I saw strawberries at the store today for ...

Soon they'll be selling them by the each.

Sale today!! Strawberries only $1 each

 

My wife and I bought strawberries last weekend and where shocked. I have never grown them before but this year I will definitely include them. I think, in this area, I should probably plant them in a container.

 

With it being winter-time, it doesn't surprise me that the price of "fresh" produce is so high - it is grown in expensive greenhouses during the colder winter-months or it is shipped-in from other countries ... costs of fuel / transporation are getting bad and going worse!

 

On top of the poor prices of berries in general, in my area, you have to use them all within a day of buying them or they all go bad within a day or so of being bought.

Ive tried planting blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries and no matter what Ive done, the rabbits destroy them very quickly generally. The year I bought the largest raspberry bushes and planted them, they chewed the leaves off constantly but the plant lived until fall and then they killed it over the winter by chewing the branches down and stripping the bark.

Bloodmeal doesnt work for long to deter them nor does any of the old remedies Ive been told to use.

Ive now resigned to attempting to grow, ground cherries (Physalis pruinosa) and garden huckleberries (Solanum melanocerasum) this year as they should be safe from the rabbits, I hope, seeing as they are nightshade plants.

Planting strawberries and other traditional berries may not have led to the harvest of berries but it did lead to the harvest of quite a few more rabbits than usual. :lolsmash:

 

$6.99 a POUND ... wow ... I think I would pass.

I did clean my strawberry bed out today ... and I have a 'hope' that my strawberry beds will do this year. :2thumb:

 

Oh and FreeNihilist ... time for rabbit on the menu. :2thumb: lol

 

Chicken wire over the berry patch in the winter helps, and mesh bags of dog hair during the summer. I generally brush the dogs in the spring, put the hair in the garlic and onion set bags and stake them out in the strawberries.

 

an old wives' tale that seems to be effective here is ringing the garden with marigolds... rabbits supposedly detest the stink

 

Blob, you say "an old wives's tale . . . ", but does it work? I don't have a rabbit problem mine is squirrels. Thanks.

 

I don't buy lunch meat often, but it is selling for $7.00-$9.00/# for better stuff.

 

I live in the northwest and I have two whiskey barrels and I've had the same strawberry plants in there for 10 years. They've survived snow, rain, hail, 80MPH winds, 105 degree weather, everything. And they still come back stronger ever year. I wish I knew the name of them! It's been long gone in my mind.

 

I wish you knew the name of them too.

 

I love strawberries, but don't know if I could go for $6.99 a pound- yikes!

Makes me happy that we garden. I am still eating frozen strawberries from last summer's crop in my daily smoothie.

 

Rabbits certainly do hate Marigolds. I use them every year. Sometimes I even undersow crops with them. But, like anything else, it's a deterrent, not a magic bullet. You'll minimize the rabbit blight. In a related note, my middle son took a smallish rabbit in the yard yesterday with his BB gun. But now he doesn't know what to do with it! Guess I'll have to show him. Wife says she's not desperate enough for rabbit stew yet. I don't have to be desperate for yummy yummy rabbit.

 

12 gauge, 5 shot semi-auto...#6 shot.

 

I love smoothies, one almost daily, my recipe is: ice, soy milk, whey, banana carb master yogert and a berry fruit.

 

@FreeNilihist....

you need some good rabbit traps...fresh venison....or else get some electric poultry or similar netting from Premier1...it isn't cheap but neither is losing your whole crop of berries not to mention your time, etc....

 

I got a quart of them for $2.99 this past weekend. I took them home a put them in my dehydrator. I also have seeds to start growing my own. My family loves strawberries. We use them a lot.

 

Rabbits do make a fine tastin gumbo cher.......



Season the rabbit with the rub. Heat the oil in a cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the rabbit, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour. Stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.
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Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the salt, cayenne, black pepper, and bay leaves. Add the rabbit and cook for 1 minute. Add the water, stirring to mix well. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender.
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Remove the bay leaves and serve in soup bowls.
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Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 small rabbit, cut into serving pieces (about 2 1/2 pounds, dressed)
1 tablespoon Rustic Rub
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves
3 quarts water