MASTER GARDENER UPDATE

February 2003

MASTER GARDENER CONTACTS

For those of you willing and able, refreshment volunteers are needed as follows:  one for April, one for June, two for July, one for August and one for September.  For set-up and clean-up:  one for April and one for June.

The coffee grounds pick-ups at the new Starbucks in Angels Camp is presently being handled by John Randell on Sunday, Heidi Wright on Monday and Wednesdays, Judy Hand on Tuesdays, Judy Dean on Thursdays, and Diane Johnson on Fridays and Saturdays.  Please contact these people direct for individual pick-up arrangements.

Included in our new Administration Handbook are guidelines on reports for Master Gardener activity hours.  To coincide with other groups through the State, the University has suggested that we utilize  a fiscal year program which will run from July 1st to June 30 of the following year.  This makes good sense to me because it will allow a full year for new interns to fulfill their initial hours and also make it much easier to keep track of here in the office.

The good news is that the only way I can see to switch over would be to allow the hours which you have put in since July 1st of this year to count again for the 2002/2003 fiscal year.  Actually this would mean counting these hours twice.  A bonus for sure!!!

This will not require anymore accounting for you since I already have those hours on the computer.  In addition, it will allow us to prepare awards and certificates at a better time of the year .... might just give us a good excuse for a potluck in the park!  Many thanks for your cooperation.

If you live where harsh winter weather tends to cause the mercury to take a nose dive, here are a few tips that might help protect climbers and less-hardy varieties of roses.

•  Protect the roots by covering the soil with a 3-6" layer of manure, partly decayed leaves, hay or straw.

•  If your roses are grown on an arch or pillar, and if the variety is fairly hardy, just tie the canes closely together  and then cover them completely with corn stalks, sorghum canes, or something similar.  Pieces of burlap, old carpet, and old bedspreads or quilts can also be used as covering.  Tie the covering to keep it in place.

• If your roses are growing on a trellis, take them down before bundling the canes together and covering them as described above.  The tied-up bundle can then either be laid on the ground or fastened securely to the trellis.

• Don't be in too much of a hurry to cover up your roses because if you are, the field mice and other rodents may think you've put up an apartment for their benefit:  They'll move in and feed on the bark during the long, cold winter.

• Likewise, don't be in a hurry to uncover your roses.  The covering will retard the bursting of buds, which is to your benefit if you have a late frost.  However, the covering must be removed as soon as growth begins, so keep an eye on your bushes when the weather starts to warm up.

• Prune rose bushes after the first frost.  Cut the canes back just far enough so you can slip a rose     cone over the plant easily.

• Cover your rose bushes with the cones.  Weight the base of the cones with rocks and soil so wintry winds don't tip them over.  This also helps to insulate the plant roots.

• Remove the rose cone shelter after the last hard spring freeze.  A removal top is available on some brands of the larger size cones to permit air circulation on warm spring days.  You can put the cone top     back in place if there's the threat of a freeze.

• After removing the cone in spring, finish pruning your bushes as you would otherwise, by cutting back the longer canes to 10 - 12",  and removing the weaker canes.  Give your bushes a dormant spray to prevent future insect problems, and start feeding them with a well-balances  rose food.

If your fruit trees are exposed to extremely cold weather during their winter dormancy, it may kill their fruit buds.  Then there's no fruit in the bowl next year.  Peaches are the most sensitive to the cold, followed by sweet cherry trees.  On the other hand, cold weather rarely threatens apples, pears, sour cherries, or plums.

You can prevent bud or blossom injury by covering the trees when heavy frost is expected, provided the temperatures don't get too low or the cold weather doesn't last too long.  Commercial orchardists heat their orchards during frosts, but this is not practical for most home gardeners.  So about all you can do is cover up your fruit trees.  Use newspaper, brown paper bags, a floating row cover, or Harvest Guard ... and hope for the best.

Studies have proven that the Mexican marigold (Tagetes minuta)  actually fights weeds like ground elder, bindweed, and couch grass.  So if you're fighting these fellows, clear out the weeds as best you can, then sow marigold seeds in the area as a cover crop.  They'll reach five feet or more in height ... just be sure that you mow them down before they set seed.

Mexican marigolds also fight nematodes, parasitic worms that can do a number on your plants.  Again, plant a cover crop and be sure to destroy it before it sets seed.

Other marigold family members, such as African marigold (T. erecta)  and French marigold (T. patula) have also been found to successfully fight nematodes in the soil.  Simply plant these flowers among your crops or trees.  You will see a substantial reduction in the nematode population.

HERB CUBES, ANYONE?

If you use a lot of herbs in your cooking, you can have them on hand for quick use by freezing them in ice cubes.  Then you can drop them into drinks (try mint cubes in ice tea), or herbs like rosemary, thyme, and basil can be cubed and used to season broths, soups, stews ... just about any dish you want to flavor.

Too make herb cubes, wash, pat dry, and chop up your favorite herbs.  Pack them into ice cube trays, fill the trays with water, and freeze.  When the cubes are frozen, wrap each cube separately in plastic food wrap, ands tore the lot in a large freezer bag.  Come cooking time, just drop the cubes into the dish you're preparing.  Isn't that easy?

Here's an old-fashioned secret ... mints and parsley lose their flavor in drying, unless you use a salt solution as a fixative.  Here's how to do it:  Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart of water, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Wash the herb leaves, place them in a strainer, and immerse them for 2 to 3 seconds in the boiling salted water.   Then shake off the leaves, and place them on a screen to dry.

What is a good way to get rid of a stump without digging it up?  Cut the stump at or below the level of the soil.  Then drill a series of holes in it ... the more the merrier.

Make them as large and as deep as you can drill.  Now fill them with a commercial stump remover that contains potassium nitrate, and plug up the holes.  Let it set for one year.  At the end of a year, remove the plugs, pour in kerosene, let it sit for an hour or so, then light it.  The stump will smolder away to ashes and you didn't have to break your back digging it up.

Cormorants, birds that can apparently eat about two pounds of fish daily are often the bane of recreational fishermen's lives.  To ward off cormorants and other fish-eating birds, North American farmers and fish-farm managers are using a new tool ... plastic alligators.  The 10' long alligators are made with two large luminous reflectors for eyes, simulating alert gators in the wild.  One biologist found that a plastic alligator floating on the surface of the water worked for about a month.  After that, the birds began to catch on, and one blue heron actually was seen perched atop the decoy.  But when the decoy was moved to another location, it once again scared the fish-eating birds away.         -- Calgary Herald

Whitewash your bareroot fruit tree after planting it to prevent sunburn.  Sunburn injures the tree and that is where the borers will attack.  You can also paint trees that are established.  Paint the trunk and all branches up to about a half inch in diameter.  Anything smaller will probably have lots of leaves to shade the tree.  Use white or a light colored interior latex and dilutes 50% with water.  Any old brush works just fine.  A good job for a kid.  Whitewashing could be done on any tree but most fruit trees are susceptible to borers.

Ornamental trees can use a product called Bayer Tree & Shrub Insect Control.   It is a systemic that kills borers very effectively for up to a year.  No spraying involved.  Just water the roots.  Best done in spring or summer.  The larger the tree, the more product used.  Do not use this on fruit trees or anything edible!

Garlic Turkey and Dumplings
Prep and cook time:  About 2 hours,  Makes 4 servings.

1-1/2 pounds turkey thighs (2 or 3)	3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons butter or margarine	1 cup all-purpose flour
2 heads garlic (about 7 oz. total)	2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (about 1/2 lb.)	About 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery	1 large egg,  beaten to blend
3 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeño chilies	5 tablespoons milk

• Pull off and discard turkey skin;  rinse thighs and pat dry.

• In a 4 to 5 quart non stick pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add turkey thighs in a single layer and turn often until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total.  Transfer turkey to a rimmed plate.

• Meanwhile, peel garlic cloves.  Add to butter in pan;  stir often until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, celery, and chilies; stir often until vegetables are lightly brown, 8 to     10 minutes.  Add turkey and any accumulated juices, broth, and wine.  Bring to a boil;  cover, reduce heat, and simmer until turkey is very tender when pierced, 1-1/4  to 1-1/2 hours.  Remove from heat and return turkey to rimmed plate.  When turkey is cool enough to handle, pull meat from bones, tearing it into bite-size pieces; discard bones.  Return meat to pan and stir in 1/2 cup minced cilantro.

• Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add egg and milk; stir with a fork just until dough is evenly moistened and holds together.

• Return turkey mixture to high heat; when boiling, reduce heat to simmering.  Gently drop 2 tablespoon scoops of dough into pan in a single layer.  Cover and simmer, without stirring, until dumplings are no longer moist in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), about 10 minutes

• Spoon turkey and dumplings into side bowls.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup minced cilantro.  Add salt to taste.

Lemon-Cream Cheese Strudel

Prep and cook time:  About 1 hour.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

1 sheet (half of a 17-oz. package) frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

•  Unfold pastry on a lightly floured board.  With a floured rolling pin, roll pastry into a neat    10 x 14" rectangles.

• In a bowl, with a mixer, beat cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice until well-blended.

• Spoon cream cheese mixture down center of longest dimension of pastry to within 1" of each end;  spread evenly to make a 4" wide band.  Fold 1 long pastry edge over filling;  brush top of edge  with water.  Fold remaining edge over filling, overlapping opposite side of pastry.  Pinch pastry ends to seal. With 2" wide spatulas, gently lift the roll and lay, seam down, on a lightly buttered 14 x 17" baking sheet.  With a sharp knife, make shallow slashes at 1" intervals across the pastry.  Sprinkle pastry evenly with granulated sugar.

• Bake in a 400° regular or convection oven until strudel is deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool on pan at least 5 minutes.  Serve warm or cool.  Cut into 6 to 8 equal slices and transfer to plates.