A New Pest in Town

We’ve made reference to it previously, but more and more we’re getting reports of the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) being in WA state — both out east in the orchards and here in the city. It’s kind of a big deal as it’s a new pest and so there are still a lot of experiments with how to deal with it. And it’s attacking soft fruit (peaches, berries, etc.), which have previously escaped things like the Apple Maggot Fly and Coddling Moth. More and more we’re finding it necessary to undertake pest prevention methods for all kinds of fruit.

About SWD

The pest is originally from Asia, but has made its way up to Washington from California — it’s rapidly spreading from state-to-state. They are closely resemble the common vinegar fly but the difference is instead of attacking rotting fruit, the SWD attacks perfectly healthy fruit. It was really first seen around Japan and other parts of Asia in the 1930s. The way it works is that females search for soft fruit, land on the fruit, and then lay their eggs — laying as many as 300 eggs in their lifespan and up to 13 generations per season. The larvae then grow inside of the fruit.

This is a great resourceto see photos of the life cycle of the SWD and its impact on fruit.

The economic impact could be somewhat significant for soft fruit and would vary by region. But not enough research has been done to provide an accurate estimate.

Treatment

We only recommend non-chemical ways at managing existing SWD infestations. If only some fruit is infested, the best approach is to harvest & sort the crop immediately — separating the good from the bad. And to help reduce the number of SWD in the future, we suggest placing infested fruit in a sturdy, sealed plastic bag and dispose of it in the trash. Also, be sure to remove any fruit that has fallen on the ground and any infested fruit remaining on the plants. But do not compost! This will not kill the insects.

Prevention

As this is somewhat of a new pest to the U.S., there are a lot of tests going on as to the best method to prevent SWD infestations and protect vulnerable fruit. Oregon State University has a great resource for backyard growers. The best known approaches so far….

• Traps: There are a number of different types of trapspeople are trying, but below is a video for one in particular. These will not only help you capture SWDs, but also monitor how many are in your area.

• Netting: A few places have suggested setting up netting over your soft fruit plans and trees prior to the fruit developing.
• Habitat & Varieties: One way to prevent the SWD is by selecting thick-skinned fruit varieties that are more resistant to the pests. Also, to modify any other plants you have in your yard that might attract the SWD — thus making it less likely that they’ll find your habitat attractive.

So keep an eye out for this pest. We’ve already heard from folks about it attacking their raspberries and currants. If you find it in your backyard, definitely drop us a line (info@cityfruit.org) — we’d love to better understand how and where this infestation is happening so we can help work to manage it better.

The Fruit Guys are back, answering more questions from readers. This time the focus is on berries, the pests that love them, and where to find a good deal on orchard ladders.

Thanks for writing in. We don’t get many currant or gooseberry questions!

You’re instinct about the problem being an insect is probably correct. Currants and gooseberries are usually a pain to grow here because of the Currant Fruit Fly which actually is a small fly which hits the fruit, and the Currant Sawfly which is not a fly but a type of wasp whose larvae look like currant-leaf-colored caterpillars. There’s also a small chance it could be the Spotted Wing Drosophila (which they recently found in WA), but we suspect the larva is more likely the Currant Fruit Fly.

The good news is that there is a non-chemical way to address this issue. You should immediately pick all fruit and remove it from the area – I wouldn’t recommend eating any of them, although if you only juice the fruit, you can still pick clean now and process.

The reason for removing them from the area is that the larvae drop to the ground and overwinter under the bushes, much as apple maggots burrow into ground under apple trees. Removing all the infected fruit may cut the life cycle enough such that you get a clean crop next year. 

And while you can share this information with your neighbor, there’s no telling what the rest of your neighborhood might be doing and there may be infested currants in your area which are not managed and these can re-infest your fruit next year. One way to help against that is to net the shrubs with a fine mesh just after pollination but before fruit begins to form. 

If you want to determine exactly which insect it is, save a handful of fruit, place in large Ziploc bag, store on kitchen counter, keep beady eye on it and see who emerges.  If a small vinegar fly emerges in a couple weeks or so, you have the Spotted Wing Drosophilia.  If no one emerges or rice-sized pupae are seen, you have the fruit worm which won’t emerge until next year.

Hope that helps and good luck with the berries!

Don & John

The Fruit Guys

thefruitguys@cityfruit.org

I actually have two questions built in to one request.

1.  My inherited apple tree (variety yet unknown) has some kind of disease causing the leaves on many branches to curl and look nasty.  How do I treat it without chemicals?  Is it too late? 

2.  Do you know where the best place is to get a reasonably priced orchard ladder (tri-pod style)?  Those things are crazy expensive.

Thanks,

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for writing in and it looks like you get a 2-for-1 special today!

Your apple tree probably has apple scab, causing some leaf curl and color distortion and you can read all about how to manage that organically at our website. We’ve got some suggested sprays and techniques listed there.

However, if your leaves are tightly curled upward that could be a sign of a new insect, the Apple Leaf Curl Midge, that’s been coming down from British Columbia, Canada. The damage is caused by the new larva feeding on the leaves – which can lead to distorted limb growth, pre-mature leaf dropping, etc. Luckily there is no evidence of reduced quality of fruit.

With regards to the orchard ladders, yeah, they can definitely be pricey but worth it. You should probably be able to get by with a 6-8’ ladder unless your tree is really tall. We’ve found Tallman to be an excellent brand generally, which you can sometimes find used. For new, we purchased ladders for City Fruit at Horizon in Bellevue, WA, but Wilson Irrigation in Yakima is also a good bet.

Hope that helps and good luck with the apple tree!

Don & John

The Fruit Guys

Thefruitguys@cityfruit.org

I’ve seen a few different things going around the web recently about how you can get your hands on a free fruit tree so I thought I’d help share them here with some additional info about caring for trees. Keep in mind that there are strings attached to getting one of these free fruit trees — but in both cases below, it’s that the trees are used for the good of the community. Can hardly argue with that.

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

One of my favorite organizations out there is The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. I’ve written about them previously but as a reminder they are, in their own words:

“… a nonprofit charity dedicated to planting edible, fruitful trees and plants to benefit the environment and all its inhabitants. Our primary mission is to plant and help others plant a collective total of 18 billion fruit trees across the world (approximately 3 for every person alive) and encourage their growth under organic standards.”

In order to help them achieve their 3 fruit trees per person, they’re giving away a ton of fruit trees. They have a couple different ways in which you can get them:

• Fill out this application (Word Doc) for creating an orchard in your community.
• Submit a project idea to their Communities Take Root contest(in partnership with Dreyer’s Fruit Bars). Then the community gets to vote on which projects receive free fruit trees.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Sorry non-Seattle folks, this one is strictly for the Seattle residents — but it’s worth checking to see if your city offers a similar program.

The Tree Fund provides trees to neighborhoods to “enhance Seattle’s urban forest”. If you & your neighbors get together you can receive 10-40 trees for your community, as well as one fruit tree for yourself (one per household). Your project must be able to demonstrate the capacity to build a stronger, healthier community.

It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors better and improve your community at the same time. Plus think of all the great fruit you’ll get! Check out all the places that received free trees last year. Seattle is serious about improving our city’s urban tree canopy.

When, Where, and How to Plant?

Seattle’s Tree Fund doesn’t do the planting of trees until the fall, which is the perfect time to plant new trees — the temperature is cooler, they’ll get plenty of water. I’m not sure when you’d get the trees from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, but I’d recommend waiting until the summer has passed.

It’s not always easy to know where a fruit tree will do well in a yard — that’s why we’ve put some very useful info up on our website. And don’t forget caring for the fruit tree. It’s not hard, but it does require some know-how and effort. But City Fruit is here to help.

And because I’m a visual learner, I really get the most out of watching someone do something rather than reading about it. For those of you like that out there, here’s a handy video on how to plant a fruit tree.

Now go get yourself & your community some fruit trees and start helping build your city’s urban orchard with a great local food source.

Our thornless boysenberry canes are just loaded with fruit and it was going to be either our dessert or the robin’s! So, I went picking. And the great news, apart from lots of berries, is that we have lots of new canes setting for next year. This recipe can be adjusted in many ways: make the sorbet on its own; make vanilla ice cream instead; use the berries as a sauce over creme brulee.

Boysenberry Sorbet and Lemon Ice Cream Bombe

Yield: Serves 12
Ice Cream
2 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

Sorbet
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 sugar
3/4 cup water
3 16-ounce bags frozen unsweetened boysenberries or blackberries, thawed

4 cups fresh boysenberries, blackberries and/or raspberries
Fresh mint leaves
Assorted cookies (optional)

For Ice Cream

Bring 1 1/4 cups cream, half and half and sugar to simmer in heavy large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Whisk yolks in large bowl to blend. gradually whisk in cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes; do not boil. Strain mixture into bowl. Mix in remaining 1 cup whipping cream, lemon juice and peel. Refrigerate until cold. Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instruction. Transfer ice cream to container and freeze.

For Sorbet

Stir 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Puree 2 bags berries with sugar syrup in processor. Strain through coarse sieve into bowl, pressing firmly on seeds. Chill until cold. Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Carefully line 12-cup ring mold with foil, pressing as smoothly as possible to eliminate wrinkles and extending over sides. Fill prepared ring mold alternately with 1/3-cup scoops sorbet and 1/3-cup scoops ice cream. Freeze 1 hour. Cover bombe with plastic. Press down firmly to pack. Freeze bombe overnight. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead.)

Puree remaining 1 bag of berries with remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in processor. Strain through coarse sieve into bowl, pressing firmly on seeds. Cover sauce and chill until cold. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

Place round platter in freezer 30 minutes. Lift bombe from mold using foil as aid. Invert bombe onto platter; peel off foil. Mound some berries in center of bombe. Arrange more berries around sides. Garnish top and sides with mint. Cut into slices and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and berries around each. Serve with cookies.

My rhubarb plants are going berserk! I cut nearly 10 lbs. of stalks yesterday and there is still double that left to cut. My daughter is up in the middle of nowhere in Alaska for the summer and sent this recipe along….fellow scientist Jessica provided the recipe and the rhubarb was from our garden and taken up to Alaska.

1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk mixed with 1 Tbsp lemon juice (buttermilk)
1 ½ cup diced rhubarb
½ cup chopped walnuts
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Topping:
2 tsp melted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and milk.
Add rhubarb and nuts.
Add dry ingredients.
Spoon into greased loaf pan.
Sprinkle with topping.
Bake at 400° until done, about 60 min.

We got a couple of good questions in this week for the Fruit Guys. They answer both below.  And remember, if you have a question for the Fruit Guys, drop them an e-mail: thefruitguys@cityfruit.org.

 Dear Fruit Guys,

An apple tree on my block is 20-25 years old, pretty much neglected, but has a good crop of apples. I haven’t looked at it closely this spring until today, and was dismayed to see that the apples are all junk – see the photo.

What is the cause of this distortion? The leaves generally look OK, though there are a few curled and gray.

What can I do to help this tree?

Barb

Hi Barb….

The photo is great and always helps us provide a more accurate diagnosis. We think there are a couple things going on with your apples.

First, the spots on your apples are probably due to “scab” – a varying collection of fungus. The fact that the apple tree is older and has been neglected doesn’t help, but the wet weather probably had something to do with this as well, giving the fungus more time to establish itself on the fruit.

While problematic, there are organic solutions. The first step is to remove all old leaves from beneath the tree in the fall and put them in the yard waste container, or bury them. Prune out affected twigs, which bear small, blister-like pustules, and put them in the yard waste. Do both of these things in late winter or early spring, before growth begins in the tree.

There are also several organic spray options including sulfur, lime-sulfur, or Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate plus lime) applied early in the growing season. These are readily available at most nurseries. Spray as soon as the buds show green. And since scab likes damp weather, spray every week until midsummer if the weather is dry. If the summer is wet, spray until 30 days before harvest.

The dimpling on the apples is more difficult to figure out, but it’s most likely a pollination problem – which is a more difficult problem to solve this season. It would be good if you get a lot of bees or other pollinators, as that would help ensure good pollination. Otherwise, next season when the flowers are blooming, take a small brush and a container, shaking some pollen free from the flower, and then using the brush to then apply it to other flowers.

Hope that helps and thanks for writing in.

Don & John

The Fruit Guys

thefruitguys@cityfruit.org

I was cleaning up the ground and fertilizing some of the fruit trees this weekend and I noticed something really odd. All of the plum trees are acting like it’s fall. Several species, all very mature and prolific full-sized trees, have started yellowing and dropping their leaves. 50-60% of the leaves seem to have turned yellow almost overnight. The leaves have brown spots and drop in droves at a simple shake of a branch. I looked for signs of mold or insect damage, but didn’t see anything obvious. They just act like it’s fall.

None of the other fruit trees (cherries, apples, pears, fig) have this issue, though all are suffering somewhat from the weird weather.

Does this have to do with the funky weather we’ve been having? Please help!

Aaron

Hi Aaron,

You did all the right things in checking what you did. Those are good steps.

And while plum trees in general aren’t producing as much as they did last year, we don’t think the weather is the culprit here, but rather some sort of fungal infection – but it’s difficult to tell without actually seeing the leaves ourselves.

Our best guess is that the fertilizer might be the trigger here. Fruit trees in the Pacific Northwest tend not to need too much fertilizer beyond specific nutrients. But too much nitrogen can spur excessive growth, leaving the tree susceptible to fungal infections.

So we suggest holding off on the fertilization for now and seeing what impact that has on the tree in a few weeks. With all fungal infections, it’s a good idea to pick up all the fallen leaves and put them in the yard waste bin – not your home compost or the disease can spread there.

While you might not get a good crop this year, you can most likely improve the quality of the tree health for next year. In the fall, the tree could benefit from a good pruning – targeting the parts of the tree that were infected this year. This should help the tree produce new growth in the spring.

Fungal infections also benefit from various sprays. Because we can’t identify which fungal infection your tree might have, we suggest bringing in a leaf sample to the Center for Urban Horticulture on any Monday from 4pm – 8pm. They have experts on hand who should be able to more accurately identify which fungus is affecting your tree and then recommend the appropriate organic spray – which would be applied next spring.

Hope this helps and thanks for writing in.

Don & John

The Fruit Guys

thefruitguys@cityfruit.org

Now is a great time for this recipe: lots of cherries from Eastern Washington or your very own urban orchard here in Seattle, duck from Thundering Hooves or any other local farmer. This cherry sauce recipe can also be used as a marinade for barbecuing chicken, vegetables (think eggplant, zucchinis), lamb, etc.

Duck with Sweet Cherry Sauce
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 1/2 hr

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Scant 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (1/2 medium)
1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 lb dark sweet cherries such as Bing, quartered and pitted (3 cups)
2 (3/4-lb) boneless Moulard duck breasts with skin*
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives
Heat oil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes.
Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer 1 minute. Stir in mustard, 1 1/2 cups cherries, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute.
Purée mixture in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute. Force cherry sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and transfer 1/4 cup sauce to a small bowl for glazing duck.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper.
Heat water in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush duck all over with cherry sauce from bowl and return to skillet, skin side up.
Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135°F (see cooks’ note, below), about 8 minutes for medium-rare.
Transfer duck to a cutting board and set skillet aside. Let duck stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes.
Immediately after covering duck, carefully pour off any fat from skillet, leaving any brown bits, and add remaining cherry sauce, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups cherries. (Cherries will lose flavor if cooked; heat from skillet will warm sauce.)
Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve with cherry sauce.

Previously, I wrote about how the FDA designated several WA counties as disaster areas because of the crazy weather we’ve been having and today I see that Governor Christine Gregoire is touring the area as part of her “Feed Washington” tour. Because of the damage she’s seen she’s asking the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to declare 29 counties farm disaster areas — making them eligible for federal assistance.

All this rain and cooler temperatures are wreaking havoc on everything from hay (which is primarily exported to Japan) to cherries. It’s not just the weather, but also the horrible economic climate that’s also really hurting farmers (and everyone else, for that matter).

One of the ideas that Gov. Gregoire mentioned, I half agree with. From MSNBC:

The governor explained that she has seen the demand for Washington fruit like cherries on recent trips to Asia. She believes helping fruit growers tap those markets will get the state out of tough economic times.

“If we do that, we’ll find our way out of this recession,” said Gregoire. “That’s the road to recovery for us.”

From what I read, more cherries are already heading to Japan. And while I like the intention that demand for WA state fruit can help farmers find their way out of the recession, I’m not sure about exporting that fruit — and not sure how that fits in to Feed Washington. I would think there’s plenty of demand for fresh fruit from right here in WA state and that a push for buying locally produced fruit & veg would be a better way to go.

This weather is making us a bit nervous as well — not sure what kind of crop we’ll get here in the city. Plums, by most accounts, are having a bad year after having a record year last year. Cherries seem to be coming in ok, though. What I’m really curious about is how the apple crop will be. Historically Seattle apples are pretty unusable due to the apple maggots, but we’ve seen little evidence of those buggers so far.

It’s getting to be that time of year when the fruit is starting to ripen. We’ve already got our first harvest scheduled for next week to pick a bunch of cherries. Can’t wait!

If you have a fruit tree or grape vine that will produce more fruit than you can possibly eat this summer, there are several organizations out there that will harvest that fruit and ensure that it’s put to productive use – including City Fruit. Check out the below information for the right organization to contact for your neighborhood.

Phinney/Greenwood: phinney@cityfruit.org 

Crownhill: crownhill@cityfruit.org

South Seattle: gail@cityfruit.org

West Seattle: info@gleanit.org

Throughout Seattle: help@gardenhotline.org

The local strawberries are in at the Farmer’s Markets! And are they sweet. Last night we ate pannacotta & strawberries out on the patio with out of town guests..what a treat. We made the pannacotta in the morning, so that it would have all day to ’set’. We had put the strawberries up the night before so that they could ‘macerate’ in some white wine.

Pannacotta
1 1/2 teaspoons (scant) unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk (or any milk-cream combination you like)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract or the beans from a vanilla pod

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Combine 3/4 cup cream and 1/3 cup sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool until warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in buttermilk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide among six 1/2-cup ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

Slice strawberries in half, place in bowl, pour Riesling or any other favourite white wine over. Cover, let sit overnight.

To serve: turn the pannacotta out of the ramekin into a bowl, spoon desired amount of drunken strawberries over the pannacotta, eat.