Corn Stalks

Corn Stalks!  We have cut, cured and bundled our select corn stalks and they will be available to decorate your porches and driveways for this fall season.  Unlike other corn stalks that you can by at the box stores, these are grown on our farm and contain field corn as well as select broom corn varieties (sorghum) that give it unique fall colors instead of dull brown. After spring harvest we plant these varieties in early July to ensure proper size and seasonal timing.  We only grow them for decoration so no ears are harvested from them (it's dent corn anyway which is really only suitable for animal feed and broom corn produces no ears).  After the seeds are up we only use a little bit of fertilizer as strong summer winds or tropical storms can blow over a row of very tall yet thin stalks which is what heavy nitrogen will grow for this particular crop.  At harvest we hand cut the stalks and dry them for two days in the field.  They are then bundled and stored in the dry barn to finish the curing process.  We will be selling them along with our other fall products at the McIntosh Fall Festival on Saturday, October 19th so we hope to see you there.  Below is some additional info on corn stalks.

Broom Corn- In 1797 Levi Dickenson, a farmer in Hadley, Massachusetts, made a broom for his wife, using the tassels of a variety of sorghum (Sorghum vulgere), a grain he was growing for the seeds. She thought Levi’s broom was exceptionally good and told friends and neighbors about it. As the demand for these brooms grew, Levi grew more and more of the sorghum.  By about 1810, the sorghum used in brooms, had acquired a new name, Broom Corn, as the British called all seed bearing plants, "corn." The sorghum also looks similar to the sweet corn plant, and its tassel had become the broom material still used in quality brooms today. 

Dent Corn-  Dent Corn (Zea mays var. indentata) is a variety of corn with a high soft starch content. It received its name because of the small indentation ("dent") at the crown of each kernel on a ripe ear of corn. It is a variety developed by northern Illinois farmer, James Reid in 1846. Most of today's hybrid corn varieties and cultivars are derived from it. This variety won a prize at the 1893 World's Fair.

Most of the corn grown in the United States today is Yellow Dent or a closely related variety derived from it.  Dent corn is the variety used in food manufacturing as the base ingredient for cornmeal flour (used in the baking of cornbread), corn chips, tortillas and taco shells. Starch derived from this high-starch content variety is turned into plastics, as well as fructose which is used as a sweetener (High-fructose corn syrup) in many processed foods and soft drinks.

Fall Bucket List

Sunday was the first official day of fall and although it doesn't fully feel like autumn outside, I have taken it upon myself to get this family into the spirit of the season.  The house smells of cinnamon, apples, and pumpkin, the air is set a little cooler (to give the full effect), I have been serving up pumpkin spice lattes like it's my job (iced of course. . .it's hot outside!), and I started my first fall bucket list.  Bucket list or not, do you have a list of things that you like to do, or would like to do, in the fall?  One of the biggies on my list is to go to the Pickin' Patch (https://www.facebook.com/pages/ThePickinPatch/133377916709927).  The Pickin' Patch is located in Dunnellon and owned and operated by a local farming family.  I highly recommend giving them a try if visiting a pumpkin patch is on your list this fall. They have different kinds of pumpkins, from traditional to unique (I loved the white pumpkins!) as well as a sunflower patch, photo opp spots, hay rides, and a small corn maze.    

I have included my "current" bucket list with this post, but I'm sure I will be adding things as fall continues.

What are your plans for fall?

Prepping for Fall

This week we'll keep it short and sweet.

We have been busy around the farm.  We've been planting, transplanting, finishing propagation in the greenhouses, prepping hydroponic systems in the shadehouses for lettuce production, seeding plants, and prepping the ground for strawberries.  We are doing all of this in preparation for produce sales this fall.  Produce will be sold via e-mail.  Once we get your e-mail we will pick your produce to order.  We will let you know week-by-week what we have available -- just check the blog and Facebook for updates.  The produce will be sold per pound or per piece, depending on the item.  

Also, look for us at the McIntosh Fall Festival on October 19.  We will be selling plants and decorative fall items.

Here at the farm, we are looking forward to fall.  Fall means less weeds to pull, fewer mosquitoes to swat, lower humidity, more family time, and good food.  What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Who's writing this anyway?

For the people who know Wet Hammock Nursery, the biggest question and/or confusion we get is related to who is posting on Facebook and who is writing this blog.  Well, let me to take a minute to introduce myself.  I am Mrs. Douglass.  I am a gator graduate and fifth-generation Floridian.  When I'm not moonlighting as a farmhand or social networking guru (<--ha!), I work as a speech-language pathologist.  I grew up in the country with country folks, but never lived on a farm or participated in 4H or FFA.  Growing up, my grandfather always had a garden and would grow and harvest cane, which we would then turn into cane syrup, but that was the full extent of my agricultural background.  I didn't even ride horses growing up, which if you know anything about Marion County, is unheard of.
I have known Mr. Douglass since preschool, but we did not become an item until I had moved to Tampa years later.  We began dating and after graduate school I moved back home to Marion County.  Since the start of this relationship I have been immersed in agriculture and have developed skills that I never thought I would have (heck, that I never knew existed!).  Now, don't let me fool you, I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting there and I'm hoping to share what I learn and experience with our friends and customers.
As for Mr. Douglass. . . he is a graduate of the University of Florida.  He has a bachelor's degree in ag operations management and a master's degree in ag finance.  He was a member of both 4H and FFA, and won national proficiency in diversified agricultural operations in high school (such an overachiever, right? hehe).  He currently works as nursery manager at a local blueberry farm during the day.  After finishing his day job, he goes home to work on the family tree farm (Douglass Tree Farm) and our new nursery (Wet Hammock).  As if this were not enough, he also works as an adjunct professor at the College of Central Florida teaching agribusiness.  Personally, just thinking about all he does makes me want to take a nap.
Returning to the original question, who is doing all this posting?  All blog posts are written by me, Mrs. Douglass.  The Facebook posts could be posted by myself or Mr. Douglass.  Here's a tip though, if it's in anyway related to cooking, it was probably me.
I hope y'all enjoyed learning a little bit about us and hopefully we cleared up any confusion.  Have a wonderful week!

Mr. & Mrs. Douglass.  Circa 2012.

The Floridian

What they say about themselves:

We here at The Floridian have a relatively simple goal: to make really great food using local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients as much as possible, and to provide a comfortable and casual atmosphere in which this food can be enjoyed. We believe we can best support the local community, economy and environment by purchasing ingredients cultivated and crafted within the Northeast and North-central regions of Florida, thereby promoting the sustainability and growth of our region’s agriculture and artisan economy. It is our commitment and responsibility to provide truly authentic food, to reconnect this most important part of culture to its origins in the cultivation of the land and responsible plying of the sea.

Our menu will change continuously with the seasons, and will reflect our sincere appreciation of Southern cooking, with healthy notions. Keep an eye out for our featured Farm, Fish, and Artisan Partners as we do our best by their incredible product. After all, a restaurant’s menu can only be as good as the ingredients used to craft it.

What we say about them:

Yummy!  This weekend we went to St. Augustine, one of our favorite places.  I had done some "research" on Pinterest trying to find some new things to try while in St. Augustine and stumbled upon The Floridian.  I looked over the company website and read reviews on the Urban Spoon and Southern Living -- it looked like a winner -- now all I had to do was convince Mr. Douglass.  I explained that is was a "farm to table" restaurant and it would be good to try it -- you know, just for the blog.  ;)  By Sunday, we were all seated on their patio enjoying drinks and fried green tomato bruschetta.  We all chatted while we ate our appetizer and sipped our drinks, then came the main course.  Silence fell over the table.  It was amazing.  The boys had the Dixie Burger made from beef from the CartWheel Ranch and I had the FGT Hoagie made with fried green tomatoes, cilantro mayo, cabbage slaw, and Wainwright's pepperjack cheese.  Mr. Douglass had the Minorcan Datil-BBQ Sandwich which they describe as a "sweet, spicy, and boozy BBQ sauce" over slow roasted CartWheel Ranch pork, and served on a bun with pimento cheese, cabbage slaw, and house pickled vegetables.  My sister-in-law, Ms. Douglass, had the Shrimp Remoulade Po'Boy made from local shrimp.  As delicious as these descriptions sound, they do not even begin to do these dishes justice.  The only small warning I will give is that parties of 6 or more will not be allowed to split the check and there is a automatic 20% gratuity added to parties of 6 or more.  This certainly wasn't a deal breaker for us, but it was noted as a teensy annoyance.  With that small warning in place, we say to you, the next time you're in St. Augustine give The Floridian a try. . . you won't be disappointed. 

 



 


     

PSA

Good news. . . I'm not talking about Miley Cyrus or N*Sync today.
Today, we're talking about washing produce.  Always wash your produce.  No brainer, right?  I thought so too, but I can't tell you the number of times that I have seen people ask if produce is organic and then begin eating it without washing it.  Just because it doesn't have chemicals does not mean you can skip washing it.  You don't know what that produce has touched before it gets to you.  You don't know who has touched it before it got to you.  Take a U-Pick for example, it's organic, you're picking it, should be safe, right?  What if some other picker went to the bathroom, did not wash their hands, went to pick your fruit and then decided against it. . . now those dirty hands have touched the fruit you're about eat without washing.  I know this example seems extreme, but it could happen and the bottom line is you can avoid foodborne illness by using safe food preparation practices.  
Okay, time for me to step down from my soap box.  Before I get down though, I'm giving you a recipe for a produce spray that I found on, you guessed it, Pinterest.  The vinegar and lemon in this spray have natural anti-bacterial properties.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp baking soda

1/2 of a lemon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a container and then put in a spray bottle.  **Do not put in a spray bottle and shake to mix.  Remember from school, baking soda+vinegar=volcano/blowing up balloons/chemical reaction?**  Spray mixture on produce and let sit for 5 minutes. Scrub and rinse.

**I've had weird reaction with peaches. . .I think it had something to do with the type of skin. . .but I have used this with cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, grapes (i.e., things with a waxier-type skin) without any weird reactions.**

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Very Pinteresting. . .

I don't know about you, but I am a HUGE Pinterest fan.  If you are unfamiliar with it, Pinterest is an on-line cork (or pin) board.  You can either search for ideas/information as you would in any other search engine or you can find information via your friends, which you can then put into a category and save for later use.  

**A word of caution, time speeds up when you are using Pinterest.  You may sit down at three in the afternoon, just to quickly grab that recipe you saw, and BOOM! it's five in the evening and your husband is coming through the door wanting to know what's for dinner. Consider yourself warned -- this could happen to you.**

For those of you who are already on Pinterest and those of you who are willing to try Pinterest despite my warning, please "follow us." http://pinterest.com/wethammocknurse/  We will be pinning recipes for your fresh Wet Hammock produce, ideas and information for your own garden, and anything else we find pertinent or interesting.

We hope everyone is having a great week and we can't wait to see you on Pinterest!