Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013 - 94

Above: Raspberries are good by the handful, in smoothies and jam.
Below: Save the biggest garlic heads for replanting in fall.

squash or tomatoes, once they have
harvested their fill. Give what you
don’t need to friends, neighbors, coworkers; donate to a soup kitchen.
Don’t let excess produce go to waste.
Pesticides: The average American
is exposed to 10 or more pesticides
per day, through diet and drinking
water, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Resist the
temptation to spray. Practice integrated pest management.
Quantity: It’s often hard to know
just how many basil or squash plants
is enough. If you’re inundated, don’t
be afraid to yank some out and plant
something else.
Refrigerator pickles: A half-gallon
jar of Maudie Young’s Minnesota
Pickles (see recipe) deserves a place in
your ‘fridge. Add more cuke slices to
replenish, until liquid loses its pizzaz.
Recipe says these pickles keep for six
94 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

weeks, though Maudie, who gave this
recipe to my neighbor Helen McKinney,
kept them in the fridge all winter!
Side-dressing: Giving plants a fertilizer boost throughout the season is
called side-dressing. Fertilize 6-8
inches away from plants, around
individuals or along a row. Heavy
feeders and crops that take a long
time to mature benefit most; sidedress leafy greens with fish emulsion
added to a watering can. Don’t
overdo: Too much fertilizer accumulates as salts in soil and damages
roots. No need to side-dress nitrogen-fixing legumes (peas and beans).
Timeliness: Don’t let zucchini
grow to the size of ball bats, okra get
woody, or tomatoes rot on the vine.
Harvest according to the garden’s
schedule, not your own.
Up it goes: If you build it, they will
climb. Save space by adding struc-

tures – for pole beans, cukes and vining squash.
Vidalia Chop Wizard: I’m not one
for gadgets, but this one earned a
permanent place in my kitchen last
summer. Indispensible for reducing
mountains of produce for relishes (like
Yellow Squash Relish herewith) in
minutes. (Google for sources.)
Water: Water wilting plants immediately – at their base, deeply, not by
waving a hose in their direction – no
matter what time of day. Best times
for regular watering: early morning or
before dark.
X: (The one we’re going to skip to
make it come out at 25!)
Yellow squash relish: A delectable
way to use up excess summer squash,
which neither freezes nor cans well.
Turn it into relish. Another recipe from
Helen McKinney, and a universal hit
with everyone we’ve offered it to.
Zucchini: I know of two people in
this world who think there is no such
thing as too much zucchini. I’m one
of them. Harvest when small to add
to salads. Make fritters and add to stir
fries; grate or chunk excess to freeze
for winter soups and breads.
Recipe

Maudie Young’s Minnesota
pickles
7 c. thinly sliced cukes
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green pepper (optional)
Mix together:
1 tblsp. celery seed
2 tblsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 c. vinegar
pinch of alum (optional, for crispness)
Stir till dissolved. Add cukes, stir a few minutes more, and refrigerate.
Lasts six weeks.
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Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013

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