Late Summer Apples
Ginger Gold and Zestar apples and Stellar peaches just became available at Mercier's Orchard in Blue Ridge, GA. Their fruity ciders, sweet potatoes, fresh garden vegetables, and fried apple tarts are quite a draw. When we went Saturday the store was bustling with tourists and locals sampling freshly picked apples, fruit ciders, and their own relishes. I could belly up to the bar and make a meal of the fruit and relish with crackers samples.
The drive to Mercier's is a nice ride....................mostly gentle rolling roads..........a nostalgic ride that takes me back when I was a little girl and Retta, Chip, and I all climbed into the back seat of the family car for our Sunday ride on the back roads to Bolton Orchards. It really wasn't that far but my father drove so slowly and the trip took so long that I used to tell everyone we went to Boston to get our apples. Not that Cliff drives that slowly.
In the past couple of days, we've had torrential rains in the afternoons amounting to at least 4 inches. The thirsty gardens welcomed the storms but the pounding rain became too much for some of the plants.
My stately sunflower toppled over during the storm when the stalk folded and broke about 6 inches from the ground and pepper plants hunched like tired old men. I'm ready for my first attempt at fall planting. I set two heirloom tomatoes and planted one row of beets. Today bought a few more seeds and after I mix in the black cow manure, will plant radishes, lettuce, summer and winter squash again, and swiss chard anytime from August first on.
I've also been researching online and in Mother Earth Magazine on how to use our crawl space under the house for our winter storage and root cellar. BARB, I need your help! You are so garden wise. We found some friends who made the mistake of telling me they enjoy eating cucumbers cold from the refrigerator. The cukes have a nice crunch and satisfy their nibbling needs. Thanks Pat and Larry for taking bags and bags of cucumbers. I can hear more growing on the vines as I type.
The drive to Mercier's is a nice ride....................mostly gentle rolling roads..........a nostalgic ride that takes me back when I was a little girl and Retta, Chip, and I all climbed into the back seat of the family car for our Sunday ride on the back roads to Bolton Orchards. It really wasn't that far but my father drove so slowly and the trip took so long that I used to tell everyone we went to Boston to get our apples. Not that Cliff drives that slowly.
In the past couple of days, we've had torrential rains in the afternoons amounting to at least 4 inches. The thirsty gardens welcomed the storms but the pounding rain became too much for some of the plants.
I've also been researching online and in Mother Earth Magazine on how to use our crawl space under the house for our winter storage and root cellar. BARB, I need your help! You are so garden wise. We found some friends who made the mistake of telling me they enjoy eating cucumbers cold from the refrigerator. The cukes have a nice crunch and satisfy their nibbling needs. Thanks Pat and Larry for taking bags and bags of cucumbers. I can hear more growing on the vines as I type.
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