September Picture Show

September is a month of transition. Summer has faded into autumn and the first golden leaves are starting to show. Enjoy these photos from this special time of year. Then again, aren't they all special?

Connecting to Nature by Preserving the Home Harvest

As summer draws to a close and the cool days of autumn approach, I love to walk through the 1870 Homestead Farm to gain a better understanding of previous generations who lived so close to the land by growing and preserving much of their own food. It was an absolute necessity for them to preserve the food they grew by canning, drying, pickling, salting and cold storage to see them through the lean times of winter. While today’s supermarkets provide virtually any fruit or vegetable regardless of season, I invite you to purchase some locally grown produce from the Farmer’s Market and try two simple food preservation methods; freezing and drying. It’s simple, nutritious, economical and it can connect you and your family to nature through the harvest. As a child, my sisters and I spent many hours cutting up green beans, picking cucumbers, tomatoes and apples, husking sweet corn, digging potatoes and scrubbing carrots with my parents in order to enjoy through the year. Like most kids doing chores, I did my share of grumbling to try and escape the drudgery of the task at hand. I now look back on those experiences from twenty-five years ago as an important part of developing my interest in our rural heritage and the skills associated with living close to the land. Freezing is the modern way to preserve food and it’s probably the simplest way to get started enjoying the harvest year round. If care is taken to properly prepare and package the food the flavor is quite good. I recommend starting with pea pods, corn, cherries and blueberries. To prepare the pea pods start by removing the tip of the washed pea, peal the “strings” of both sides and remove the stem end. Blanch them in boiling water for no more than 2-3 minutes and then immediately cool in ice water for 5 minutes. Place the blanched and cooled peas on trays in a freezer and when frozen solid, store in plastic bags or containers, leaving 1" headroom in rigid containers. You can add the frozen peas to recipes just before serving because they only need a few minutes of cooking. Corn is just as easy! Heat the washed, husked cobs in boiling water for 4 minutes, cool immediately, drain and cut the corn from the cob. Pack the corn into plastic bags, seal and freeze. To freeze cherries and blueberries, wash, sort and drain them. Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter or a sharp kitchen knife. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Pack into rigid containers, leaving 1" headroom, and keep frozen. You can use the fruit for cooking or in cereals and oatmeal. Another simple method of preserving food is by drying. If you’re just starting out there’s no need to buy a dehydrator; you can oven-dry vegetables by setting your oven to its lowest temperature, (no more than 150degrees F). Place them on a tray with a screen and leave the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture escape. I’ve made delicious dried tomatoes by slicing them 1" thick and drying them for 6-12 hours or until leathery throughout. If dried until brittle you can store them in a cool dry place. I like mine a little softer so I pack them in a glass jar with olive oil and garlic and put them in the refrigerator. They’re excellent on pizza. The preservation methods described only scratch the surface of keeping the harvest. If you get serious about it you’ll want to start canning produce, a great way to put up dozens of quarts of vegetables. There are many excellent books available to give you all the details on canning, as well as great recipes for sauerkraut, delicious tomato sauces, dried apples, pickled cucumbers and much more. My favorites book is Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead. The benefits of preserving the home harvest or locally grown produce are many. You ensure a quality product because it’s picked and preserved at the peak of freshness and nutrition, you help out the local economy and you connect to the seasonal cycles of nature through the food you eat everyday. Dennis Pilaske, Director of Interpretation

Coffee Grounds for the Garden

If you like your morning cup (or pot) of coffee, but hate to see those messy grounds in your trash, there are a couple of great alternatives for you to consider. First, coffee grounds can be a beneficial additive to your garden soil. During brewing, most of the acidity is removed, leaving grounds with an average pH of 6.9 and a carbon ratio of 20-1 (for all you garden savvy folks out there). Most perennials love a little nitrogen, so adding some fresh coffee grounds into the soil nearby is a good way to give them a little treat. Or, you can mix it in with some leaf matter or grass clippings to make a more complex nutritional blend. Another way to use coffee grounds is to mix them with other "brown" material (leaves, etc) and put them directly into your compost pile. When used in this manner, it's best to use them within three to four weeks to capture the best nutritional value. For more information about how to use coffee grounds in the garden, check out Sunset's "Starbucks Coffee Compost Test" or visit the Starbucks Coffee Compost page.

A Day Off ? Go Outside!

Ah, Labor Day. The holiday of picnics and barbecues, a weekend at the beach or perhaps the golf course. The first official Labor Day was held in New York in 1882 and since that time the holiday has grown into a major American tradition. While we spend time honoring our hard working ancestors and people among us now who make a difference every day, let's not forget we're not alone. The birds, insects, mammals, plants and other species that share this planet with us don't get the day off! Trees and other green plants (thankfully) keep on making oxygen for all of us to breathe. Corn keeps growing, hens keep laying and cows keep giving milk (which means farmers don't get a day off either!) A good way to appreciate the workings of a busy ecosystem is to get out in it. On your day off, why not take a walk in the woods, grab a paddle and kayak down a local river, or spend some time sitting on a dock overlooking a pond. The busy, wonderful, world of nature is all around us, working away 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So as we show thanks for the hard workers among us, let's not forget those who have more (or fewer) legs than we do!