A writer's Random ramblings
Ah, September…school goes back into session, the weather begins to cool. Growing season draws to an end. How do I tell? The tomatoes and peppers that care to keep going produce much smaller fruits than they did when the weather was hotter. Other veggies threw in the towel long ago. So, what works in the wacky-weather state of Maryland? Over several growing seasons of mid-May to late September, we have found the following work well.
In terms of smaller sized peppers, mini bell peppers and Cajun Belle hot ones work well here. I grew both the mini sweet (bell) peppers and habaneros from seeds harvested of grocery-store produce. Only the sweet pepper plants grew large enough to give fruit. To help us tell things apart as they grew, we planted the sweet peppers in a whiskey-barrel planter so they would all have enough room to do their thing. The Cajun Belle pepper plants, from the store, went directly in the ground of our garden. The product started mildly spicy once it gave fruit but grew more intense as the season progressed. We found out by reading gardening websites that one should expect this to happen. Apparently, the heat in the weather helps the plant make more capsaicin, which in turn, makes hotter peppers. We also grew two kinds of regular bell peppers, some zucchini, and green beans. The zucchini plants only gave us 4 zucchini in the end, and we had maybe 2 handfuls of green beans, enough for a few snacks of fresh beans dipped in ranch dressing. We have learned the hard way that purple bell peppers tend to come out about the right size for snacking on, much like the mini peppers. To harvest large bell peppers that can be sliced for pizza or salad, stick to the red or green bell peppers. We have not yet tried growing orange or yellow ones. In the last few seasons, we have grown several kinds of tomatoes. Grape tomatoes haven’t really produced greatly here. We may try other varieties besides typical red ones next time. On regular sized red tomatoes, Early Girl and Beefsteak produce the best. However, Beefsteak ones take most of the season to give fruit and haven’t seemed to make really large ones like the name implies. Sweeter tasting tomatoes emanate from the purple Cherokee vines we tried this year. These tomatoes do not need to appear all the way ripe and purple to taste good. In fact, a slight light green tinge at the top is probably best. Cherokee Purple yielded the largest tomatoes this year. Either the purple tomatoes or a combination of these and their red brethren make the most palatable sauce for pasta. Between the 4 plants total, we have made several salads and 2 pots of pasta sauce so far, plus frozen enough tomatoes to get us through winter. Thus, by helping grow a garden, people can learn valuable skills. Even in places with crazy weather, like Maryland, families can grow some of their own food. Trying different varieties of vegetables each season can help people find their own tastes and learn to eat healthier.
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School has returned to session. However, people continue to run the roads as if nobody stood there. “Oh, we aren’t related. Why should we care about others when we’re in a hurry to go someplace?” I can hear the rushers say. Safety first but slowing down and following traffic laws also teaches youngsters about respect without anyone saying a word. Respecting them in this way can go a long way to helping
If you must drive to the bus stop, park with care. Parking as if metered spaces exist along the road allows more cars to come in behind you. Also, get as close to the curb as you can in case a smaller vehicle comes behind you so that person’s child can find his or her ride. Better yet, walk to the stop to show kids respect for health. In many cases, schools place bus stops within reasonable distances of most users’ homes. Anyone whose doctor says to walk should be able to handle the quarter mile or so. Are you driving past the bus stop? Don’t slow for the bus, then speed past. This becomes especially dangerous when the bus prepares to stop or pulls up to let the children off. Treat the amber lights on the bus like a yellow signal on the road and slow or stop properly for it. Always stop for the red flashers and stop arms. Use the time you are stopped to let others know you stopped for the bus and will arrive after it leaves. Don’t speed at all as you may run into a bus down the street. Curves in the road present this dilemma to a greater degree. In residential areas, follow the speed limit signs and remain vigilant for children crossing the street. Doing so shows your respect for human life and will help the children’s caregivers teach the ideal by having examples. By following these simple ideas, parents and caregivers of children can team with community members to help children learn about respect. They can see how to apply the ideal to people, health, and the environment at the same time. All it takes is for people to respect bus stops and those who travel there to provide examples of how this works. After all, no amount of travel is worth risking one’s health or life or that of others to arrive at a given destination. |
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June 2020
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