What Does A Retiree Do After The Cows Are Gone?
KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN
As told to
Shirley Zimmerman
FREDERICK, Md. —What do
you do when the cows are gone?
First you count your bless
ings you still have good
health, your family, your land
and buildings, and farm equip
ment. You still need an income
so you turn to what you know
best and look to what still makes
you happy. I decided to concen
trate on being able to continue
growing field corn and alfalfa
hay—those crops I had been
growing for years to feed my
dairy cows.
Looking ahead and consider
ing those bills, which would be
most likely to drain whatever
my income would be, I foresaw
health insurance as the biggest
everyday expense and the real
estate taxes on the farm and my
home as the largest one time
expense. So, I decided to try
something new and different.
I planned to plant sweet corn
on about four acres of land with
the thought of being able to mar
ket it best if it were planted and
sold early. Early corn in my area
would be “jumping the gun” on
competitors. We are told when
trying new ventures such as
roadside selling that we should
not “invest more than you are
afraid to lose ” So I made a
makeshift counter to fit on the
bafk of our farm pickup and
found a somewhat desirable spot
along the highway on the farm
We made signs announcing
“coming so m” to put up one
week before and permanent
Creativity Blossoms At Lebanon County Flower Show
Helen Woods grew this stunning housepiant from a
pineapple that she purchased at a supermarket. The plant
grows a pineapple that is sweet to eat.
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
At the Lebanon Valley Mall recen
tly, more than 429 entries show
cased the beauty and originality
that flowers and plants inspire.
Sponsored by the Lebanon
County Flower Club, the show was
opened to non-club members who
wanted to compete for awards.
One of the most fascinating
foliage house plants was a Brome
liade Pineapple entered by Helen
Woods.
“I grew it from pineapple
•leaves,” Helen said of the spiky
•plant from which a pineapple is
emerging.
According to Helen anyone can
grow the eye-catching plant.
Purchase a pineapple from the
signs for close by and one at a
busy intersection one mile from
our home
We started selling our first
sweet corn on July 9. That day
and everyday but one thereafter
until our corn was gone, I took
the tractor and a small cart into
the field and started picking
around 6:30 a.m. I usually filled
that cart by around 9:00 a.m.,
came into the house and show
ered and pulled the pickup to its
selling “spot.” My corn selling
day began about 10:00 a.m. and
ended about 4-6:00 p.m. My goal
was to sell all I had picked and
then pull away for the day. As an
extra special little “treat” my
wife made a giveaway flyer with
“Zimmandale Farm Recipes”
using items sold—corn, toma
toes and potatoes
The first three to four days
were the biggest. No one else in
the area had sweet corn so “word
of mouth” really got around. One
lady told me she saw a friend at
K-Mart who told her about the
corn. She left there and headed
for our small stand (approxi
mately 5-6 miles away). Many
customers returned and passed
the word on to their family,
friends and neighbors. One deci
sion that was difficult was what
price to charge. We called and
asked the price at a couple of
stores. Although their corn was
not local, we still decided to
undersell them. We wanted to
move it and yet be within a rea
sonable price range. Several
days later we lowered it $l.
They say you must put all aside
to concentrate completely on
supermarket Make sure the leaves
are tightly attached and not
trimmed in the center.
Cut off the leaves leaving one
half inch of the pineapple top
intact. Set in air to dry for three
days.
Prepare a mixture of potting soil
and sand in a flowerpot Put
pineapple top in soil mixture with
cut side down. Place in a sunny
spot and water.
Helen said that it takes about 18
months to grow a mature pineapple
that can be eaten.
“It’s a very sweet and deli
cious,” Helen said of the flavor.
The pineapple plant that Helen
had on display was about 14
months old.
Competition in the flower
arrangement category revealed a
Kenneth Zimmerman sells sweet corn from the back of his pickup truck. Although
he made enough money to cover his taxes with a bit leftover, Zimmerman decided his
battle with weather and predators isn’t a profitable-enough venture.
your roadside adventure. Well, I
recall that I had not even seen
the back buildings on the farm
for a couple of weeks. I would
call that unusual.
As we were making plans I
though it would be a good idea to
also sell tomatoes and plant a
couple rows of red potatoes. All
went pretty good with one excep
tion. The tomatoes did not ripen
enough to sell along with the
corn. There were a few to start
the day but they soon disap-
Some of the most fascinating arrangments incorporate unusual materials such as
this harvest basket with garden corn and wildflowers and the basket overflowing with
colorful hot peppers, cucumbers, wildflowers, and weeds.
prolific assortment of designs and
blooms. Some designs appeared
simple to achieve, but flower
judges examine designs differently
than those with untrained eyes.
Some blooms were so perfect
they looked like silk flowers. But
the most fascinating arrangments
often incorporated unusual mater
ials such as harvest baskets over
flowing with colorful hot peppers,
cucumbers, garden com, wild
flowers, weeds, and twisted
corkscrew.
J-lOME
<* .
*♦ *» ri
peared. Many customers only
wanted tomatoes. Now that I’ve
finished selling corn, the toma
toes are nice and ripe.
When it was all over and as I
look back, I’m glad I did it and I
reached my goal of being able to
pay our real estate taxes. We
even had $2OO over. My biggest
disappointment, and I might
add the reason I’m not going to
do it again next year, is the bat
tle with Mother Nature in the
cornfield. When I went to the
Keiko Smith from Annville won
Best of Show, Tri Color, and crea
tivity awards. Keiko studied
design in many different places
and under many teachers. Her dis
tinct designs have a Japanese fla
vor. Long, slender leaves are often
knotted or slit and folded to com
plete a design.
“You can always tell her
designs,” said Alma Schmaltzer,
flower club member.
Another top winner was Mary
Heffelfinger who received the
field to pick a couple of morn
ings, I would pull one ear and
have to skip the next 7-8 ears
The raccoons had had a feast
during the night. If there were
two ears on one stalk, the ’coons
ate the more mature ear
Another time I shared my corn
with the birds. They just flew
down and picked the ends of the
biggest best ears. That was real
ly frustration.
V
Grand Sweepstakes, Petite, Award
of Merit, and Award of
Distinction.
Alma said that new members are
welcome to the monthly meetings
the club holds. All meetings are
held in Freeman Hall at Cornwall
Manor on the second floor. The
next meeting will be held on OcL
13. A plant sale will begin at noon
and a session on “Hands on
Arranging.” will begin at 1 p.m-
For more information, call Alma
Schmaltzer at (717) 949-2116.
(Turn to Page B 3)