Earlier in August I wrote about the problem of spotted wing drosophila, a newly arrived fruit fly that attacks our soft-skinned fruits.
I was approached last week by a person who had read the article, and they were not picking their raspberries for fear of the fruit being infected by this insect.
This is totally the wrong approach to deal with spotted wing drosophila. Not picking the fruit allows the eggs in the fruit (we’re talking microscopic-sized eggs) to hatch to produce another crop of adult flies to lay another round of eggs, to produce another crop of adults to lay another round of eggs, and it goes on and on.
If you pick the fruit faithfully, there is absolutely no reason not to use it unless you have already allowed it to be there long enough for the eggs to have hatched into larvae; in which case, pick it and get it into a plastic bag and into the garbage.
After that, keeping the ripening fruit picked will prevent the eggs from hatching and you will have prevented the flies from completing their life cycle, and thus virtually eliminate the majority of the pest. Once the adult lays its eggs, it dies.
On the other hand, by not picking the fruit as it ripens, you are adding to the problem by being a host for the pest, and I don’t appreciate people who are allowing this major pest to become a permanent resident!
If you can’t or won’t keep up with the harvesting, please do the rest of us a favor … get rid of your plants. I’m talking strawberries, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, cherries, and plums … all are or will be affected!
When I was in Australia last November, we often enjoyed roasted pumpkin as a part of our meal. I don’t recall ever seeing that on a U.S. menu.
So this year I planted two varieties of pumpkin that are specifically grown for that purpose. Speckled Hound and Jarrahdale are both specialty pumpkin/squash that I will have available at the Farmers Market this week.
Both are excellent for long-term storage and both are attractive for decorating … dual purpose: you get to enjoy them twice! Here is an opportunity to use your culinary skill to add a wonderful new item to your menu … how brave are you willing to be?