Trees, Shrubs, and Bears.. Oh my!

A county tree order form and gummy bear molds... How could they possibly relate to each other? Hang with me for a minute.. (if you already figured it out, I think we would get along grand!)

It is that time of the year again, time to start planning out what plants we will be putting in the ground this Spring. April is only a little over two months away... and this was us last April 12th:

That is right, we were planting trees! Hard to image right now, looking outside and seeing snow covering the ground.

Spring came pretty early last year. This year, we will be ready for the thaw, whether it comes in early April or late May.

When planning out our gardens, yard landscaping, and tree planting, I like there to be multiple purposes behind each choice of plant whenever possible. Some choices and their resulting benefits are obvious, like apple trees are planted for their flowers, fruit, and firewood, blueberries as a natural hedge and obviously, their berries,... Others, may not be so obvious, at least to the average suburbanite eye. For instance, this year we have some landscaping to do in our yard. Naturally, we want it to look pleasant, but we also want it to be edible, both for ourselves, our animals, and the area wildlife (not to mention our honeybees). We have ordered elderberry, juneberry, and several other varieties of plants that fit into our plans of transforming our yard into a food forest. Before choosing a plant, I first do a quick search online to see if we can eat it or if it has known medicinal uses.

There was nothing worse than being a kid and being told not to eat any berries or fruits growing around the yard or house. That will not be the case on our homestead! While most of what we plant can be eaten raw, we will take the time to educate our children on what can only be eaten after processing, like acorns and elderberries.

For trees, we will be adding a few more apple trees to our existing small orchard. Who doesn't like a good apple tree? Last year we planted plenty of white oak, plum, cherry, and sugar maples. This year, in addition to the apple trees, we are adding some pines and willows to provides some quick shelter and privacy. We also purchased some walnuts for a great free source of protein in the distant future.

So here is where that county tree/shrub form comes into the story. Contact your county soil and water district office before ordering your trees. You may find you can save some significant money purchasing them through the county than you would through a nursery or big box store. Most trees cost less than $1, purchased in bundles of 25. If you are a homesteader or are into preparedness, why not pick out some edible variates when filling out the form.

So with the potential for so much fruit available, I latched onto an idea that was brought up by some fellow homesteaders on steemit.

Besides the common juices, wines, jellies, and such, how about making some gummy candies? I love chewy candies but avoid purchasing them as I know they have no nutritional value. So, how cool would it be to combine the homesteading activity of growing berries with the kitchen activity of making healthy gummies from fruit juices, collected right here at home. So this year, I purchased some gummy bear molds as a family Christmas gift.