple of great resources that I've come across, and remind you (and me) that bees are wonderful creatures, and without them we'd have a much more difficult time growing fruits and vegetables.
First is site that's devoted to bees, the link here goes to the page about stings, but I encourage you to check out the rest of the site as well because there's some great information there.
The second link is to a blog that has a great article about Natural Remedies for bee stings.
As for me, I'm going to try a remedy or two, right now.

Grow Italian Parsley in the Garden or In a Container You Can Move Indoors

The Italian Parsley planted in our garden (pictured here) has come into it's own and we're enjoying the fresh flavor it adds foods. It is far superior to dried parsley from the spice section of the store; in fact, they're not even in the same league. I used some just this week in the cheese filling for stuffed shells and it was out of this world delicious.

Italian Parsley is very easy to grow from seed and does well in the garden as well as in a container. The advantage to having it in a container is that you can take it into the kitchen when the weather gets too cold, and you'll have fresh Italian Parsley all winter long.

It's very easy to harvest, just cut the stems below the leaves. You can keep fresh Parsley in the refrigerator for about a week just by wrapping it in a damp paper towel and putting it into a plastic bag. I then store mine with other leafy vegetables in the crisper.

Italian Parsley is a very versatile herb for recipes. Chop a handful and add it to soups or stews in the last few minutes before serving (overcooked Parsley loses it's flavor fast). Add some to a green salad, pasta salad, and even fruit salads. Chop some with some Cilantro to add to fresh salsa. Toss some chopped leaves onto fresh garden beans just before serving.

What are some of your favorite ways to use this all-star herb?

Check out the following recipe from Epicurious.com for a fabulous side dish. It's not low-fat, but it is a delicious treat.

Mashed Potatoes with Fontina & Italian Parsley

2 pounds medium-size russet potatoes
3/4 cup half and half
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 1/4 cups (packed) grated Fontina cheese (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pierce potatoes in several places. Place potatoes on small baking sheet. Bake until tender when pierced, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Bring half and half to simmer in small, heavy saucepan. Scrape potatoes from skin into large bowl. Mash potatoes. Mix in half and half. Add butter; stir vigorously until butter melts and potatoes are smooth. Stir in 2/3 of cheese and 3 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake potatoes until heated through and cheese melts, about 15 minutes.