One morning last June, Josh sent me a text message telling me he has pulled like 6 caterpillars off of my dill plant. I giggled, because of course he did. It’s mouthwatering, organic dill! The best type for pickle canning. I was so excited this year, because in years past, I planted dill in the front yard, which was a mistake. I planted dill last year and the year before, and the critters ate it. I wanted to be annoyed, but I couldn’t really blame them. This year, I started it indoors, and moved it outdoors after Mother’s day. It took off! It was so beautiful, and fragrant. I could not wait to pack it in our pickles.
As I said, Josh tells me he’s pulled maybe half a dozen caterpillars off the plant. He pulls it indoors again, and we start monitoring it. Every morning, when we get up, we check it first. I personally never saw any or pulled any off, but Josh found more. They were so cute, I wanted to let them stay there, but they were sabotaging my canning process. He sent me another text at work a few days later, as well as pictures. He has counted, up to this point, 18 caterpillars. He said at first, the tiny brown worms were caterpillar poop, then he realized they were babies. It was difficult to see them, because they blend in with the soil. By the time I got home that evening, he had pulled off over 36 caterpillars since he found the first. He was quite taken aback by how many he pulled off. He said he pulled one off while it was munching away, and it clung to his finger with attitude. I told him I get hangry sometimes, too! Lol
At this point, I realize they’re smashing my dill. I’m just too busy to notice. We were feeding an extended family, and a few friends. By the time we were harvesting cucumbers for pickles, all we had left were sticks from our dill plant. Lol! Josh picked up some fresh dill, and I made our pickles. I had so many cucumbers, which is great because I love making pickles, and giving them away to my family and friends. At first, it felt frustrating to grow my own dill for my pickles and come up short so many times. However, I will grow more, and I grew it numerous times. I just grew it for another creature to enjoy it. Hopefully, next year nature will see fit to let us enjoy it, as well.
Leave a Reply