Justamere Tree Farm Blog

Ambler Farm Day in Wilton, CT.

    Come join us in Wilton, CT. for Ambler Farm Day on Saturday, October 5th from 11:00-4:00. I took this picture last year of these children milking a cow. The milk was real but I cannot say that about this cow! It was a great activity for the kids. Both adults and children enjoy this fair.
    We will be attending this fair as vendors once again selling our Pure Maple Syrup Products and Early American Handcrafted Brooms.
    Check out their website at www.amblerfarm.com.
    Enjoy the fall colors!

The New York Times Article

CUTTINGS; Broom Corn for Decoration and, Yes, Brooms

By ELISABETH GINSBURG

Published: June 13, 2004

NOW that ornamental grasses are a well-established presence in fashionable gardens, broom corn, a humble American annual once grown as a housekeeper's helper, is poised to make a comeback.

Climbing to six feet, this distant relative of sweet corn boasts heavy tassels, ribbonlike leaves and nodding, upright sprays of seed-laden panicles, 16 to 20 inches tall.

A tender annual, broom corn flourishes wherever edible corn can be grown. It thrives as a hedge or as a backdrop for a border. ''I plant it alongside the road, with smaller sunflowers and red zinnias in front of it,'' said Diane Whealy, an associate director of the Seed Savers Exchange, referring to a hedge she tends at the exchange's headquarters in Decorah, Iowa.

A sorghum species, closely related to food and forage crops like millet and milo, broom corn bears seed sprays in shades of red, black, gold, cream or beige. They can be harvested and dried for use in wreaths and arrangements, or left on their stalks to accent the garden and feed the birds.

The sprays can also be stripped of seeds, of course, bundled and attached to broom handles.

The corn broom seems to be American innovation. Before settling in North America, Europeans tied twigs to handles. Sometime during the Colonial or post-Colonial era, farmers realized that the sorghum they grew as animal feed could also yield broom straw. In the early 19th century, enterprising Shakers introduced the flat, wire-bound broom that is still in use today, although manufacturing has gradually shifted from factories throughout the United States to factories in the Midwest and Mexico.

J.P. Welsh, a farmer in Worthington, Mass., has been growing broom corn for 15 years and was so taken with the broom-making craft that he apprenticed himself to experts at two Shaker villages, in Pittsfield, Mass., and Canterbury, N.H. Today Mr. Welsh sells his brooms for $20 to $45 at farmers' markets and craft shows and online .

As he noted, the plant's appeal goes beyond the purely utilitarian. ''The seeds are pretty, and the heavy tassels move in slow motion on a breezy day,'' he said.

And the plants are hardly fussy. Mr. Welsh said that seedlings often sprout from seeds swept out of his barn after broom-making sessions. Once plants are established, they are drought-hardy and vulnerable only to crows.

It's best to begin with a mix of varieties as some will do better than others will. Mr. Welsh recommends planting the seeds in a sunny spot, spacing rows about 16 inches apart. Thin the seedlings to give them six inches on each side, and water them regularly until they are established. Harvest the sprays when the colors deepen and the seeds are shiny.

It takes about 60 healthy sprays to make a single broom. But wreaths and dried arrangements require only a few plants. Mrs. Whealy recommends placing them in an empty vase and letting them dry naturally into an arching shape.

Most traditional corn brooms are made from stalks that have had the seeds removed. Heritage Farm, an arm of the seed exchange, sells brooms with seeds still attached. While not as useful for sweeping, Mrs. Whealy said, such brooms are reputed to bring good luck -- which may be even better than dust-free floors.

Increasingly, she said, she hears not only from would-be broom makers but also from garden designers in search of ''unique things'' to add to beds and borders. And broom corn certainly fits that bill.

Several years ago, Louis Raymond, a garden designer based in Hopkinton, R.I., created a parterre filled with colorful annuals for the Newport Showhouse at Mount Hope Farm. Humble broom corn was perfectly at home in the sophisticated display, accenting the corners of the large rectangular plot with colorful, seed-laden sprays. The deer-resistant plants, which flourish in sweltering heat and look best in August and September, are also wonderful for summer house gardens, Mr. Raymond said. ''Broom corn is a plant that just doesn't quit,'' he said.

Seeds or Brooms

Whether the goal is a pretty border or a clean floor, it's good to begin with a mix of varieties of broom corn. The seeds can be ordered from Seed Savers Exchange, 3076 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101, (563)382-5990 or www.seedsavers.org; or from Veseys, P.O. Box 9000, Charlottetown, PE, Canada C1A 8K6, (800)363-7333 or www.veseys.com. Traditional corn brooms are sold by Justamere Tree Farm, 248 Patterson Road, Worthington, Mass. 01098, (413)238-5902 or www.justameretreefarm.com. A catalog is $1
    I thought this article was interesting for one and all. It appeared in The New York Times newspaper 4 years ago.

Juggling, Fairs, and Peach Crumble

    We attended John Jay Homestead in Katonah, New York on Sunday, September 14th. as vendors. It was a hot, humid day but fortunate for us we were in a beautiful stone building. Our brooms went well with the setting and people replenished their supply of Pure Maple Syrup. We have gone to this fair for at least 10 years now.We saw a lot of familiar faces and Roger The Jester came by as he always does to say hello and got us all caught up on his life. While he was visiting he could not help himself, he just had to juggle a few pot scrubbers. Check him out at ijest.com. He is a great entertainer without words.

 

   I made this Peach Crumble for my spinning group last night and everyone loved it so thought I would share it with all of you.

Fresh Peach Pecan Crumble (with maple sugar)
    7 medium fresh peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
    1/2 cup fresh blueberries
    flour (2 TB for fruit, 3/4 cup for crumble)
    1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
    1/4-1/3 cup maple sugar
    1 cup chopped pecans ( I like to toast these in the oven first)
    pinch of salt and cinnamon
    2 tsp. lemon zest and 1 tsp. lemon juice
    1/4 cup organic unsalted butter chopped into small cubes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine peaches, blueberries and 2 TB flour in square baking dish (about 9 inches wide). Mix together remaining 3/4 cup flour with ginger, maple sugar, pecans, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, juice and butter ( use hands for best results). Crumble over fruit and bake, covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover or foil and bake another 20 minutes. Crumble should be golden on top and fruit soft and bubbling hot. Serve warm from the oven with a dollop of your favorite ice cream or whipped cream! Also your house will smell awesome from the aroma of the crumble cooking. Enjoy!