Poltrack Blog

Who would have guessed that the modern strawberry was born in France. Botanist had gathered a Chilean strawberry ( Fragaria chiloensis ) plant which is white and brought it to France. It  is a large berry but the plant was a female and never fruited. Later a wild strawberry ( Fragaria virginia ) was brought to France and the modern strawberry was born ( Fragaria x ananassa ). Dr. Tom Davis and Dr. Lise Mahoney told this story and other interesting things about our beloved fruit. Dr. Mahoney is working on developing ornamental varieties with colorful flowers. New Hampshire is doing the only research on developing seeds for organic farming. Having seed stock eliminates many of the issues associated with plugs or bare root and also provides a fair amount of genetic diversity. Delicious Strawberries came from Barrett Hill in Mason, NH  Baskets were offered for sale So very good, fresh strawberries, whipped cream from Connolly Brothers Dairy Farm ...

A look back at April 2017, spring arrived and just a bit more snow. After retiring I found more time for photography. The beavers were hard at work in New Boston, NH. This is one impressive dam project New growth for my bleeding heart L amprocapnos spectabilis The snow retreats the daffodils emerge On a warm day I went for a midday walk at Dunn State Park in Gardner, MA. A short one mile loop around the pond. Interesting color for a fungus seen on the trail Viburnum blossoms beginning to open Fiddlehead ferns are edible if you are willing to do the work removing the fuzz Snow day in early April Yesterday I spotted a couple at Costco festooned with ribbons and homemade buttons. When I asked about the buttons, Ruth Potwin explained it was part of her Unity Sash Project, to create dialog, build bridges and find common ground. Lots of folks in New Ipswich keep chickens and sell eggs. So much better than the grocery store and more colorf...