I am a Hunter - Gatherer

I have, I guess always been somewhat of a Hunter - Gatherer all my live. I love to look for and find things that I can use or re-use in some way or another, wether it be food, lumber or just good old junk. As of late I have been a Gatherer. Gathering walnuts, hickory nuts, pears and apples all for FREE. Walnut trees are all around us as are hickory trees so nuts are a good easy distance from the house. Fruit trees on the other hand is not something we have got around to planting just yet, got to get that done this fall or in the spring. Luckily, a guys down the road has 2 huge old pear trees. I seen him the other day and he told me that everyone in his family had picked pears from the trees and they are still loaded with fruit. After a few minutes of conversation he ask if I would like to go and pick some for my family, well not being one to turn down free food I said I would love to have some. He told me to get all I wanted but watch for the bees, they seem to be everywhere there. I picked, from the ground and from the tree nearly a bushel of fresh pears. Well as fate would have it, one of Liv's family members seen me picking the pears and ask if I would like to come to his place and get apples. Wooo-Hoooo !!! You bet I would. His trees had produced like crazy. He said that about 20 people had come to pick apples and they are still everywhere you look. He was right! Never have I seen so many apples from so few trees in my life. The limbs were so heavy that some had been proped up with 2x4's to keep them from breaking. I was told to PLEASE take all that I could to keep them from rotting on the ground. I picked 7 large bags full. I have plans to make Apple Butter and Apple Cider and some Apple Sauce, some will go in the freezer and some stored in the shed for winter eating. We have been so blessed this year with people giving us food. The folks around here are for sure the best.

Katie and her Mimi Gracie (Liv's Mother) gathering hickory nuts.

Just a few of the many walnuts that we have gathered.

This is just 1 of 7 bags of apples that I gathered. This one weighs 23lbs.