The Berries are Good Enough!

The girls discovered savory surprises in the wild part of our backyard after two weeks of missing the outdoor, partly because of the rain and because we were away for a short time.

They came rushing back to the kitchen shouting for a basket. Indeed, we have a strawberry patch and the veggie area and the spice and herbs corner. We have cleared out those particular areas, planting seeds and preparing for harvest. We have enjoyed the harvest as we have nurtured them, too.

But what completely gave us excitement are the bushes and the trees in some parts of the backyard that we didnt touch at all -- the wild areas. In fact, we have completely neglected them -- as we have decided to tackle the whole garden, slowly, in the next months that would come.

What happened? Those ignored parts are now showing off, giving out gifts.

There's red and black currants, raspberries, and gooseberries. The trees are bearing different sorts of cherries, plums and apples. And we cant get enough!

We pluck them for breakfast, to add in our cornflakes and muesli. We pick them for snacks and eat them fresh while strolling in the garden. We bake with them -- cakes, muffins and cookies. We use them as relishes for all our salad recipes. We make our dishes appetizing by using them as decors. We share them as gifts to friends and neighbors. We wash them, dry them and freeze them. I might even try creating jams, jellies or marmalades out of them (wish me luck!).

The girls love them. Their friends eagerly come to visit because they wanted to enjoy the fruit-bearing trees right there in our backyard. They are allowed to climb them and play up there, too. Not to mention, they would have instant picnic up there, too. Of course, most of them go home with 'fruits loots.'

And to think that we had wanted to cut down those 'strange looking old' trees. And to think that we had wanted to make way for a wadding area where those berries are.

Nature showed us what to do. We were only away for two weeks and the wild garden became a lush fruit-bearing yard! I guess, the decision's been made -- the wild garden would definitely remain and would not be neglected anymore.