Bountiful Harvests

By: Edith Iwan, Cibola-McKinley County Master Gardener

With all the rain we have had this year the gardens and fruit trees have produced exceptionally well. Most people have friends, relatives, or coworkers happy to take your extras. But you may be in the situation like the man from Minnesota who joked “Don’t leave your car unlocked or you will find your back seat loaded down with zucchini”. What do you do with the extra vegetables or the fruit this year? There are multiple places in town that would take your extra food the most obvious being your local community pantry. Call them before your bounty becomes rot. Other places to check are local churches and agencies that help others in need. Every gardener is pleased when he has a good harvest and willing to show what he or she has grown. This week is our local county fair and where the best of what we produce can be shown. It can be an inspiration to others to try their hand at gardening. Our Bi-County fair is in Prewitt. The Open Class building is in the back of the fairground. It is where everything that can be grown, cooked, crafted, stitched, or made by hand can be exhibited and judged. The categories are open to Juniors through Seniors and the entry book is on line at the Bi-county Fair web site and at the county extension office. This is OUR fair and I encourage you to bring your bounty from your garden and flower beds to the fair. The local Master Gardeners have brought in teachers of floral design to enlarge the scope of flowers that are exhibited at the fair. I encourage you to check out the fair this week-end.

If you feel the urge to expand your horizon, the State Fair in Albuquerque starts right after our fair ends and you are welcome to enter your fruits, vegetables, and flowers there. There are four exhibit dates, the first is September 7 and the extension office can give you information on how to maneuver through the system. There is no fee to get into the fairground to enter your exhibits and it quite a thrill when you get a blue ribbon! You might even get hooked and come back every year.

Edith Iwan is a Cibola- McKinley County Master Gardener who lives and works in Thoreau. As a Master Gardener she assists the County Cooperative Extension Service in providing accurate, research-based gardening information to county residents. If you have any gardening questions, please call the NMSU Cibola County Extension at 505-287-9266 or NMSU McKinley County Extension at 505-863-3432