Tooty Frooty

Today is the beginning of Home Improvement Job #3.

(In case you are new or have trouble with your short term memory:
HIJ#1 = Building the cat run from scratch
STATUS = done, but temporarily out of use due to Bonsai's newfound ability to climb the wire and wander the garage roof.
NEXT STEP = Bonsai proof it!
HIJ#2 = Putting up gutters
STATUS = garage is done, house yet to be started because we had to return the borrowed second ladder.
NEXT STEP = buy second ladder and get the house done)

Yesterday, we went to Lizzie Ann's Garden Center in Anza (supporting our small town business!) and purchased the following:

1 large President Lincoln lilac - I have always enjoyed the fragrance of lilacs. This one is big enough that we can divide it into 4 separate plants. They will be planted between the house and the driveway that curves around in front.

2 Fuji apple trees - This is Mikey's favorite flavor of apple. We will plant them on the hill and hopefully we will have apples for snacks and pies and dipping in caramel and so on.

1 Stella cherry tree - Got this one on a whim. I am a big fan of fresh cherries but I have never grown a cherry tree. I was warned that the birds would eat most of them if I didn't net the tree, but I think I am okay with that. I will have birds in the yard AND I will avoid feeling too guilty about my complete lack of canning ability!

3 unknown type of raspberry bushes - We joked about getting enough to put around the whole property. That would stop those dogs from digging under our fence! We will probably put them near the kitchen garden in the middle of the front yard. I can't wait until we have enough for raspberry pancakes!

1 Pakistan Fruiting Mulberry - Another spur of the moment purchase. Now all we need is a monkey and a weasle. They say that mulberry fruits are tasty and good for all kinds of treats. I wouldn't mind learning to make mulberry fruit leather. My grandpa used to make fruit leather that was just de-LISH!

1 Sweet Pomegranate - Pomigranites are a great favorite out here in SoCal. Kids bring them to school for morning snack and come back to class with fuchsia fingers. Despite the horrendous mess (I was wiping up pomegranate juice for weeks after the last one), they are quite enjoyable with their sweet/tart taste and their satisfying crunch.

1 All-in-One Almond - Mikey lobbied for this one and I am glad he did, even though harvesting nuts involves more work then harvesting fruit. All that shelling! :) I am looking forward to having toasted almonds to add to my homemade spinach and pomegranate salad (doesn't that sound yummy?).

1 Bartlett Pear - Pears are the most perfect fruit and Bartletts are the most perfect pear. I have this great baked pear recipe that I will have to try out after we are getting fruit from this tree. Ooh! And I can garnish it with toasted almonds!

There you have it. We are going to have fruit and nuts coming out our ears in a few years. They said we might even get some fruit this year, but I am not going to get me hopes up too far. Today we are going to go out and plant things. Then we will have to figure out how to get our driplines in place before the summer heat comes.

I am quite excited to be growing our own food. Between the trees and the garden, we'll be doing pretty well. Nothing tastes quite so good as a meal made from homegrown goodies!