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The Fall Garden:Green Beans Win Blue Ribbons At Harvest FairBY IRENE VAN SLYKEA harvest fair in Brooklyn might seem like an oddity in a big city but after the success of the first one held in the Gateway National Recreation Area it seems as if we might return to the times when the first immigrants established farms on Long Island.Then, early in the 17th century there were fields of wheat, rye, oats and barley as far as the eye could see. Each farm also kept a small plot where corn, cabbage, potatoes, peas and turnips were grown for the family%u2019s use. By 1675 there were enough farmers that the colonial government established a yearly fair for \other produce\Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in November.By 1881, however, for some Brooklyn had already become loo urban. Gertrude Lcffcrts Vanderbilt, daughter of a wealthy Flatbush farmer writes of the remaining farms: \grain as the farmer needs arc raised while he depends upon his market produce for rcnumcrative sales. Under this system of cultivation the farms arc not so picturesque as thcywcrc when the fields were waving with the graceful growth of grain.\VEGETABLES NOT GRAINGertrude Vanderbilt might have preferred hay and grain but the thousand orfc so cilyslickcrs who went tt) their first Harvest Fair in Floyd Bennett Field oohed and aahed over each others vegetables grown in small city plots. They also squared danced, entered in contests for scariest scarecrow, showed off Snoopics made from butternut squash and tasted breads, jams and jellies.The country atmosphere might make anyone think that this was Iowa rather than a few hundred feet from the Belt Parkway. Several big bright colored tents set up on a field of grass had displays by Cornell University and the Brooklyn and Queens Botanic Gardens on how to control pests, how to can and freeze home-grown vegetables.Children ground wheat into flour and farm stands had New York apples and cider. Outside was a large stage where a caller directed some one hundred people on how to square dance and hay rides took people back and forth over the overgrown runways of the old Floyd Bennett airport.Old and young taking to hay rides and jumping around in sack races had never been to a Harvest Fair before and were not sure about how to win contests for the best grown produce. Some were disqualified for leaving roots on their plants, others for not providing recipes for their breads, jams and jellies.SHOW OFF PRODUCE,NOTCOWSOne veteran of country Harvest Fairs scoffed at the size of the fair \course farmers would want to show off their cattle and grain, and there would be all kinds of tractors and farm equipment around.%u201dIt's true there was only one cow, one pig and two sheep obviously imported from outside the citylimits and no farm equipment in sight but the produce displayed could have competed with any commerica! grower.In an old hanger was a large roped off area where long tables showed entries for the best green beans, the longest carrot, biggest squash, biggest sunflower or tomato.Serious groups of judges from the N.Y Horticultural Society, and Cornell University and N.Y.%u2019s Botanic Gardens slowly went from table to table picking up eight pound squashes and one pound tomatoes and making notes.Every time a judge would attach a ribbon to a display somcwould try to get within the ropes to sec who had won only to be shooed away by the judges.BROCCOLI TREES ANDELEPHANT EGGPLANTSOne display which got a lot of attention was from a first grade class in Park Slope%u2019s P.S. 107 at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street. Teacher Lorraine Volpc and her first graders had fashioned a fool high Snoopic out of two butternut squash, one for the body the other for the head. A cucumbler sliced in two made up its ears.A fish bowl had two carefully carved carrots suspended in it looking just like goldfish, scallions planted in the rice (gravel) pretended to be seaweed. The class had also created elephants out of eggplants, trees out of broccoli spears and savannah grass out of green beans.Volpc said that it had taken the five and six year olds only a day orso to think up ideas for the vegetable displays. Once they got started though there was no stopping thcm,\what vegetables could turn into,\Volpc said, %u201cwe had more ideasThe country atmosphere might make anyone think this was Iowa rather than adjacent to the Belt Parkway.but we were limited by space in our cars to bring them here.\A one acre lot in the Bronx also got a lot of prizes. There were blue rosettes%u2014best of class%u2014for the largest pumpkin, blue ribbons%u2014 excellent%u2014for collard greens. A one acre city garden is unusually large, but Minnie Skinner who runs it says the whole neighborhood is organized around the garden. Besides the prizes at the Harvest Fair the garden has also won almost any prize available in the city for good citizenship.GIANT SUNFLOWEROne prize, well deserved, was for a sunflower one foot across grownby a 13 year old from Queens who had to tell everyone how she grew the giant. \of them,\turned out to be the biggest.\only worry she had was when hurricane David hit the area, but she said, \the hurricane 1 knew I would win the contest.%u201dThree teenagers who worked in the childrens%u2019 garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden counted up all their prizes%u2014a blue ribbon for their sunflower, a blue rosette for their beans and zucchini. The chard entry though was disqualified because the roots had not been cut off.Daisy Edclman of Brooklyn Heights, Stacey Hiers of Bedford Stuyvcsant and Jacqueline Denney of Lcffcrts Gardens recounted all their trials during the summer of trying to grow their crop. \were rabbits eating the plants and squash borers made the plants all mushy.\not sprayed to kill the insects. %u201c I wouldn't cat it if the plants were sprayed,%u201d but she also couldn%u2019t kill the borers. In order the save the plant Denney asked the teacher to cut open the stem and remove (he borers and kill them.Edclman said that winning prizes and bringing home her garden grown vegetables has made her mother think of turning the backyard into a vegetable patch. Hiers is sure he will grow his own vegetables again next summer and all of them were sure that they would be back for bigger and belter prizes at the next Harvest Fair.Preserving Your Autumn Harvests For Winter MealsBY MARIA GRIMALDIInterest in canning and preserving food along with vegetable gardening is enjoying a revival unprecedented irt the last three decades. Although wc probably all have become somewhat acclimated to battered zuccini, petrified tomatoes, and waxed cucumbers from heaven knows where, there is a definite sense of satisfaction about opening a jar or package of a home processed food product made from locally grown fresh produce.If you%u2019ve grown the vegetables yourself so much greater the glory over super processed, supermarket food. If you arc unable to grow vegetables yourself, or have purple thumbs, consider the advantages of using some of the abundant fresh produce available at the Grccnmarkets to fill up one or two of your cupboard or freezer shelves.Years before the jolly green giants of the food industry took control of our food supply, canning and putting by food throughout the summer and fall was a way of life for most people. Many people today arc reluctant to try canning, afraid they will soon poison themselves with spoiled food. If one adheres to a few basic rules, the risk of food becoming contaminated with bacteria is virtually eliminated.FREEZE ITFreezing, appears to be the simplest method of preserving food for many individuals, who have large freezer compartments that keep temperatures consistently** %u2022 r%u00ab i----u a _ n %u2014a. IVUUm U i a u i m u i f %u00ab %u00bb m nresident administered the community gardening program forThe Horticultural Society ofNew York.near 0 degrees Fahrenheit. An investment in a freezer thermometer will acquaint you with the capabilities of your unit. Certain vegetables freeze better than others. For example, eggplant and squash do not freeze well by themselves but they can be cooked according to your favorite casserole recipe in aluminum foil pans that will fit your freezer. Stored in the freezer until ready to use, the casserole can be reheated in a hot oven until bubbling, just as you would a commercially frozen convenience food.Freezing raw vegetables requires blanching with boiling water.Anyone who tries to avoid this step before freezing is likely to be disappointed with the vegetables they freeze. Enzymes are present in nature to speed up the process of growth and decay of organisms. They are abundant and extremely active on the surface of most fruits and vegetables. They can only begin to become inactive at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezing unblanchcd vegetables will only slow down enzyme activity slightly. An unblanched or uncooked vegetable will soon appear discolored and will be unacceptable in texture and taste.To blanch, you will need a wire basket or small colander that will fit into a large kettle. For each pound of washed and prepared vegetable, use one gallon of boiling water. Lower the basket of vegetables into the boiling water. Wait for the water to return to the boiling point to start counting the blanching time.Blanching times vary for eachWrtnni /.k in rln n n n H in n An th p . v jjw w v .w , %u201c ~ r ---------odensity of (heir liber con ent. For example, spinach takes 2 minutes, tender green beans 3 minutes, and medium kernels of corn off the cob, 5 minutes. Remove the basketcontaining the hot vegetables from the boiling water, and immediately plunge it into another container filled with ice cold water, or run cold water over them continuously until they arc cool. This procedure is most practically done at the sink. Once the vegetable is cool remove it from the water, drain it well and pat dry. Pack in plastic airtight containers and freeze.GREENMARKET%u2019S TOMATOESIt is difficult to resist the buys on ripe tomatoes at the Grccnmarkets this year. Due to the peculiarities of the weather, all the tomatoes seem to be ripening at once. A little friendly bargaining with the farmer at the end of a market day can provide you with the makings of a year's supply of tomato sauce. The following recipe can be frozen.TOMATO SAUCE | Yields 6 pints]S lbs. of tomatoes [about 25medium]. Choose very ripe but notmushy ones, core and remove anybruised areas.2 Tablespoons of olive oil.2 small onions chopped4 cloves of crushed garlic2 Tablespoons of freshly choppedparsley1 teaspoon of basil or oreganosalt and pepper to taste1/4 cup of lemon juice [do not omitthis ingredient]Loosen the tomato skins by plunging tomatoes into boiling water for a minute, then under cool water. Remove skins, and cut tomatoes into chunks. Heat the oil in a large heavy enamel or stainless steel pot. Saute the onions and oarlir hrif'flv Stir in the tomatoes. Add the spices and let simmer for 1 hour or longer until sauce is almost the desired consistancy for serving. Stir occasionally. Then add the lemon juice. To freeze; Pour sauceinto a freezer container. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and date. Sauce may also be frozen in a Mason jar.PICKLES FROM CUCUMBERSChildren these days do not believe that pickles come from cucumbers. Just to prove it to them or perhaps to yourself you might try the following recipe forDILL PICKLES[Yields 2 quarts]2 ibs. of freshly picked, unwaxedpickling cucumbers2-1/2 Tablespoons of Kosher salt,or pure sea salt2 cups of white vinegar [ratedbetween 4 to 6 percent acidity]8 Tablespoons of dill seed or 4heads of fresh dill12 peppercorns2 large perfect cloves of garlic,peeledWash cucumbers, gently. Either leave whole or cut into lengthwise quarters, depending on how you like your pickles. Soak the cucumbers is salt dissolved in enough cold water to cover them in a ceramic bowl. Place a weighted plate on top of the cucumbers to keep them immersed in the brine for about 10 hours. Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of vinegar and heat to boiling.Pack cucumber into hot jars. Pack them tightly as some shrinkage will occur. Add the dill, peppertorns and garlic to each jar. Fill with boiling hot vinegar mixture to within 1/2 inch from the lop.Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean dishcloth since any particles of sauce on the rim will interfere with the seal. Adiust the lid firmlv over the rim and screw on the band to secure the lid in place.Put the jar on a rack in a pot large enough to accommodate the jars and enough boiling water tocover the tops. Cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the bath with a strong pair of tongs and place on a rack to cool. When the jars are all sealed and cool you may remove the bands. Do not tighten the bands at this point as this may dislodge the seal.There are two ways to check if you have followed the procedure correctly. During the cooling process you may hear a click sound which is notification that the jar has scaled itself. You will also notice that when you press the center of a sealed jar there is no give.HANDY REFERENCESNot all vegetables and fruits can be processed in the same manner. Excellent specific information is available from the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) through inexpensive publications on food handling. The Cornell Cooperative Extension offers free to residents of New York State a catalogue listing all government bulletins and current prices, as well as free material. A copy may be obtained by writing the Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York City Gardening Program, 111 Broadway, New York, New York.Government published materials can be bought in Manhattan at 26 Federal Plaza at the U.S. Government Printing Office.For excellent results in food preserving you must use fresh vegetables. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has an excellent guide to farmer%u2019s markets in the city, roadside stands and u-pick-it-farms in New York State. It can be obtained by sending 25 cents to New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Direct Marketing Division, 2 World Trade Center, New York, New York.September 27.1979, The PHOENIX. Page 15