Hardy Kiwi

Hardy Kiwi

Hardy kiwi is a perennial, dioecious vine that produces fruitful, delicious, and healthy yields of green berries annually from August to October. The plant is native to Japan, China, and Russia, but because of their hardiness, grow wonderfully in the northeast - the first time I saw the berries was in Holyoke, on a tour of Jonathan Bates' and Eric Toensmeier's garden. The second time was here in Belarus, climbing up the wall of my grandmother's house, beautiful and abundant and raining down sweet late-summer fruit.

Hardy kiwi can be grown almost anywhere as long as it has something to climb - a tree, a trellis, a wall, a veranda are all good habitats. They are cold hardy (they can survive temperatures as low as -25 degrees F) and adapt to most soil conditions, as long as the soil is well drained. They can remain healthy with almost no maintenance; they can be pruned if you want to keep them from getting out of control - they grow rapidly and produce a large amount of biomass. Other than that, they are not prone to disease or insect problems, and do a good job of taking care of themselves. These characteristics can make hardy kiwi a great selection for adding color to a wall or privacy to a home or property. Since the plant is dioecious, it is necessary to plant a male and a female (or a male and two females, for higher yields) in order for the plant to produce fruit.

Hardy Kiwi Berries

The fruit itself is impossible to stay away from - it is tender and sweet, and tastes (and looks) just like a kiwi. The berries are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K, as well as of dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, electrolytes, and minerals. Because the fruits are  smaller, softer versions of traditional kiwi, they can be eaten with the skin by the handful. In order to enjoy the harvest for a longer period of time, it is best to pick the berries before they soften on the vine and store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, they can be ripened on a windowsill. As soon as they soften on the vine, they fall, and because of their delicate skin this can be a messy affair. If you do let them soften on the vine, make sure to pick them before they tumble to their demise!

If you live in Western Massachusetts and are interested in Hardy Kiwi, it is available at Tripple Brook Farm in Southampton! http://www.tripplebrookfarm.com/index.shtml

Sugared Quince

Quince & Sugar

Quince, a small, fruit-bearing deciduous tree, is most prevalently cultivated and used in southeastern Europe and central Asia; it can be found in forests, on shores of overgrown lakes, in ravines, and in the lower levels of mountain ranges. It can grow between 1.5 and 8 meters tall, although dwarf varieties are becoming increasingly popular as they are easier to manage and provide more than enough yield for a homesteader or small farmer. Quince produces large, round flowers from May through June, and fruit is ripe for picking in the fall, sometime from September until mid-november. The fruit is most commonly used in the kitchen, but all parts of the plant can be used medicinally: leaves should be harvested in June-July and dried in 40-50 degrees, while seeds should be air dried. Leaves have approximately a one year shelf life. 

Quince growing at the dacha

The golden fruit resembles an apple or a pear, but has a sour, astringent taste. The fruit has diuretic, antibacterial, anti-allergenic, and anti-inflammatory properties, and is most commonly used in folk medicine to treat tuberculosis, bronchial asthma and other respiratory conditions including a common cough and inflamed throat. In addition, it can help treat skin conditions (including burns), ulcers, as well as alleviate symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, and colitis.

Quince contains an extraordinary amount of Vitamin C, making it an incredible immune booster - because of this, the autumnal harvest time is perfect for preventing winter sickness. In addition, quince contains high amounts of tannins (responsible for it's astringency) and is a good source of fiber, copper, iron, magnesium, and  B vitamins. 

seeds drying on windowsill

The seeds of the fruit possess powerful demulcent properties and are commonly used in cough remedies. In order to make a tea for cough, boil 10 grams of shredded / chopped seeds in one glass of hot water  for about 20 minutes, then let cool (another ten minutes). Strain through a cheesecloth and take 1/3 - 1/2 glass three times a day before meals. Seeds can be saved for planting (and sharing) by drying in newspaper, spread in a thin layer.

The fruit, whose flavor distinctly resembles lemon, can be made into jelly or jam (or added to apple butter for sour twist - they are harvested at the same time), a syrup, or just chopped and mixed with sugar, and preserved. This mixture can be added to tea instead of lemon and sugar, spread onto toast, or just eaten by the spoonful. It can also be frozen into ice cubes and dropped into iced tea.  The preparation can be time consuming, but the results are worth it. The first step is to remove the seeds - to do this, cut each fruit into half or quarter pieces. The fruit can be tough, so this can take a long time. Afterwards, take the fleshy part of the fruit and chop in fruit process or blender. It should look something like this:

chopped quince

Afterward, add an equal amount of sugar and allow the mixture to sit overnight. Once ready, it can be canned (preserved) or frozen - it should be stored in the fridge if kept for immediate use. Enjoy!

Nettle Fertilizer Tea

 Wild weeds are not only beneficial to humans; they can be used to invigorate plants in the garden as well. Many wild herbs can be harvested and made into an easy liquid fertilizer tea for plants. Nettles, for instance, contain a lot of iron, silicic acid, potassium, calcium, and other elements which are released (and become accessible to plants) during the fermentation of the biomass. In order to create a liquid fertilizer from nettles, take 1 kg (about 2 lbs) of harvested leaves and stems, chopped into pieces, and cover with 10 liters (about ¼ of a gallon) of water. Make sure to harvest the plants before flowering. Mix the sludge regularly – in several days, it will begin to ferment and will be ready to use. Plants should be watered under the root, making sure the sludge does not splash onto the leaves. 

Garlic Honey

cloves of garlic ready to be mixed with honey

Now that the ground is freezing over and the last bits of summer have come and gone, it is time to look ahead into the drearier days of winter and wind. Although the cold weather brings with it innumerable joys - fresh air, crisp sunsets, borscht every day, sauerkraut, apple everything - it also brings with it unwanted sickness and sniffling. To prepare for the cold weather this year, I combined two of the oldest, most effective folk medicines (and two of my favorite foods)  in a winter flu remedy: garlic and honey.

Garlic has been eaten as a vegetable since ancient times: in the spring, it is enjoyed with breads, added to salads, sauces, and marinades; in the fall, it is used to for pickling and marinating. Garlic contains high amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. It is known to strengthen hair, alleviate nausea, bloating and cramps, and control appetite. In addition, it has effective adaptogenic and antiseptic properties; it can lower blood pressure, maximize heart function, and help long-lasting wounds heal. In folk medicine, it is used traditionally to treat migraines, insomnia, balding, bug bites, warts and blisters, and most importantly, bronchial disorders, coughs, and colds. One of the best remedies in slavic folk medicine is considered to be to eat 1-3 cloves of garlic after dinner with a cup of clabber.

prepared garlic honey

Honey has also been used four hundreds of years as a folk medicine. It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and adaptogenic properties and is quickly absorbed converted to energy by the human body. It is well known to promote healthy skin (it can be used topically as well), normalize the sleep cycle as well as metabolic function, stabilize organ function, stimulate circulation, and promote tissue regeneration. It is used for headaches, anemia, insomnia, depression, gastritis, skin problems, anxiety, sore throats, coughs and a host of other ailments. 

While some recipes of the garlic-honey remedy call for fresh minced garlic mixed with honey (1 tsp several times a day during colds and bronchitis), I used a Susan Weed recipe, the original which can be found here: www.susunweed.com/Article_Garlic_Honey.html

I filled a jar half-way with garlic cloves and covered with local, wild forest honey. A few weeks and the garlic will be fully saturated and the honey ready to consume!

Green Tomatoes

Salted Green Tomatoes

At the end of the summer, when cleaning up tomato plants, there are always the end-of-season tomatoes that could have been. A few more weeks of warm weather, and they would be red, orange, ripe, and ready - but it's cold and the winter wind is blowing strong - they remain green, forever. This year, cleaning out my grandmother's greenhouse resulted in an abundant harvest of green tomatoes. However, not a single under-ripe gem was wasted - they were quickly prepared and put away to re-emerge as a winter delight.

The process is simple and easily adaptable to local gardens; all you need is a big jar, water, salt, tomatoes, and plants! We used cherry leaves, garlic, dill, and black currant leaves from the garden, and from around the corner: wild horseradish leaves.

Sprinkle half of your seasonings at the bottom of the jar. Make a hole in the top of each tomato (the part that meets the stem) and fill the jar with the fruits. The hole will allow the tomatoes to saturate. Pour water over the tomatoes - for every two liters of water, add two tablespoons of salt. Put the rest of your seasonings in and wait! The tomatoes will be done in a few weeks, none wasted :)

Gardening with the Moon: Part One

In ancient times, our ancestors regarded solar and lunar rhythms as divine, using cosmic activities as  careful references in every day life. Our intuition, inner balance and the growth and development of every living thing on earth are directly related to these rhythms. For centuries, observation of the relationship between the sun, moon, and earth dictated when to sow seeds, when to harvest, when to bring out cattle. Since humans have drifted farther from natural living and fallen out of tune with the earth's rhythms, much of the knowledge of our ancestors has been lost. However, a deal of it has been preserved and is a major part of life of many farmers around the world, including those in Belarus.

Lunar phases affect not only growth and development of a plant but the quality of both the root systems and foliage as well. During it’s monthly cycle, the moon moves through four phases in which it realizes the sun’s tendencies and infuses every hour with life energy and force.  Lunar rhythms affect atmosphere pressure, temperature, and the strength and direction of the wind. Agro-astrologists make note of the moon’s movements and proximity to the sun at different parts of the cycle and use this information in order to determine which days are best for planting, watering, cutting back, pruning, combating pests, or amending soil.

Waxing: When the moon is waxing, pressure rises in aboveground part of plant and contains more energy; root systems react minimally to disturbance and can handle stress without being especially weakened. Because of this, it is best to do any transplanting at this time. Cutting back at this time will invigorate sleeping fruit and encourage new rapid new growth; however, cutting must be done very carefully and masterfully, or the plant will lose too much liquid and may die. Generally, plants absorb more water and micro-elements and may need more water at this time. However, one must be cautious about watering transplants when the moon travels through air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) – the root system is weakened at this time and above ground nodes can be closed – too much watering can harm or kill plants.  When the moon is waxing, it is recommended to: sow, plant and transplant leafy greens, fruit trees, berries, amend soil, prepare cuttings and for inoculation, establish seedlings and runners, add hops to wine, ferment and salt vegetables and fruit.

Waning: When the moon is waning (11-12 days), pressure increases in the parts of the below ground part of the plant. Roots become more delicate than their aboveground counterparts, so disturbance of the root systems can cause significant damage now. Above ground parts react minimally to stress at this time, so it can be a good time to tend to runners or cut back plants to slow growth. When the moon is waning, it is also recommended to: attend to weeding and pest management, thinning, dig up bulbs for storage, cut flowers (for long shelf-life), water crops, add organic amendments to roots (if needed), plant root crops, members of the Amaryllidaceae (onion) and Solanaceae (potato) families, plant legumes, make jam and dehydrate fruits and vegetables.

New Moon: The new moon lasts three days: the day before, the day of, and the day after the New Moon. During this time, plants are infused with Earth energy. During the 24 hours of the new moon, gardener's shouldn't touch or disturb plants in any way. It isn't recommended to plant, sow, inoculate, stake, prune, till or disturb soil around plant, or damage and disturb roots. The day before and the day after the new moon (not the day of) can be good times to eliminate dead or sick branches, sick plants, and weeds. 

First Quarter: During the first quarter, plants are infused with water energy. This can be a poor time to prune or cut plants because of their high water content - wounds will be more likely to heal poorly and may take a long time to heal completely.

Full Moon: The full moon, like the new moon, lasts three days:the day before, the day after, and the day after the full moon. At this time, plants are infused with air energy and activity in the root system is lowered.  During this time transplants of trees and seedlings, inoculation, and pruning of trees and bushes is not recommended. This can be a good time to till, weed, eliminate pests, disturb or aerate soil around plants (bringing them to the stem), mulch, gather seed, and ferment or salt foods.

Fourth Quarter: The fourth quarter brings with it fire energy: seeds and fruit bear the most energy. This is the best time to gather seeds to ensure proper development and the production of high yields when planted.

All seeds and plants have an initial cosmic energy which transforms into the growth and development of the organism – it is maximally realized in good conditions, but in poor conditions, part of it is wasted as the plant needs to expend extra energy to overcome negative outside factors. In order to provide the best environment possible for our plant friends, it is important to value and understand the relationship of the moon's energy and plant life.

Kompot

Kompot

Kompot, a cold iced drink made exclusively by Russian grandmothers, is inarguably one of the best parts of summer in Belarus – it bears the distinct flavor of childhood, easy living, and summer sweetness. Traditionally made from fresh berries – black currants, red currants, raspberries, alpine strawberries, gooseberries and whatever else is ripe in the garden, it can be adapted to an autumn harvest as well.

This time of year, we’ve been enjoying a fresh, seasonal fall kompot – made from crisp, sweet fall apples (the main ingredient), black currants frozen from the summer, quince (fresh in season), a bit of lemon, and sugar. To make – fill a pot of water, add chopped apples, berries, a bit of lemon, and whatever other fruit you choose. Bring to a boil and let the fruit soften and infuse the water; afterwards, let cool and put in the fridge. With time, the kompot will become more flavorful, so you can drink it as slowly or as quickly as you want, just make sure to eat the fruit too.