August 27, 2013
- Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter
From Kim Willis
These weekly garden notes are
written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions
expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other
individual, group or organizations opinions.
Hi Gardeners
I am sitting
here hoping for rain. Everything is
dusty and dry and just begging for rain.
We have had only sprinkles so far and I hope the prediction for wider
rain this evening pans out. There may
be severe storms too so keep an eye out.
At least I no longer have to worry about my corn blowing over.
 |
| Bee on marigold |
My sweet corn
harvest is over; I put lots in the freezer.
I am working on putting up tomatoes now.
The early apples are starting to fall, I noticed them all along the road
when I went to town, the deer should be happy.
I have a tree that was once chewed by rabbits and grew back from the
roots. It was obviously on crabapple
rootstock because I have hundreds of tiny yellow crabapples falling. They taste good though, and there are no
worms in them. I may try to make
applesauce or jelly if the heat lets up.
I noticed an
abundance of silver lace vine blooming along the roads this year. It’s funny how some plants are more prevalent
one year than another. I tried to get a
silver lace vine to grow on my fence once but it died. Yet I saw some in a field that had climbed 30
feet into a dead tree. On the other
hand my Sweet Autumn Clematis which generally tries to overpower everything in
its bed is not very big this year and just starting to bloom. The Allegany vine, which looks like white
bleeding hearts on a ferny vine has bloomed heavily and it has climbed into a catalpa
tree. It’s close to the Sweet Autumn
Clematis, maybe it inhibits it.
My fears for
a low population of bees and frogs and toads have been eased by an abundance of
those species this summer. I have toads
in my one remaining outside dog kennel; rather they are inside the indoor part
of her kennel. They hang around by the
dog’s water dish and I can even scratch their sides. I don’t know why they came inside to live. I
sure am happy to see them though. Mowing
has been interesting with little frogs hopping everywhere. And bees are everywhere at my place, I have
to be careful not to get stung as I try to weed or harvest.
 |
| Giant Swallowtail on Black Beauty lilies. |
I am still
not seeing many monarchs. I have seen a
lot of Giant Swallowtail butterflies though and other people are telling me
they are seeing them too. These
butterflies are huge. I am also seeing many tiger swallowtails
and smaller butterflies like skippers.
The Giant Swallowtails are said to like thistle, Joe Pye weed, butterfly
bush for nectar and prickly ash for egg laying but I see them most around my
lilies. The caterpillars are brown and
white and resemble a large bird dropping for camouflage.
Tomato
anthracnose – fruit rot
A common tomato problem is really prevalent this season. I have it in my
own garden. Tomato anthracnose is one
of those nasty fungal diseases that are so hard to control. This disease also affects the leaves, stems
and roots of tomato plants but it’s the infection of the fruit that is most
problematic.
Tomato’s that are ripe or nearly ripe develop what is called “watersoaked”
spots, sunken, kind of shiny areas that eventually develop a dark center and
the fruit rots around and under the lesion.
When you cut the tomato you often see a black area inside below the
outer spot.
Tomatoes vary in how susceptible they are to “fruit rot”. At any time you may have some tomatoes with
the spots and some without, even on the same plant. Your plants won’t die from the disease,
although the disease often combines with other tomato fungal diseases to limit
production and make the plants look horrible.
Plants without many leaves don’t have the sugars and other nutrients
that make fruit tasty and you may notice the tomato’s flavor isn’t as good.
You can cut off small rotted areas and eat the fruit without problems
but if you like to can tomatoes you may have a problem. Tomatoes with anthracnose often cause bacterial
problems in canned products resulting in spoilage. Don’t use any fruit with rotted spots for
canning. It’s not wise to use them in
frozen products such as tomato sauces either.
Ripe tomatoes without rotted spots, even if you know anthracnose is
around, are safe to use.
Don’t allow your fruits to get over ripe on the vine. Pick them while red and still firm if you
suspect you have anthracnose in the garden.
Discard tomatoes with the rotted spots away from your garden, not in the
compost pile either. If you pick
tomatoes and notice small rotted spots cut out the spot and use them at once or
toss them as they will quickly rot.
When storing tomatoes for a few days before use, try to put them in a
single layer, not touching each other. (I
line mine up on a kitchen shelf.) If one
has anthracnose that you didn’t spot it is less likely to spread to the other
fruit if they don’t touch. And tomatoes
should not be stored in the refrigerator!
It ruins the flavor and they will actually spoil faster.
Anthracnose can be prevented with fungicide sprays started as soon as
there is fruit on the vine. Like other fungal
diseases mulching and keeping plants off the ground helps. Some weeds harbor the disease so keep your
garden weeded. If you get it in the
garden it’s very important to remove all tomato plant debris and rotted fruits
to a separate, remote compost pile or to plastic trash bags and the
landfill. The fungus spores overwinter
in tomato debris. And rotate your
crops! This disease will live in the
soil and infect your plants next year.
Tomatoes are not the only plants that get anthracnose. Peppers, eggplant, potatoes, cucumbers,
strawberries, some squash and pumpkins also get anthracnose. Some of these strains of anthracnose can “crossover”
especially in closely related species like tomatoes and peppers.
Why
men should eat pizza
Researchers have found that oregano, a common pizza seasoning, can help
prevent prostrate cancer.
Oregano has anti-bacterial
as well as anti-inflammatory properties so use it generously on pizza and other
foods. Carvacrol, a constituent of oregano, is actually being used to cure
prostrate cancer. All the antioxidants
in tomato sauce and other herbs used for pizza seasoning also promote prostrate
health. So guys, if you need an excuse
to order pizza, just say it’s good for your health!
Imprelis
update
Remember imprellis, the weed killer applied to lawns that killed
trees? Three years later researchers are
saying it’s generally safe to replant trees on soil treated with
imprellis. However woodchips or compost
made from trees killed by imprellis may still be toxic. The chemicals in imprellis can leach from
them and kill plants.
Be extremely careful when you purchase compost and wood chips. There are many horror stories floating around
about tainted compost and wood chips.
Even some manure has been found to be plant toxic because of chemicals
in animal feed, which survive and are excreted in the manure.
Chicory
(Cichorium intybus)
 |
| Chicory flower. |
If you have eaten a FiberOne bar you have eaten chicory. The roots of this lovely roadside weed with
its daisy-like blue flowers yields an interesting food additive, inulin. Inulin is a sugar molecule with a different
makeup than other sugars, a sugar molecule that doesn’t cause a rise in blood
sugar levels when consumed. Inulin also
imparts a smooth creamy mouth feel to foods that allows food makers to reduce fats
and it adds dietary fiber in the form of indigestible carbs called fructans. So much fiber in fact that if you eat FiberOne
bars you may have experienced some of the gastrointestinal side effects,
especially if you pigged out because they taste so good. (I read some of the
comments on various sites talking about Fiberone bars and they were hilarious. Explosive farting is common.)
The fructans in inulin also cause the digestive system to absorb more
calcium and magnesium, and studies show they can help prevent
osteoporosis. They also stimulate the
production of intestinal bifidobacteria, the good bacteria in our guts that
help us digest food properly and ramp up our immune system. Fructans are being added to some yogurts that
promise to build good intestinal bacteria.
And if you start with small amounts of food with fructans or inulin you
build up tolerance to the gastro effects and won’t blow everyone out of the
room.
In other countries inulin powder is being widely used in dairy products
like ice cream, baked goods, cereals and granola bars. It reduces the need for sugar and fat and
doesn’t cause the problems associated with other artificial sweeteners and fat
substitutes in the cooking/preparation process and it doesn’t have an
unpleasant taste. It can be used exactly
like sugar, although it isn’t quite as sweet.
It is an excellent substitute for high fructose corn syrup.
Inulin has been pushed as a good food additive for diabetics for many
years. Besides chicory, Jerusalem
artichokes, onions, garlic and a few other foods also contain inulin. Agave is
the newest inulin producer, being promoted in more tropical areas. Most food grade inulin is being produced from
chicory roots however and the largest factories producing it are in the
Netherlands and France.
There is a company in the US that is producing inulin for pet foods, but
the US is slow to get behind this product, probably because we have so many
sugar producing plants in the US that aren’t happy about a new rival. Idaho and
Nebraska however have studies in place to see if chicory can become an economically
important crop.
Inulin is produced much like sugar is produced from sugar beets and
sugar beet factories could easily be converted to inulin production. Harvesting equipment for chicory roots can be
adapted from beet harvesting equipment.
But US farmers do not like perennial crops, and chicory is a perennial plant. Still there is hope that this valuable plant
could become another money making crop for US farmers.
Other
Chicory uses
Chicory is being studied as a forage crop for livestock and is getting
good reviews. Chicory has as much
protein as alfalfa, high amounts of vitamins and minerals and evens inhibits
the growth of intestinal worms in livestock.
Livestock enjoy eating chicory and well managed fields produce as much
forage as alfalfa and specially selected pasture grasses. It also grows well in poor soil and under
drought conditions. (You can see that as
chicory grows well along dusty road edges.)
In New Zealand chicory is widely used as a forage crop and named
varieties have been developed. West
Virginia in the US is sponsoring several large forage trials of chicory.
People have been eating a type of chicory that forms loose heads of
leaves, called wiltlof chicory for hundreds of years and it is still a
specialty greens crop. The dried and
ground roots of chicory have long been used as a coffee substitute or additive. Some people even prefer the chicory coffee
over regular coffee. Beer brewers
sometimes add chicory root powder to beers, especially Belgian style ales.
In Germany the chicory flower is much used in herbal medicine and is
claimed to cure almost any ailment. It
is said that chicory can magically open locked doors. Bruised chicory leaves have long been used as
a poultice for wounds and bruises. The leaves of chicory are used to make a
blue dye.
As a caution, in herbal remedies chicory has been used as an emmenagogue
and abortifacient. That means the herb
was used to bring on a menstrual period or cause an abortion. Anyone who is pregnant may want to avoid the
use of chicory in herbal remedies or as a coffee drink although using products
containing commercial inulin is perfectly safe.
About
chicory
Chicory grows just about everywhere in the US but it’s not a native
plant. Like the dandelion it was brought
over here by European settlers. Its origins are from central Europe. In its first year it forms a rosette of leaves
and a long straight tan taproot like a carrot. The leaves are similar to dandelion leaves. In the second and subsequent years it will put
up long stems of blue flowers in late summer unless it is kept mowed or grazed. Leaves and stems may leak a milky sap when
broken. It reproduces from seed.
Chicory flowers are blue and daisy like although the plant is rather
straggly and not much to look at in the garden setting, the flowers can look
quite pretty along the roads and meadows mixed with white Queen Anne’s lace and
yellow goldenrod. Occasionally chicory
may have pink, purple or white flowers. Each flower opens and closes at the
same time each day and chicory is sometimes used in floral clocks. Common names include blue daisy, blue
sailors, and coffeeweed. The type of
chicory used as greens is sometimes called Belgian endive, and a red form is
called radicchio.
Watch out for storms tonight
Kim
Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent
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