Happenings January 2024

January 2024

Year of the Dragon

Canning 101: A Sweet Success!

Children's Hobbies have Big Payoff

Love it or lose it? What to do with that fading Poinsettia

Winter Recipe for January - Potato Soup

New! Get Connected Volunteer portal!

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Year of the Dragon

Dear Friends of Extension,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a safe and happy New Year. In previous years, for a January newsletter, I would write about healthy resolutions, setting goals and practicing gratitude. This year as I sit at my computer, I think back to a conversation I had this morning with my husband about when my grandmother, Great Nana, used to take me with her while she golfed in her women’s league on Tuesday afternoons. Growing up in upstate New York as a latchkey child, my Great Nana would pick me up after school in her 1979 maroon Monte Carlo and we would head out to the golf course. I loved going with her, she had this nifty golf bag cart on wheels that when she stopped pulling and stood the bag up, it created a small seat where I would sit and watch her. One time after golf, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and on my placemat were the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. I remember giggling to myself, the year of the Rat.

All that to say 2024 is the year of the Dragon, and not just any old dragon, the year of the Wood Dragon; a phenomenon that happens every 60 years. As I read about the significance of the Wood Dragon, I thought how fitting through the eyes of Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County that 2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon.

The Dragon is a sign of power, energy, and good luck. This zodiac year will be a year of prosperity where everything will be thriving. Specifically, the Wood Dragon year of 2024 combines the dragon's characteristics with the nurturing Wood element. This combination is expected to bring about growth, progress, and abundance. It is seen as an ideal period for fresh starts and laying down the groundwork for lasting success. This alignment suggests a time for renewal and establishing foundations that pave the way for long-term achievements.

My friends, should 2024’s year of the Wood Dragon ring true for Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County, then what a glorious year for construction to commence for the Cornell Barn at Tilly Foster Farm. If you would like to learn more about this project and/or donate to the capital campaign, please contact me at 845-278-6738 or putnam@cornell.edu.

Happy New Year!

Stefanie W Hubert, MS , Executive Director, CCE Putnam County

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Canning 101: A Sweet Success! 

We're delighted to wrap up our Canning 101 series on a flavorful note with the final class, "Gifts from the Kitchen." Participants crafted delectable treats such as cranberry chutney and spiced pears, showcasing their newfound canning skills.

The feedback from attendees underscores the value of these classes: "I now feel comfortable with the procedure and rationale behind safe canning." The hands-on practice, guided by knowledgeable and friendly experts, has proven to be invaluable.

We’re assessing interest in organizing a Master Food Preserver Training for the upcoming year. This intensive three-day course, led by an expert from CCE Home Food Preservation, covers a comprehensive range of topics related to canning and food preservation. From freezing techniques to dehydration and, of course, proper canning methods, participants gain valuable insights. Upon successful completion of the course and a specified number of hands-on practice hours, you attain certification as a Master Food Preserver and can help teach the next round of canning classes.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to complete this brief 30-second survey . Your input will help us gauge interest and determine the feasibility of hosting another training session!

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Children's Hobbies Have Big Payoff

There is more than meets the eye in a child's stamp collection, vegetable garden or hand-sewn sports bag. Activities that children pursue just for fun can:

• improve academic skills.
• teach the relationship between money and work.
• bring the satisfaction that comes from sustained effort.
• boost children's confidence in following their own interests.

Hobbies that fascinate and keep a child busy do not seem like work, but many hobbies require categorizing and organizing things, following directions, reading, writing, and even doing research. Because the activity is the child's choice, he has built-in motivation to improve these skills - the same skills critical to school performance. When children are interested and motivated, they are adaptive.

Learning first-hand about the link between work and money can be another payoff for a child who pursues a hobby -- if parents play it right. Some hobbies, such as sketching, require little investment; but others, such as fishing or model railroading, can be started with a modest outlay of cash and become progressively more expensive. Parents should not buy everything children want right away, but bankroll just enough equipment or materials to get them started. Then, if they become more committed to the hobby, parents can help them find ways to budget their allowance or earn money with which to buy that special fishing lure or another hundred feet of railroad track.

Giving children the opportunity to work to save money for something they really want teaches a basic economic lesson but requires some restraint on the parent's part. These days, when parents often have more money than time and use money to save themselves time, it is difficult not to do the same with children's activities.

Another reason parents shouldn't invest too heavily in their children's hobbies is because it makes it harder for them to allow children to give up a hobby in which they have lost interest. It is easier for parents to support children who change their minds if much of the outlay of time and money is the child's. And, despite the parents' interests or the financial investment, children should be able to try out different things, learn what they like and dislike, refine their own tastes and develop confidence in choosing their own interests.

Hobbies that are truly satisfying to children are those in which they have invested time and effort. Seeing a collection grow, catching that long-sought fish, or carrying a tennis racket and balls in a bag they sewed, brings a feeling of solid accomplishment that only comes from hard work. Such achievement does much to strengthen a child's perseverance in facing other demanding tasks in school and at home.

Parents can encourage children to pursue hobbies by listening for clues as to what they might be interested in, then supporting that interest at each child's own pace. Offer your own expertise and support but watch out for the temptation to identify too much with what your child is doing. Even if you enjoy the same hobby, children's success or failure is their own - not yours!

Especially with two parents working outside the home, everything they do with children tends to get accelerated by the limited time they have. Remember that children benefit only when they can pursue an interest at their own pace; keep the learning process as the priority. Set aside some time when children can move along as they choose and not be programmed or pushed. Within that time, even if it is only 15 minutes, show your genuine interest by giving your child your undivided attention.
One of the best things about a hobby is sharing it. All hobbies provide a shareable accomplishment for a child. Joining a club where other children have the same interest gives them the enjoyment of learning more about it and teaching others what they know.

4-H clubs are ideal places to share a hobby with others or start a new one. A sampling of club activities includes archery, equine, photography, robotics, sewing, puppetry, dog obedience training and gardening. For more information on Putnam County 4-H or if you have a hobby that you’d like to share call our office at 845-278-6738 or email Putnam@cornell.edu

Source: Sue West, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, New York State College of Human Ecology, Cornell University. Parent Pages were developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. HD 48

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Love it or lose it? What to do with that fading Poinsettia

They are perky and bright when they first come home from the garden center or florist. But as the season progresses and the colorful bracts give way to green foliage, you must make a hard decision. Love your fading poinsettia or lose it.

Poinsettias ( Euphorbia pulcherrima) are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. He brought the initial cuttings to the United States and introduced them to plant enthusiasts here. The plant is native to Mexico where it can grow from 2 to 13 feet tall and is considered a shrub or small tree, with small red bracts. With extensive plant breeding we arrived at the showy colors and forms we see today. The leafy angular bracts that we call flowers come in red, orange, pink, pale green, cream, white and even swirled or marbled colors. How do you get to see those beautiful bracts again?

Since you will move your poinsettia outdoors during summer, it is important to keep it in good condition now. Often, blooms will last for months after January. Remove the colored foil or plastic pot cover, which can trap water and rot the roots. Use a saucer instead, so you can monitor moisture. Place your poinsettias close to a west or south window where it can get bright light during the day. Allow the top of the soil to dry to a depth of 1” before watering. This helps reduce the chance of fungus gnats and root rot, and promotes deeper roots.

When all danger of frost has passed (after May 15 ^th here in the Hudson Valley) it’s time to find a location outdoors where the plant will receive strong morning sunlight. Remove the plant from the pot, and plant in rich soil. Cut the stems back to about 6 inches and make sure some leaves remain. That might seem like a short haircut but hard pruning will encourage robust new growth. As new shoots grow, pinch the stem tips to encourage side branching, which makes the plant bushier. Water and fertilize regularly through the summer. Before the Autumn temperatures fall below 40 degrees, dig up and repot the plant. You will probably need a bigger container!

Here’s the tricky part. For the next two months you must follow this regimen: find a location where the poinsettia will get 14 hours of continuous, uninterrupted darkness and 10 hours of bright light. Some people will move the plant into a room where they will not turn on lights. Others will put it under a cardboard box for 14 hours. Here’s the catch: If you turn on the light, even for a brief time, or forget the box once, it can affect the production of flower buds. Even small amounts of light such as a streetlight, car headlights or the light from a TV can throw it off.

After two months of the long-night/short-day lighting regime, the plant will begin to produce colored bracts. The flower is the little “button” at the tip of the stem, and the colorful bracts are modified leaves. If your poinsettia was colorized or dyed, the flower color will be different from when it was purchased. The fantasy purple poinsettia with glitter does not exist in nature.

When most people realize the amount of work required to get another year out of their poinsettia and how inexpensive many plants are, the choice may not be to try to rebloom the poinsettia, but to buy again.

That is a perfectly honorable choice as well. No shame in that.

Adapted from “How to Rebloom Your Holiday Poinsettia,” Gretchen Vole, Michigan State University 2016

Photos, Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

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Winter Recipe for January

Winter is all about cold weather, coziness, and comfort foods. Warm your belly in winter with this simple yet satisfying Potato Soup recipe from MyPlate Kitchen .

POTATO SOUP

Warm up a cold winter night with this cozy soup. Enjoy with dark green vegetables and broiled fish, meat, or tofu.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup celery (chopped)
• 6 potatoes (diced)
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup non-fat dry milk
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons flour

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Peel and chop the onion.
3. Chop the celery.
4. Peel the potatoes, and cut them into small cubes.
5. Melt the margarine in a large saucepan on low heat.
6. Add the onion and celery. Cook for a few minutes.
7. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups water.
8. Cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
9. In a small bowl, stir together the dry milk and flour.
10. Add 1 1/2 cups water slowly, stirring as you add it.
11. Add the milk mix to the potatoes.
12. Cook until the soup is heated and slightly thickened.
13. Adjust the seasonings.

Source:

Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network; Image by 165106 from Pixabay

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New! Get Connected Volunteer portal!

Are you a Currently Enrolled CCE Volunteer?

If so, we have exciting news. We’ve moved to a new Volunteer Registration and Tracking System called “Get Connected” by Galaxy Digital. Please use the following link to create an account by or before January 31, 2024 https://cornellcooperativeextension.galaxydigital.com/

Once you make an account and are approved, you can select from many volunteer opportunities. After volunteering, you can use the APP or the website to enter your hours. This allows you to see the impact you made and helps us with reporting. Enjoy and any questions please contact Maureen Salerno, ms2648@cornell.edu

New to Volunteering?

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with CCE, please contact Maureen Salerno above, to learn about the many opportunities for community engagement CCE has to offer.

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Last updated December 29, 2023