Wild Currants

Some of you may remember my posts last summer regarding the red currants growing here & there around our property.  This year, it's a sad state of affairs.  The berries are coming along nicely, but some nasty caterpillars have destroyed the leaves.  I suspect these bushes may not be around next summer.

On a brighter note, the wild flowers at the inlet are at the height of bloom.  The shooting stars are a brilliant pinkish-purple.  I've transplanted some to my own yard with much success.

These chocolate lilies on the other hand, have me stumped.  I transplanted 3 plants 2 summers ago.  They bloomed beautifully last summer, but this year, they did not even make an appearance!  It's too bad because even though they only bloom for a week or so, they are gorgeous and a bit mysterious with that deep brown coloration.

The Current Status of the Currants

The weather has been so beautiful that I decided to take advantage of the sun and get some pictures of the currants. They are coming along very nicely.


The berries are nice and red from all the warmth and sunshine. Now, a little rain will make them plenty juicy.

The high bush cranberries are quite a way behind the currants in ripeness. They are best when picked after the first frost. I hope that's far into the future.


I'll finish with a picture of the cutest furry face you will ever see ... XENA! She has an appointment at the Beauty Parlor later this week. She may feel the need to blog after the trauma of a bath and a haircut.


Speaking of baths, I bought this print yesterday from the featured seller, lulunjay, on etsy's front page. It looks like Xena was the model for this painting! The likeness is amazing.

The Currants Appear

It's time for an update on the currant situation. You may remember this post, when I showed you the currant blossoms. Things grow quickly when we get over 18 hours of daylight. That will continue to increase until the solstice --- June 21. Since moving to Alaska, I have developed a love/hate relationship with that day. It's the longest day of the year, so I love it. It also marks the beginning of the days getting shorter, so I hate it. Does that make sense? It just seems like we peak too early in the summer! But I digress.

Back to the currants. There was a little breeze, so it was impossible to take a clear photo. The branches would not be still! If you look closely, you can see the beginnings of the berries. They are currently (ha!) a lime green color. When ripe, they will turn a gorgeous deep red color.

Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted on the progress of the currants.

Currants

They're not actually currants yet. They're still little beautiful flowers. Our property is full of them. They're wild and they're scattered all over. They grow in hanging clusters that look a lot like gemstones, only juicier.

Given that they are all over the place, one would think that harvest time would keep me busy. Sadly, this is not the case. Not all of these bright red little beauties mature into an edible berry. Because they are so scattered, I don't do anything to help them or encourage them through the summer. They are completely on their own. I think the birds like them too. I usually gather a cup or two -- just enough to make a yummy sauce to pour over vanilla ice cream and homemade pound cake.

This next photo is interesting because I managed to capture one of last year's cranberries in the upper left corner. These too are scattered all over our property but are incredibly tart. My face gets all scrunched up when I eat them. It's not pretty.