grey catbird eating jelly?
bedelia
14 years ago
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Comments (14)
dzyg
14 years agoRelated Discussions
What should I do about catbirds?
Comments (23)We had two pairs of catbirds show up this spring and we don't always. I noticed that at least one pair was building a nest, but not sure about the other pair. Then about a week later, I noticed a catbird sitting outside my window singing the prettiest song. I didn't know they could do that. We have a strawberry patch this year and I think that is what attracted them. But the funniest thing I've seen, is that they were actually eating a tomato off one of my plants. It was a 'Mountain Princess' and I held the plant over the winter too long and it already had two tomatoes on it when I planted it out. They ripened already and that is early for my area. One day I saw one of the red tomatoes on the ground next to the plant with a chunk missing. I left it there and noticed over the next two days, more and more of it went missing. I didn't know what was doing it. Then one day, I was watching from the house and saw a catbird make his way over to the tomato and start pecking at the tomato that was still on the plant. I was amazed. They apparently ate the whole thing because it disappeared. So I did see the catbird eat the tomato with my own eyes. So far he has not touched the orange Sungold cherries that are ripening. Maybe he just likes red ones. [g] I don't mind. I had more than enough tomatoes last year. I think I'll have enough to share and I do like having the catbirds in the garden. I let them have their fill of strawberries when we were done with them. So, we're sharing, but I draw the line at blueberries. I have that bush already netted....See MoreBirds: Will they eat garden vegetables?
Comments (11)This year we've had an influx of birds. I think the reason is that we have a number of shrubs that are maturing and starting to produce more and more fruit. We don't have a feeder filled at all, just filling up the bird bath. I counted 7 robins yesterday and there's at least one pair of catbirds, and an oriole stopped by the other day. All of them are hanging around the vegetable garden and bird bath. I was watching them with the binoculars this morning and the catbird pair was hopping in and out of the patch of Cilantro, pecking away at what I imagine are insects. Same pair was having a good time all around the cabbage plants. I don't have any seedlings per se to damage, and I'd be surprised if they were doing more than just looking for insects. My only concern is the droppings that are showing up on the foliage of some of the plants....See MoreBlackberry Jam and Jelly from same batch of fruit
Comments (14)Oh, that is so funny! Good thing the wise people of the Harvest Forum set you straight before you made some nasty, seedy jam! I myself do not enjoy the blackberry seeds, so I use my Roma tomato press to remove most of them. Makes the task a breeze! And then my favorite blackberry jam recipe is as follows: Wild Blackberry and Earl Grey Jam (Source: adapted from Christine Ferber's Mes Confitures and inspired by the Little Red Bike Cafe) 10 oz. boiling water 4 Earl Grey tea bags (I used Twinings) 3 pounds wild blackberries (cultivated ones would be good, too) 6 3/4 cups granulated sugar (you could go as low as 5 cups for a jam that is less sweet) zest and juice of one large lemon 1/2 teaspoon butter Bring water to a boil, then steep the tea bags for five minutes. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the tea bags and discard. Set brewed tea aside while you prepare the fruit. Pick over the blackberries. Rinse them quickly in cold water without soaking them. In a preserving pan, combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a simmer. Pour into a ceramic bowl and stir in the tea. Cover the fruit with a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, if you like, run the fruit preparation through a Roma-type strainer before cooking it down. (I used the berry screen, and I ran the pulp through a couple of extra times to get out every drop of berry goodness before discarding the remaining leathery fibers and seeds. Of course, if you like the seeds in your jam...never mind.) Bring this preparation to a boil along with 1/2 teaspoon of butter, stirring gently. Continue cooking on high heat at a full, rolling boil for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Check the set on a cold plate (it's done when you push the jam and it wrinkles--mine took about 20 minutes). Put the jam into jars immediately, seal, and process for ten minutes in a boiling water bath. This makes about six half-pints. Here is a link that might be useful: Lindsey's Luscious (my food blog)...See MoreRose hip jam or jelly?
Comments (34)Hah, I googled 'nchfp rose hips', because it is that time again, and found this old thread I had forgotten about! Too late to learn from my own mistakes documented here, though :-). But hopefully next time I will remember to look this up. This year, I'm doing a different made up method, simmering the rose hips until soft and then mashing with a potato masher. Maybe I'll try some lemon or lime juice, like the recipes in this thread. I'm not aiming for jelly, just syrup. That's what the previous batch ended up being, and it was so very tasty. if I had looked up this thread in time, I think I would have tried the freezer jam version, putting the raw rose hips in the juicer. I had them in the freezer already, so they would be mushy enough to get pretty good juice with just the juicer, I imagine. But instead I am doing the cooking method....See Morebluebirdbabe
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