Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Signs of Spring

I'm getting ready for the harvesting season. The store (warehouse) has to be cleared. All collection baskets and buckets taken out. Hardwares and machineries need to be greased and serviced.


In the process of clearing I noticed an unused old spring.




I was also sprung by a couple of rats which had nested and raised a family in the store.




Meanwhile in North America signs of spring are giving hope that the long drawn-out winter, where many of my friends, including OhioFarmgirl, and their driveways are still covered in snow, will come to an end soon.







Good grief! (to use Gary's of klahanie favorite two words) Grandpa, this post is getting nowhere, as you can see. Really unlike me. It's something I have to do in-between real posts. At least when you stop by you'll see something new, not same-old, same-old. That's the least I could do for really nice people like you.

17 comments:

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

What will you be harvesting? The durians? Or something else?

Akelamalu said...

You have a really busy time ahead of you Grandpa. :)

Grandpa said...

Her highness, they will be sapodilla or ciku (check a few posts before this one - Sapodilla's Turn - if you haven't read about it already). I have about a hundred trees which fruit continuously. The fruits ripen and are harvested 3-4 times a year.

Durian will come later around mid-March to April, depending how big the fruits get before they drop. They will continue dropping for a couple of months;


Akelamalu, yes after a few 'off-season months' I'll be very busy again. The fruits will start to come into harvesting/collection one after another.

Joanna St. James said...

sounds like you will be busy for a long time.

Mary Mary said...

The tulips are lovely! I can't wait until spring finally arrives!

Happy Frog and I said...

Hi Grandpa, good luck with your extra busy season. :-)

Grandpa said...

Joanna, for about six months at least. Great to see you back. Hope you've enjoyed the break;


Mary Mary, thanks, but I must confess those tulips are not grown here. I shot the photo from a picture hanging inside an optician shop in Krabi, Thailand!

It's just my way of sharing the joy of spring with you and others in the Northern Hemisphere;


Happy Frog, thanks. I will have my younger brother (you may have seen his photo mending the fencing) helping me with the tasks over weekends and holidays, as he still works.

caterpillar said...

Hi Grandpa...what's the harvest going to be?

Grandpa said...

caterpillar, we'll start with sapodilla or ciku. The 'ripe' fruits will be plucked from the tree into baskets. But they will have to be kept in warm conditions for 3-4 days before they ripen properly and can be eaten;

Then next month durians will start dropping - this will go on for about two months. Every morning we'll walk around the farm picking the fallen fruits into big baskets;

A month later the rambutans will ripen on the trees. These will be left to the children (and adults too!) to help themselves, as they can be eaten straightaway fresh from the tree - just like apples

Ohiofarmgirl said...

Hi Grandpa! Nothing like a little hard work on the harvest to get a bit of a 'spring' in your step! I got to be outside today - without a jacket - and was thrilled. Things are going to be picking up around here, for sure.

Have a glorious day!
your pal,
ofg

Grandpa said...

Ohiofarmgirl, yes, I saw the sunrise that you captured, two days in a row - good to know it's warmer now. Spring will indeed be here.

Anonymous said...

I don't envy you with the rats, we've got mice and they're bad enough. At least the rats aren't in the house though. Good luck with the harvesting!

Grandpa said...

kangarobee, rats are not only a nuisance but a health hazard too. But worst of all they attract s---es(!) which feed on them, and I have phobia with those creatures!

Thanks, it'll be good exercise for me and chance to invite friends over.

small farm girl said...

Grandpa, you make me smile.

Grandpa said...

small farm girl, I'm glad I did.. :)
I hope you'll have a wonderful spring.

The Manic Chef said...

Hello Gramps, finally getting around to catch up on my blog reading. So harvest means Spring for you....hmmmm I'm confused, but that's nothing new, lol. Winter is still parked here in Montreal, we just received a bit of snow last night. But it looks like the temps are on the rise in the coming week. Now those various fruits you mention, are they sold here in Canada, or Montreal, I've never heard of them before. What do they look like? Enjoyed your posting, keep on harvesting, and then enjoy the 'fruits' or your labour! 'giggle'. Later....

Grandpa said...

The Manic Chef - I grow a variety of tropical fruits. They are sold sometimes in Asian supermarkets or in Chinatown in most western cities.

I have written about a number of them in my older posts.