Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
I traveled a lot over the summer to be with family and pretty much left my garden to the elements. The marigolds got gigantic, a banana pepper bush held on, the Ethiopian kale thrived and most of the rest succumbed to the heat. That's how it goes sometimes.
While in Belgium in July I visited the wonderful little Museé de la fraise (Strawberry Museum) not far from the shadow of The Citadel in Namur, the capitol of Wallonia in the French-speaking part of the country. The organizers had converted a modest roadside home into a sightseeing stop, with just four small rooms offering 3-D exhibits about strawberry agriculture, mounted photos from their decades of Strawberry Festival fun, a very tiny gift shop and a free tasting bar upon exit.
A block away and across the street was their Small Fruits Garden, which had demonstration plots of not just strawberry plants but a huge variety of delicious and inspiring fruit to grow. Before this summer I had never seen a kiwi arbor laden with fuzzy ripening fruit. Cool! ... and who knew there were so many different types of berries!? Aside from all the ones that easily come to mind, we saw boysenberries, lingonberries, wolf berries, mulberries, currants, gooseberries, salmonberries and more. Carefully shaped trees laden with green apples and pears soaked up the summer sun as they ripened toward their fall harvest. Then, in the tropical section, some familiar sights of citrus and – here's a stunner – smilax – among other things. What a fascinating wander we had through that lot. You can take a virtual tour at museozoom.be/en/musée/strawberry-museum/.
It wasn't until a few weeks later, back home, that I began to imagine something similar in our town. Could Monticello have a little watermelon museum?
This would be something different, something that wouldn't compete with existing businesses yet might be of interest to visitors and locals alike. We'd need a committee, I guess. For exhibit content, we'd need someone agricultural, someone historical, someone culinary ... you get the idea. I know someone (in Belgium) whose profession is creating museum exhibits and would help us with the overall concept, planning and execution. Anyone interested? Let me know!
Meanwhile, I've cleared out a long bed in the garden for more strawberry plants, abandoning the ineffective terra cotta strawberry “tower” and giving them more room to grow, thrive and mingle.
What to Plant in September: It will be safer to wait on the strawberry expansion until next month, but in the meantime I can establish some herbal companions in the designated space. September is an ideal time in zone 9a to plant certain herbs for fall – such as basil, parsley and dill – which also interplant well with strawberries. I also can tuck in some spinach here for this purpose.
Elsewhere in the garden it's time to transplant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuces and Swiss chard. Direct seed options this month include beans, carrots, radish, bunching onions, spinach, squashes and turnips.
Fall is on the horizon!
What We're Eatin' in September: Peppers! In addition to a meager harvest from the last surviving banana pepper plant, we've enjoyed a windfall of bell peppers handed off to us that were leftovers from a farm share. What can you throw chopped peppers into? Eggs at breakfast time, sandwiches at lunchtime and stir-fries, sauces and salads in the evening.
Dietitians note that peppers are nutrient-dense, low in calories and have almost no fat. They'll give you more vitamin C than you need all day plus a healthy portion of A, B6, B9 and E. They have components touted to prevent cancer, protect brain health and improve digestion. I've found that almost any fresh veggie you look up is bursting with benefits. Of all the ways we tried peppers this summer, my favorite was sautéing chopped peppers, onions and cabbage in a frying pan while slabs of seasoned salmon steamed on top. Super easy and tasty!
What's Tempting Me? A watermelon museum, of course! Call 850-997-3568 if you'd like to fan the flame.
IN THE FEATURED PHOTO: Watermelons at Jefferson Farmers Market. ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo by Laura Young