The garden is buzzing …

by Joe Dennis, Nostalgia Farms

We’re only a few weeks into June and the garden is buzzing. Along with Saskatoons, sugar snap peas, and soon-to-emerge carrots, our friends the bees are here ­– brought to us by beekeeper Ruth Arp who hails from Eldridge. She’s a kindred spirit who shares our passion for a chemical free and healthy lifestyle, and is amazing. In addition to her love for bees, many know Ruth in the Quad City area medical community as an adjunct faculty member who instructs and trains Trinity nurses.

Ruth is 80 years old and still going strong (she’s the one in the photo keeping the bees). She manages 10 hives in the area, three of those located at Nostalgia Farms. Our hives are busy, producing about 100-150 pounds of honey a year, and with such a wonderful taste. The honey is a very mild and not overly sweet because there is such a large mixture of clover, flowers, fruit and vegetables in our neck of the woods,

For years, I’ve made a warm tea using 1 tablespoon (each) of honey and apple cider vinegar in a cup of hot water whenever feeling under the weather. It’s a tonic I’ve forced on many friends and co-workers who are now true converts!

As for what’s coming out of the ground, I’m very excited about this year’s crop of Saskatoons, also known as Juneberry or serviceberry. It’s an easy-to-grow shrub that resembles a blueberry, but has more of an almond taste. The berries are delicious and just as nutritious as a blueberry. The crop will be small for us for the next few years, but an excellent choice to add to your own backyard orchard. It also lends itself as a landscape plant as well. And we’re still enjoying the first fruits of summer: pie cherries, sweet cherries, red currants and gooseberries are all coming into their own these wonderful weeks of June, too.

Summer vegetables are on their way: I picked our first few pounds of Sugar Ann snap peas on June 8 and they should keep it up for four to six weeks, depending on how hot and dry the latter part of June ends up. We’re planting several varieties of head lettuce that will withstand summers heat: “Buttercrunch” lettuce and “Jericho” Romaine are two tried and true varieties for us. On June 15, we started new seed flats of cool weather crops like broccoli, collards, kale and cabbage to go into the garden by the August 1, for a fall crop. I’ll try to have some for sale at the farmers market.

One of my favorite vegetables that should be starting the first week or so of July is carrots. Nothing compares to a fresh carrot, raw or cooked. A simple side dish for a summer time meal or for your next holiday get-together:

Honey Glazed Carrot with Orange and Basil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound carrots cut into ¼’ slices
Juice and zest of one orange
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Add carrots and saute’10-12 minutes until carrots begin to brown. Add orange juice, water and 1tablespoon of honey. Simmer 5-10 minutes until carrots are crisp tender and liquid has reduced. Add remaining 1tablespoon of butter, honey and orange zest. Stir to combine and pour into serving dish. Top with chopped fresh basil and enjoy.

Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at: www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website.