Okra by Dale Grubaugh It was late afternoon one day last summer. The hot drafts off the ridges played over the Bilyeu Ranch, pushing down toward the Finley River. We were in the garden, checking on beans and tomatoes and what-not when Miss Shirley Bilyeu poked her head out the back door. “Brother Dale, you…
Lettuce by Joshua Heston and Dale Grubaugh. Everybody knows lettuce. However, good heirloom lettuces are a whole different critter from the water-laden iceberg cultivars found in the grocery store. Mild and spicy, crispy and loose-leaved, heirloom lettuce come in many forms. Amish Deer Tongue. Cimmaron. Forellenschluss. Mascara Oak Leaf. Sanguine Amellore. Hands-down, one of the…
Beets by Joshua Heston and Dale Grubaugh. As with many fruits and vegetables from old-time Ozark gardens, beets were brought to these hills — and to North America — by European immigrants. The beet is a member of the Chenopodiaceae family, which, in part, explains the hard, crunchy-textured seeds (actually clusters of nutlets). The beet,…
Farming Heroes by Joshua Heston Truck patches were special things, ripe with humidity, a hard sun and an occasional rattlesnake. Looking like nothing so much as a great big garden patch, truck patches filled with the everyday vegetables of the Ozarks — for picking, eating… and selling. There is cultural heritage — and then there…
Reisentraube Tomatoes by Joshua Heston and Dale Grubaugh. Seeds provided by baker Creek Seeds, Mansfield, Missouri. The red, bright fruit of the Reisentraube — small compared to the mighty Mortgage Lifter or Millionaire varieties — clustered almost like grapes (the name means “Giant Bunch of Grapes” in German) can be plentiful even in dry, hot…
Plate 1. Reeds Spring Tomato Cannery. Tomato Hills by Joshua Heston Solanum lycopersicum. It’s quite a name for the ever’day tomato. A member of the Nightshade family (along with sweet potatoes, peppers and, of course, the deadly nightshade), the tomato is native to the Americas. Some believed for along time that the plants and fruits…
Orchards by Joshua Heston Except for wild plums and black cherries (which don’t exactly grow in orchards anyway), fruit trees were originally imported. Peaches, originally bred in Asia, became a symbol of the Old South…and of Central Missouri as well. More than one summertime tourist to the Ozarks could not pass up the appeal of…
Fields & Patches by Joshua Heston Fields were not terribly common in the more rugged parts of the Ozarks. Patches, on the other hand, were. It took but a small bit of land, carved out of the hillside, to grow a patch of grain. Corn, called maize elsewhere, was a certainty. Native to North American,…
Growing Food by Joshua Heston Arkansas peaches. Missouri vineyards. Strawberry pickin’. Turnip greens. Summertime tomato canneries. Late fall apples. Think about how much fruits and vegetables are associated with old times, old-fashioned ways, and, of course, the Ozark hills. StateoftheOzarks’ Food Growin’ section is established to remember the old days when we actually knew from…
Ozark Barns by Joshua Heston Barns are special places. Full haymows, cattle, chickens, dogs & cats. Old barns were built with care, a testimony to function, craftsmanship, & beauty. Little wonder they hold a special place in our hearts. July 22, 2010 The Hens The night was coming very fast; It reached the gate as…