Happenings January 2025

January 2025

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Short-Toothed Mountain Mint: 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year

Peter and Henry Block Foundation Grant to Help Bountiful Meals Program

Snowshoeing Safety Tips: Enjoying Trails in Winter

4-H News: Working Sleighs and Wrapping Pinecones

Turn Your Resolutions into Real Solutions

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with This Recipe

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Would You Welcome this Mint into Your Garden?

Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Named 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year

by Carol Ann Wilk Lutz, Master Gardener Volunteer

The Perennial Plant Association, based out of Raleigh, N.C., has selected Pycnanthemum muticum, Short-toothed Mountain Mint or Clustered Mountain Mint, for its 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year. Perennials nominated for this award must grow in a variety of climates, require little maintenance, offer interest over several seasons and be relatively free of pests and diseases. How does Short-toothed Mountain Mint hold up to these criteria?

Adaptable by Nature

Native to Eastern North America, Pycnanthemum muticum is hardy in zones 4 to 8, perfect for the Mid-Hudson Valley. Short-toothed Mountain Mint likes full sun to part shade and soil that is fertile, dry to moist, and well-drained, but it also tolerates clay, poor drainage, heat and drought, making it widely adaptable and a great choice for tough spots.

Plays Well with Others

Many experienced gardeners might balk at adding a “mint” to the garden as some plants in this family can be aggressive, colony-formers. Mountain mint is a polite garden citizen. This long-lived perennial reaches 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, and naturalizes by rhizomes. Spreading can be controlled by root pruning in the spring. Vigorous, but manageable, mountain mint won’t need pampering in your garden, and although strong, is not a garden bully. Combine with Thread-leaf bluestar ( Amsonia hubrichtii) or pick up the silvery hues in the leaves by combining with other silver-leafed plants like Lamb’s ears ( Stachys byzantina) or Brunnera.

Seasons of Interest

Short-toothed Mountain Mint flowers from July to September. The flowers themselves are relatively inconspicuous compared with the showy, silvery bracts that surround them. Inconspicuous though they may be, these flowers outperform many other native species in attracting a greater abundance and diversity of pollinators, this according to a 3-year study of 86 native species run by Penn State Extension and Master Gardeners. This and other mountain mints are larval host of the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth ( Synchlora aerata ) as well as other caterpillars that have learned to make mints their home. The leaves and blooms are aromatic and refreshingly minty and may be made into tea. During the winter, the dry flowerheads provide interest in the garden, catching snow and ice for an added visual feast.

An Easy-Keeper

There are no serious insect or disease problems with Short-toothed Mountain Mint. In addition, like any mint, this plant’s strong-smelling foliage makes it unattractive to browsing mammals such as deer and rabbits. While no plant is truly deer-resistant, when browsing pressure is moderate, mints are a great option for the garden. Drought and moisture tolerance mean that this plant is less likely to suffer stresses that make other plants susceptible to disease.

If you would like to welcome Pycnanthemum muticum into your garden, you can find it at our May Plant Sale (Saturday, May 10, 2025) in pots large and small. Feel free to ask Master Gardener Volunteers more about this wonderful plant and why we have chosen it for pollinator demonstration gardens at the Desmond Fish Library and here at our SEDGe garden. Still not sure? Just one whiff of their cool, minty scent will win you over.

Photo: Bumble Bees on Mountain Mint, Dave Lage, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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Peter and Henry Block Foundation Grant to Provide Bountiful Meals to Putnam County Residents

by Rachael Paradise, Operations Coordinator

We are delighted to share some wonderful news with our community. The Peter and Henry Block Foundation has awarded us a generous grant of $10,000 for our Bountiful Meals program.

The Peter and Henry Block Foundation is a memorial to brotherly love and commitment to community. In 1943, Peter Block enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and became a pilot. Lt. Block was killed when his plane crashed the following year. His younger brother, Henry, became a New York City firefighter and bravely served for nearly four decades. He saved part of every paycheck so that, one day, he could establish a memorial to his personal hero–his big brother, Peter. 

The Peter and Henry Block Foundation awards grants each year to nonprofits that provide education, food, shelter, health, and mental health services in Putnam County.

We are incredibly grateful for the Peter and Henry Block Foundation’s commitment to and support of our mission.

Pictured here: Meg Miller from the Peter and Henry Block Foundation with CCE Putnam Executive Director Stefanie Hubert

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Snowshoeing Safety Tips: Enjoying Trails in Winter

from the DEC website, adapted by Rachael Paradise, Operations Coordinator

Winter is here and we’ve had some snow. This doesn’t mean your favorite trails are off limits—all trails on Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) lands are open to snowshoeing! If you’ve never snowshoed before, this winter might be a great time to give it a try.

One of the great things about snowshoeing, according to the DEC, is that many areas that are inaccessible during the summer are easier to walk covered in a blanket of snow—rocks, tree roots, mud and wet areas are no longer obstacles. When covered in snow, they can be walked over. In addition, snowshoeing is great exercise.

Visit the DEC website to find a list places to visit.

While snowshoeing can be a fun way to explore nature, it’s important to be safe while doing it. Below are suggestions from the DEC.

Be prepared

Winter weather conditions can change quickly. Colder temperatures allow for smaller margins of error. Planning ahead is very important. Find trails that a suitable for your experience level. Give yourself enough time for your trek. Remember, it takes more energy and effort to move through the snow. While it’s always safest to arrange to go with a group, if you are going alone, always let family or friends know where you’re going to be and learn about the area you'll be visiting ahead of time—check maps, guidebooks and websites.

Always check weather forecasts for the area you’ll be snowshoeing and dress accordingly. Check trail conditions, if available. Bring your phone, map and compass along as well.

Trail Safety and Etiquette

1. Stay on the trails. Trails are laid out for snowshoers' safety and convenience. Leaving the trail may cause snowshoers to encounter unknown terrain hazards and become lost.

2. When passing on a flat area, a faster snowshoer should indicate their desire to pass by calling "track." The slower snowshoer should yield by stepping out of the track to the right, where possible.

3. Try not to pass on a downhill. Save it for flatter areas where the slower snowshoer can maneuver more easily.

4. A snowshoer moving downhill has the right-of-way, since they are moving faster and may have less control. Do not descend a hill until the trail is clear.

5. If the trail is one-way, be sure to snowshoe in the proper direction. If a trail has two sets of tracks, snowshoe the set of tracks on the right-hand side.

6. Move off the trail as quickly as possible after a fall. This will prevent possible collisions and allow other snowshoers to pass. Fill in sitzmarks before proceeding.

7. Do not snowshoe alone. Long tours, especially, should not be attempted alone.

8. Hypothermia is a very real and serious hazard when the temperature is below 15°F.

9. Dogs are best left at home, as their pawmarks can create hazards in a track. Dogs themselves can be a hazard by getting in the way of other skiers and chasing wildlife.

10. Fill in holes. A hole in a downhill track can be hazardous to other snowshoers. Once these freeze, they are difficult to fill in.

Source: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/snowshoeing

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4-H News: Working Sleighs and Wrapping Pinecones

by Brandy Keenan, 4-H Educator

STEAM Club Holiday Meeting

4-H S.T.E.A.M. young engineers accomplished their Christmas mission to build and design Santa’s sleigh in an hour! Each sleigh is carefully hand painted and artistically designed. They were up for the next level challenge—to make the sleigh work. Using paper clips, wire, binder clips and yarn string, the sleigh traveled down the zip line.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Truly, they are Santa’s helpers in action!

Blossoms Cloverbud Club

Our new Cloverbud Club, the Blossoms, did a pinecone experiment at their December meeting.

They learned about the anatomy of a pinecone and how it protects and then spreads seeds to grow more trees.

They experimented with putting the pinecones in water to see if there would be an impact on the shape of the cone and if there was a difference between putting them in hot or cold water.

They learned that when pinecones are in water the scales close to protect the seeds and that hot water made them close faster than cold water.

Then they made some glitter and yarn wrapped pinecone ornaments. The members enjoyed finding new ways to wrap the pinecones. At the end of the meeting the group wrote a journal entry about the activity.

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Turn Your Resolutions into Real Solutions

from USDA, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Making a New Year's Resolution is easy. Keeping one often proves difficult. USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion offers these helpful tips to help you keep that resolution to eat healthier, lose weight or be more active.

1. Start with small changes: Instead of a diet overhaul, make small changes to what you eat and drink that will work for you now and in the future.

2. Take one day at a time: Sometimes things don’t go as planned, even with the best of intentions. If you miss one day or one milestone for your goal, don’t give up!

3. Be active your way: Pick activities you enjoy! If you focus on having fun or learning a new skill that interests you, you will be more likely to stick with it.

4. Team up: Find a friend with similar goals–swap healthy recipes or be active together. Staying on track is easier with support and a cheerleader.

5. Celebrate successes: Think of each change as a “win” as you build positive habits and find ways to reach your goals. Reward yourself–you’ve earned it!

Source: www.myplate.gov

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Celebrate the Lunar New Year with This Recipe

Five Happiness Fried Noodles

from SNAP-Ed Connection

Enjoy carrots, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and green onions with fried noodles and a simple sauce.

Makes 5 servings.

Ingredients

• 10 cups water
• 1 pound egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil, divided)
• 3 cups bean sprout
• 1 cup bamboo shoots (julienned sliced thinly in strips)
• 1/2 cup carrots (shredded)
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms (dried, soaked, stems removed, and julienned)
• 2 green onions (julienned)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. In a large pot on high heat, bring 10 cups of water to boil. Cook noodles in boiling water until tender or “al-dente,” approximately 5 - 7 minutes, drain and set aside.
3. Heat a non-stick wok or pan over high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil, swirling to coat the pan, add noodles and pan-fry until noodles are golden, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove noodles from wok.
4. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to wok, add vegetables, and stir-fry until just cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Return noodles to the wok, add salt, sugar and soy sauce.
6. Stir to combine and serve.

For nutrition information, please visit Five Happiness Fried Noodles at USDA’s MyPlate Kitchen.

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Last updated January 7, 2025