Green Acres

I've talked about Deer Creek Farms before.  Love that place.  And they have way more than just strawberries.

Like squash!  Which I bought and used to make Pasta Primavera the other night when Spencer went to a Braves Game.  I've gotten him to eat zucchini, but not squash.  Not yet at least.

They do have zucchini, though.  And not just any zucchini, mind you.  Henry and Lewis were all too happy to show off their gargantuan find.  Sadly, it will not fit on my grill.  No ma'am.

And then there are these babies.

No, they aren't raspberries.  They're blackberries!  Big, beautiful blackberries.  That served as the inspiration for the Pocket Pies I blogged about over at Healthy Happier yesterday.

When Mom and I stopped by, Amy mentioned that when they had been picking the day before, she and the kids had found tiny little blue and brown speckled eggs in a nest among the vines.  So of course I wanted to see.  But instead of eggs, here's what we found.

{ Can you see? }

{ MOM.  The meatloaf! }

Teeny, tiny baby mockingbirds!  Less than 24 hours old and no bigger than a chicken egg.  I took about as many pictures as I could, trying not to disturb them.  And then their Momma came back.  I don't think she liked us lingering around her babies.  Guess I don't really blame her.  If I (a) had babies and (b) saw a godzilla-sized creature wielding a large black object near them I'd be squawking, too.

Does anyone know of a place like this in the metro Atlanta area?  I'm all about fresh, local produce and I've never been to DeKalb Farmer's Market or anywhere like that.  Recommendations gladly accepted!

You Pick 'Em

I love where my parents live.  There's just room to breathe.  If it wasn't so far from the office and from civilization... we might just live out that way.

One of the perks: Deer Creek Farms is nearby.  Not only can you stop by for some of the freshest, most delicious produce around... you can actually pick your own!

Today's crop... strawberries.  The smaller, the sweeter!

The growing season has been unusually short because of all the cold we had this winter, but these were some of the best berries I've ever eaten.  Blackberries will be ripe and ready to pick toward the end of the month, so if you're in Macon, Forsyth or the vicinity... stop by Deer Creek!  Last year's blackberries were unreal, and I'm sure this year's will be just as good.  { And if you don't have time to pick, they have them pre-picked, too. }

Now, there are some things I don't like about middle Georgia.  Like these little boogers, for example.

{ Guess he wanted a strawberry, too. }

Cicadas.  And not just your garden variety summer cicada, either.  Meet Brood XIX.  These dudes lay in hiding for 13 years and make one heck of a racket to let you know they're back. { When these bugs last saw the light of day, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were big.  And I still had braces. }

Their welcome wagon sounds nothing like a cricket chirp.  We're talking all day, every day, I-think-it's-a-burglar-alarm-down-the-road wailing.  When we first heard it on Easter Sunday, Dad and Spencer drove around the neighborhood trying to figure out who's alarm was going off.  People were calling 911 because they thought it was a tornado siren.  It's supposed to last through most of the summer.

Maybe you get used to it.  But I haven't.  At least they hush at night!