Corduroy Orange

Guest Post by Clara Lee Sharrard

We live in an old Victorian home on a 50 x 125 foot lot in Springfield, MA. As I look around the yard, I am amazed at how many different foods we are managing to grow in this small amount of space. I sometimes hear people claim that they live in the suburbs because they need a big yard to be able to do anything with it. Taking an inventory of what I’ve got on my small patch of land, I’m not sure I agree.

A few years ago we replaced the privet hedge that divides our yard from our neighbors to the south with a tomato patch (it was the only place sunny enough to grow tomatoes). We have about 20 tomato plants of different varieties crowded in there and about 10 additional plants either in pots or in other parts of the yard. These are doing great this year and are loaded with green tomatoes. The first ones are just starting to ripen and we are looking forward to a bumper crop to both enjoy and to share with our neighbors.

Along that side of the house, I have an herb garden containing parsley, sage, thyme, tarragon, oregano, basil, and chives. We have several pots of rosemary in the backyard. I plant it in pots so I can bring it in for the winter and enjoy fresh rosemary year round. I also planted a few thyme plants among the flowers growing along the driveway. I plan to dig up a couple of these to bring in and try to keep alive for the winter. The basil is growing well and should provide lots of pesto to freeze for later use.

Between our driveway and our neighbors to the north, there’s only about a foot of growing space, but we’ve made the most of that small area by turning it into a blackberry bramble. i guess we are fortunate that there are also vines on our neighbor’s side of the fence so they don’t complain about the unruly throng growing there. (Of course, we’re just returning the favor of being able to eat from the cherries that load the tree on their side of the property line earlier in the summer!) I have just been out in my backyard picking fresh blackberries from these vines, and the taste of a freshly picked, succulent blackberry still warm from the sun can’t be beat!

At the beginning of the season when we don’t have too many, we put add a little sugar and enjoy them spooned over vanilla ice cream or on cereal. As the season progresses, we get enough of a harvest that I can make blackberry sorbet—and even have some surplus that I freeze for later use—either for more sorbet or to make jelly.

I planted a few leaf lettuce plants with the flowers and they have provided many meals of salads. Our bell and cayenne pepper plants are looking good and have lots of blossoms with the promise of many peppers in the near future. Last year we had a butternut squash plant come us as a volunteer from the compost in the garden. We gave it free reign of the backyard and were rewarded with 5 large squash. I tried a couple different recipes for roasting them with very good results.

We are lucky because, in addition to our own harvest, we live within walking distance of a weekly farmers’ market. My friend and I have been walking there weekly to stock up on local produce, milk, and yogurt. Not only do we get produce, bread, milk, plants, and other locally produced items; but also some exercise and a chance to catch up with our neighbors and friends who also shop there. If I can’t get what I want there, there are lots of good farm stands within a 10 to 15 minute drive from our house.

This week I’m looking forward to the annual trip to purchase wild blueberries from a farm about 30 miles from here. They have a family business that harvests, cleans, and boxes the small wild low bush blueberries. These are wonderful and make the best muffins and cakes. They are small and very sweet. I always buy a 20 pound box and spread the berries on cookie sheets to freeze and then package the berries in plastic bags. They are like little marbles and you can pour out just the amount you need for a recipe. My experience is that by taking the extra step to freeze them on the cookie sheet, there is less moisture and they don’t discolor the batter as much.

On the way back we will stop by an orchard to see if the first peaches and apples of the season are ready. There will be multiple trips there this fall as the different varieties of peaches and apples get ripe. It’s a bit of a drive but we enjoy going there because it is a small family run farm and the man who owns it has been in business for many years. I just hope that someone will continue to run the farm when he is no longer able to do the work.

I mentioned already that our neighbors have a couple cherry trees that are along the fence between our yards. This year we weren’t fast enough to get many cherries. A flock of cedar waxwings came in and cleaned out most of the cherries just before they reached full maturity. I was disappointed to miss out on the cherries, but I did enjoy watching these beautiful birds that I had never had the privilege of seeing until they attacked the cherries—as well as a Baltimore oriole and a red-bellied woodpecker who also came by and ate their share of the fruit.

Locally grown produce is definitely better than anything you can buy in the store and growing it yourself is a step above that. Not only can you enjoy your harvest in the freshest state possible, but you get a chance to personally experience the progression of the foods through the seasons. We don’t have a lot of space but we do try to take advantage of the space we have and get as much produce as possible from the yard.

All photos by Clara Lee Sharrard

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Guest Posts, Sustainable Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.