Spring and Boysenberries

The first day of Spring has passed and along came Fathers Day( really should be called Farmers Day) as well. I thought to myself that at least one day in a year I could have off.  Well I was really wrong in that department as the boss asked me to do a huge long list of building chores that needed doing before the next part of the giant chook shed we are building is completed.   Pictures will eventually arrive.  My shoulders were sore from all the activity and it was a good thing that I had the chiropractor visit scheduled  for the day after.   The only thing on the list that did not get done was the replacement of the main water line  going under the concrete  slab and foundation.  We had to hammer and chip away at all the bricks and concrete covering the pipe and that was why I think my arm muscles are sore today.

I got a few hours of tractor time in today undercutting last seasons plastic mulch rows and have a few more hours of that type of activity planned for the morning as well.    Now  to more stories about what is going on. 

We have 10,000 seedling cells  coming to this farm in the next week or so and there is still so much work needed to be performed before their arrival. While on the tractor I was adjacent to the prunes and plums that were pruned and was amazed at how fast they jumped into blossom.  These are a very white blossom.  Similar to Boysenberries.

Here at KV  Farms  we have  several hundred Boysenberry, Logan Berry and Marion Berry plants  in the ground. Some are in a school location and sit there waiting to be transplanted properly.  Maybe next year on Fathers day. 

Until that time comes  the ones in the ground need to be maintained and that is why people balk at the price of berries in punnets.  One has to prune and maintain them constantly  just to have larger sized fruits.

The amount of pests that love the pollen of the berries is greater than plums or prunes.!! Hmmm wonder why.  Who would not want to eat a berry rather than a prune.  Here is an interesting fact. Boysenberries are a good fruit source of fibre which maintains bowel regularity, thereby helping to prevent bowel cancer. Fibre also helps to maintain normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Recently while travelling in Vanuatu I bought a bag of frozen Australian Boysenberries and made a " no bake" Boysenberry & Sour Cherry pie there.  The people  that tasted it liked it and had never tried such a fruit before.  They don't grow there.  The boysenberries have been calling my name as they need more maintaining done on them.  Pruning and working with them always gives me cuts and scratches. One can feel miserable doing the work. Somebody has to prep them and others do the picking.  Boysenberries are also a fairly good source of vitamin K which is needed for blood clotting (helps wounds to heal properly), and to help build strong bones.  At the same time Boysenberries also contain fairly good levels of potassium which is needed for balancing the pH of your body, normal muscle growth, and for a healthy nervous system and brain function.  So after getting exhausted just thinking about the hard work needed I am off to work knowing that I wont have a breakdown  yet, my bones will be stronger and my blood will clot better not right away  but at some future point in time when I ride past them at the beginning of the fruiting season and pick that first luscious fruit and place it into my mouth .