Spring (well almost), 2010
Hello to all the friends of Bailey’s Berry Patch –
First of all – we are looking forward to a wonderful 2010 berry season. Without the berries on them last summer, the blueberry plants really grew a bunch and we expect them to be loaded this summer. A beekeeper is going to supply us 25 honey bee hives for this year. We expect him to deliver them at the end of this month. As you can tell, we are really getting ready for everything. Every plant has to have a certain number of chill hours before they start budding each spring and (believe me) there has been PLENTY of chill hours this winter.
 By now, we are usually experiencing the beginning of warmer temperatures….but not this year. It’s hard for us to believe – but the weather forecasters are telling us that we will have snow today. (Maybe one of my recipes should be for snow ice cream). It has rained and rained and rained since late in the fall in 2009. All of the ponds are full and Lake Texoma is higher that I can ever remember it being in the middle of winter. One blessing is that there haven’t been any grass fires in Texas this year. I mop the tile floors almost every day so that people won’t think that the tile pattern includes doggie foot prints (and Pearce’s also).
We  saw the robins on Monday of this week. This part of Texas is within their migration path and we see dozens of them twice a year – once on their way south and then again on their way north. I can’t imagine that the ones we saw were heading north with the weather like it is. Maybe they are confused and don’t know what direction to fly.
Pearce and I are both well and happy this winter. We didn’t get to take our normal trip to the Texas Valley in January and so I have been quilting. Pearce is bored and can’t find enough to keep him busy. He has enhanced his computer skills for lack of anything else to do. We have 425 new blackberry plants due in sometime this month to replace the old field of blackberries that he took out last fall. I know that I have told you before that blackberry fields have to be replaced every 7 years and we have had the blackberry fields on a rotation basis for the past 4 years.
For those of you who are new subscribers to the Bailey’s Berry Patch newsletter, just a little reminder of our berry schedule. USUALLY – the blackberries are ready to pick about the first of June and the blueberries start about 10 days later. We are always open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 3 pm. If anyone of you wants to book a group, I will start taking reservations next month (March).
 I have to do some bragging now…. Those of you who were here last summer will remember that R.W. and Lenda High brought their miniature donkey almost every Saturday for all the children to enjoy. The momma donkeys have had a number of tiny babies this winter. One of the last ones to come was names after me. She is beautiful and her name is Awesome Annie. Lenda tells me that the next jack (male donkey) will be names Pearce Arrow after Pearce. Here is a picture of Annie. You will probably see her this summer.
I do hope that all of you are doing well and enjoying life in spite of the cold. Spring and (the hot) SUMMER will be here soon enough. I hope that all of you are planning your gardens for this year. We are usually planting onions by now but they would rot and freeze if we put them in now. Those of you who have young children should look at giving them a patio tomato to look after this year. You can plant them in the ground or in a pot. They might want to grow a pot of basil also. With those two plants, you can tell them how pizza and spaghetti are made. Neither plant takes much room and the children seem to really enjoy watching their plants.
Since it is still cold, I am sending you 2 of our favorite cold weather soups. The first one is Cream of Asparagus and the second one is Mexican Chicken Soup – Caldo de Pollo.
The Asparagus Soup freezes beautifully so be certain that you make plenty.
Click HERE for Recipes.
Take care of yourselves and plan to be here this coming berry season.
Hugs to all of you.
Ann Bailey
The Berry Lady
P. S.
UPDATE on the snow: We got 8 ½ inches of snow and everything is beautiful. Faith and the birds were really impressed. Thank goodness we bought 50 lbs. of birdseed on Wednesday.
Faith In Snow
A look at the busy birdhouses in the snow.
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