Hedge Ball Hunting

One of my favorite fall activities on the farm is Hedge Ball Hunting!

Around mid to late October, when the air is crisp and the sun is warm, I grab my tall barn boots, a pair of work gloves and a long sleeved sweatshirt, one that is rugged enough to tromp through thick brush, and not attract those nasty, sticky little burrs.

Osage orange fruit or (Maclura pomifera fruit) Hedge balls are bumpy, lime green balls that resemble a brain, perfect for Halloween decorating. The hedge balls sometimes referred to as apples, growing on a thorny Osage Orange tree, the strength of the tree with its thorns, make it a good choice for a living fence, and the farm has several trees throughout its 15 acres.

There is an old wives tale that talks about using these hedge balls to repel insects and mice, this old wives' tale appears to be folklore, but my husbands grandma Myrtle swore by them, putting them all around the foundation on the house.

The smell of these fun balls is a wonderful bright citrus scent. One that reminds me of my favorite fall tea, Lemon Ginger.

I had a couple little buddies helping this year

Before the invention of barbed wire, pioneer farmers

planted lines of dense hedge trees to contain their livestock. The fruit is steeped in folklore and has been thought to have many benefits. The fruits outer skin is sticky, but the seeds inside contain oils that have been discovered as a rich nutrient for beauty products This oil is said to be a powerful anti-aging botanical oil discovered by a chemist in Iowa.

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Hedge Ball Hunting

I usually leave half the balls I find in the woods for the squirrels and deer. Both these animals enjoy smashing open the fruit and eating the seeds

I love to decorate the dining room, the front porch, fall wagon and flower gardens, hoping to keep the critters at bay!

My favorite scripture Proverbs 31:25. “She is clothed in strength and dignity “

Welcome Fall!