“Garden walk”....................(Recipes included)
Cool mornings are so welcomed at Spring Maple Farm. The harvest pace has accelerated and with it comes empty jars and bottles to wash and fill with vegetables, fruits and brews. Springtime’s rhubarb wine is bottled and corked, the blueberry percolates in its “carboy” while the elderberries are tediously stripped from their stems for yet another flavor of homemade elixirs.
The drying racks in the barn are clear of the garlic and now hold the three varieties of onions while they finish curing. I love the act of braiding onions and am comforted to see them decorating the downstairs door from fall to spring. Just make sure the necks of the onions are dry before braiding so mold doesn’t get a chance to start.
Those of you who attended “The Royal Bean” class will be happy to know that the harvest of Edamames (green soybeans) is halfway done and the pods are packed and frozen. Speaking of freezing, one of our students emailed with a question asking how to prevent freezer burn so we’ll address that today.
FREEZING
First, check the temperature of your freezer ...it should be at 0 degrees or below.
Second, freeze in good quality freezer bags and/or foil within bags. For breads, I like to wrap in waxed paper first, then put in freezer bags.
Green beans for the freezer should be young (no seed lumps visible), blanched for 3 min., shocked in cold water, drained and frozen on cookie sheets for fast freezing. Then place in freezer bags, zip almost closed....insert a straw and suck the air out, finish sealing. Date and label everything. Use frozen items within their “best used by” time frame. Any good preservation cookbook gives these time frames for individual products.
Weed. It is so important at this time of year to NOT allow weeds to set seed and then reseed in your garden. Leaving bare soil after a harvest is an opportunity for more weed seeds to germinate. A thick layer of straw mulch not only suppresses weed germination but makes a perfect habitat for worms to work their soil-farming magic.
Water. It’s time to check all rain barrels and containers for presence of mosquito larvae. It takes only 4 days after a rain for these little biters to grow.
Container plants and perennials. Many potted perennials are on sale now...time to add some fall color to your landscape? Deadhead annuals you want to keep blooming. Think about overwintering some of your containerized annuals in the house. More on how to do this will be addressed as cold weather approaches.
Beans. Pick daily for the best fresh eating quality or for freezing. Blanch young beans, cool and freeze. Beans at maturity are excellent for canning.
Broccoli needs picking. Keep broccoli plants producing by harvesting side-shoots which are good for freezing.
Young fruit trees need to “grow up” a bit before winter. Do not fertilize or water (unless under drought stress, of course) until next year.
MADDIE'S HERBAL NOTES
Goldenrod--
I just love harvesting goldenrod. It makes me think of soon-to-be-here autumn and the upcoming holiday season. I cut armfuls, leaving long stems, strip most of the leaves, tie it in bundles and hang it to air dry. The yellow retains most of its color and looks beautiful in arrangements or just in a vase by itself. I always decorate my Christmas tree with it. The flowers, cut in small pieces, would be lovely in a bowl of natural potpourri or used in a miniature arrangement for your County Fair entry.
On another note, this herb has long been maligned as one of the culprits of the fall allergy season. No wonder, since its bright yellow flowers are so visible everywhere during this high pollen time. More than likely the cause of these allergic reactions is truly...Ragweed. Its light greenish flowers on green foliage is easy to miss. Ragweed's pollen is airborne whereas pollen of the goldenrod is gathered by honeybees. They take plenty of it back to the hives to be used as part of their winter sustenance.
Solidago canadensis, our common Goldenrod is an invasive plant, but necessary for diversity. We live with it.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Pick it...eat it.
