FW: Growing "Nutmegs" in New Hampshire (1873)

[kuhlwolf]

 

 

I am an avid gardener and I collect old farm almanacs (from before 1900). I enjoy reading excerpts about gardening from the old timers. Sometimes it's just entertaining. Sometimes you can learn something. And sometimes you are confronted with a mystery.

All three of those things were the case in the 1873 edition of Dudley Leavitt's farm almanac. Leavitt was from New Hampshire. In the "Farmer's Calendar" excerpt for August of that year, the editor tells the story of his son, "little Jack," growing melons just like his grandfather taught him, and he ended up with some real nice "nutmegs."

I had never heard melons called nutmegs before. What was that all about? Well, the solution to the mystery came to me as I was looking through my seed catalogs a couple months ago. And I've written about it (along with grandpa's advice) at my educational blog, "Agrarian Nation." I invite you to check it out at:

http://agrariannation.blogspot.com/

You might want to grow your own Nutmegs this year, just like little Jack did back in 1873. That's what I'm doing!

Best wishes,

Herrick Kimball
Moravia, NY