Summer abundance

So what else can be found in dacha? Many others.

Grapes, for example. Of course they don't  just grow wild. 

Plums. They grow wild and sometimes can be pretty generous with fruits.

Cherries. Next to apples, they are the most industrious and generous. My first harvest was 7 kilos. 

Black currant. Wild as well. They regularly give ample amount every year. I love it on tea. The leaves themselves smell so good.

Rowanberry. They grow wild and left wild but the give a lot of fruit? berry all the time. Bears eat them! It's not people's  favorite cause it's sour and bitter. But I've heard health benefits of it. It can be made wine which is beneficial for liver and lungs. I haven't dobe anything from it honestly except trying how it tastes.

Shadberry. They're  small but very sweet and soft. It ha to be gathered fast as it can dry up in the sun or birds will eat them all - they love them!

Red bird cherry (prunus padus). Wild. They're  very pretty red and transparent. It's  not sweet nor sour. Not my favorite but birds love them too.

Sea buckthorn. Planted, later can beleft wild. The color maybe is like rowanberry but they aren't the same. I also don't know why the name is "sea buckthorn" as they don't grow near the sea. But it naturally growns on a sandy soil in the mountains of the northern hemisphere. 

What's  interesting about this plant is that, it bears fruit only if you plant the male & female shrub side by side. Funny eh? I never thought plants have genders too. :)

Now, here's more of what I've  collected. From the left: cherries, shadberry, black currant and a litthe of raspberries - there's not much of it.

Unfortunately these apples will be left and burried under the ground which served as natural fertilizer. They were already in the ground and the best ones have already been taken home.

How wealthy our earth is! It's in fact overwhelming. I hope this does not only remind me to be thankful and to care about nature but all those who receive the same abundance.

I love summers in Russia. You get all the vitamins you'll need to consume in the coming long and cold winter. 

Summer is to recharge and get vitaminized :)

Linking with: Our World Tuesday

The apple story

Apples are just one of the most common harvest in dacha. Most of these apples are as old as 40 years when dachas were just built.

They grow in every yard. Some people have time to cultivate & take care of them, others just left them growing wild. Either way, apples bear an abundant fruit every summer.

     

There are different sorts and sizes too. They are all good for jam, pies, compote and "kompot" - it's a Russian word and I'm  not sure what exactly it is called in English. It's a warm kinda juice from boiled apples (or fruit berry mix).

 

Like I said there's too much. Most of them are left on the ground or burried under. People try to share but neighbors have the same. If one tries to share at work, one might receive too as colleagues have dachas too.

What I like most about these apples is that they grow in absolutely natural conditions. Nothing can be in it except the minerals from the soil where it is growing.

Dachas /Resthouses

Dacha means a house where you take a rest in summer. They're not cottages, they're much simplier. In other words, they're not built for permanent living. They are used as resthouses in summer.

Majority of Russian families have dachas. That's where they spend summer relaxing and gardening.

Some dachas are near the river so many can be seen fishing.

The styles of dachas vary according to the type they were built. 

Originally, dachas were given free during Soviet Union times. The streets are named according to what group of people are living in the area. For example, musicians street, artists, writers etc. If some worked in a factory then the street would be named after the factory's name.

Some dachas have very beautiful botanical garden while others are more abundant in vegetables and berries.

While others are kept wild...

or abandoned.

The best thing I like about dacha is that it's in the heart of nature, away from the city. When you're in dacha, you don't have the complete comfort and convenience as you have in the city where you live. But that's what makes it exciting! For one season, you'll be totally living a different kinda life. Water and electricity are not a problem though as there is a normal supply.

Also, fruits and berries grow in the yard even without planting them, they're wild, without any fertilizers except minerals from the soil. 

Dacha is like another world in Russia, it's hot and green. But once fall comes, everybody goes back to the city and again lives the normal colder life. :)