In today's Press-Register, Finch writes about pruning persimmons for better yields, and to keep the fruit within reach.
Slow Food USA entry on the American Persimmon
Check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for advice on freezing and drying persimmons.
Do you grow or eat persimmons? How do you like to use them?
From the Slow Food Blog, a brief article on kitchen gardens, and a link to Kitchen Gardeners International, which I'll add to the External Links.
According to USDA statistics, today we buy more than 99 percent of the food we eat, and the percentage of home-grown food continues to decline. And yet backyard gardens and community plots can play a vital role in food production, as they did during the Second World War. At its height the Victory Garden movement produced nearly 40% of the produce consumed in this country. A reinvigorated garden movement could dramatically improve the way we grow and consume food.
In today's Press-Register, Finch writes about pruning peaches and plums for better yields. He also writes
The University of Massachusetts Fruit Program offers a good video primer on pruning peaches. Check it out at www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/video/peachpruning/index.html
I was pleased to see a story on the locavore movement in today's Press-Register.
As I found at the Deep South Fruit & Vegetable Growers conference, there is interest in locally-produced food, but not enough producers to meet the demand. In the article, Jim Todd of the local extension office says that farmers with small plots are being encouraged to venture into the CSA market. I hope they're successful! A friend of mine is one of the lucky ones with a share at Bee Natural Farms. I called last fall and got on the waiting list, but was told as confirmed in the story that the wait can indeed be a long one.
In today's Garden section of the Press-Register, Bill Finch gives the scoop on his favorite all-purpose soil amendment: leaves. My only addition is that if you have, as we do, plentiful oak leaves which are slow to break down, it helps to mulch them with the mower.
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