The Gardening
Corner: Fruit Trees
Fall is the
perfect time to plant new fruit trees.
Many local nurseries will have their trees on sale or you can order them
from gardening catalogs. Most young
fruit trees will cost you around $30 each.
There are some things to keep in mind when deciding what tree to buy.
1) Order a tree with the fruit that your
family likes.
2) Be sure to plant it in a spot where
it will have room to grow to full mature size without going completely into the
neighbor’s yard.
3) How much fruit do you want to
harvest? And how much room do you have?
4) Will you need another variety of the
same fruit for pollination?
Standard Size trees can reach up to 25 ft tall and wide
at maturity. They will produce a lot of
food, but even with a ladder it will become too tall to harvest, prune and
spray most of the tree. For a
city/suburban yard they will take up a lot of space. Unless you have a lot of
acreage this size may be too big.
Semi-dwarf trees can reach up to 12-15 ft tall and
wide at maturity. They produce a lot of
fruit for their size. With a ladder you
can still reach the top or close to it, to harvest, spray and prune. Nice size for a suburban yard.
Dwarf size is very small and will only get up
to 8 ft all at the most. A dwarf will
only produce a bushel or less of fruit.
Good size if you do not eat a lot of fruit or you do not plan on canning
the fruit.
Pollination:
Most fruit trees will need a pollinator so your trees(s) will produce
fruit. Each tag on the tree will tell
you if it needs a pollinator or it if is self-pollinating. If it needs a pollinator you will need to get
a 2nd tree of the same kind of fruit but a different variety. This means you may need a Jonathan apple tree
and a Delicious apple tree. Many tree
catalogs and nurseries will tell you which varieties to choose from. They will
have lists of which trees can cross-pollinate.
If you buy a self-pollinator or you have neighbors just over
the fence with a pollinator on their property, you will not need to worry about
this.
Goal of a 3 month supply:
The LDS
church in the last few years has changed how it is encouraging members to build
up their food storage. It has become
apparent that most members do not have a 1 year supply of food and too many
members feel overwhelmed with the thought of working toward that goal and give
up. So, with that in mind, the church is
now telling us to have a goal of a 1
month supply of food. (basic,
everyday foods you commonly eat.) Then build up to a 3 month supply of these same foods.
After you have those foods, keep building up your storage until you have at least a 1 year supply of your
foods, cleaners and toiletries. Could
your family make do without needing to go to a grocery store for a year? The ultimate goal your family should be working
on is a 1 yr supply, not just 1-3 months.
The average time for a full-time worker to find a new job making a
decent wage is still 8-9 months.
Storing sugars and Sweeteners:
White sugar: If stored in an airtight container in
a cool, dry place it can be stored indefinitely.
Brown Sugar: It stores well in the original bags
if you keep it in a cool, dry place. It
also has an indefinite shelf life. Put
purchase date on each bag. Personally, I
try to keep as many of my foods as possible in something that will keep weevils
out. You could get a 5 gal. bucket or
smaller one and keep many bags of brown sugar in there. Over time brown sugar gets hard. If using hard sugar you can put some in a
smaller container and add ½ slice of bread for a day to soften it. You can also
soften it just before using by warming it up in the microwave.
Powdered Sugar: It can be stored in the original bags
in a cool, dark place.
Honey: Honey can be stored nearly
forever! It does darken with age and
will have a stronger flavor but it is still very usable. Pure Honey will eventually crystallize. If crystallized, just melt it at a low
temperature to use. If you buy honey in
a very large quantity you can transfer it right away to canning jars. Put the date on a new lid and screw the
canning lid band on tightly.
Maple Syrup: It stores well for at
least a year if kept in a cool, dark place.
Jams and Jellies: If kept in a cool, dark place they can be stored for quite a
few years. (The only ingredients are berries/fruit, sugar and pectin). As with any foods, if the lid is not sealed
anymore and there is ANY sign of spoilage, you should throw it away.
Agave: Pasteurized Agave produced by C&H has a shelf life of 2 years.
The Above information
was gleaned from an article written by Leslie Probert in the Deseret News. She is the co-author of “Food Storage in a
Nutshell” 3rd Edition.
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