Meade County Extension Blog

Author: Elly Sneath

All About Poinsettias

Poinsettia

Poinsettias are a staple of the holidays.  Surprisingly they are a relative easy plant to take care of and keeping them looking great throughout the holidays this year.  Modern poinsettias stay attractive much longer than earlier varieties. So if it has been a few years, try again!

Poinsettias are native to Mexico, and typically are grown in greenhouses from cuttings.  In the United States it is very easy to find these plants between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  After the holidays, it can be very hard to find them.  Knowing what to look for is key to finding the best plant.

First off, lets learn more about the poinsettia’s parts.

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Holiday Meal Tips

Turkey

By Christine McPheter

Thanksgiving is here in just a few days.  The weather has been so nice, that it is sneaking upon us.  While the holidays can be stressful, don’t let the holiday meal stress you out! Take time to plan ahead to ease the stress and have success.

  • If buying a whole turkey, plan for one pound per person.
  • Plan for about one week to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator safely. Do not wash the turkey before cooking.
  • Use a food thermometer to determine doneness; all poultry products should reach a minimum 165°F. I for one, love to cook my stuffing in the turkey-Love the moisture of the stuffing and the flavors are over the top, but that inside stuffing needs to reach 165degrees F.
  • More information can be found at Food Safety for Holiday Meals.

Let’s start Planning

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When to Remove Jars from Canners

By Christine McPheter

A safely home canned food depends on the entire canning process from heat-up, through processing time, and finally cool down. 

The cool down process should not be delayed once the processing is complete, and in the case of pressure canners, the depressurizing step. Leaving jars inside a closed canner slows the cooling process greatly. If thermophilic bacteria are present, they can survive and grow. This leads to flat sour spoilage, an undesirable sour flavor and smell, and compromised safety of the food. 

Allow the pressure to drop on its own, remove the lid, wait five minutes and remove the jars to cool at room temperature. 

Source: https://extension.psu.edu/is-my-sealed-jar-safe 

After water bath processing, turn off the burner, remove the canner lid, wait five minutes and then remove the jars to cool at room temperature. 

After the Hunt

 

By Christine McPheter

Hunting season is in full gear for a variety of wildlife. Whether you are a new or experienced hunter, safety is key in many aspects, including food safety. 

The handling of the meat from harvest to preparation can make a major difference in flavor and safety of the end product. Here are some resources from North Dakota State University Extension called the “Wild Side of the Menu.”  https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/food-nutrition/wild-side-of-the-menu-no-2-field-to-freezer 

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Fall Cleanup for Gardens: 5 Steps to Success

Now that our gardens are done producing for the year, now is a great time to clean up your garden while the weather is still pleasant.   “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” by Ben Franklin really hold true to caring for your garden now, to have success next year.

First, remove the dead plant material.   Removing dead plant material can help eliminate diseases, weeds and insect that could overwinter and become a problem next year.  It’s best just throw is all away.  Some experienced gardeners might want to select some for their compost piles.  But remember, some diseases can survive composting, so be wise if adding this to your garden.

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Corn Producers – “Winning The Game” to be held November 18

See the source image

“WinningTheGame” Corn Marketing Workshop will be held Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at the Community Center in Plains, Kansas.  The meeting lasts from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m..  This corn marketing workshop will focus on developing pre-harvest marketing strategies for the 2021 Kansas Corn crop.  The emphasis will be on using cost of production and seasonal price trend tendencies to develop seasonally flexible 2021 corn marketing plans for Kansas farmers.  A variety of marketing tools will be used in the workshop including forward, basis and hedge-to-arrive contracts, short futures hedges, and put/call options.   

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Powerful Tools for Caregivers – Starts November 2nd

by Christine McPheter

I have been taking care of my father for three years. I didn’t realize how intense and lonely it would be. I’m way over my head, but I can’t bear to take him to a nursing home.”  

Recognizing your Limitations 

If you have not seen our post on Facebook-check it out-this program is for anyone that care gives from a distance, caregiver in the SW counties, or just feel you are going to be and need this information.  This class cost $5.00 and the book cost $30.00 so it is a really great deal.  The second good deal is you can do it from your own home and still be a caregiver.   

Caring for someone can be a challenging and lonely undertaking. Many caregivers experience frustration, anger, impatience, and/or loneliness. These feelings may indicate that something needs to change.  

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K-State Garden Hour Series

Earlier this year, Extension started offering a one-hour webinar series for free!  It is called the K-State Garden Hour and was offered weekly throughout the growing season.  This fall, the program is slowing down to a monthly webinar hour.  The webinar’s include a 45-minute presentation and 10-15 minutes for questions from live participants.  Participants can register online to view the live sessions, but all sessions have been recorded.

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Preparing Venison

By Christine McPheter

Deer-hunting season is up and running, so your freezer should be filling up with venison very soon.  Now is time to plan meals that call for the season’s best red meat and learn how to cook the best recommendations with venison.   The problem with eating and cooking venison, is if you have never cooked it or ate it, where do you begin?  I came upon this article several months ago when I was trying to learn more about the meat myself.  This article and these recipes-I feel would make a good starting point for a beginner.

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Challenges for Families

By Christine McPheter

Today’s world is filled with challenges for families.  Parents unprepared for parenthood, changing social norms and expectations, economic difficulties, increasing peer pressure, and COVID disturbances.    Together they are escalating family problems and straining many families to the breaking points.

A family is a place of warmth when the world is cold;
a place of safety when the world is hostile;
a place of light when the world is dark.  Family ties quotes

Successful parents are:  those who realize that the hopes and dreams they have for their children won’t just happen.  They have to work for them!

Successful parents also have discovered five simple, yet essential things each of us, as parents, needs to know and do if our dreams for our children are to be realized.

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Fall Fertilization for Fescue Lawns

Tall fescue or Kentucky blue grass lawns have a great response to fall fertilization.  If a homeowner could only fertilize once a year, now is the time, with preference to quick-release fertilizer.

As these grasses enter their fall growth cycle, with shorter days and cool nights.  Cool-season grasses naturally thicken up in the fall by forming new shoots at the base of existing plants.  This is called tillering.  Bluegrass spreads by underground stems called rhizomes.  Consequently, September is the most important time to fertilize these grasses.

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Hands

by Christine McPheter

“Perhaps nothing is so fraught with significance as the human hand.”  Jane Addams

Aging and Development Program Focus Team, years ago decided to read a book once or twice a year and focus on it for our updates.  When the book came:  Daily Cures Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis, I said to Mattie, that title sure doesn’t look like the one we voted to read.  So, before lunch, I sat down and opened it up and started reading.  It was hard to put it down.  Let me share:  Beautiful Hands

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Fried Green Tomatoes

by Christine McPheter

Fried Green Tomatoes are a side dish, appetizer dish that are usually found in the Southern States, made from unripe tomatoes coated with a cornmeal and fried.  The fat is bacon grease to bring out the flavors, however these recipes use a healthier version.  Some folks use flour instead of the cornmeal, depends on what part of the country/state you live in and make fried green tomatoes.  I like them so, I prefer the cornmeal, but maybe it’s the sauce!!

Fried Tomatoes

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Proper Forage Sampling is Important

Person Sampling Hay

When it comes to feeding forage bales, it is important to remember to test the hay.  Testing provides us with the knowledge of the hay’s value, quality and can help formulate rations as needed.

Producers need to remember the following tips when collecting samples.

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What’s up with the Elm Trees?

Elm Leaf Beetle

Typically, around this time of year I will get a few phone calls regarding Elm Trees.  Most folks believe their Elm tree is dying.  As much as I would actually prefer our Siberian elms to go away, as they do offer plenty of shade, they are not dying!  It pretty hard to really kill one of these trees, and you will typically find them growing just about anywhere!  But back to why they appear to be dying this time of year.  The culprit is the Elm Leaf Beetle.

The mature elm leaf beetle are approximately 1/5-1/4 inches in length and have a yellow to dull green appearance with a black strip on each side of the wing cover and one in the middle that extend the length of the body.  In addition, there are two black spots on both sides of the thorax (middle portion), and two distinct short black lines just behind the thorax.

These insects feed on the leaves.  Adults feed on the entire leaf, while larva feed on the underside of the leaving causing the leaves to appear brown to our eyes as the eat the green out of the leaf.  Upon closer inspection, the leaves have a skeletonized brown appearance.  Usually it is the second generation feeding where we can begin to notice the damage, unless the tree is heavily infested in the spring.

Elm Leaf fed on by beetle

In most cases, the elm trees have plenty of time to photosynthesize over the summer and can afford to lose their leaves a little earlier than we would prefer.  In the spring, the tree leaf out again and the cycle will continue.

In severe cases, or for those that want green leaves to the end of the growing season, insecticides can be applied.  Systemic insecticides can be applied to the soil where they are absorbed by the roots and translocated to the leaves that will be fed upon by elm leaf beetle larvae and adults. Applications should be made in early spring before new growth emerges. Keep soil moist to increase absorption of the systemic insecticide by the root system, and promote translocation throughout the tree. Always read product labels carefully to determine those insecticides that can be used against elm leaf beetles.

What’s So Great About Oatmeal?

oatmeal

by Christine McPheter

Nutritious oatmeal has been known to lower bad cholesterol levels and even help folks lose weight.  Research shows it’s definitely worth eating!

Oatmeal’s mega force is its fiber content
Oats contain two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble, and both are great for our health.

Soluble fiber absorbs and dissolves in water, and as it does, it thickens up.  Imagine what this does to our stomach. Once it hits that moist environment, it expands and becomes very filling.  This is why oatmeal has been reputed to help aid with weight loss.  As it thickens up, it also becomes sticky. Think about oatmeal and how naturally gooey and sticky it becomes when you cook it.  This stickiness helps latch on to cholesterol that’s floating in our guts and carries it through our digestive system and into the toilet thus aiding in lowering our cholesterol and helping to prevent heart disease. The stickiness of soluble fiber also sticks to our intestinal lining creating a protective layer that helps block or slow the absorption of sugar in our bodies, and this helps to lower our blood sugar.

Oatmeal also has insoluble fiber which does not dissolve in water, but it will absorb it and bulk up and kind of acts like a scrub brush for your gut. This aids in digestion and helps rid the intestines of toxins that can fester in our bodies and deplete our immune system.

Bodies need BOTH types of fiber, and the fact that oatmeal has both is one reason it’s considered a superfood. Also, it’s cheap!  One container of oatmeal is only a couple of dollars and can last up to two years in your pantry past its printed “best by” date on the package.

Choose the right oatmeal
But keep in mind, not all oatmeal’s are created equal. The instant varieties may often have added sugars or preservatives that can lower its nutrient content. Instead, choose the rolled or steel-cut oats, and always check the ingredients listing to know what you’re really eating. Another thing to keep in mind is the importance of staying hydrated when digesting fiber. Remember, oatmeal contains both soluble and insoluble fibers, and both fibers absorb water, so you’ll want to keep the water flowing to help your body process this superfood.

Finally, another great thing about oatmeal is that most, depending on where they’re processed, are gluten free. For those who are sensitive to gluten products, like me, finding whole grains can be a challenge, but oats are a great source of grain power.

So… it looks like oatmeal is worth a try after all. If you don’t like oatmeal, let us help you develop a taste for oatmeal.

 

 

Food Chemicals: Can I Eat It If I Can’t Pronounce It?

For the last couple of years, a common phrase of nutritional advice has been, “Don’t eat anything you can’t pronounce in the ingredients label.”  This seems logical and easy advice to follow, unless your diet consists primarily of processed meals, which, in addition to the indecipherable words, tend to be loaded with salt and sugar. So, then, are processed foods “bad” because of the high salt and sugar content or because of the chemicals? Well, ask yourself this. Would you eat the following item if it contained this label:

Banana Ingredients

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Last Call! 2020 Master Gardener Class (Online or In-Person)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas State University’s Extension Master Gardener program is planning to offer a statewide online training option this fall for those wanting to join the popular group. In Meade, the program will be offered at the Extension Office (physical distancing required, mask encouraged) or in a virtual classroom (at home) or if participants would rather watch at home on their own time.

Classes will be broadcast live at the Extension Office during the scheduled times and will also be recorded by presenters for those who are not able to watch during the afternoons at home.

Cheryl Boyer, an associate professor in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources and interim coordinator of the state’s Master Gardener program, said weekly online sessions begin Sept. 3 and will run through Dec. 17.

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Top 5 Reasons to Get Involved in 4-H

The beginning of a new school year is here, and this is time families may be looking for new opportunities for their child.  This time of year can also be a great time to get involved in something you have never experienced, 4-H.

I’m what we call a first generation 4-Her.  Meaning, my parents were not involved with 4-H as youth.  However, after seeing my cousins in the program, my mom signed my brother and me up as soon as we were old enough.  In Kansas, that is age 7 through 18 by January 1.  We participated as family and I enjoyed it so much, I made a career of it as your County Extension Agent.

Leader Training
My Brother and I learning about the the VIP process for Adult Volunteer Screening.

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Football Parties and Tailgating: Healthy game day foods

KSU Football

By Christine McPheter

Want to host a football party or other gathering this year that’s super healthy? The following menu tips can help you score big with family or friends.

The main event
Consider making soup, such as chili, when cooking for a crowd. They can be made ahead and kept warm in a slow cooker, so that you can enjoy your guests (and the game) without needing to be in the kitchen cooking.

For chili, you might choose extra-lean beef or turkey for some added protein. Or, you could forget about adding any meat and add extra beans instead. (Rinsing canned beans reduces the sodium content by at least one-fourth.) Provide homemade croutons and reduced-fat shredded cheese or fat-free sour cream for a garnish to top it off.

Healthy side-lines
Add to your menu with side dishes that you’ve made healthier:

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Foods for the Fall Season

By Christine McPheter

Hello fall! Hello fall foods!

I am so excited for fall. I love the weather, the colors, the clothes, the promise of holidays on the horizon and, of course, the food. Not only does fall food bring cozy soups and comfy casseroles, it also brings the unique, pretty, and one of the few native American produce species, winter squash.

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2020 Master Gardener Program

Adults volunteering in garden

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas State University’s Extension Master Gardener program is planning to offer a statewide online training option this fall for those wanting to join the popular group. In Meade, the program will be offered at the Extension Office (physical distancing required, mask encouraged) or in a virtual classroom (at home) or if participants would rather watch at home.

Cheryl Boyer, an associate professor in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources and interim coordinator of the state’s Master Gardener program, said weekly online sessions begin Sept. 3 and will run through Dec. 17.

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Apple Varieties: A Guide for Taste and Cooking

By Christine McPheter

An apple a day… but which variety?

For many, the flavor of fall belongs to the ubiquitous pumpkin. But for me, fall is all about the apple, which is my first favorite fruit.

Most people are coming to realize we have a variety of apples not just red delicious. But there are 100 varieties of apples sold in the US, and they all vary in taste and suggested use; some are good for eating but terrible for cooking and vice versa.  It can be overwhelming!

Apple slices on a plate

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August 1, New Information On Reporting Mysterious Seed Packages

Seeds Package

I would hope that, by now, everyone has heard of the unsolicited seeds packages in the USPS recently.  We don’t know much about the seeds, but do know they could pose a threat to our agricultural production systems locally, in Kansas and across the nation. The threat is real and treat these seeds as an act of bioterrorism.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture has been notified that several Kansas residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China.   Many surrounding states have also notified residents of the same kind of packages.   The packages were sent by mail; some have been labeled as jewelry and they may have Chinese writing on them.

If you receive a package of they type, DO NOT OPEN OR PLANT THESE SEEDS.  New information came out on August 1, 2020 with two options to handle the seeds.

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That’s A Wrap, 2020 4-H County Fair

County Fair Swine Show

The past five months have been filled with meetings and planning that we never anticipated in early 2020.  Hosting the annual county fair 4-H youth competitions is always the highlight for youth and their projects.  Most consider it the end, however many youth, continue onto State Fair and compete with record books in the fall.  This year, many times we questioned what the journey would be for them, and for us too.

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