Sunday, July 19, 2015

A Broccoli Year


Last week I wrote about my town garden.  This week I’ll share a little about my much larger country garden at Roshara, where the rows are thirty inches apart and many feet long.  The country garden has taken a weather beating, two bad storms a week apart dumped always needed rain, but the wind we could do without.  A week ago my sweetcorn all leaned to the east, with the most recent storm it now leans to the south.  I’m hopeful it will recover.

Also, with the cold nights back in May, the germination of my vine crops was not good.  Thus my squash, pumpkin and even cucumber crop will be below average.  However, the ever sturdy zucchini germinated and continues to grow.  The first little thumb size zucchini are ready for picking.

On the positive size: the leaf lettuce has never been better, three cuttings so far, the second cutting of collards was as good as the first, the tomatoes are on a rampage, and baring blight and more storms, we ought have several bushel.  I dug a pail full of red potatoes yesterday, blemish free and oh, oh so good to eat.

The first few pints of green beans are in the fridge ready for eating.  The late cabbage is on a tear—heads bigger than I’ve ever grown.  And broccoli, well here I must violate the longstanding rule that we Germans should never brag—I have the best, biggest and brightest broccoli.  I cut a broccoli head yesterday that measured ten-inches across.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every year’s garden is filled with surprises.

Only A FEW OPENINGS REMAIN:
 My one-day writing course on “Writing From Your Life,” is scheduled for Saturday, October 17 at the Clearing in Door County.  Go to http://theclearing.org/current/classes_workshop_description.php?id=26  for detailed information.

BOOK OF THE WEEK:

A WILDERNESS WITHIN: THE LIFE OF SIGURD F. OLSON by David Backes.  Here is a wonderful biography of Sigurd  F. Olson who has written so lovingly of the Boundary Waters Canoe area of northern Minnesota.  Olson is one of my environmental heroes.
Purchase Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin (a fund raiser for them):

The library now has available signed copies of Jerry’s DVDs, Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps A Farm Story.
Also available are several of Jerry’s signed books including The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm, (which are related to the DVD Jerry Apps a Farm Story). Also available is Jerry’s new novel, The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.
Contact the library for prices and special package deals.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.org
www.wildroselibrary.org
920-622-3835
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 12, 6:00 p.m., Westfield Library. Whispers and Shadows

August 26, 9:30 a.m. Farm Technology Days, Sun Prairie. Farm Stories.

September 3, Noon.  Old World Wisconsin, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History (New book)

September 3, 7 p.m. Books and Company bookstore,  Oconomowoc,  Whispers and Shadows.

September 12, West Madison Agriculture Research Station, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.  Time to be announced.

September 17, 11:-a.m.  St. Luke’s Church, Middleton, WI   Stories  From the Land

September 19 , Stonefield Village, Cassville.  Whispers and Shadows.

September 23, Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

September 26, 10:30 -2:00, Dregni’s, Westby, Book signing.

October 7, 6:30 p.m. Reedsburg Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 10, Heartland Forum, Chicago.

October 11, Old World Wisconsin

October 15, Prairie du Sac Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 17, 9-4 Teaching writing workshop at The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI

October 17, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The Clearing.  Book signing, Whispers and Shadows, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

October 29, Brown County Library.  Premier of TV Documentary,” The Land With Jerry Apps. “ Book signing, Whispers and Shadows.

November 5, 7:00 p.m. Baraboo Library, Whispers and Shadows.

November 7, Edgerton Book Festival, The Land (TV documentary) and Whispers and Shadows

November 14, 9:30 -11:30 a.m. Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.  Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

November 15, 9:15 Midvale Lutheran Church, The Land (TV documentary)  plus discussion of Whispers and Shadows.


November 18, Preview of TV Documentary, “The Land With Jerry Apps” Wild Rose High School Auditorium.  Whispers and Shadows book signing. (Time to be announced)

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