Saturday, June 26

Who Won the War? The Ants? Or Me?

I did, of course!  But the battle was not won without cost.

Earlier this week I made my final excursion out to the peach tree to pick the fruit.  I may have waited a day too long, but as it was, I think I got a pretty good crop.  Just look at what I stole away from the little insects!  (I used the same bowl as last time, so you can see these are decently bigger.)

What I had intended to be about a fifteen minute trip turned into right about an hour.  When I got back in the house, I was happy that I hadn't burnt to a crisp.

The fighting took place mostly with my own squeamishness, which is still hanging around.  The peaches this time were not romantic.  The bugs had gotten to more than last time (see that bowl? those were the only ones I figured were salvageable).  I found bug-bit after bug-mauled.  A few times, I accidentally stepped on an already fallen peach, and it smooshed under my shoe.  Another time, I shook a branch to make the bad peaches fall, only I placed my hand in a not so helpful spot, and an overdone peach smacked me on the back of my hand, sharing its gooeyness with my skin.  It wouldn't shake off, so I wiped it off on the leaves.

I know.  I wouldn't make a good farmer.  I'm not even a gardener.  Still, I'm looking forward to eating the fruit I managed to harvest.  They look pretty much ripe, but I think they could benefit from that wonderful paper bag, which was mentioned here, for a little bit.

I have been told it's not a good idea to leave the spoiled peaches under the tree.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Do I really have to pick up each and every one of the bug-eaten and rotting (and one even had mold on it..yuck!) peaches?  What else should I do to for the tree now that the peaches are gone?

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