The farmers’ market season was a great success and we appreciate all the support from our customers and friends. It’s middle of September and the garden is over. The tomatoes died off early, the corn devoured by the raccoons and the deer have eaten all the peas. All the melons, squash and pumpkins have been picked. The harvest has been sold, eaten and preserved. So, what now?
Fall Crops
Some people, including myself, think that once the staples are harvested it’s time to let the gardens go. Let beans go to seed and collect as many seeds as possible from the other vegetables. However, you can raise a fall garden. Most people prefer to raise their greens in fall. These include mustard greens, cabbage, beets, turnips, etc. But others I know have grown other vegetables, like beans and tomatoes, as late as October. Some research shows fall is a better time for growing certain vegetables because of the cooler temperatures and lessened threat of pests. I have never attempted to grow a second garden, until this year. My sister, Lisa, started a second round of squash, zucchini and cucumber plants for us. I set my plants out in late August but unfortunately, they all died. Lisa’s are doing well and she is hoping to have squash in the next two weeks. Trying a fall garden was worth the try and I may even attempt it again next year.
Cleanup
I am also cleaning up our gardens. I collected as much seed as possible to save for planting next year. All of the chicken wire border, woven wire trellises and metal fence posts have been removed. The weeds have overtaken the gardens, it happens, and it will take some major work and effort to get to a point of replanting. I had a goal to plant mustard greens as a cover crop in both gardens to help improve the soil health. The greens would mature, then be tilled under later to decompose and replenish the nutrients in the soil. I believe this is an important part of soil maintenance. But due to some unexpected circumstances, I may not have the gardens in a ready state before the first expected frost. I need to put more effort into improving the soil during the non-market months.
Bring on the fruits
We will also be getting the gardens ready to plant more berries. This fall, we plan to expand our blueberry and blackberry plants by a large number. We will be planting the new seedlings in one of our two gardens, instead of having to prepare a new part of our land. This will cut down on prep time and cost. Fall is a great time to plant berries and fruit trees, like apple trees. It allows the new plants time to soak up the fall and winter moisture and be ready to bloom in the spring. We are excited to share more about the expansion as it takes place.
The garden may be over, but the work continues. I look forward to the garden turnover and setting out lots of new plants. It’s an exciting time to prep for the next year.
This time of year, when fruit and vegetables are in abundance, is a great time to make some sweet treats, jams and jellies. Although preparing the fruit can be time consuming, I believe, jams and jellies are two of the easiest preservation methods. The question is, which is better, jam or jelly. Whatever your answer, the most important thing in preparing both, is to use recipes that are approved with safe preservation guidelines. Good resources are Ball or The National Center for Home Food Preservation.
The Similarities
Fruits and vegetables are used to make jams and jellies. Oh yes, vegetables are jammed and jellied. Zucchini, tomatoes and peppers are some of the most common veggies made into sweet treats. Jams and jellies both include sugar. In both types, some varieties require citric acid or lemon juice to safely preserve. Jams and jellies can be frozen, eaten fresh or canned. Pectin isn’t a requirement in jams and jellies; it merely cuts down on the cooking time.
The Difference
The difference between the two is that jam uses the pulp of the fruit or vegetable, while jelly uses only the juice. Jelly requires an additional step in making as one must strain the juice out of the boiled or cooked fruit or vegetable pulp. You can cut down on the prep time and labor and use bottled juice. The pulp is usually discarded in jelly making, thus, it may be viewed as food waste. However, some people prefer jelly when the fruit includes seeds, such as blackberries. Seeds can be hard for some to digest. Others prefer to see bits of the actual fruit or vegetable pulp when they spread jam over toast, meat, etc. An argument also exits that jam has a stronger flavor because it contains pulp.
Jam or jelly is really a personal preference when eating or preparing. If you need to save time, opt for jam. If you can’t handle seeds due to digestion or other reasons, do the extra step and make jelly. I personally like both, jam is my preference, but marmalade is my favorite. (Don’t get me started on marmalade). I love to see the actual fruit or vegetable on my toast or biscuit. I think both are beautiful, delicious and very rewarding to make. If you are team jelly or team jam and would like to battle your beliefs out with supporting evidence, please invite me over to referee.
Every garden has it’s problems. Some have more issues than others and some have less. Some people have soil issues. Others find they need more sunlight. My problems mostly consist of living creatures that are trying just as hard as me to consume the produce that I worked so hard to raise. From raccoons to squirrels to worms and cucumber beetles, gardening season is basically wartime. How do you protect your garden from insects and animals, I’m not sure. I thought I would share with you what we have tried and what others have recommended in hopes that it will help someone experiencing the same problems.
Beetles
This year, I’ve had more insect damage than ever. It started when I first set out my plants. The cucumber beetles emerged from their hiding spot in droves. Cucumber beetles are yellow and can either have black stripes or black spots. Alone, the beetles may not actually kill the plant but the wilt disease they spread, will. These beetles wiped out many of my cucumber, squash and zucchini plants. So, I started doing my homework. Suggestions for combat were to use row cover, hand pick the bugs off, or use varying pesticides. Some of these methods were not feasible and others really didn’t work. It does seem that as my plants got older, they were better able to survive the beetle attacks. Or maybe there are just fewer beetles as the summer progresses. Although, I did see cucumber beetles up until just a few weeks ago.
Japanese beetles are the other beetles that ravage our farm. They love the foliage of my grapes and berry plants. And recently have taken up residence in the silks of the ears of corn. I haven’t used anything to defend against them. I actually let one grapevine be the sacrificial plant hoping it would keep the beetles there and not elsewhere. But after they defoliated it, they moved on. I know people that use beetle traps that hang around areas of their property, away from their desired plants, to cut down on the damage. The debate is whether or not the traps actually draw more beetles to the area than are naturally there. I think the traps are worth the risk. And next year, I may be purchasing some myself to test. I recommend to buy early as products seem to be sold out when you are in the heat of battle.
Caterpillars
The other destructive insect that I am battling this year is caterpillars. In years past, I have had greenhorn worms eat the foliage of my tomato plants. But this year, a new sheriff moved into town. It’s a small brown caterpillar, called a fruitworm or earworm, that bores into the tomatoes. You will know them from the circular hole in the tomato. The hole may contain fecal matter, an identifying factor for the fruitworm. Research stated that the caterpillars start munching on tomatoes while they are green. That may be so, but I have found holes in tomatoes at all states of maturity.
These caterpillars also love corn. Recently, while harvesting corn, I discovered that many ears had worms near the top. These worms are easy to find as they do have some size and eat a path in the ear of corn. Excrement, called frass, a brown mushy substance may also indicate the presence of these caterpillars in corn. In order to preserve any corn, I cut away the infected part of the cob and use the rest.
Possible methods for prevention are to till the ground in the fall as the worms can overwinter in the soil, inspect plants daily for signs of larvae and to use varying pesticides. Specifically for corn, research suggests using a clothespin at the top of the ear that connects to the silk to prevent entry. Also, to apply mineral oil to the silks as it suffocates the worms. I wonder if mineral oil may be a two fold winner and deter the Japanese beetles as well.
Animals
At our place here in Rickman, we have so many wild animals, that we joke it’s really a wildlife refuge instead of a farm. On any given day, we have skunks, raccoons, possums, turkeys, deer, rabbits, hawks, and squirrels. We have had raccoons and possums come right up to our backdoor. We also had a cow on our back porch but that’s a different story. Most of these creatures spend the non gardening months sharpening their teeth and lying in wait for the first plant to be placed in the garden, or at least that’s what I think they do. After planting, an all out assault commences.
Last year, I was tossing on average of five tomatoes a day due to squirrel damage. We haven’t had nearly that much damage this year but it could be because the fruitworms are beating the squirrels to the punch. I remedied the rabbit damage to the my strawberry patch by covering it with two inch chicken wire. The deer damage has slowed with the five foot chicken wire fence we placed around most of the garden. The purple hull peas are unfenced and have suffered the consequences.
The raccoons have proven to be the archnemeses. Last year and this year, the raccoons have feasted on our sweet corn. I was hoping the chicken wire fence would deter them but it hasn’t proven successful. We even used landscape staples around the bottom of the fence to prevent tunneling under. Due to their finger hands and expert climbing skills, the raccoons are merely scaling the wire at night. Some suggestions, I received, to alleviate the problem were to use a radio, live traps or dogs. I did set a live trap for two weeks last year and didn’t catch a thing. We don’t have dogs. And the only battery operated radio that I own has a speaker problem. So I have resulted to harvesting the corn early and living with the fact that I may not have any to sell.
The garden battle of 2020 will wrap up soon. The pests and animals will return to their off season foraging grounds and celebrate their wins. (I know that’s what they do.) And I will record the details of all the produce I was able to salvage and preserve. I professed a few weeks ago, in the midst of tossing 65 ears of ruined corn, that I would not grow corn again but I might change my mind by next year. After all, someone has to teach those raccoons a lesson. Until then, I will be thankful for what I’ve been given.
Going to the Farmer’s Market is a great experience. It has provided so many rewards, most being nonmonetary. We talk to different people each week and some of the same. It’s fun to talk gardening and produce and I find that I really learn a lot. And sometimes, it’s nice to hear that people are experiencing the same garden woes and understand what you are going through. The market is worth the time and prep work it takes to get there. So this week, I thought I would share what steps are involved in getting ready for Market Saturday.
Early in the Week
Early in the week, I am already trying to plan what to take to the market on Saturday. The garden has to be picked every day and in this process, I am already looking to see what vegetables will be ready to pick on Friday. It’s easy to be wrong during this step because rain, drought, and heat can all impact the vegetable growth significantly. For example, during very dry times, it may appear as though not much will be ready for the weekend. Then on Wednesday or Thursday, a rain shower will come, and the plants will react almost immediately, it seems, and produce. What I may have thought wouldn’t be available, now fills a basket. It’s always a good time to be wrong.
Friday Evening-Picking and Deciding
Friday is the day Mattie, my niece, comes with her flowers and vegetables, grown at Cardinal Lane Farm in Kentucky. It’s also picking and decision day. I may pick some on Thursday evenings, if time is limited, but try to pick only vegetables that can tolerate being picked longer, such as root vegetables. This is the time when I comb both gardens to see what is actually available and in what quantity. At about 7 pm, when the heat starts to cool down, I start picking. I pick everything that is ready. After the baskets are filled, then it’s time to decide what will be for sale and what will be for kept for us.
For example, this week, I picked a “mess” of Rattlesnake beans and two “messes” of Case Knife beans. Yes, a “mess” is a measurement or it always has been in my life. It’s the amount that a person can cook for one night for his/her family. I decided to keep the Rattlesnake beans to cook for Brent and myself and sell the Case Knife beans. The Case Knife beans were not enough to make a full seven quart canning, so not an efficient amount to preserve. This worked out well as it helped to provide variety to my produce selection but still allowed us to enjoy what we had grown. After those decisions are made, the keep pile is taken into the house and the rest is cleaned and prepared for Saturday.
Friday Night-Loading the Truck
After the vegetables are prepared, it’s dark. This is the time we spend loading the truck and getting our supplies ready. We have to pack tables, tablecloths, tent, coolers, chalkboard and supplies, crates, baskets of multiple sizes, grocery bags, and many other items that are required on market days. By loading as much as we can on Friday night, it lightens the load for an early Saturday morning that is spent loading the produce.
Saturday
Our Saturday usually starts before 5 am. We get up and start loading the truck and coolers with produce and supplies for the day. Mattie and I try to leave the house no later than 5:30 am to ensure our same selling spot at the market. We arrive around 6 am. The next thirty minutes are spent setting up tables and organizing our produce. We try and make our tables eye pleasing and organized. We also like to set out our chalk sign with a list of available produce and price the vegetables to make the shopping experience easier for our customers. By 7 am the foot traffic starts to pick up and it stays pretty steady until 10:30-11:00 am. We usually decide to leave based on how much inventory we have left. Yesterday, we left at 10:45 am. We pack up the remaining produce and supplies and head home.
It’s Not Over
Once we leave the market, the day is not over. When we get home, supplies are unloaded. I either take Mattie back to Kentucky or her parents pick her up. Then the rest of the day, after a rest, is spent preserving what didn’t sell or doing garden chores that didn’t get done on Friday. It’s a lot of work and a time commitment but I do really enjoy it. It’s a good way to spend the weekends of summer. We hope to see you there.
And just remember, when you see us on Saturday, we have been preparing to see you all week!
