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♦ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
2C
How to produce fine blueberries
Blueberries are in season
again! And how sweet it is!.
Blueberries are one of the
most healthful fruits avail
able, loved for their spicy
aroma, sweet-tart taste, and
their unique indigo color.
Blueberries are rich in
vitamins A, C, E, and betaca
rotene and minerals potas
sium, manganese, and mag
nesium.
They are high in fiber
and low in saturated fat,
cholesterol, and sodium. But
that’s not all- nutritionists
tell us that, of all fresh fruits
and vegetables, blueberries
contain the most anti-cancer
and anti-age related antioxi
dants.
The most critical issue
regarding blueberry produc
tion is, other than soil pH,
probably that of pruning.
Blueberries produce fruit on
the previous season’s growth
(one-year old wood).
When left unpruned, ber
ries will be smaller and of
poorer quality.
Thus, blueberries are
pruned so that they keep
producing new growth and
large fruit. Smaller, younger
canes (branches) produce
larger, higher quality fruit.
Blueberries actually need
less pruning than many
other fruit plants, but prun
ing is nevertheless very
important in maintaining
Food fop Thought Looking for the best foods at the best prices
‘l’ve got Houston County blueberries and Crisp County cantaloupe in my refrigerator right now.’
Zucchini for two
I got some zucchini (the
ridged kind) at the Farmer’s
Market - two for a dollar. I
washed one, cut it into thick
slices, salted and peppered it,
and cooked it in the micro
wave in a plastic container. (I
put the lid on top when I do
this, but
don’t seal
it until
the cook
ing’s done.
That will
keep it
hot while
every
thing else
gets done.)
How long
you mike
it depends
Charlotte
Perkins
Staff writer
on what texture you want. I’d
rather have an undercooked
veggie than an overcooked
on anytime, so I cooked mine
- about two cups, sliced - for
four minutes.
More on cutting gro
cery costs
I’ve decided that the best
strategy for me - other than
watching prices like a hawk
- is to do my meat shopping
every two or three weeks,
separately of other shopping.
I just concentrate on find
ing good buys, and then I
put away meal-sized portions
in the freezer. Then I head
to the farmer’s market on
Saturday, and visit the gro
cery stores as needed. In
other words,*this is the really
old-fashioned way. Go out
hunting and gathering, and
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
At the Perry Farmers Market on Saturday, W.T. Jones, left, was selling homegrown
blueberries and Johnny Sheppard was selling Crisp County watermelons and canta
; loupes.
Blueberries are one of
the most healthful fruits
available, loved for their
spicy aroma, sweet-tart
taste, and their unique
indigo color.
Tim Lewis
Garden
Columnist
plant vigor. Blueberry plants
are vigorous growers, put
ting on a great deal of new
growth each year.
Pruning controls fruiting
potential by opening up the
canopy of the plant for maxi
mum sunlight penetration.
Leaves are better able to
photosynthesize, producing
more overall plant growth,
improving fruit set and size,
as well as enhancing color
development and taste.
Reasons for pruning blue
berries include:
* To encourage new growth
and plant vigor
* To maximize fruit size
by decreasing fruit load
* To keep plants a manage
able size for berry picking
* To provide shape and
form to plants
* To remove dead or dis
eased wood
Newly planted blueberry
plants should be cut back to
then figure out how to cook
then figure out how to cook
it.
Right now, roadside stands
and farmers markets, includ
ing Perry’s small but good
one, really are the best place
for good buys on fruits and
veggies in season. I’ve got
Houston County blueberries
and Crisp County cantaloupe
in my refrigerator right now.
On Saturday, I would have
bought red bell peppers for
$1 each if it hadn’t been for
the problem of having one at
home that I bought for $2.50
at the grocery store.
So try the stands and the
farmers market first, or see
if any of you farming and
gardening friends are going
to share from their gardens.
Per Pound or
Per Package?
Produce departments have
two kinds of pricing: per
pound, and per package.
This can be confusing,
because there are some items
that are sold by the pound,
but apparently arrive at the
stores in open bags or bun
dled together with rubber
bands.
So what do you do when
you see fresh asparagus for
$3.99 per pound, but there’s
three pounds of it secured
with rubber bands? Or when
there are grapes that cost 99
cents a pound, but they’re in
four pound bunches?
What I did was take a
bunch to the person working
in the produce department
and say, “I just want a pound
of this.” In the case of the
grapes, a nice young man got
FOOD&vHO/VIE
two-thirds of their original
height and any stray branch
es that cross back toward the
center of the plant should be
removed.
During the first growing
season, any fruit buds that
escaped this initial wacking
should be removed so that
the plant will use its water
and nutrients to develop
new shoots and roots in lieu
of fruit.
Growth on plants two
years old and older should
be maintained by the remov
al of any low-growing, lat
eral branches and any weak,
diseased, or damaged wood
before plants begin growing
in the spring.
This should be done in
January and February.
Blueberries may also need
pruning each year after har
vest.
For example, remov
ing about one-third of the
length of the tallest shoots
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
Adrienne Chase cleans a tomato at the Perry Farmers
Market, which is open every Saturday morning.
out his own pocket knife and
cut the big bunch into three
smaller bunches. (I got mine
for 83 cents).,
In the case of the aspara
gus, another nice young man
removed the rubber bands,
handed me a portion to
weigh, and I got exactly a
pound.
Granted, I could have tried
ripping the grapes apart, or
taking of the rubber bands
myself, but I felt more com
fortable asking to have my
problem solved, and I wanted
to report to the rest of you
that I got friendly assistance
with this in both cases.
I also got the definite
to enable them to support
the fruit produced the fol
lowing year is generally a
good idea.
When plants reach matu
rity, after eight to ten years,
some of the old canes will
need to be removed each
year so that they can be
replaced with new growth.
This is called cane renew
al or renewal pruning, and
it helps to keep the plants
healthy and vigorous. As a
rule, remove one to three of
the oldest, tallest canes each
winter or about 20% of the
canopy.
I hope these pointers will
aid you in producing some
of the finest blueberries
around.
Tim Lewis is a Georgia
Green Industry Association
Certified Plant Professional,
gardening writer, former
Perry High School hor
ticulture instructor, and
former horticulturalist
at Henderson Village and
Houston Springs. He and his
wife, Susan, own and oper
ate Lewis Farms Nursery
located on Hwy 26 two miles
east of Elko, where he was
born and raised. He can be
reached at(478)954-1507 or
timlewisl @alltel.net.
impression that neither
had been asked to do that
before - so a lot of people
may be taking home more
than they want, or weighing
and deciding against it - or
even thinking that the price
per pound is the same as
the price per bundle. (I hap
pen to know somebody who
recently bought $9 worth of
Bing cherries for that very
reason)
Fresh asparagus, even
when you insist on the
amount you want, is never
really cheap, but it’s a treat
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Grilled Leg of Pork from the Pork Check-Off
Pork on the grill
From staff reports
Steak and burgers are
great but don’t forget “the
other white meat” - pork.
Here are some recipes from
the Pork Check-Off to make
you famous at the grill
Grilled Leg of Pork
1 4-pound boneless leg of
pork
3/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
in season, and there are other
good buys to make up for
that splurge - like zucchini,
squash, cabbage and carrots.
A break on broccoli
Broccoli is another matter.
It’s a fairly safe bet that the
broccoli florets you get frozen
are fresher than the broccoli
in the produce department,
and you’re not paying for the
stalk. The most economical
way to buy broccoli is fro
zen in the big bags in which
the florets are loose (that
is, not frozen into a solid
block.) Then you can shake
out the amount you need for
a meal. I drop the remainder
into a zip-lock plastic bag
and seal the whole thing up
tight, because I’m not fond
of freezer burn. Store brands
are generally cheaper, but
I found Piet Sweet frozen
broccoli florets at 26 oz. for
$2.99.
ES. Just for safety’s sake,
be sure to wash all these
fresh fruits and veggies well,
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2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Prepare medium-hot
banked fire in covered ket
tle-style grill. Place pork
over indirect heat, cover grill
and grill for 1 1/2-2 hours,
until internal temperature,
measured with a meat ther
mometer, registers 150-155
degrees F. Meanwhile, for
sauce, in a small bowl com-
See PORK, Page i6C
and that includes the ones
that come in sealed bags.
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