Week of 8/11/24

Another summer week has skipped by, and fall is fast approaching. The signs are all around. Yellow is the color of fall and the golden red bursting out in full bloom. The leaves of some of the early trees won’t be far behind, such as the walnut trees. The nuts on the trees are now becoming quite visible. There is a fair crop on the hickories, a small crop on the red oaks, and on the white oaks I do not know. On the few other trees that are left on my farm I haven’t seen any. Soon there will be no white oaks left, as there has been no regeneration in maybe the last 50 years.

With the huge population of both turkey and deer, the few nuts that aren’t eaten and left to germinate the saplings are soon eaten off by the deer. I have planted a couple hundred about ten years ago and not a single one of them survived the deer. It would take tree guards at least 6 ft tall at about 10 dollars each to protect them, which is just not feasible. The walnut crop is light, as maybe only five percent of the trees have nuts, and these trees are not really loaded.

Out in the woods the few wild Ginseng Berries that are still left on the plant are turning red, as the turkeys also like them. It is hard to get new patches of Ginseng started, as the turkeys and the other critters will find them and eat the seeds. There appears to be a good crop of turkey. I saw two hens the other day, each of them had about a dozen poults following them.

I spent most of this week in the garden harvesting. Picked the last of the aronias and the blackberries. I’ve picked over a hundred quarts of wild blueberries this summer, which is a huge crop. Likewise, the potatoes, where I have about 20 bushels dug now and maybe about 10 more to go off a patch of about 600 sq ft. The tomato crop is just starting and that also looks to be big.

We did well at the farmers market in Spring Green on Saturday. Again Ruth sold out of all her pies, of which there were 30. We ran out of books and we are hoping to get the next batched shipped soon. Meanwhile the books can be ordered from Dorrance’s Bookstore online.

-Helmuth Krause

Week of 8/4/2024

What a difference a week can make. From 90 degrees on July 31 and humidity in the mid-70’s to a high of 66 and humidity of 50 on August 9th. I have finished picking the aronia berries (chokeberries) this week but there is no market for them. Does anyone know of any? We have mixed them with grapes to make a very healthy juice.

I have also finished with the blackberries, which was a very good crop. We have no problem getting rid of them either. They are the first thing to sell out at the farmers market, and Ruth freezes them for later use in her pies. I have picked over a hundred quarts out of my wild patch this year.

We had a good day at the August 10th Saturday market in Spring Green Wisconsin. We sold 38 of Ruth’s pies. The veggies and maple syrup sold well too. We really enjoy that town and its market, as the people are always so friendly.

I have started to dig the potatoes which has also been a very good crop, in spite of getting a late Bridget. With the cooler weather the tomatoes and peppers are slow to getting ripe.

The book is selling well also, I have recently ordered another batch. If anybody is in the Spring Green, Wisconsin area on a Saturday morning I am selling signed copies of my book at the farmer’s market. The book continues to have 5-star ratings.

-Helmuth Krause

Week of 7/28/24

What a busy time this hot summer week has been, besides the usual harvesting in the garden, the blackberries are ripe, and the crop is huge! I picked 80 quarts of the wild blackberries this week, and I have noticed that the thorns seem extra long this year. Most of these berries will go into the freezer that Ruth will use for pies that she bakes for the Spring Green Farmers Market.

On Friday we had a military funeral in the 90-degree heat. I am on the firing squad for the Highland Post #9440, and it was very hot in that blazing sun. None of the younger veterans show up for the military funerals. It is mostly those from the Vietnam War who are now in the 70s. At 91, having served in the Korean War, I am the oldest one still alive.

Saturday was my granddaughter Kylie’s big wedding day. At four in the afternoon the marriage took place at the Moneypenny’s farm. The meal and dancing followed that evening in the huge machine shed that seated 480 people that night. There was also a mechanical bull riding contest that night. Somehow this 91 year old grandfather was talked into riding it. To everyone’s surprise after a 30 second ride I was still on. I had beat the bull, one of the few.

Week of 7/21/24

This week has been a very busy week with the blackberries ripening beside my regular chores and garden work. I started to pick berries on Monday and got four 5-quart buckets, picked two more on Tuesday, four more on Friday, and finally two more on both Saturday and sunday. Most of these berries will go into the freezer and later be made into pies by my wife Ruth for the market in Spring Green, Wisconsin, which has been a great market for us. While it is a small market, we will average about 30 pies sold each Saturday. My book is also doing well there, as well as a few local stores. The most satisfying part is that my book has been receiving 5 star reviews from people that have read it. I also enjoy hearing from those who contact me and comment on how much they enjoy the book. 

I have also been getting many phone calls from those who wish to further promote my book, however they all want big money. An example is a call about getting a “top review" from the New York Times for $1,000, or a “great review” from some big shot book critic. Another offer was that they would get me onto the “Best Seller List,” and for that I would pay 4 dollars per book to print and it would be distributed to 2,000 book stores, plus much more. However, I turned them all down. I decided that I will let the good people who read my book pass by word of mouth and over the internet how good of a read it is. 

The book can be ordered at Dorrance Publishing Co. Book Stores order department 585 Alpha Drive #103, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. You can also call at 1-800-788-7654. Or visit their website at www.dorracebookstore.com.