A Good Season for Beach Plums

Don't ask me why it was a good season on Cape Cod. I don't know, except that the weather was good during the month of May when the shrubs flowered. As a result there was a good fruit set. This year there was lower than average rainfall again. Ripening began in the second week of August. OK. Now I've provided an adequate summary for those who follow the annual fruit production of these native plants and have started making beach plum jelly or jam.

Beach Plum recipes

But for those of you who have not yet been bitten by the beach plum bug, I offer the following tidbits:

Beach plum - 

its scientific name is Prunus maritima

is a stone fruit like peach and cherry
fruit is small, about 3/4 inch in diameter

range from coastal Delaware to Maine

can grow as a low bush, tall shrub or a tree form

has a long life span, greater than 50 years

grows on lee-side of sand dunes as well as inland

has showy white flowers, in May

mature fruits can be purple, red or yellow, on different plants

AVOID CONFUSION - too often the introduced, asian rugosa rose is confused with the native beach plum. Compare the flowers and fruits of these two species which can be found growing together. Big differences! But beware: in some locales people call rugosa rose-- beach plum.

Beach Plum flowers

Rugosa rose flower

Beach Plum ripe fruit

Rugosa rose fruit ( a hip)

Hatchville, Wisconsin (huh?) 

No, I haven't lost my way, but it isn't always about me.

If Hatchville in Falmouth, MA is an improbable village of horse and farm country today within a sea of suburbia (and I believe it is), then Hatchville in Wisconsin is a ghost village. It no longer exits.

Hatchville, WI was located in three western counties where Dunn, St. Croix and Pierce Counties abut and within four different townships. See the orange dot.

Hatch family there ---

Like Hatchville in Massachusetts, when the federal government established a post office in 1889, this tiny village’s name derived from the postmaster’s surname. The PO was within the home of Frank Hatch who was the postmaster until the feds closed it in 1903. Frank’s father was born in New York, but Frank was born in Wisconsin in 1861.

In 1898 Ed and Frank Hatch built a general store. The second floor of the store was a community hall for social events. Fire destroyed their store in 1911. Frank was 17 years senior to his wife, Ethel. They had two children, Wesley and Grace. In 1912 Frank and Ethel rebuilt a larger store and hall on the same site. In 1916 they sold the store. Ed, who worked at a local sawmill, was killed on the job.

Hatchville also had a cooperative creamery in 1912 and a blacksmith shop, and in 1916, a cheese factory.

Sources:

U.S. Census

Wisconsin Historical Society Library-Archives,

Dunn County Historical Society

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?id=WI.IHDunnCounty

Coonamessett Pond Association 

Have you heard about this group of concerned citizens? 

Since 1985 they have worked "to enhance and maintain the ecological balance that gives Hatchville, and especially the area including and surrounding the Coonamessett Pond, its special character." 

They don't just talk: they speak and act whenever inappropriate development schemes threaten historic Hatchville. Moreover, they work with the Town of Falmouth and The 300 Committee as stewards of the important conservation parcels in the neighborhood.

To get involved, contact: Jim Hain-- jhain@earthlink.net

Finding Historic Hatchville

In a Capecodonline.com July 6, 2014 review of Historic Hatchville, Melanie Lauwers wrote a too true statement:

"Many Cape Codders may not know where to find Hatchville on a map, but this area between Mashpee and East Falmouth has a rich history and amateur historian Les Garrick has discovered it for the rest of us."

I've often wondered why there is no publicly posted  "Welcome to Hatchville" sign on the major roads. So how would anyone know they are in Hatchville?  

If you are on Route 151 between the Cape Cod Fairgrounds and Route 28 (North Falmouth) or if you are on Sandwich Road between Brick Kiln Road and Route 151, YOU ARE IN HATCHVILLE. 

Likewise, if you are golfing  at the Cape Cod Country Club or Paul Harney Golf Club or walking the trails at Mass Audubon's Holly Sanctuary, the Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area or the Coonamessett Reservation, YOU ARE IN HATCHVILLE.

Explore Historic Hatchville

Historic Hatchville - radio interview WCAI

I had a great time at NPR station WCAI, 90.1 FM in Woods Hole for an interview by Mindy Todd about my book, Historic Hatchville. 

We taped the show which was broadcast on her program, The Point, on July 3. Listen

Review of Historic Hatchville

I'd like to share this review with you. Click here for concise review of my book.

Hatchville Images

Before the next round of World Cup matches

check out these Hatchville images at My Flickr Page.