WEEK
WEEK AT
WEEK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO PARMA RESEARCH AND
EXTENSION CENTER.
WHETHER YOU'RE A
HOME GARDENER OR A
COMMERCIAL FRUIT
GROWER, THIS IS YOUR
OPPORTUNITY TO SAMPLE
ALL OF THE NEW AND
IMPROVED VARIETIES OF
FRUIT THAT IDAHO HAS TO
OFFER.
GARDEN MASTER JIM
DUTHIE BRINGS US A
LOOK TODAY IN "YOU CAN
GROW IT."
GROW IT."
"WE
"WE ALL
"WE ALL KNOW THAT SOUTHWEST IDAHO GROWS ALL KINDS OF
WONDERFUL FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES, AND THERE
ARE SOME NEW THINGS
THAT ARE BEING GROWN
AND TESTED HERE AT THE
PARMA RESEARCH CENTER
FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF
IDAHO. THINGS LIKE
ALMONDS."
FRUIT FIELD DAY
SHOWCASES THE DOZENS
OF
OF VARIETIES OF PEACHES AND NECTARINES, PLUMS AND PLUOTS, AND APPLES
AND PEARS, AS WELL AS
AN ENDLESS ARRAY OF
DIFFERENT KINDS OF
GRAPES. BUT IDAHO'S
THRIVING FRUIT INDUSTRY
MAY SOON BE GOING
NUTS.
AMONG SOME OF THE
NEW PRODUCTS BEING
GROWN AND STUDIED
HERE WALNUTS AND
ALMONDS, WHICH COULD
ONE DAY BE ALTERNATIVE
CASH CROPS IN
SOUTHWEST IDAHO.
THERE ARE ALWAYS NEW
TYPES OF FRUIT BEING
TESTED HERE, LIKE THIS
VARIETY OF CHERRY
CALLED CHROMIUM. IT'S
NATIVE TO WESTERN ASIA,
BUT IT THRIVES HERE IN
IDAHO. AND THESE JUICY,
ELONGATED FRUITS
COULD BECOME THE NEXT
SUPER FOOD, SINCE
THEY'RE CHOCK-FULL OF
ANTI-OXIDANTS.
MEANWHILE, IDAHO'S
GRAPE AND WINE
INDUSTRY HAS
RECOVERED FROM THE
SEVERE WINTER DAMAGE
OF A FEW YEARS AGO,
BUT THAT SAME EXTREME
WEATHER FOCUSED
ATTENTION ON TWO NEW
VARIETIES OF GRAPES
THAT NOT ONLY SURVIVED
THE COLD, BUT ACTUALLY
THRIVED. THIS ONE,
CALLED THOMCORD, IS A
HYBRID OF THE POPULAR
THOMPSON SEEDLESS
AND CONCORD GRAPES,
AND CONSISTENTLY
PRODUCES LARGE
CLUSTERS OF DELICIOUS,
JUICY PURPLE BERRIES,
REGARDLESS OF WEATHER
EXTREMES FROM YEAR TO
YEAR.
"AFTER THE THIRD YEAR
OF PLANTING, EVERY
YEAR, WE'VE HAD A FAIRLY
GOOD CROP OF THIS. IT
MAKES EXCELLENT GRAPES
FOR TABLE GRAPES, AND
EXCELLENT ONES FOR
JUICING."
AND ANOTHER VARIETY,
CALLED ALBORZ, ALSO
CAME THROUGH THE
EXTREME WEATHER
UNSCATHED. IT PROMISES
TO BE ANOTHER HIGHLY
PRODUCTIVE CULTIVAR
THAT WILL HELP EXPAND
IDAHO'S GRAPE AND WINE
INDUSTRY. HERE, DR.
FALLAHI IS
EXPERIMENTING WITH A
NEW METHOD OF
GROWING GRAPES.
UNDER A LUSH GRAPEVINE
CANOPY OVERHEAD, THE
VINES ARE PRODUCING
AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF
HUGE CLUSTERS OF TASTY
AND
AND JUICY
AND JUICY GRAPES. "I THINK THERE IS A LOT
OF
OF FUN
OF FUN TO
OF FUN TO GROW GRAPES. AND ALSO AN EASY CROP TO EAT. AND IT'S JUST A
BEAUTIFUL CROP.
BEAUTIFUL CROP."
AND NOW THERE IS AN
INTERESTING AND
EXCITING POTENTIAL FOR
GROWING NUTS HERE IN
SOUTHWEST IDAHO,
SOUTHWEST IDAHO,
PARTICULARY WALNUTS AND ALMONDS. THESE WALNUT TREES ARE
PRODUCING QUALITY NUT
CROPS AFTER ONLY THREE
OR FOUR YEARS.
THESE ALMOND TREES
HAVE BEEN THRIVING
HERE EVEN DURING
RECENT
RECENT EXTREME COLD WINTERS. AND NOW, CALIFORNIA ALMOND
GROWERS ARE PUTTING
OUT FEELERS TO EXPAND
THAT NUT INDUSTRY INTO
IDAHO, THANKS TO
CHEAPER LAND AND
ABUNDANT WATER. AND
LOCAL GROWERS ARE
EXCITED WITH THE
POSSIBILITIES.
"SO THEY CAN WORK
TOGETHER AND IT WILL BE
A KIND OF WIN-WIN
SITUATION."
ALMONDS GROW IN
LEATHERY
LEATHERY HULLS, OR PODS, THAT EVENTUALLY SPLIT OPEN AS THE NUT
INSIDE MATURES. THE
NUT SHELL DRIES OUT,
AND ONCE REMOVED, IT
REVEALS THE ALMOND
KERNEL. AND FRESH
ALMONDS RIGHT OFF THE
TREE ARE VERY TASTY.
ALMOND HULLS ARE A
NUTRITIOUS AND
INEXPENSIVE FOOD
SOURCE FOR CATTLE,
WHICH WOULD ALSO BE
GOOD NEWS FOR IDAHO
CATTLE GROWERS AND
DAIRY FARMERS. AND THE
DRIED ALMOND SHELLS
CAN BE USED IN
LANDSCAPING AS A
GROUND COVER, JUST LIKE
SHREDDED BARK.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS
THAT IDAHO'S FRUIT
INDUSTRY IS NOT ONLY
THRIVING, BUT LOOKING
TO ADD NEW AND
DIFFERENT PRODUCTS TO
ITS LINE-UP, AND FOR
HOME GARDENERS, AT
SOME POINT, YOU CAN
GROW IT. AT THE U OF I
PARMA RESEARCH AND
EXTENSION CENTER, AND
FOR IDAHO'S NEWS
CHANNEL 7, I'M JIM
DUTHIE.
DUTHIE. FRUIT FIELD DAY IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH,
FROM 8:30 AM UNTIL 1 PM
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
IDAHO PARMA RESEARCH
AND EXTENSION CENTER
-- JUST NORTH OF PARMA.
THE EVENT IS FREE TO
THE PUBLIC.
BY THE WAY, DR. FALLAHI
WAS RECENTLY AWARDED
TOP HONORS FOR HIS
WORK IN DEVELOPING
AND INTRODUCING NEW
FRUIT VARIETIES BY THE
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL
SOCIETY,
SOCIETY, ONE OF THE OLDEST