Time to think about summer canning already. Our plum tree, which has produced hundreds of pounds over the years and caused neighborhood feeding frenzies, hasn't been the same since a professional arborist pruned it back "for fruit."
Go figure. I can't blame him entirely, because the tree is also badly infested with aphids. Maybe I should bite the bullet and have dormant spray professionally applied this winter. I can't stand the thought of spewing pesticides around in the summer when the yard is teeming with beautiful insect life.
As if there's not enough to be depressed about these days, a new study shows that the number of flying insects on earth has plunged by a shocking three-quarters in just 25 years. The insect biomass is collapsing. Insects are not just pests, they are the very foundation of the food chain and essential for life on earth as pollinators.
It tickles me that fearless little Maya is fascinated with every sort of worm, bug and creepy crawly. It gives a person hope thinking about the good things young people will do with their lives-- maybe Maya is a budding entomologist? I hope I live long enough to see the girls grown up.
Long story short, there won't much home grown fruit this year for plum chutney. The tree simply doesn't get pollinated as thoroughly as it once did. You can blame the weather or the lack of bees. The few plums this year are concentrated on one branch, about to snap off from the weight. Weird.
OK, I got of the track here a bit. I wanted to show you this slick canning gimmick I found at the grocery store. It's actually a little kit made by McCormick and Ball for canning salsa. With the spices pre-measured, all you do is follow the recipe. We go through salsa by the gallon around here, and it's shaping up to be a good summer for tomatoes and hot peppers.
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