Fruit

Can You Grow Blueberries in Utah?

July 7, 2017 by Vanessa Myers

July 10th is National Pick Blueberries Day! Read this article to help you decide whether to grow and “pick” your own in Utah or just “pick” them up at the grocery store.

Perhaps you have heard about all of the health benefits of blueberries like antioxidants and Vitamin C and would like to start growing them. Residents here, however, may find them to be quite a challenge to raise successfully. Why would we have a hard time growing blueberries in Utah?

Blueberry Image by Fixed in Silver under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike License

What Kinds of Conditions Do Blueberries Need?

Blueberries belong to the Ericaceae, or heath family. Other members that you are likely familiar with are azaleas, rhododendrons, cranberries, and heather. As a general rule, they need acidic conditions in order to grow and thrive.

Conditions in Utah, however, are quite the opposite. In many areas, the soil registers on the alkaline side of the pH scale, as does the water. If you tried to plant blueberry bushes straight into your garden without any adjustments, they might try to valiantly struggle along for a while, but won’t be able to grow well and will likely just die in the end.

There’s also the matter of the texture of our soil. Blueberries like to have looser/coarser soils like sand since they form a network of thinner roots instead of a large one. Many areas around here are the finer clays that would make it harder for the bushes to properly spread out their roots and get all of the water and nutrients that they would need for success.

Test your soil before you try to grow blueberries in Utah

Soil pH test Image by michaelstyne under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike License

So How CAN You Grow Blueberries in Utah?

You would need to acidify your soil in preparation for planting these and plan on the possibility of needing to repeat the process in the future. Start by buying a pH test kit or send off a sample to the Extension service to gauge how much change would be needed.

The easiest way would be to get a large container that you could fill with acidified potting soil. You could also try preparing special planting beds with soil that has had materials like peat worked into it to make it more acid. Over time, though, it will continue to move back towards alkaline here in Utah (especially if you use untreated water) and you will have to fuss over it.

University of Utah’s Extension service offers a more extensive discussion on the specific ways that you can work on acidifying soil and water found in Utah, along with the challenges that can come along with it.

Blueberries in Utah can be a pain to grow

Image by words under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution – NoDerivatives License

Is It Worth It?

I am always up for a challenge and like to see if I can grow plants that are a bit more work. You may feel that way, too. However, if you’re just wanting to enjoy some fresh blueberries, it would be easier to concede in this case and buy some at the local store, saving your space for all of the other fruit trees, shrubs and plants that do just fine in Utah.

Have you tried to grow blueberries in Utah?

It’s Time to Thin Fruit Trees

June 8, 2017 by Vanessa Myers

Welcome Gardening Friend! Glad you dropped in.

Did you know it is important to thin fruit trees from all the blossoms that were pollinated? Read why it is important and some tips on how to do it!

If all went well in your garden this year, your fruit trees were covered in blossoms that were successfully pollinated. Now your tree branches are filled with a plethora of small fruit that promises to be a bumper crop. All that’s left to do is to keep an eye out until harvest to treat any insects or diseases, right?

Now is the time to thin your fruit trees and remove a lot of the developing fruit.

“Wait,” you say. “Don’t I want all the fruit that the tree produces? I was hoping to can up lots of jams, as well as eat them fresh. If I take some off, I certainly won’t have enough!”

Fruit that is too close on a tree won't be as good as if you had thinned it, likely

These are clustered far too close together. Image by Swallowtail Garden Seeds under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

Think About How the Tree Produces Fruit

Each year, the tree is driven to create flowers and fruit in an effort to reproduce itself. Since at least some of them are destined to fail (frost at a tender time, failure to pollinate, and other disasters), the plant will produce as many fruits as possible.

The most important part of the fruit, reproduction-wise, is the seed inside. The fruit surrounding it is meant in part to help entice animals to eat the fruit and deposit the seed somewhere else, where it can germinate. However, it takes energy and nutrients to form the sweet flesh. When the tree is loaded up, these nutrients have to be spread out between them and you get smaller fruit overall. They will also likely not be as sweet as they could have been if thinned.

You Also Run the Risk of Tree Damage

Even though the sight of a tree branch completely loaded with fruit is a delightful thought, it can be very stressful for the tree if it has to bear so much weight. In some cases, it can even cause the tree to break. You could try to prop up the branch in an effort to avoid this, but it is safer if you just remove the proper amount.

Thin you fruit trees for optimal production

These peaches are properly thinned and look like they’ll be luscious! Image by Forest & Kim under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

How DO You Thin Your Fruit Trees, Then?

When the fruits are about 3/4″ in diameter (about the size of a dime), it’s time to perform this task. Grab a pair of trusty hand pruners and head on over to your tree. You may also need a ladder, depending on height. Start looking over the branches to find the best fruit. Take off any of them with visible damage or that is smaller than others in the cluster. Leave only one fruit out of each bunch. In the end, you want all fruit to be no closer than 6″ for optimal results.

In the end, you want all fruit to be no closer than 6″ for optimal results. Your tree will thank you, and the fruit that you harvest will be large and higher quality.

Have you thinned your fruit trees yet?

Unusual Strawberry Plants to Try

May 10, 2017 by Vanessa Myers

Hello Gardener, Welcome!

Many gardeners put in a strawberry patch so they can enjoy growing their own delicious red delights. However, did you know that not all strawberries are red and not all blossoms are white? Here are a few of the more unusual strawberry plants that you might want to experiment with during this growing season.

Alpine Strawberries

Image by wheany under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

If you have ever tried foraging in Europe, it is likely that you came across the alpine strawberry. These delicious little fruits grow in abundance in the wild. Good news is that they are slowly starting to become more available in nurseries in the United States. You can also try starting them from seed. They are smaller than the strawberries that we are used to eating but packed with an abundance of flavor.

White Carolina Pineberries

If you like the taste of pineapple, try a pineberry for a sweet treat

Image by DaveCrosby under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

At first blush, it seems like this is simply a strawberry experiment gone wrong. After all, the outer flesh is white and the seeds are red. This, however, is merely the result of crossing together a white strawberry from South America with our familiar red strawberry. Look for a plant as the seeds will not run true to type. The flavor is said to be reminiscent of pineapple, inspiring its common name.

You would want to place these near your other strawberries to help pollination rates. Yield is not as abundant as standard strawberries, as well as being a bit more of a delicate plant, so these are best treated as a fun novelty. They do bloom in the spring and again in the late summer, almost like an ever-bearer.

Purple Wonder Strawberries

If we’re getting into technicalities, the ‘Purple Wonder’ is more of a deep rich reddish burgundy. However, the difference is indeed notable when placed next to a traditional strawberry. I usually find that the darker strawberries are sweeter, so a whole patch full of these would be heavenly! They can be grown from seed.

Red and Pink Flowering Strawberries

Choose a pink flowering strawberry as one of your varieties

Image by seelensturm under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

When I think of a strawberry blossom, the color white usually comes to mind. Some cultivars, however, have been developed because they produce flowers that come in hues of red or pink. One of my favorites is called ‘Tristan’ bearing deep rosy blossoms, ‘Tarpan,’ ‘Gasana,’ or ‘Frisan’ all bearing light pink blossoms. Some delightful more traditional varieties geared for our Zone 5 climate include ‘Ozark Beauty’ which is excellent for jam, ‘Eversweet’, or ‘Ft. Laramie’.

A most tasty unique strawberry that is often served in European fine restaurants is the strawberry called ‘Yellow Wonder’. Yes, it is a yellow berry. Because of it’s color, the birds are fooled into thinking the berries are not ripe; hence, no need for a bird net to protect your berries from the scavengers!

Western Gardens has most of these unusual strawberry plants for you to explore, but they won’t last long.

Have you grown any of these unusual strawberry plants? Which would you recommend?

Fresh Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

May 6, 2017 by Jenn Crookston

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month and that May 20th is National Strawberry Picking Day? As if those two things weren’t the best on their own, the first Sunday in May is also National Lemonade Day. As Strawberry Lemonade is my very favorite drink I was excited to come up with the perfect Fresh Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade recipe. If the reviews from my whole family are to be believed I have succeeded with perfection.
The recipe is simple and delicious, you’re going to love it and love me for sharing it with you.

Fresh Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water + 5 cups cold water
4 lemons + 1 lemon
Approximately 10 large strawberries
(or per your taste, more for garnish)

Recipe directions:
In small sauce pan combine 1 cup cold water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature and the place in refrigerator to chill.

While sugar mixture is chilling squeeze the juice from 4 lemons (approximately 1 cup). You’ll want to remove the seeds but keep as much pulp as possible.

To get the most juice from your lemons before cutting heat them individually in the microwave for 15-30 seconds then roll back and forth across the counter. Then slice in half and using a juicer get as much juice out of them as you can collecting in a dish so you can measure that you have right about 1 cup.

Next remove stems from approximately 10 strawberries, wash, and then mash.
In pitcher combine 5 cups cold water, lemon juice, mashed strawberries, and chilled sugar mixture. Stir well.

Strawberries will float to the top so be sure to give it a good stir before serving.
I included extra strawberries and lemons to the recipe to use as garnish in both the pitcher and on cups.

This Fresh Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade recipe is so refreshing, not too tart or sweet, the perfect combination. My whole family was so excited about this recipe that we’re looking forward to picking up our own strawberry plants to put in our garden this year and did you know that you can grow Lemon Trees indoors?

During a recent trip to Western Gardens I was talking to a woman and she gave me some pointers on how to keep a lemon tree alive here in Utah. Western carries some lemon trees and I will be getting one as soon as I do a little more research on being an indoor bee. I don’t think my family will agree with me just letting bees live in the house. I’m actually looking forward to giving it a try, I’m imagining Fresh Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade made from lemons and strawberries we grew on our own, doesn’t that sound awesome?

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it adds to your strawberry and lemonade appreciation month. It has already added to ours.

Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade

August 1, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hello, thanks for stopping by!

Do you love a tangy, refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day? Me too! Add in some peaches and mint and you have the ultimate drink…Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade!

Sweet peaches and refreshing mint pair perfectly with tangy lemonade. We can’t grow lemon trees here in our Utah climate, but if you grow peaches and mint in your garden, this recipe is a necessity!

For help picking the right trees and tips for taking care of them talk, to an expert at Western Gardens. There are a lot of varieties and they’ll help you choose exactly what you need! (And if you ask nice, they might even show you some of the cool multi-variety trees like the “fruit salad” tree! It has four different kinds of fruit grafted onto ONE tree! So cool, right?!)

As I was slicing peaches for this lemonade, I saw my blooming mint plant on the counter and decided to throw some mint leaves into the mix too. And I’m so glad I did! The mint added a cool, refreshing hint to the sweetness and made every sip a wonderful mix of tart, tangy, sweet and refreshing. I’ve made three batches so far and I’ve found that the longer you let the lemonade cool in the fridge, the better it tastes. I recommend letting it cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

4 cups water
½ cup sugar
4 medium peaches, pits removed and quartered
2 Tbsp mint leaves
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)

Directions:

Add water and sugar to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add mint and peaches to sugar/water mix, reduce heat to med-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour into a blender jar and remove the center of the lid, if possible (to allow steam to escape).
Place a towel over the lid and blend on low for 25-30 seconds, or until smooth.
Pour through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Discard the solids.
Whisk in lemon juice and cool in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Are you a tangy lemonade fan? Or do you prefer your drinks a little sweeter? No matter what your taste is, Western Gardens has a wide variety of herbs and fruit trees to make any drink your taste buds can imagine! Talk to an expert today to see what plants will thrive best in your garden.

If this Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade sounds good, check out these other tasty drinks!

Blackberry Mint Lemonade | Brazilian Lemonade | Lemon Berry Slush

To get a PRINTABLE version of this recipe, click NEXT!

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Strawberry Mango Salsa

May 28, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hi there, so glad you stopped by!

Are you looking for a sweet, tangy and delicious salsa? Something out of the ordinary that will have everyone begging for the recipe? Then you’re in the right place! This Strawberry Mango Salsa has only 6 fresh ingredients, and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes!

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month?! If it was up to me, every month would be National Strawberry Month. Since, sadly, it’s not, I will take full advantage of it in May and stock up on strawberries at a great price, while I wait for my strawberry plant to start delivering those red beauties right to my door step!

There are many ways to eat strawberries. From eating them plain to putting them in desserts or drinks, or even in your favorite breakfast. Strawberries are great no matter how you eat them! Today I’m sharing a new way to eat this delicious red fruit…in salsa!

I’m not a big spicy salsa fan. In fact, most salsas are too spicy for me. So when I heard about fruit salsas, I was in the kitchen whipping up a batch that night. My first attempt was a tasty peach salsa that we made last fall.

Peaches are out of season this time of year and this pregnant mama was wanting a sweet salsa to enjoy with some tortilla chips. Luckily, A few weeks ago I found strawberries for $1 a box and knew they would be a good base for my salsa. I also picked up a few mangoes and limes and made my way home.

I cut some cilantro from my indoor herb garden, diced up some leftover onions from burgers that weekend and mixed it all together. What I got was a sweet and tangy salsa my whole family devoured! I actually had to go back to the store the next day to get more strawberries to make another batch. If you like a little more heat to your salsa you could add some jalapeño or serrano peppers to kick it up a notch.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup mango, diced (about 1 mango)
1/8 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
juice from 1 lime

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine honey and lime juice.
In a large bowl combine strawberries, mangoes, onions and cilantro.
Toss with honey-lime mix.
Chill until ready to serve.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup mango, diced (about 1 mango)
1/8 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
juice from 1 lime

Instructions

In a small bowl combine honey and lime juice.
In a large bowl combine strawberries, mangoes, onions and cilantro.
Toss with honey-lime mix.
Chill until ready to serve.

https://westerngardens.com/strawberry-mango-salsa/

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? Head into any Western Gardens Center to pick up your strawberry plants and get started enjoying the fruit of the month!

Want a few more tasty strawberry recipes? Check these out:

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry French Toast Cannolis

Copy Cat Sonic Lemon Berry Slush

Cookie Butter Apple Dip

April 20, 2015 by Becky

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and do we have a treat for you today! In fact, we have a double treat. We’re going to show you a simple 4 ingredient Cookie Butter Apple Dip in mini chocolate bowls, PLUS we have a great giveaway for a Gardening Grab Bag! Win it for yourself, or give it to a favorite mother in your life. Keep reading, you won’t want to miss a thing!

The chocolate bowls go together in minutes, and then you can put them in the fridge to set. Everything can be prepped ahead of time so you can just pull it out of the fridge when you’re ready to serve!
Simply melt your chocolate (the instructions below will keep it in temper. If you overheat the chocolate, the cocoa butter molecules won’t realign properly, resulting in a soft set chocolate even at room temperature). Put a small dollop of chocolate on a lined cookie sheet, dip the balloon in the chocolate, and place it on the dollop of chocolate. Then just let the chocolate harden, deflate the balloon, and you’re ready to fill it with cookie butter fluff!

Cookie Butter Apple Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chocolate
6 Tbsp cookie butter
2 Tbsp vanilla greek yogurt
apple slices

Directions:

Blow up 7 water balloons to desired size (I did mine small). Wash and dry balloons.
Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. (Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, in a plastic bowl until smooth).
Put a small dollop of melted chocolate on a lined cookie sheet (a little bigger than a nickle).
Dip a balloon part way in chocolate until it’s the size you’d like. If necessary, use a spoon to push the chocolate onto the balloon. Place on the dollop of melted chocolate. Repeat with all balloons.
Let chocolate set. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes if necessary.
When chocolate is set, make a small snip with scissors near the knot of the balloon. You want it deflate, not pop. Peel deflated balloon out of the chocolate bowl.
Thoroughly combine the cookie butter and yogurt. Place in a sandwich bag, snip a corner, and pipe into chocolate bowls. Serve with apple slices.

**********THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**********

And now for the Mother’s Day Giveaway! We’ve teamed up with Bite of Delight to bring you this awesome gardening grab bag valued at over $55! {It contains a pruner, trowel, trigger nozzle, garden shears, gardening gloves, kneeling pad, tote, and a black 3-pocket apron that will be custom embroidered with the winner’s name of choice!} And we’ll ship it all to you in time for Mother’s Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway ends 4/27/15, so don’t wait to enter! Open to US residents only.
We are also running this giveaway on our Instagram account, so head there for even more chances to win!

And if that wasn’t enough, there are NINE more chances to win equally awesome prizes from these other fabulous blogs for yourself or a favorite Mother in your life.

1- My Daylights 2- Eat It & Say Yum 3- Tastefully Frugal 4- The Things I Love Most 5- Bite of Delight and Western Gardens 6- Home Crafts by Ali 7- Gypsy Road School 8- Mom’s Bag of Tricks 9- Honest Harm 10- Happy 2BA Homemaker

Sugared Cranberries

December 23, 2014 by Becky

Sugared Cranberries are an easy, beautiful way to decorate your table, Christmas tree, cheese plate, mousse, or even cupcakes! They are simple to put together, but I like to let them sit overnight, so start these the day before if you can. You can still make them the day of if you don’t have the time, and all will be well, but the sugar tends to adhere better and give it a better sugar crust if you let them sit overnight.

If you want a deeper molasses flavor, you can use raw sugar or brown sugar to make the simple syrup, but white sugar works great as well. To roll the sugar, it works best to use a coarser-grained sugar, like an organic variety (but not as large as a raw sugar). If you roll it a second time in a fine sugar (just pulse your sugar a few times in your blender!), then it will cover any bare, sticky spots that the coarse sugar didn’t get. This is optional, but gives the cranberries better coverage.

Sugared Cranberries

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
coarse sugar (for rolling)
fine sugar (for rolling a second time, if desired)

Directions:

Wash cranberries and discard any that are bruised, damaged or shriveled.
Combine one cup of water and one cup of sugar in a pot, and bring to a simmer. Stir until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat. Let cool until it is warm, and pour over cranberries. {Do not pour hot syrup over your cranberries or they could burst.} Let sit overnight, or at least until the syrup has cooled.
Remove cranberries from syrup with a slotted spoon and let drain on a cooling rack for about an hour (I like to place mine over a cookie sheet to catch the drips).
Working in small batches, roll the sticky cranberries in the coarse sugar, and place on a clean cookie sheet to continue drying.
Once all the cranberries have been rolled in coarse sugar, roll again in fine sugar to fill in any spots the coarse sugar missed, if desired. Place on cookie sheet to finish drying (give them a couple more hours if you can).
Store in an air tight container at room temperature.

*My 6 year old niece came over for Thanksgiving and inhaled these cranberries! So if you like a tart-sweet combination, this is a great snack!

Companion Planting 101

May 10, 2014 by Becky

Companion planting can help your garden flourish in ways it never has before. You can have healthier plants and a better harvest (and even control some garden pests!) by choosing with care which plants go together and which plants to keep apart. Companion planting isn’t difficult once you have a few basics down. This is, however, a very broad subject, so we’ll cover the basics here to get you started! Through companion planting you can:

enhance the flavor of your harvest (plants like herbs can enhance the flavor of nearby plants)
increase your yield (some plants help others grow better)
improve nitrogen (some plants can make nitrogen available to other plants)
repel pests (the biochemicals of certain plants can repel insect and other pests)
attract good guys (beneficial insects are attracted to or like to inhabit certain plants)
divert pests (certain plants attract pests, which can keep them away from your garden)

Companion Plants

{The list looks small, just click on it to enlarge!}

Other highly beneficial plants to consider for your garden:

catmint: deters ants
chamomile: helps keep nearby plants healthy
foxglove: lends strength and longer life to nearby plants
lavender: attracts bees and deters caterpillars, mice, ticks & rabbits
marigolds: deter pests
marjoram: repels insect pests, attracts bees
mint: repels insects pests, attracts beneficial insects
nettles: a weed, but it excretes nutrients into the soil and protects against aphids, black fly & mildew
pennyroyal: deters ants & burrowing insects
soybeans: nourishes and reconditions soil, and deters corn pests
tansy: repels pests
tarragon: beneficial to nearby plants
yarrow: good for veggies & herbs, attracts beneficial bugs

One of our favorite combinations for the garden is one of our favorite combinations for the kitchen…tomatoes and basil! Basil will add subtle flavor to tomatoes, makes it more disease resistant, and repel aphids, fruit flies & house flies, and it will attract bees! If you missed last week’s recipe for
bruschetta, a simple but amazing combination of tomatoes and basil, be sure to pin it so you can make it this summer! We will keep bringing you weekly garden-fresh recipes to give some kitchen inspiration for all those delicious fruits and veggies!

Happy planting!

Fruity Pasta Salad

April 29, 2014 by Becky

Looking for a fresh, colorful side dish for your Mother’s Day brunch this year? Try this fruity pasta salad! It’s versatile, flavorful, and easy to put together…perfect for busy moms and grandmas (and dads too)!

You can use any combination of soft fruits in this salad. Here we used strawberries, pineapple, grapes, kiwi and mandarin oranges.

Peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, plums, all kinds of berries, bananas…add whatever combination sounds good!

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup mango, diced (about 1 mango)
1/8 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
juice from 1 lime

Instructions

In a small bowl combine honey and lime juice.
In a large bowl combine strawberries, mangoes, onions and cilantro.
Toss with honey-lime mix.
Chill until ready to serve.

https://westerngardens.com/fruity-pasta-salad/