Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / June 5, 1980, edition 1 / Page 14
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Agriculture In* """ " 7" ' " ' ' ~ A growing concern *?? County residents turn to gardening for relaxation, savings Puttering in the backyard ? garden is becoming an in creasingly popular pastime in Perquimans County. Young and old, veterans and newcomers, more and more people are taking up hoes and . rakes to dig in the dirt. Some are doing it to relax, I some to save money, but it's a ? sure bet that more are doing it than used to, and this time next year, still more will have taken up the habit. "I'd say that 40 to 50 percent of the families in the county have home gardens," said county extension chairman Bill Jester. "It's one way people are trying to tackle the problem of poor quality produce they buy in the store and another way they are trying to tackle high priced vegetables in the store," said Jester. He said that a survey done by Gallup for the National Association of Gardening, showed that most people start Iron oxide treatment Bruce Winslow applies iron oxide treatment (more commonly referred to as the ?? hoe) to his garden off Grubb Street. Nearly half the families in Perquimans County enjoy a backyard garden, and that number is growing. Enjoy garden all year Of course there's nothing like fresh vegetables out of the .field, but to keep on enjoying ; homegrown vegetables right .through the winter, freezing ' and canning are the answers. ; Home economics agent , Juanita Baily offers a few tips on storing vegetables to keep the grocery bill in check all year long. ; Whether freezing or can ning, Mrs. Baily said it is important to start with a quality product. There is no point in storing vegetables now that won't be worth un screwing the lid on in the ;future. ? In canning, standard jars ?that are made for the purpose are essential, not mayonnaise or coffee jars. These "once only" jars are prone to ex plode in the canning process, and do not come with the rings and seals necessary for a proper seal, Mrs. Baily said. I Make sure that there are no phips, nicks or cracks in the jars. ; The extension service recommends pressure, can ping for certain types of vegetables and boiling water path canning for others. In pressure canning, the jars are placed in a pressure cooker for a certain length of time and under a certain pressure depending upon the product. The boiling water bath process requires that the jars be placed in a large pot, with a rack in the bottom, and that the jars be covered with at least two inches of water. Freezing is very simple, Mrs. Baily said. Just wash the product, blanch it, put it in a container or plastic freezer bag, label the package, date it, and tuck it away in your freezer. Mrs. Baily said that if vegetables are frozen this summer, they should be used before next summer. Blanching, she said, con sists of dipping the vegetable in boiling water, then im mediately dipping it in ice cold water, and putting it away to freeze. This helps lock in flavor and color, and inactivates plant enzymes that can make the product tough, she said. Either process makes for good vegetables, long after the garden has dried up and withered away, but some people prefer one process over the other. "A lot of people say they like canned vegetables better," Mrs. Baily said, partly because they prefer the taste, and partly because the sterile, pre-cooked process makes preparation easier. "In freezing you do have to worry about freezer burn," Mrs. Baily said. Careful, airtight packaging, however, can prevent freezer burn. The extension service recommends boiling frozen foods for at least 10 minutes before serving. Further information on canning specific varieties of vegetables can be obtained through the extension office. There is aim a toll-free teletip line that offers extensive in formation on canning and freezing garden vegetables. Contact the extension service for details. ? Premium quality ? Over 1000 colors ? Dries quickly ? High hiding, washable finish ? Soapy water cleanup their first girden with in tentions of saving on theii grocery bills, but after a fe* change motiv,tioiii "People who stay in g?r Jj* l"i* * motivated more by the physical and mental benefits, in other w<>nls. it's a type 0 recreation." ^'"attw Area gardeners appear to ?gree. "I use it fof reUxation." said Howard ,*? manager of Hert ford FCX. Williams has a "i*e?ar<len behind I toe store. I like to get out of here and mess with it." he said. "I'm an old farm boy. Sometimes I just like to go out and look at Williams agreed that a Person is as likely to raise a garden for the pure enjoyment of it as for the money he can save. "Just like my daddy He's retired and I think he spends t?i!l,S k"16 in his garden." Williams cans and freezes his own vegetables, including one unusual specialty, pickled snap beans. H.W. Woodcock, manager of Fyrofax Gas, works a 50' by 75 garden behind the gas Plant near Hertford on his lunch hour. "J to fiddle around with it. I like the vegetables too " he said. Woodcock has two freezers he loads up with vegetables each fall. Asked if he saves money on his garden, Woodcock responded, "Oh yeah, you better believe it. Last year Lima Beans were $14 a bushel I got about 67 bushels. Midtipiy that up - it runs in folding green." He said he rarely buys any vegetables. Why should he. with the results he's getting from his garden? Ive got the biggest radishes you ever saw," said Woodcock. "They're as big as a beet." As for the rest of his garden, "It's growing like a weed." IneipeMta hobby Area merchants who deal in gardening supplies say it's not expensive to get a garden started. The amount of money . involved depends on how . much a person wants too r spend., ( Those interviewed said they were definitely seeing an increase in the number of I persons raising backyard gardens. T. Erie Haste, Jr., of Hert i ford Hardware, said the number of gardeners took a tremendous jump in 1974, and , has been growing steadily , since then. He said the number of gardeners "doubled or tripled" as a result of the last serious recession. "Since then it's been a good , solid 11 to 15 percent every year," he said. Rising fuel and grocery prices have sent area residents out in to the fertile fields of their back yards to try and do something about it, according to Haste's version. "It's a savings," he said. "1 saw an article that said if you work a garden effectively you'll make $10 an hour." FCX's Williams said that realizing a savings on gar dening is dependent on planting a variety of vegetables that will keep grocery store purchases to a minimum. Literature furnished by FCX asserts that the typical ' family of four can save $288 per year on groceries through gardening, Williams said, adding that he considers the figure "a little low." Haste's list of tools needed to begin a garden includes a tiller, which is expensive to purchase but can be rented or borrowed, a weeding hoe, a short pronged rake, and a garden spade to put plants in. Seeds, plants, and fertilizer should run the average backyard gardener about $10, said Haste. On baying wed Sid Eley, of Pitt Hardware, issued a word of caution on buying seed. Avoid pre-packaged seeds and buy in bulk. Eley said. As an example, Eley displayed a type of seed that costs $1.20 a pound in bulk. The same seed costs $7.59 per lb. pre packaged. Eley, too, felt that more people are gardening than at this time last year, and he is one of those who maintains a vegetable plot in his yard. "I garden for fun," he said. "That's why a whole lot of people around here garden." For those who want to get in on it. Jester issued a list of starter points. The garden should be planned in advance, with soil testing in different areas for different types of plants. The N.C. State Gardening Manual, available through the extension office, provides a guide for deciding how much of each type of vegetable to plant in order to avoid wastage. Apply lime and fertilizer according to the results of the soil test, then disc and bed, and plant the seed, or tran splant according to the proper time for the area. Where insect problems arise the best policy is to contact the county agent's office for identification and a recom mendation on what kinds of pesticides to apply, said Jester. Nematodes can be a problem in older gardens and methods of control include changing the site and chemical treatment. Nematicides are extremely poisonous, however, and Jester said he strongly recommends contacting the extension office before ap plying. Weed control is a simpler matter. Jester recommends the iron oxide treatment, more commonly referred to as the garden hoe. Knowing when to harvest is another crucial element for some garden products. Cantaloupes are ripe when they slip off the vine, said Jester. Watermelons; when the bottom side turns yellow, though some preferr the thumping technique. Winter squash and pum pkins must be harvested properly for storing, Jester said. A portion of the stem should always be left on the fruit. Still time to plant For those who haven't done so already, there is still time to get that backyard garden started. Haste said that peas, beans, squash, and corn are a 76 Ford Club Wacon $4,500.00 12 Pom.. V8. AT. AC. PS. 75 Ford F250 $3,000.00 AC. PS. V8, AT. LB. 75Cho?.C20 $2,000.00 V8. AT. PS. LB. 75 Ford F150 $2,750.00 ijjft V8, AT, PS, R, LB. 1 7?Frtnoo amooj 74 Chn. Ctt few of the garden products that can be planted. He said cabbage and collard seed should be planted around the first of August, so they'll be ready for transplanting around the first of September. "About that time, sew your fall garden," Haste said. That garden may include just about any root plants, he said. Ha?te is a gardener himself, and another advocate of gardening for pleasure. "I just enjoy doing things that make you feel like you've ac complished something," he said. For Form Bureau Members at a special discounted rate of The 68 Rider has an enclosed engine for > quiet ride, color-coded j ^controls, and . ] rshift-on-the-go 5-speed| transmission. Recoil or j electric start, 30- or 34-inch cutting width. *j Three models ? push type; self-propelled; ; and electric-start self propelled. Push-type has 3Mt-hp engine, self-propelleds have 4-hp engines and rear-wheel gear drive ] Optional 2Vfe-bushel < rear bagger.
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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June 5, 1980, edition 1
14
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