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Meade County Extension Blog

Category: 2020 Fall

All About Poinsettias

Posted on by Elly Sneath
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

Posted on by Elly Sneath
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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

 

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

See the source image

A “Winning–The–Game” 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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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

Posted on by Elly Sneath

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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