Tag Archives: food

The Species Pear Balancing Act On the Move

If you were to take a peak into the secret life of pears, you will find treasures hidden in places that are not easily accesible. These are not “escaped” pears but subspecies that someone in the taxonomic botanical world has … Continue reading →

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You and Your Sandcherry Empire

Have you ever gone for a hike and discovered some interesting fruit along a trail somewhere? It’s a common experience. Such is the case for Prunus pumila or sandcherry found on the dunes of the Great Lakes. The trails that … Continue reading →

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Chinquapin Chestnut: It’s Natural

A New Chinquapin Variety-“Resilient” One of the first oaks I grew at my farm was the Turkey Oak, Quercus cerris. The tree has a huge range in Europe and grows to massive sizes. I used a wide variety of seed … Continue reading →

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Direct Seeding: Get Your Satchel and Plant a Forest

Everyone wants to create a forest. It’s a natural desire. How hard can it be? You start with a blank canvas and add paint in the form of seeds or trees. Like the book “The Man Who Planted Trees” by … Continue reading →

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ZEA

ZEA Zea is the genus name for corn. It is the Greek word meaning bread. The first Zea grain goes back to at least 12,000 years ago. Evidence was recently found in a cave in Turkey that Zea grains were … Continue reading →

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The Very Wild Texas Peach

The Texas peach represents a great human plant introduction into the southwestern U.S. native flora. It integrates into its surrounding environment and continues to broaden its genetic diversity. When botanists first looked at the peach thriving in the southeastern U.S., … Continue reading →

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Tree Crop Pioneers and New American Persimmon Varieties

One of my first persimmon seed sources for trees at my nursery was from a persimmon cannery in Mitchell, Indiana called Dymple’s Delight. I used the cannery waste for producing trees. The seeds were extracted prior to cooking. The seeds … Continue reading →

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Two New American Persimmon Varieties

Starting in the mid 1980’s I began growing American persimmon trees on my farm in southwestern Michigan. I initially grew them within my nursery to sell as seedlings. Eventually I planted many in my open hay field surrounding my farm … Continue reading →

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The American Persimmon: Sugar Heaven

Every year is a great joy to harvest American persimmons. This year is no exception. I relish the major brush clearing and grass mowing that is needed for me to obtain the fruit in quantity and quality. To harvest the … Continue reading →

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The Edible World Part 2

This sign from my families farm in the mid 1960’s highlights an activity at our farm enjoyed by many in our part of Michigan. You would get a bucket and go out in our 140 acre swamp and find wild … Continue reading →

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