Pleasant House

Last Sunday was inspiring. Chelsea and I tasted apples and pears growing on trees on an overgrown plot of land with magical soil. They are our “secret” trees that hopefully, one day, will not be a secret, and whose fruit will be shared with as many people as possible, near and far.

My mom told us about some wild grapes growing near a creek by my parents’ house. We went to inspect them, and it was the first time I saw wild grapes growing on vines. I’ve seen plenty of vines but never any fruit. The fruit was prolific. I grabbed a bunch and we headed to the brew shop in St. Charles to buy some supplies so I could make these grapes into wine.

Growing next to the grapes were bushes also heavily laden with berries. I haven’t been able to identify these plants yet. Maybe somebody knows? They range in appearance from a tiny gooseberry to a bright red currant. They are hard when they look like a gooseberry (most likely unripe) and soft when they look like a currant.

mysterious berry: honeysuckle! Thanks, Kyle.

wild grapes

pile of grapes

wild grape juice for wine

After stopping at the brew shop we were very hungry. We realized that we had only eaten “wild” food all day. Wild apples, wild pears, and very sour, wild grapes. Of course the apples and pears most likely had been planted by someone many years ago, but it’s safe to say they’ve gotten in touch with their wild side since then.