Georgia Green Industry Keeps on Growing
A natural product that improves air quality, filters and cleans the atmosphere, keeps topsoil from eroding, acts as a noise and sight barrier, and pleases the senses – too good to be true?
Plants provide all that and more. Green industries are changing the landscape of Georgia’s economy, entrepreneurial spirit and aesthetic.
In fact, studies have shown that an attractive landscape adds about nine percent to a home’s perceived value. Operations like nurseries, greenhouses and turfgrass businesses have made Georgia a rising star in the plant world.
Green and Growing
In 1942, McCorkle Nurseries was a mom-and-pop neighborhood garden center. However, a love of plants and a willingness to grow has made them one of the largest nursery operations in the state.
Seven decades later, most of McCorkle’s plants are sold through larger retail outlets like Pike Nurseries, Lowes and Home Depot.
“My dad encouraged me to get college training in the area of business,” says Skeeter McCorkle, president of McCorkle Nurseries. “That has proven to be solid guidance and integral to our survival and success. Without a good understanding of business and a passion to make the family business work, I’m not sure McCorkle Nurseries would still be here today. Thanks to the Lord’s blessings and a great group of dedicated team members, we have been able to weather many storms together and create a family-friendly culture.”
That family-friendly culture is a necessity in a business where it takes an average of three years for plants to mature. McCorkle Nurseries currently markets more than 700 Georgia Grown plant varieties in a seven-state region.
In order to handle this capacity, the nursery uses robots to move plants, computer modeling to predict insect emergence and disease pressure points, and digital sales platforms to reach more customers.
“It’s amazing what has changed since our grandparents grew their first plants,” McCorkle says. “It will be neat to see where all the changes and opportunities that lie ahead take us.”
Super Sod and Super Success
It’s not just nurseries and greenhouses that are making a difference in the green industry. Turfgrass is one of the leading green commodities in the state.
“I think Georgia is setting a standard for the southeast as a whole for turfgrass,” says Josh Morrow, vice president of Sod Atlanta. “Our state is progressive in terms of working on the next generation of landscaping and building sustainable practices.”
Sod Atlanta, recently acquired by a division of Patten Seed Company, Super-Sod, has been involved in the turfgrass industry for more than 30 years and is a multigenerational company.
Morrow says the ability to adapt is one of the reasons the company has been in business so long.
“We take a lot of risks in our operation. We have released a lot of new grasses into the marketplace and have created a great demand for them,” Morrow says. “We don’t just carry the basic production. We carry new and innovative products including drought tolerant and heavy traffic tolerant variations.”
Morrow says Sod Atlanta focuses on using advanced variations and innovative technology in their operation.
“This is an exciting place to be in agriculture,” Morrow says. “It’s not like your grandpa’s farm where you are literally using the same tractor he used. We have cutting-edge technology to make farming better. We still believe in taking care of the land and our goal is to put the best product out there. We use the best technology we can because it makes a big difference.”
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Great article.
You might also consider a vacuum sealer for Georgia veggies. I tried it last year and it works GREAT! Absolutely no freezer burn.
You can pick up a Ziploc brand sealer AND bags for under $30 at Wal-Mart. (the bags are reusable.)
Thanks again for the great article.
Wayne Canon
thanks for posting this method – great to know how and is easy
You’re welcome! And you can use a similar method for similar produce – just adjust the blanching time depending on the type/size of vegetable.
Thanks for visiting Farm Flavor!
Jessy Yancey
editor, farmflavor.com
This was so helpful and very easy.
I’m going to dehydrate my sqaush this year. Usually I can it. So I didn’t exactly know how to blanch these thank you for this info.
I accidentally made a great squash recipe discovery last night. I was so tired of all the ways I’d been making summer squash, I decided to experiment with canned soup. I sauteed the squash slices in a little butter,stopping before they were really getting tender, then opened a can I thought was celery soup, but turned out to be cream of broccoli cheese soup. I mixed it with 1/2 cup of milk and 2 T. sour cream, mixed it with the squash, put it in a casserole dish, then topped with Parmesan cheese and cooked in the microwave 5 minutes. It tasted delicious, and had a very different flavor from all the squash things I had been making!
it comes out mushy when thawed
Hi Sara,
Sorry to hear! The thawed squash will never be quite as crisp as fresh squash, but it’s great for soups and casseroles. If it’s too mushy for those uses, then you probably let it cook for too long. It should be crisp-tender, not mushy, after steaming for a couple of minutes and then placed in the ice water. You also have to be sure to get as much air out of the freezer bags as possible.
Hope this helps!
Jessy Yancey
editor, Farm Flavor
If you take the extra step of first freezing the squash in a single layer on parchment paper on cookie sheets, then when they are frozen transfer it to a freezer bag/container, each piece will be individually frozen, not freeze into a lump and will not be mush when defrosted. By the way, Jessy’s instructions, with the additional step of freezing on cookie sheets first, works excellent for mushrooms.
This is a great point! I do this when freezing blueberries and blackberries, but haven’t tried it with squash since it’s usually being dumped into soups or sautes. Thanks for the tip!
really good ill mean good, love it. add a little cheese in the mix. thank you
good information thanks a lot it was just what I needed
Definitely going to try this. Made your cucumbers for freezing last year. Now my whole family uses that very simple recipe, even my mom makes your recipe instead of canning. (She said, its just like her pickles but better) Even the kids can do it!!!!! Keep updating when and if you find something that works better!!!!
Ha. Wasn’t your site.
Here it is. Really easy and simple…
CUCUMBERS FOR FREEZING
7 cups thin sliced cucumbers
3 med onion sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cups Sugar
1 cup vinegar (white)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon salt
Mix everything together in lg bowl
Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Put in containers and freeze!
Great in winter. They are as fresh as right out of the garden!!!!
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for sharing!
Do you also put the liquid in the containers when freezing?
Do you freeze pickles with juices??
a trick I learned earlier this summer when freezing whole berries – squeeze as much air out of the ziplock bag as you can, then almost seal it. Insert a plastic straw in the opening and suck as much air out as possible!! Cheaper than the vacuum sealer machines.
I agree, this is a good article; some other articles I’ve read are really incomplete. I have a question: If I wanted to grate say, a quart of zucchini and blanched it for maybe 1 minute to 1.5 minutes, and then cooling with ice, removing as much moisture as I can (removing the excess water with a straw is a great idea!) would it be mushy when I thawed it? I have a LOT of zucchini and squash (first time gardener, yea!)and think that you method will work really well.
I Read Somewhere that you don’t have to blanch shredded zuchinni.
Oh, ok. That’s what I neede to know.
Do you peel the yellow squash? Some of my squash got big like a gord will it still work?
Hi Sheryl,
You do not need to peel them – the squash skin actually contains a lot of antioxidants!
If a squash gets too big, it may lose some flavor, but that should be fine for freezing and then reheating to mix into sauces, soups, etc. You can still cut your squash into similar, coin-sized pieces for consistency – but if you want to do larger pieces, you would blanch it for a little longer. Hope this helps!
Jessy Yancey
editor, Farm Flavor
Great job on instructions and pictures. I like that it was very straight forward with a little personal touch. Thank you for your time and effort, keep up the good work.
I also have a question: “How to Blanch and Freeze Summer Squash and Zucchini?” but now I’m having answer. Thank for your helpful shares!
I just finished blanching and icing my summer squash using your directions. Thank you very much! I lightly blotted the slices with paper towels and then laid them on wax paper in single layers on a cookie sheet. When they have frozen I will bag them up. I felt like this would make it easier to remove as much as I wanted from the bag at a time instead of having to thaw the entire bag. I think they will be individual squash slices. Hope it works!!
That’s a great idea, Janet! I’ve done that when freezing blueberries, but never with squash slices. Let us know if it works well!
Thanks,
Jessy
The single slice flash-freezing works. I do this every year for all my berries, squash, zucchini, beans, etc… on a tray with wax paper. After flash-freezing on a tray I load them into serving-size bags and vacuum seal. No freezer burn and they are not as mushy when thawed. But to ensure no mushiness, do not over-blanch and chill quickly. There’s nothing like your own garden veggies for cooking in the dead of winter (reminds me that Spring is just around the corner)
My question is how would go about saving you zuccunni squash wholeto be able to bake later is that possible without them being mushy aftet being frozen?
My question is how would go about saving you zuccunni squash wholeto be able to bake later is that possible without them being mushy aftet being frozen?
I don’t think you can freeze a whole zucchini – it would turn out very mealy and mushy, as you noted. That’s why shredding it or slicing it and using it in casseroles works better. Sorry I’m not more help!
Thanks for your comment,
Jessy
We use the same method! I save myself using a lot of small bags by doing your method, steaming then flash freezing them on a piece of parchment paper laid out across the whole freezer, the rounds shouldnt touch when freezing, after 2 hours flip and wait another hour, they will be able to be packed into a big gallon bag and the rounds wont stick together, works for shredded uncooked zucchini too.
Thank you SO much! I have a food saver and lots of squash and zucchini 🙂
totally going to freeze bunches!
This was just what I was looking for…..thanks!
Thank U sooooo very much! I love my squash & I didn’t want 2 give anymore away (except for some ppl that really need food) I would love 2 here from u again on how 2 keep garden food fresh. I moved from Florida 2 Ketucky, but have no ideas on canning, freezing & I don’t know any ppl here that would like 2 teach me. If u have time or a book that would help I would so appreciate it my # is (606)3073791, & email is chuckaho1966@yahoo.com. Thanx a million times over,ur a life saver❤
BEST recipe for summer squash – can’t wait to try it with frozen squash!
Summer Squash Casserole
Preheat oven to 325.
1 # pork sausage Brown
1 clove garlic Add to sausage, last few minutes of browning,
then drain off fat
4 C sliced summer squash Cook in boiling, salted water for about 2 minutes, then drain. Mix with sausage and add the following:
½ C bread crumbs
½ C Parmesan cheese
½ C milk
1 T chopped parsley
½ t dried oregano
½ t salt
2 well-beaten eggs Fold into the above mixture. Turn into 8 X 8 baking dish.
Bake at 325 for 25 – 30 minutes.
4-6 servings.
Looks easy
Thank you! I have a mountain of yellow squash and wondered how to save it for later! Needed this information.
How do you put squash up for frying later
Unfortunately, putting up the squash means it will get a little mushy and not ideal for frying. It’s still great baked in casseroles, cooked in soups or sauteed in stir-fries, but it won’t really hold up well to breading and frying. You might try grating it and squeezing out the moisture to see if that works!
I cover my bagged squash with water to keep it from getting freezer burnt
I would think that removing the seed and soft interior of the squash and just using the outer core would improve the mushiness factor. Does decrease the quantity you will put up but if your family will actually eat it instead of complaining is a win.
I breaded and oven fried zucchini last year and baked up zucchini parmesan. After cooling overnight in the refrigerator, cut into individual servings and put in sandwich bags to freeze. Get out as much air as you can. Once they are frozen, I put them in a gallon or two gallon freezer bag for long term freezing. Delicious as an individual side.
Can you freeze watermelon
Frozen watermelon is great for smoothies! But if you plan on just eating it raw, freezing will make it taste mushier than normal.
Has anyone tried air frying after you thaw the squash?
I have froze summer squash grated for sweet breads but never froze them sliced for soups and pan frying, I am going to try it this year. My garden is bursting with squash right now! I have a couple sliced and spritzed with olive oil and sea salt in the dehydrator to eat as vegetable chips right now. That is another way I have found to use them up and not let them go to waste.
Do you have to blanch shredded zucchini to freeze?
I read last year about using yellow squash in place of a banana in SMOOTHIES. Hesitated, but finally tried it and it works wonderfully! Not quite the same as a banana (not quite so cloyingly sweet), but it gives the texture to the smoothie that banana does, tastes a bit “brighter” for lack of a better word, AND you don’t get the sugar rush you would if you used banana. Good for diabetics and prediabetics! I am now going to start freezing the squash so I can have MORE available without worrying about them going bad before using. Since I’m just dumping it into the blender, I don’t need to worry about it freezing into a clump, so I don’t need to spread in single layer to freeze. If it’s a big clump, no problem. And frozen (no need to thaw), it allows me to use fewer ice cubes to slush up the smoothie! Try it – it works well.
MY FAVORITE SMOOTHIE:
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup more or less; full fat if you aren’t trying to limit fat)
one small yellow squash (raw, not cooked, just cut off two ends);
pineapple ( I chop up fresh pineapple and freeze it with any juice in ice cube trays, then put them in zip lock bags; use 1-3 cubes)
a Mandarin orange or part of a full size orange, to your taste
a little rum extract (you could use actual rum if you wanted to, but probably not for breakfast!)
a little vanilla extract
some coconut or regular/sugar free coconut syrup (like Torani or Da Vinci)
lime juice (I add three teaspoons, but adjust as you like)
a splash of milk (any kind – fat free to whole, or nut milks or whatever!)
add any other items for nutrition boost, like wheat germ, oat bran, chia seeds, whey powder, etc., if you like.
Blend together, then add ice cubes to thicken – more or fewer, depending on how loose the mixture is AND to your liking.
Oh, and I like to add a bit of International Delight or CoffeeMate creamer (liquid or powder – I do sugar free) – it adds a bit of richness.
All measurements are fully adjustable to your taste – not baking, so exactness is NOT vital!
Enjoy!
So can you just grind it up like zuchinni for bread and cakes? I have an abundant amount of yellow summer squash this year. It is my first time ever planting it and holy buckets!!!
Ever tried cryo-blanching?
Cut your well-dried vegetables, vacuum seal them and freeze them no blanching required freezing does the work and the texture is far superior