So not only was South Texas the landfall site for a Category 2 hurricane now, it is also a pathogen distribution hub. Yep, McAllen, Texas = Salmonella Source Central. Tomatoes were the first suspect, followed by cilantro, but, as it turns out, contaminated Capsicum annuum is the likely culprit. What’s a pico de gallo-loving gal to do? Grow her own, I guess, which is relatively easy to do here, without a lot of fuss or need for a large garden space. But if you have access to a large garden space (and lots of compost), as I do at my friends’ ranch, so much the better.
It’s peach season in the Texas Hill Country, which means lots of peeling, canning, freezing, drying, and otherwise preserving the fruit, because it’s nearly impossible to consume the peaches or give them all away before they go bad. This year I increased the efficiency and yield of the harvest by using the Peachinator (aka my Thoroughbred gelding, Zen) to pick peaches from the highest limbs of the trees. Usually these out-of-reach peaches rot, or fall and become bruised. Birds damage them, and insects finish them off; butterflies especially like the sweet juices.
The Peachinator, eco-friendly and ready to go to work
With rising oil prices and concern over global warming, it’s important to emphasize that the Peachinator Version 16hh runs entirely on eco-friendly biofuels, and produces fertilizer for the garden and pasture. This ultra-green harvester is shown here in bright chestnut with white trim, and optional suede polo saddle seat; four wheel drive is standard, but spook control, anti-buck brakes, and airbags are unavailable with this model.
The peach harvest bag, lying across the top of the saddle, was crocheted from plastic carrier bags and newspaper wrappers. I recommend that one try this fruit harvest method only with a calm horse that you know well, as it must be willing to walk up close to the trees and stand still while you pull on the branches and check the fruit. Zen is the laziest Thoroughbred in Texas, so this is an activity that he enjoys, as he doesn’t even break a sweat. I use my horses for playing and umpiring polo and polocrosse, so each is very accustomed to mallets, racquets, and ball bags being swung or hung around its neck; make sure your Fruitinator will accept the harvest bag dangling in front of the saddle, and remember that you’ll need to dismount carefully with a load of fruit.
