June 30, 2010 - an image in Cleveland that speaks volumes about the future of food.  Horses and a plow break ground for the Ohio City Farm on CMHA land off W. 25th.  This may not be the idea of economic development that most people have in mind, but the opportunity to grow and sell fresh produce can provide income and improve health.  The farm is the brainchild of The Refugee Response, a non-profit organization that works with refugees in greater Cleveland to help them become self-sufficient.  Given that many of these recent immigrants have agricultural backgrounds, the farm is a natural and a win-win for all of us.

St. Patrick’s Day is sort of a marker date for me at ‘Blue Pike Farm. It’s after the spring thaw, but before the end of the frost dates. Occasionally the weather is spring-like balmy, luring me out to start prepping for he growing season. Other years it’s cold, wet and blowing. If you have spent the day at the parade and in other celebratory activities you remember the really nasty days you spent on the curb (and I don’t mean that night after partaking way too heavily).

This year it was as nice as any that a I remember.

I spent part of the day ordering potatoes. Of course, given the date they were ‘Irish’ potatoes. And as is usual when you peruse a seed catalogue the choices and descriptions seemed designed to lure me into buying more than I need. It worked like a charm. Again.

Red, white, blue, gold and more colors of the rainbow than you thought possible in a plain, unpretentious tuber.  While I like the colors, my interest in potatoes is mainly in the cooking and my early memories of ‘mom’s’ cooking.

My mother, of Pennsylvania Irish and German stock was a post war bride, and more of the June Cleaver generation than that of Julie Child when it came to working in the kitchen.

That’s not to say my mother couldn’t cook. None of us who ate at her table ever looked like we had passed up a meal in our time. All of us were ‘well fed’ in appearance. Betty was adept at the ‘meat & potatoes’ home style meals my father preferred, and she eventually created a few signature items that appeared at special occasions.  Two involved potatoes. She made mashed potatoes the old fashioned way, from scratch; no boxed versions for her. First, peel and then boil the potatoes, mash them by hand with some tool from her grandmother days, blend butter and a bit of salt with her mixer and there you had it. Home made mashed spuds. My father, ever the critic (but never the cook) rarely missed an opportunity to kid my mom about the inevitable lumps that remained. Like a perfect puree was some sort of standard to strive for. The lumps, of course would distinguish home made from those out of a box.

For some reason I’ve never tried to duplicate her mashed potatoes. I think maybe that is because it seemed like too much work. Ah, but her breakfast potatoes, those were my favorite and I’ve tried and failed to recreate them more times than I care to remember.

Boil the potatoes (skin on), slice and add to a skillet with lots of butter, garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat, turning as needed.

Eventually her potatoes ended up nicely browned, crispy around the edges but with a soft enter. I never hesitated to make sure I got a second helping when she made these. I also never seemed to be able to duplicate her breakfast potatoes whenever I tried.

And it wasn’t for lack of trying. Lord knows I’ve tried. Cast iron skillet, Teflon fry pan, copper clad stainless; none made any difference. Mine attempts always come up short.

So when I was looking at all the potato choices available I was thinking that maybe, just maybe if I used a specialty potato I could change my luck.

I ended up with 6 different varieties this year; some for baking, some for frying, some for mashing. All for eating.  Later this summer I’ll try again. And when I do I’ll be thinking: Mom, this spud’s for you.

Carl Skalak

Blue Pike Farm

On a warm weather day, at the historic 1880s Firelands Winery, http://www.firelandswinery.com, in Sandusky, Claudio Salvador, partner and winemaker, entertains guests and visitors with the latest tips on wine service.

“My grandparents owned 70 acres of vineyards in a small country town in the Veneto, where we gathered every harvest,” says the engaging Salvador, who grew up in a closely knit Italian family steeped in winemaking.

The ultimate connoisseur, Salvador was educated in fermentation sciences and chemistry at Italy’s University of Padua in Conegliano Veneto. He trained with the centuries-old Zonin family in Tuscany, then made Virginia’s Barboursville first official wine. “Let your taste and intuition be your guide when serving and enjoying wine,” he says with a grin. “The shared celebration of wine, food, and life is wine’s most humanizing aspect.”

* Store wine in a cool, dark place around 55 degrees Farenheit free from vibration, ventilation, and direct sunlight.

* Serve white, pink, and sparkling wine slightly chilled at 45-55 degrees Farenheit, and red wines cool or room temperature at 60-65 degrees Farenheit.

* Use a corkscrew with leverage and worm to open wine. Align worm with a point and spirals to prevent cork from weakening. Pull so corkscrew grips the cork and holds.

* Plain, nine ounce, stemmed, all purpose glasses are best for tasting.

* Stand older bottles upright, then pour wine from bottle to decanter in front of candle. Decant younger wine from bottle to decanter 15 minutes before serving.

* Pour wine toward center of wine glass and examine for freshness, then fill just below widest section of glass for swirling and aerating.

* Press bottom of stemmed wine glass and rotate in circle to release wine aromas. Add wine until 1/3 full; smell aroma. Ingest air and gurgle to aerate wine for flavors. Swallow or spit wine in a spittoon, rinse glass with water.

“This simple wine protocol enhances the quality and taste of wine, heightens the overall wine experience, and raises the bar on the popular culture,” he says.

Submitted by Patricia Latimer, author of Ohio Wine Country Excursions

Summer is winding down. The days are getting shorter and the nights are cooler. But before winter weather arrives, spend an autumn afternoon getting your garden ready for next year.

Before you begin your garden clean up, sit down and take some notes. Make a sketch of your garden layout, which will help plan a rotation schedule for next year’s crop. Note areas of your garden that hold moisture, any particular insect or disease problems, and the cultivars of vegetables you tried this season.

Rotating crops in next year’s garden is a crucial element in dealing with the blight that affected vegetable gardens this year according to Steve Hudkins, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator at the OSU Extension in Trumbull County.

“Three things are necessary for disease; a host, a pathogen, and the right environment,” said Hudkins. “This is a soil-borne disease so rotating crops is essential.”

Next pull up tomato cages, trellises, or any other plant supports from the garden. Clean them and store them away for the winter.

This year it is especially important to sterilize tools and equipment to kill disease. “Wipe everything down, including tools, with a bleach solution and hot water,” recommends Geoff Geer, a Master Gardener at the OSU extension.

Pick up any fall fruits or vegetables from the garden, including dried up “mummies” as insects can overwinter in the garden on these. Remove any plants that had insect or disease problems. Destroy them by throwing them in the garbage or burning them. Don’t compost them or plow them under, Hudkins stresses, as they will re-infect the garden next year.

Crop residues from healthy plants, such as roots, leaves and stems, are a valuable source of organic matter and will break down to improve the texture of garden soil. Plants that have not had pest problems can be cut up and put in the compost pile, or turned into the soil for added organic matter.

Leaves from your trees, grass clippings, and straw can be added to the garden also. Leaves should be ground up or shredded so they’ll break down faster. To enrich the soil gardeners could add compost or manure from an herbivore, such as cow or chicken manure. Finally add additional nutrients as determined by the soil test and till all this matter into the garden, recommends Geer.

Soil testing is a good investment for the garden and an excellent way to measure soil fertility. It’s inexpensive and helps maintain plant health and also helps maximize the productivity of the garden. The standard test measures several important soil nutrients, lime, and soil pH. Hudkins feels this might be a good year for gardeners to add fixed copper or copper sulfate to garden soil; according to the OSU extension website Ohioline, fixed copper is a fungicide and bactericide. Read the label and apply according to the instructions.

When the garden is cleaned up and fertilized, till the organic matter into the soil. Hudkins strongly recommends tilling the garden in the fall this year because most disease microorganisms are destroyed once the plant material is mixed into the soil and begins to rot. It isn’t really necessary to smooth the garden after fall tilling since the freeze-and-thaw cycle actually helps improve the texture of the soil.

If you’re planning to harvest garlic next year, now is the time to plant the garlic bulbs. Choose the larger outer cloves for the best garlic and make sure that the cloves are free of disease and are smooth and fresh. Plant the cloves about five inches apart in an upright position in the row about one-half to one inch deep. Don’t divide the bulbs into cloves until you’re ready to plant them or the yield will be decreased. Your garlic will be ready to harvest in the middle of July next year.

Finally, cover crops are a simple way to boost the garden’s growing potential. They are fairly easy to seed, relatively inexpensive, provide a “green manure” and make your garden look attractive. “Rye would be a good cover crop this year,” said Hudkins.

Both Hudkins and the Master Gardener consultant Geoff Geer emphasized again that the end of our conversation how important it is this year to destroy any unhealthy plants to prevent some of the problems which have caused so much damage to gardens this year from recurring next season.

“This year we’ve had multiple diseases at the same time; late blight and early blight came together, the cucumbers and melons are rampant with downy mildew,” said Hudkins. Hopefully this “perfect storm” of conditions won’t be repeated for vegetable gardeners next summer.

Melissa Miller

Let’s take a look at our proud nursery heritage in Northeastern Ohio.  It all began in 1858 when two entrepreneurs, drawn by climate, variable soils and access to shipping, decided there wasn’t room in Lake County for two nurseries and shook hands to form a partnership.  Within forty years this enterprise became Storrs & Harrison Nursery, the largest in the world.   Today there are over seventy growers in Lake County.  Plus, the nurseries have spread out over all of Northeastern Ohio.  Nursery Growers of Lake County Ohio, an association formed in 1927, today represent eight counties with 135 members, both growers and suppliers. 

      After Storrs & Harrison, many nurseries followed, both large and small, including Cole Nurseries, Kohankies, Champions, Hortons, Wayside Gardens, Bosleys and many more.  Oftentimes, a propagator was recruited from Holland, where the nursery tradition goes back centuries, and some of these growers, or their disciples, remain today, growing in the ‘Dutch Tradition’, such as Gied Stroombeek, owner of Roemer Nursery in Madison.      

     Lake County was the ‘Nursery Capitol of the World’ for many years.  Eventually, during the 1960s, research by The Ohio State University demonstrated that plants could be grown on top of the ground in ‘containers’ and harvested year-round.  As a result, growth shifted to warmer climates, the southern states and West Coast, where container-plants could be produced year-round without over-wintering structures.  Still, Northeastern Ohio remains a hot-bed of nursery activity in terms of industry leadership, innovation and production.  Local growers routinely lead state and national nursery organizations.  Brotzman’s Nursery (Madison), Lake County Nursery (Perry) and others regularly select or develop new varieties with improved characteristics.  In terms of production, two thirds of the U.S. population lives within 500 miles of Northeastern Ohio and local nurseries take advantage by shipping high-quality trees, shrubs and perennials throughout the Eastern Seaboard… west to Chicago-land and beyond.

Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’) recently introduced by Brotzman’s Nursery (Madison, OH)

Big yards, barbecue and baseball are proud American traditions…but so is gardening!  Visit Jefferson’s Monticello, Washington’s Mount Vernon or, closer to home, Garfield’s Lawnfield (in Mentor!) and you’ll see how important gardening…both flower and food…was to our early leaders!  Some think Americans have lost their connection with the soil.  Your landscape and back-yard garden are simple, productive ways to reconnect with the wonder and heritage of growing things!  Mark Gilson

      Good things can come from bad times and one of the positive trends arising from our ‘Great Recession’ is the discovery of gardening by so many newcomers.  They’ll start with some tomatoes and peppers in containers, maybe a few zucchinis in the corner of their yard, but if we do a good job providing the information and resources they need, they’ll discover the enchantment of growing things…the simple joys of ‘having a garden’…and they’ll be back year after year!  Along the way, they’ll plant a few marigolds to ward off insects, nasturtium for salads, they’ll discover that their rhubarb has bold distinctive foliage year-round, and before you know it, the vegetable patch is expanding to accommodate sunflowers, perennials, a cutting garden with yarrow and cone-flower, shrubs for fragrance and butterflies and wildlife habitat, trees for reducing household utility costs and alleviating storm-water runoff, as well as providing shade and tangible aesthetics…  

     They’re hooked! 

Larger sizes offer gardeners a jump on the season.                                                                           

          Presently, only one in ten households in America is serious about gardening.  Contrast that with our friends ‘across the pond’…England is a nation of gardeners!  What if one-in-ten became two-in-ten?  What if twice as many people discovered the quiet satisfaction, the therapy, the transcendentalism of raising plants?  Our nursery and greenhouse industries…which go back 150 years in Northeastern Ohio…our seed and mail-order companies, our researchers, breeders and garden educators would be happily struggling to keep up!

     First, let’s take a look at some of the new trends and opportunities available to gardeners this Spring.  Most important of all are all the better-performing plants!   Whether it’s Proven Winners(PW), Plants-That-Work, Garden Leaders or the Step-ables line of under-foot ground covers, there are brands out there searching and finding the best varieties and cultivars available.   Surfinia Petunias(from Suntory), Superbells Calibrachoa (PW)and Rockapulco double impatiens (PW) are just a few of the flowering ‘annual’ series that are light-years ahead of their predecessors. (Keep in mind that ‘annual’ flowers only last one year in our climate but they bloom all season long!  ‘Perennial’ flowers come back year after year but may only bloom for a few weeks!)  

Calibrachoa Superbells Plum from Proven Winners, A Country Living Editor’s Choice

Coleus is king of the annual foliage plants: hot colors, cool colors, pinks and burgundies and oranges, sun or shade.  Our favorites this year are Coleus Fishnet Stockings and C. Sun Jade.   Perilla The Thrillah, a coleus look-alike from Grimes Seed in Concord, Ohio, offers great red/green variegation on uniform plants.  If Coleus or Perilla begin to take over your combination planter after a few weeks…and they will…just give them a ‘hard pinch’ (cut back to the level of the other plants) and they will behave for a while.  For an alternative, check out Alternanthera Party Time(from Itsaul Plants PP 14789)…or any of the other great alternanthera…which offer colorful foliage for shady spots. 

     Dracaena ‘spikes’ used to be the only game in town for that vertical element in your combination planter.  We still love them, and we use them in our Mom & Apple Pie planters.   But check out Cyperus King Tut, a Proven Winners selection, or any of the red grasses, Pennisetum rubrum, for something new and different. 

      Hanging baskets are the staple of springtime front porches and summertime back decks.  Fuchsias are longtime favorites with us.  Gather a handful of blossoms and float them in a bowl for a centerpiece or meditation focus.  Or just enjoy their color and the hummingbirds that follow.  Fuchsias are thirsty so make sure they’re planted in a ‘heavy mix’ that holds moisture.  The new ‘gel’ products and watering balls are helpful to keep them perky.  They’re very forgiving, so if you miss a watering or two, make it up to them by providing a ‘hard pinch’ and keeping them on the ground next to the hose for a while.  In a week or two they’ll be restored to their former glory.   

      Dragon Wing Begonias are popping up in window boxes, hanging baskets and flower beds everywhere.  They perform superbly in partial shade with season-long displays of red or pink flowers amidst glossy dark green pointed leaves. 

 Dragon Wing Red Begonia will grow up to 2’ tall and round in sun or partial shade.  Great for baskets, boxes and beds.                                                                                                              

      Among design trends, we’re told that ‘square is the new round’.  Even so, we still like many of our standard shapes and sizes!  In some areas, traditional combination planters and baskets are giving way to single-element pots, often featuring a foliage plant or hardy shrub.  However, we still like mixing it up with vertical elements, colorful accents and lively sprawlers.  

     Back-to-nature is a growing trend in perennials and shrubs, focusing on ‘native plants’ indigenous to our state or region prior to the arrival of Europeans.  While the nursery industry has been slow to embrace this movement, since it turns the clock back on several hundred years of dramatic horticultural development, there are many zealots who believe the ‘natives’ are better-adapted to our environment and require less maintenance.  We suggest a balance between native and ‘exotic’.  Find the right plant for the right spot and enjoy each plant for what it is.  Many natives or native-cultivars (close cousins) are already available in the nursery trade and put on quite a show, such as Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) and Butterfly weed (Asclepius tuberosa).

     This mixed-sedum planter contains white-flowering Sedum ternatum, which is native to Northeastern Ohio.                                                                                                           

     Editor’s note: This essay with accompanying photos was submitted by Mark Gilson of Gilson’s Gardens in Perry, Ohio.  His next post gives a short history of the nursery business in Lake County.  Whether you are starting out with a container garden or landscaping acres, remember that plants that have been selected and raised for our region will be the hardiest and heathiest.  Our local nurserymen/women are a true asset for all of us who love beautiful gardens. -Mary