Upside-Down Tomatoes; Year Two, September Update

Grumpy's Castle; 13 September 2010 --

Good grief, Charlie Brown!! Here it is mid-September and Grumpy hasn't posted an update on his Upside-Down tomatoes for almost two months! What has been going on? Stay here and I'll show you.

The first thing to say is that our Resident Grandson's diligent care of the tomatoes, during the Grand Mother's and Grumpy's absence in early July, resulted in them being healthy in spite of the very hot, dry Summer we had. Grumpy tries to be nice to this Grandson, since he was so good to take such good care of Grumpy's tomatoes and the lawn. It is kind of hard to do this even though there is the possibility that we will get to share a Lemon Meringue Pie some day.

The other notable thing that happened after Grumpy returned from his July vacation, was that the Sun Gold was moved from around the corner where it had been originally hung, and now hangs in a row with the other three plants, each spaced about 3 feet apart along the Southwest (street) side of the house. At least they all get pretty good mid-day and afternoon sun here.

The Sun Gold plant bears small, bite-size fruit that turn from a gold color to a deeper Orangey-gold color -- and then, if they are not picked, they drop off! Grand Mother and Grumpy agree this is our favorite tomato to nibble on. As you may notice, the plant is prolific in bearing a great many fruits.

The Early Girl has given us a few vine-ripened fruit this year, but the size and flavor have been disappointing; not as much "tomato" flavor as we would like. Also, all of the larger tomatoes seem to have pretty tough skin. Grumpy has not determined what causes this yet.

The Beefsteak Hybrid, which should have fruit about the size of a Grapefruit, has barely given more than two or three small tomatoes so far. Some of these fruit are also grotesquely shaped; again Grumpy has not yet determined why.

The Fantastic, the Grand Mother's favorite canning tomato (she used to go to Wenatchee each summer and haul back over 100 pounds of these, bringing them back and canning them the same day!), has not yet produced a ripe fruit. Some early ones developed "blossom rot", which Grumpy found was the result of the soil being too acidic. A cupful of Dolomite lime in each planter seemed to resolve that problem. Was a cup too much? Was it not enough? Grumpy doesn't know; the grotesqueness occurred before the lime was added.

Next year, Grumpy may concentrate on just two plants: maybe just two Sun Golds.

Do-it-Yourself Upside-Down Planters

Grumpy's Castle; 26 July 2010 --

A while ago, Grumpy said that he would describe his design for a do-it-yourself upside-down planter. This post will be an attempt to do that, using easily obtained recycled materials. The reader may use his own imagination and ingenuity to modify the design to suit the materials he/she has available.

Main items needed:

Here are the primary pieces that are required: A five-gallon bucket & lid, preferably black so the heat of the sun can keep the roots warm; a sturdy plastic 4" planter pot, preferably having a rolled top; a 3/4" thick piece of porous, fairly rigid plastic foam.

Tools required: A compass with which to scribe a circle to guide cutting a round hole in the bottom of the five-gallon bucket; A sharp knife or Xacto knife with which to cut said round hole and also to cut a 1 1/4" hole in the bottom of the 4" planter pot as well as to trim the piece of porous plastic foam to fit snugly in the bottom of the 4" planter pot. A slit should be made to the approximate middle of the foam disk. If Grumpy could figure out how to reliably cut a hole in the bottom of a terracotta pot, that would be his ideal!

I prefer the plastic planter pots which have a rigid rounded rim (e.g. 4" 'Shuttle Pot', #SP433); this rim will support the weight of the tomato plant without being deformed and pulled through the 4" hole in the bottom of the five-gallon bucket.

I also have white five-gallon buckets; I plan to spray paint them with flat-black paint (the type that will adhere well to the polypropylene plastic of which the bucket is made). Other dark colors would work OK, just not quite as good as black however.

I anticipate that cutting the hole in the bottom of the bucket may be the most difficult job; the plastic buckets are fairly thick and it may be slow work to cut through the plastic as well as keeping the hole very closely round. If you have a sabre saw or Dremel tool that can cut on a 4" diameter  circle, that might be easier. At any rate, if you use a knife (as I probably will) or an Exacto knife, be careful not to slip and cut your fingers. Grumpy probably will ignore this precaution!

4" pot, with hole cut in bottom

The 1 1/4" hole in the bottom of the 4" pot need not be as precise; it is important to leave enough bottom material that will support the 3/4" thick porous plastic foam. The minimum size of this hole needs to accommodate your tomato seedling at the time you decide to replant it to the upside-down planter. It is important that this hole have no sharp corners or "nicks" in it; these imperfections will greatly weaken the ability of the remaining material to withstand the weight of the tomato plant as it grows to maturity. Think about how heavy your tomato plant will be by mid July and early August when it is loaded with luscious tomatoes -- the foam must not rupture the pot bottom and slip through the bottom of the 4" pot!!

Depending on the hooks on which you plan to hang your upside-down planters, you may need to remove the handle-piece typical on a five-gallon bucket. Keep in mind, though, that without that add-on handle piece, the small diameter wire bail that is left will be painful to your hands when the planter is full of soil -- and even more so when it is adequately moistened! I  initially put in only enough soil to cover the roots on the seedling I have just inserted; after hanging the planter, I then pour in more soil (and organic vegetable fertilizer, in layers) as needed to fill the planter to within 3-4 inches from the top.

Finally, after your planter is hung and filled with soil, the top should be placed over the opening. This is to prevent loss of moisture due to evaporation. Before placing the top on the bucket, cut a hole about 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter near the center of the top; this is the hole into which you will provide irrigation for your upside-down plants. Grumpy's preferred method is to drill a 1/8" hole in the center of the plastic lid from a 3 liter Ocean Spray juice bottle, then poke (with a large needle) a 1-2 mm pin hole in the side of the 3 liter bottle between the handle and the neck. The distance between the 1/8" hole in the lid and the 1-2mm pin hole in the side provides approximately the right amount of pressure difference, when the bottle is full of water and turned upside down into the hole in the 5-gallon lid, to provide about 1-2 drops of water per second. Ideally, 3 liters of water should last 2 days during the early season; during the hotter days of July and August, 3 liters per day may be advisable. If the 3 liter bottle is allowed to lean at approximately a 45 degree angle, the rate of drops can be adjusted by turning the 3 liter bottle slightly to the left or right (decreasing the vertical distance between the hole in the lid and the hole in the side).

Upside-Down Tomatoes; A Comparison between Year One and Year Two

Grumpy's Castle; Two Different Years, Two Different Methods --

Grumpy stated, in a recent post, that his tomatoes were significantly better this year than last. In some respects, this is true. However, it depends on what one considers as "better", as the two photos below demonstrate. Note the red-ripe tomato on the 2009 "Early Girl" in the left photo; the much more robust 2010 "Early Girl" in the photo to the right can only  boast several somewhat larger but still green tomatoes!

Early Girl, July 19th 2009   Early Girl, July 23rd 2010

Grumpy believes the difference is due to: better watering in 2010; better soil used in 2010; only one plant per planter in 2010. Further, the cooler weather in 2010 probably accounts for the earlier ripening in 2009. He believes that, by the end of Summer, the 2010 tomatoes will produce much more edible fruit than was the case in 2009. And that is the purpose after all, isn't it?

Upside-Down Tomatoes; Year Two, July Update

Grumpy's Castle; 19 July 2010 --

I cannot say I'm sorry for boasting about my tomatoes -- but if any reader doesn't want to hear about my fantastic success this year with my Upside-Down Tomatoes, then he/she should stop reading right now and find something more entertaining to do/read/watch.

On thing I did this year differently from last year is that I planted only one (not two, as the advertisement suggests is possible) tomatoes per planter. The evidence is overwhelming that one planter provides the nourishment that only one tomato plant requires. This year the plants are more than twice as robust as last year. The quality of the fruit will have to be determined later.

I planted four varieties this year: Early Girl (also last year), Hybrid Beefsteak, Fantastic (Grand Mother's favorite), and Sun Gold (also last year). Actually, the only tomato from which I was able to harvest any tomatoes last year was from the Sun Gold. Besides producing some edible fruit last year, Sun Gold also was a flavorful little cherry-type tomato, so it was a given that we would plant at least one of them again. But look what bounty it is promising this year! Careful counting will reveal at least nine multi-blossomed bunches in this view.

One of the blossomed bunches on the Sun Gold sports at least 26 flowers! Another bunch is hidden from view in these photos, but it has at least ten full-(cherry)-sized green tomatoes, just waiting to turn golden color and ready to eat (yumm!!). I like this "tomato" weather we are having!!

Each of the other tomato plants have at least two or three green tomatoes in various stages of growing larger. The Early Girl has the most (15) and also the most bunches of yellow flowers promising a bountiful harvest later, maybe starting in August; the Hybrid Beefsteak has the fewest (2-3) green tomatoes, but also has many yellow flowers for a good potential later.

Oh, one other thing I am doing this year, as opposed to last: I am maintaining a drip irrigation of about 1-2 liters of water per planter per day (Note the 2-3 liter plastic water bottles in the first photo above). I may describe the details of my design for this device in another BLOG.

For more news about Grumpy's tomatoes and Raspberries, just watch this BLOG!

Back to Tomatoes and Raspberries -- The Garden After Our Vacation

Grumpy's Castle; 16 July 2010 --

Upon our return home, after being in the midwest since 23 June (yeah, I know, we were gone 17 days, not just 15!) Grumpy was happy to see that his trusted Grandson had kept his bargain to mow Grumpy's lawn at least a couple of times, but more importantly, he kept the Upside-Down Tomatoes adequately watered. The results were obvious: each of the four varieties of tomatoes had at least one developing fruit and multiple blossoms, promising a bumper crop in the warm days ahead.

The persons to whom we extended the invitation to reap the crop(s) of Raspberries during our absence, apparently did not take our invitation seriously as there were numerous ripe and dehydrated berries still on the vines. However, that next morning after our return, Grumpy took his berry pail and picked nearly half a gallon of the sweet-tart gems. He also ate a few -- just as a test to make sure they were edible! Ha! ha!

Grand Mother noted the pail-full with some trepidation, as she was tired from washing our accumulation of clothes from our trip plus a sizable amount from the bachelors who remained behind. Nevertheless, she summoned up that reserve that Grumpy can only marvel at, but not explain, and baked a super-delicious Raspberry pie. Due to circumstances almost entirely beyond Grumpy's control, the last bit of the pie disappeared before he could take a photo. The photo on the right is the best he could do; look closely and you may see the evidence in the corners of his mouth.

A day later, Grumpy picked another half pail of berries; now, three days later, yet more berries await. Grumpy will be out there in the morning to pick them before the heat of the day dehydrates them. Another Raspberry pie is surely in the offing!! Hurry; reserve your piece now, before yet another pie bites the dust!

Our 2010 Auto Trip; Part IV, Visit with Hazel, Day 8

Central Iowa; Wednesday, 30 June 2010 --

Our full day of visit with Sister Hazel started with breakfast at her 20-acre farm. Then chores, including feeding several horses, some of which belong to Hazel. Her prize pony (class: Pony of America -- POA) is Minnie.

She is a beautiful,  little horse weighing about 600-700 pounds; like many POA ponies, she is spotted -- NOT pinto --, which is the result of the Appaloosa gene pool from which the POA class was partially derived. My horse, Queen, would have fit in this class as far as her size was concerned, but she was broader in her body and her weight of 800 pounds exceeded that permitted under the POA classification, and her ancestry did not include the Apaloosa.

Later in the day, we drove over to Tom's house where he showed us his flowers, vegetable garden and fruit trees.

Tom's vegetable garden was not large, consisting of a few prolific tomatoes and a couple rows of root vegetables, including onions. He was especially proud of the three or four varieties of blueberry bushes that he had.

This one, pictured, was particularly impressive with its bunches of ripening berries. Of course we all picked one or two from each bush to sample their different taste.

In his backyard, but not nearly as photogenic, Tom had two or three varieties of pears, a peach tree (but no fruit this year) and a crabapple tree. Most of the apples he had encased in a Nylon "bootie" or special biodegradable protector made in Japan; this is how the Fuji apples were originally (and still are!) grown in Japan, to prevent the invasion of pests such as the Coddling Moth (or Apple Maggot). Grumpy was particularly interested in this aspect, since his apples have been the target of the pesky worm each year.

Here pictured (right to left) are Paul, Mother, Hazel & Grumpy, after our farewell meal together at the Apple Inn restaurant next door to our motel. We each had a choice steak, cooked medium rare, with fresh steamed vegetables; Paul had a hamburger and a piece of apple pie; Hazel and Grumpy shared a decadent chocolate "mud pie" with vanilla ice cream; Mother was frugal with a single dip of ice cream.

We would leave early the next morning, hoping to change our next night's stay from Mitchell, where we had reservations, to Chamberlain SD.

Upside-Down Tomatoes; Year Two, June Update

First Day of Summer; Grumpy's Castle --

I guess I haven't been as boastful about the Upside-Down tomatoes as I was last year. Perhaps that is because of the rather poor results experienced last year. So this year by waiting a month or so, a little boastful documentation may be in order. 

The first photo shows the row of four (the fourth one, Sun Gold) is partially hidden behind the third plant on the right (Fantastic).

Each variety planted this year is characterized by a unique purpose or growth tendency. Early Girl, shown here, is prized as producing the earliest crop, especially on this the Wet Side of the Cascades.

The Beefsteak variety is one I picked up from Carpinito's; the Grand Mother and I bought some of these tomatoes late last Summer and liked their flavor and firmness. One slice covered a whole slice of bread for a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.

Fantastic is the Grand Mother's favorite tomato. She used to buy a hundred pounds or so of this variety from a farmer near Wenatchee every Summer to can (when she was younger!).

This last tomato, Sun Gold, is a "cherry" type. When ripe it is yellow-gold in color. Last year one of these shared a planter with another variety of cherry tomato. My experience last year, fortified by me examination of the soil removed from the upside-down planters last Fall, convinced me that one tomato plant needs all of the soil, nourishment and water that one planter can provide. This is contrary to the promotional advertising for these planters that "two tomatoes can grow in each planter!" Sure, "two tomato plants can grow ...", but I now believe that only one can succeed!

As the reader may discern, plenty of promise in the form of many flowers showing on each plant. When Grumpy and the Grand Mother return from their well-deserved trip in Mid-July, we will be looking forward to some fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes!

First Ripe Raspberries!!

Grumpy's Castle; Friday 18 June 2010 --

Well, the Raspberries finally showed their color; and the rejuvenated row shows lots of promise, as these two pictures illustrate. 

The first berry picked was given to the Grand Mother, along with this entire handful that Grumpy found on this first foray along the row. Grumpy had tasted a later pick while he was gathering the remainder of the handful.

The astute reader may wonder about the small size of these examples; Grumpy believes that their diminutive size is a result of having no Orchard (Mason) bees present to pollinate the flowers when they began blooming a couple weeks ago. 

All of the pollination so far has been accomplished by a crew of what Grumpy calls "Bumble Bees"; these bees are nearly twice (or three times!) as big as the Orchard bees that Grumpy has had in past years. Grumpy observed as many as two dozen flitting from flower to flower on a warm summer day a week or so ago.

Orchard bees are much more industrious than any other bee (including Honey bees!) at the job of pollinating fruits. Grumpy recommends that any gardener who is serious about growing fruit crops such as apples or raspberries, invest in a small package of Orchard bees -- about 20-25 cocoons, each of which houses a fully pupated, but dormant bee. When the cocoons are exposed to warm weather (about 59 degrees and above) they will chew their way out of the cocoon and immediately go about their business. It is therefore very important to keep the package of cocoons in a refrigerator -- NOT FREEZING!! -- until you are assured that the daytime temperatures are going to remain in the 60-plus degree temperature range AND that there are flowers -- not necessarily fruit flowers -- for the bees to feed on.

Later, Grumpy will post a description of the Orchard bee "home" he has prepared so he can rehabilitate his "lost" colony.

A Visit to Hulda Klager's Lilac Garden and to Fort Bale

Thursday, 22 April 2010 --

With our long-time good friend, Margaret, the Grand Mother and Grumpy journeyed down to the Southern wilds of the State on a fine, sunny day. When we left King County, the sky was dark and threatening, but by the time we arrived at our destination, we were glad for any shade we could find to park the car! 

Our first stop was at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. We had visited once before, a couple years ago but it was late in the lilac season and many of them were past their peak of glory. This time, although only just four or five days after the beginning of their "Lilac Days" festivities in this small town, we found several of the lilacs had already bloomed and gone into their seed-producing phase. However, there were many more that were in the prime of flowering and emanating sweet aromas. The Grand Mother and Margaret strolled through the various plantings, "oohing and aahing" -- and sniffing!! (At least the Grand Mother and Grumpy -- we are both allergic to the smell of these beautiful plants! But we enjoy them so much that we just admire, sniff and blow! Or, in Grumpy's case, use his coat sleeve.)

The most unusual lilac was the Sensation, which has dark purple petals with white edges around each petal! Grumpy mumbled to himself about where he would put such a prize. And there were others that he would covet as well.

Another one which Grumpy thought impressive was the dark purple Arch McKeen. This one was of a double (multi-petaled) character. The flower bunches were monstrous, as can be seen in this photo on left.

Probably the best "blooming" surprise of all was when the Grand Mother convinced Grumpy to make a short detour to "The Tulip Festival". Hadn't we already traveled North just last week to see the "famous Skagit Flats tulip fields"?? But what a shock!! When we rounded the corner at the end of a dead-end road this is the sight we beheld. And the rows were all right next to the road!! Unlike what we experienced up North.

After walking around the lilac garden and "tip-toeing through the tulips", a healthy appetite had developed, so we headed up the road to Fort Bale where the Swede of the Fort had generously invited us for lunch. 

As usual, when we arrived, we were greeted by our two tow-headed Great Grandsons, Jamey and Arthur. They each had to show us their newly-acquired chickens and rabbits. The Swede got into the act also, showing off her "very secure" fenced enclosure where her laying hens and rooster hold court, removing the vegetation from the ground while fertilizing the area for later planting of prospective garden vegetables. The "security" had been slightly compromised, however, as two hens had discovered the "secret" hole by which they had found freedom to explore the ranch. One, named "Dolly", always seems to find a way to escape the confines of the "secure" enclosure; she then purposefully strolls up to the lawn in front of the Fort, blatantly showing off her revolutionary freedom, and immediately sets about picking up insects or seeds that she seems to know are always there.

Of course, Jamey "had" to show Great Grumpy the trampoline; And his flipping trick, depicted here in this two-shot sequence:

All in all, a pleasant time was enjoyed, visiting and seeing the animals, the new garden areas and the Great Grandsons. We wish we lived closer so we could enjoy them more often!

Gardening 2010 -- Raspberries: Version 1.0

Grumpy was able to make his Raspberry vines much more accessible for picking and more neat to look at. He did this by extracting the "wild" plants that had erupted outside the line established by the wire trellis. Grumpy "deeded" 10 or 12 of these extraneous plants to the Swede Queen of Fort Straw. [Was there some ulterior motive involved, like some Raspberry freezer jam? Or maybe a Raspberry pie? No, Grumpy really will just enjoy seeing some "offspring" of his Raspberries lavishing in a more friendly environ than that here at Grumpy's Castle.] Later another 12-15 plants were extracted and given to the Sassy Offspring-Known-as-Anonymous.

Raspberries are, by nature, quite aggressive in spreading out in all directions. They do this by what are called "rhizomes". These are lateral roots that emanate from a well-established central plant. As a matter of fact, the Raspberry plants now claimed by Grumpy "emigrated" across  from the next door neighbor's garden several years ago by rhizome activity!

Good plant husbandry dictates that the bearing plants should be about 3 feet apart so the 10-12 inch long lateral branches, on which the summer's fruit develops (see left), have enough space to "see" sunshine and air circulation. This space also makes it much easier to find and pick the berries.

After digging up the extra plants, Grumpy used a spading fork to loosen the soil on both sides of the Raspberry row. This process resulted in incorporating into the soil some of the compost that Grumpy had used as a mulch on top of the row last year. Grumpy hopes that by loosening the soil on each side might discourage some of the rhizome activity. We'll see!

Finally, Grumpy spread some fresh compost (aged, chipper-shredded apple tree and rose prunings) on top of the freshly loosened soil. This row of Raspberries is sub-irrigated by means of a soaker hose that is buried just under the surface along the row of Raspberries. No water is lost by evaporation except through aspiration from the plants themselves.

Now, if Grumpy can stay out of trouble with the Grand Mother, he just might benefit by having a Raspberry pie later this summer!

Home-Grown Tomatoes

Wednesday; South King County --

Well, after repeated woundings of Grumpy's pride by his seeing Monya's bountiful tomato patch and Heidi showing off a photo of a big platter-full of her tomato harvest in an e-mail attachment, Grumpy finally has a picture of some tomatoes to salve his badly wounded pride. Mind you, Grumpy had been jealous all summer of the beautiful tomato plants (and their developing fruit!) located on the Bale Ranch as well as nearby in Monya' garden. By comparison, Grumpy's puny "upside-down" tomato plants had indeed been a disappointment. But today Grumpy finally gets even!!

Pictured here (above) is the latest handpicked, home-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes nestling snugly in the Grand Mother's big fruit bowl. Now if these big red beauties don't cause your taste buds to pucker, you just aren't a fresh tomato lover like Grumpy and the Grand Mother. Maybe Grumpy will even depart his low-fat diet tomorrow and have a BLT sandwich. [Yum!!]

Another Bucket of Berries

In the Garden Again; Grumpy's Castle Grounds, WA--

The next afternoon, after Grumpy picked about 3/4 of the row of Raspberries (see Yesterday's post of Friday's activities), Grumpy again ventured forth into the thorny subject of picking Red Raspberries. Starting at the end of the row that didn't get completed Friday morning, Grumpy continued further down the row and up the backside next to the fence. He was surprised to find so many ripe Raspberries on those vines he had already picked over only 30 hours before! Instead of getting about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bucketful, Grumpy found nearly a full bucket of berries!! Notice at right in the photo, some of what was left of Friday's Raspberry pie that the Grand Mother made from the first picking.

One of the interesting items Grumpy found was a double Raspberry, pictured here close-up. The white core, which remained on the vine, consisted of two cores oriented nearly opposite one another. I have never seen such a "Siamese Twin" occurrence in a Raspberry before -- or any other kind of fruit either. The equivalent in a peach, for example, would be a double-lobed fruit with two pits located near the middle of each lobe; or an apple, similarly double-lobed in shape, with two seed cores located near the center of each lobe.

What Thou Sowest, That Shall Ye also Reap--Red Raspberries!

Friday In Grumpy's Garden; Grumpy's Castle WA --

In a previous post, progress was shown in the Upside-Down Tomatoes that Grumpy planted the latter part of May. Today's post is about another more conventional part of Grumpy's Garden: The Red Raspberry Row.

The old next-door neighbors (Paul and Louise Rice) planted and for years nurtured a patch of red raspberry vines. I say a "patch" because they never (in my memory at least) took the time to provide a trellis or wire upon which to string the long new growth upon which the next season's raspberries grow the largest and most profusely. Neither did the Rice's take care to control the spread of these rhizomatic plants. Hence, after a time there arose on Grumpy's Estate a field of raspberry plants.

As Paul and Louise grew older, they decided to eliminate the raspberries from their side of the lot-line. Grumpy decided to nurture the raspberries that he had "inherited" by providing them with an appropriate trellis on which the fruitful vines could be hung. The "trellis" consists of four strands of #20 wire strung between two 6-foot steel conduits planted in cement-filled holes. Each Fall, Grumpy cuts the old stems back to ground level and selects the lustiest and most promising new vines to hang on the wire trellis. I also pull up or dig out any rhizomes that precede the migration of the vine to other parts of the yard, maintaining a more-or-less straight line of vines corresponding to the wire trellis location. By keeping the vines constrained along the trellis, Grumpy has access to both sides of the row, thereby easing the job of finding and picking the ripe berries.

Grumpy placed a 25-foot piece of "soaker hose" (pervious hose designed to allow slow seepage of water through its many pores) along the length of the raspberry row and has maintained a windrow of composted chipped/shredded garden waste along the length of the row. The composted material helps to evenly spread the water emanating from the soaker hose and also minimizes evaporation of the water from the soil, besides adding the nutrients from the compost back into the soil.

When Grumpy left on 18 June for the now-infamous "4-Day Trek to Florida", he pleaded with those who remained behind at his Castle to harvest the berries when they became ripe, which he thought would be about 28 June. Having no committment from anyone that the harvest would take place as desired, Grumpy anticipated that his Red Raspberry Row would be rife with shrunken or bird-pecked fruit. Much to his pleasant surprise, when he went to examine it on Friday, it was loaded with prime-to-harvest fruit!!

Grumpy picked enough fresh raspberries to make two pies (about four cups each). Grumpy immediately partook of some of the berries to perk up his morning oatmeal (low fat, high-fiber and healthy fruit!). The Grand Mother cached enough for one pie in the deep freezer for another time, and made a super-delicious looking pie for Grumpy with the rest. The sheer beauty of the pie suggests that it would be good to eat. Subsequent "taste testing" proved that "looks do not deceive". Of course, Grumpy would say, "If the Grand Mother makes it, it will be good!!" With the pie still warm from the oven and a dollop of ice cream, the Grand Mother and Grumpy had a tasty before-bedtime snack. Healthy too; all that fresh fruit, you know!