Around the farm and blackberries

 We have a bunch of blackberries this year to pick.  I know there is no way we will pick them all.  We have already put several quart bags in the freezer.  I made easy blackberry cobbler yesterday and canned 4 pts of blackberry syrup and little over a half a pint of syrup to put in the frig to start using.   I use blackberries for cobblers, dumplins, pies, jam and jelly, and syrup. I might try and make some juice this year, if I can get the time.  Garden stuff is coming on and I will have other canning to do, plus my pet grooming business.  I want to pick some blackberry leave to dehydrate for tea.

Blackberry sweet ice tea.  I just made reg. tea, added sugar and some of the blackberry syrup I made.   It turned out good.

Blackberry cobbler, and syrup

The cobbler recipe is easy.  1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup self-rising flour, and mix.  Add 1 stick of butter to your baking dish, stick in the oven to melt while you are mixing up your ingredients.   Once your butter is melted, add your mixture.  Then add you berries.  Bake for 1 hours at 350 degrees. 

Yesterday, after picking blackberries, just a few minutes after being home it started raining and raining hard.   We just got back off the hill in time or we would have been caught in it.   I was working around in the kitchen and Hannah was helping, and I looked outside and the water was rushing off the hill and into the creek and the creek was starting to over flow.  It was crazy, I have never seen it do that before.  

That is coming from a little ravine off the hill. 

That is our road.  I was worried it was going to wash out our culvert. Thankful it didn't. 

It was running fast. 

Then yesterday morning I  thought I heard a noise outside, but is wasn't really loud.   I thought, maybe it was the fedex guy delivering my package, and that was him setting it down on the porch.  Zeus started growling and barking, so I went and looked.   Didn't see anyone outside. I decided to go out and check the mail.   We have to drive down to our mailbox, they will only deliver it so far up the holler.    As I walking out the door to get into the truck, I could see what  made the noise.  A huge tree fell across the pasture fence, right between our stock trailer and horse trailer.  Just barely missing our horse trailer.  Looks like it will be an early start to our firewood season. 

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I will be doing some canning this week.   I hope to can green tomatoes for frying and green beans.  Not going to can as many beans this year as I usually do.   I might try and get 21 qts., that should be enough.  I already have a bunch canned up from last year.  I hope our corn does something, so I can can up some.   I would love to make up a big pot of veggie soup and can it.