Dear Helen: I’ve been drying halved figs in my food dehydrator, but because of this year’s large crop numerous figs were lined up waiting for space in the drier. I rinsed them and kept them on toweling in shallow pans. I pick figs really ripe and soft. Why did so few develop mould as they await drier space for a day or so? Also, I’d like to know whether you have any tips on transforming figs into a quick, easy dessert.
A.F.
I also prefer harvesting figs at a fully drooped, soft stage, ideally when drops of syrup can be seen on them. That’s one big perk of growing your own — the opportunity to pick and enjoy at the fully ripe, most tasty and nutrient-rich stage. Under-ripe, more easily transported fruits can be purchased. Why bother growing your own if you’re going to harvest at that stage? Several times I’ve observed home gardeners gathering fruit at under-ripe (and less that sweet) stages, and wondered why.
Fruits, as they ripen, develop compounds that act as natural disease preventers — as long as that process is not short-circuited by external applications of fungicide. That is probably why fully ripe figs are able to hold off mould development — at least for a day or two.
Every summer, as luscious garden fruits ripen, I pull out my old copy of Under the Tuscan Sun and turn to the chapter titled “Summer Kitchen Notes.” Under “Dolci” (sweets) there is a recipe for an Italian style fruit cobbler using mascarpone, a smooth, sweet creamed cheese. I’ve altered the recipe, but basically it’s just sliced, halved, or chopped fruit placed in a buttered baking dish and topped with an easy custard blend.
For the custard, cream 4 Tbsp butter with 1/3 cup sugar. Beat in one egg and 2/3 cup mascarpone, 1 tsp vanilla and a few drops of almond flavouring. Stir in 2 Tbsp flour. Spoon over the fruit and bake at 350 F for around 20 minutes or until set.
Dear Helen: Does horsetail spread underground? Are herbicides the only way to control it?
T.D.
I’m sorry to say it, but horsetail is one of the most difficult weeds to control. The plants produce deep and extensive, tuber-bearing, creeping root systems and two kinds of stems — sterile stems with whorls of leaf-like branches and fertile stems bearing spore-producing cones. Herbicides only kill off top growth.
How to manage horsetail depends upon where in a garden it appears. Where it grows in among perennials and shrubs, all you can do is keep it carefully lifted out or cut down. It is crucial to remove fertile stems before spores are released. In annual beds and vegetable plots, covering the area with light-excluding material such as tarps or cardboard for as long as possible will help to control it.
Top growth can be killed with an acetic acid herbicide, sold under various brand names. These products have the same acid as in vinegar, but at greater strength. They are most effective applied to small, actively growing plants. Applications will need repeating.
Dear Helen: What is boring neat holes in my granddaughter Rosie’s tomatoes?
E.P.
There is a type of cutworm that climbs into plants to feed at night, damaging leaves and boring holes in fruiting structures like tomatoes and beans.
Physical removal works well. In the evening, as soon as it is dark, inspect the plants using a flashlight. Pick the caterpillars from the plant and drop them in a container of soapy water. Or, freeze them overnight and put them on the compost heap.
Keep the soil around the plants lightly cultivated to expose cutworms to predators. They hide under the soil surface or under litter during the day. In the spring, fork over the soil several times before planting, to expose cutworms to birds.
GARDEN EVENT
Plant identification and cultivation. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, offers the next session of Plant Identification and Culture on Saturday, Aug. 27, 1 to 4 p.m. This is an ongoing, monthly course that can be joined at any time. Cost to members per session is $35, others $45. Cost for 12 sessions: members $350, others $450. To register call 250-479-6162. hcp.ca.
