Happenings July 2023

July 2023

About Duck Racing

Apples and More

Smoke not a problem for Vegetables

Preserving Garden Goodies

How to Start a Pollinator Garden

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About Duck Racing

Robert Wood, "About Duck Racing." Topend Sports Website, 2008, https://www.topendsports.com/sport/unusual/duck-r... Accessed 20 June 2023

There are several big duck races held around the world. In these events, people "Adopt-a-Duck” with corresponding numbers. Then all the ducks are thrown into the “river,” and the first duck across the line downstream is the winner. The money raised from adopting ducks usually goes to charities.

The Great Singapore Duck Race is one of the biggest, with 85,000 rubber ducks taking to the Singapore River, raising in excess of $1 Million for local charities.

In September 2007, The Great British Duck Race on the River Thames smashed the Guinness World Record for the 'World's Biggest Charity Duck Race,' with 165,000 ducks, beating the previous record by the Singapore Event which raced 123,500 ducks in 2001.

Last year at the Inaugural Putnam County Country Fest and 4-H Showcase, approximately 500 ducks were adopted and made their way down the artificial flume at Veterans Memorial Park in Kent, NY. This year’s winner will take home a Samsung 50” 4K Smart TV.

Click here for more information and to adopt your ducks. Let’s get quacking!

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Apples and More

Apples will be ripening in the upcoming months and will be ready for picking, preserving, and eating out-of-hand.

When selecting the cream of the crop, keep in mind the attributes of various varieties and how they suit your intended uses.

Remember, some apples are best for eating fresh while others are best for cooking. Some varieties can do double duty.

Red Delicious apples are easy to identify by the five distinct bumps on the blossom end of each fruit. This sweet, crisp, juicy, low-acid apple is tasty when eaten raw but is not an excellent choice for cooking.

Golden Delicious apples are full and round and have firm, crisp flesh that is sweet and juicy. This all-purpose apple is good for eating, cooking, and baking.

Jonathan apples are small to medium in size and dark to bright red. Their flesh is yellowish white, occasionally with red veins and they are crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic, and moderately tart. Jonathan apples are another all-purpose apple for cooking, baking or fresh eating.

The Winesap apple is solid and has a deep red color. It tastes winey and tart and is good for cooking and eating but not especially satisfactory for baking.

Rome Beauty apples have a mild flavor that is best savored after cooking or baking.

Timing is everything in attaining optimum quality apples.

When normal, unblemished fruits start to drop, the time is about right plus the "under color" or "ground color" is a clue to maturity or ripeness.

The "under color," that is the same color as the peel in yellow or gold varieties and can be seen around the core or stem cavities in red varieties, changes from green to yellow or greenish-yellow as apples mature. Watch for that color change to make sure you are picking apples that are ready to use.

Ripe apples should be easy to pick with stems attached.

You should be able to roll or twist the apple so its stem separates from the tree – not from the fruit and remains on the tree. Handle fruits carefully after picking them to avoid bruising.

Once you have decided on which variety you need and have picked them, you are entitled to enjoy at least a few as low-calorie snacks or desserts before getting to work with those you plan to preserve and enjoy later.

Article reprint from University of Illinois @ https://web.extension.illinois.edu/apples/intro.c...

PICTURE: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/apple-diet-female-food-fresh-2391/

Calling all bakers – young and old

Think you make the best apple pie in Putnam County? Enter to win the Apple Pie Bake Off at this year’s Putnam County Country Fest and 4-H Showcase, July 29-30 ^th at Veterans Memorial Park, 201 Gipsy Trail Road in Kent. For more information about the contest and to register, click here .

PICTURE: Image by Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/call-afro-megaphone-scream-symbol-2946023/

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Smoke not a problem for Vegetables

Steve Reiners, Professor in Horticulture, Cornell University, Cornell AgriTech

Canadian wildfires are impacting air quality here in the Northeast. Smoke has filled the sky and warnings issued for outdoor activities. This is making many growers and gardeners worried about the potential impact the smoke will have on field grown vegetables. The good news is the impact will be minimal at worst.

Smoke filled skies decrease sunlight and reduce photosynthesis but to a small degree and temporarily. Despite the shade, there is still enough diffused light penetrating the smoke to maintain growth. Smoke typically does not block the pores in the leaf (stomata) where photosynthesis happens. The most important thing you can do is maintain good soil moisture by optimizing irrigation. This will keep the pores open and clean. The droughty conditions this spring are likely to cause more of a problem than the smoke.

Concerns that leafy greens and other commodities will pick up a smokey flavor are unwarranted. Recent research done in California after wildfires there showed leafy greens had no issues with flavor or possible volatile chemicals on or within the leaves. The smoke we’re seeing does not contain dangerous chemicals.

The smoke we are experiencing is nearly 100% from the burning forests, not plastics, buildings or chemicals as seen in recent train derailments. The rain that falls through this smoky layer is also not dangerous to plants, people or animals. Unlike acid rain that forms from the burning of high sulfur fuels, the rain will be near neutral pH or just slightly acid.

Pollinators will likely stay close to their hives when it’s smoky. It’s a little early in the season for pollination of squash and other fruiting crops, so this should not be a problem. Even if the crop has flowers, bees will become active again as soon as the smoke clears.

Mask up when your outside tending to your plants as the smoke is a danger to you and me. But the vegetables should be fine. Keep them well watered, and you should be enjoying a normal harvest later this summer.

PHOTO: Image by Lorrie Hutchison from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/smoke-landscape-garden-fire-986782/

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Preserving Garden Goodies

Time to start preserving your garden surplus! Are you ready?

There’s nothing more rewarding than producing your own food for self-sufficiency and health. Food preservation is an essential skill that will help you enjoy your harvest throughout the year. Our Canning 101; Seasonal Jams class is already filled up for next week, but keep yours eyes peeled for more classes including Pickles & Pressure Canning in August and Gifts from the Kitchen in November!

People choose to preserve their garden produce for various reasons.Some do not like to waste food and find that preserving their garden’s bounty prevents this waste.Others are concerned about the additives in commercially preserved foods, such as artificial colors or preservatives, and choose to preserve at home for health reasons.Still other home preservers find that they can save money by growing and storing food, even considering the cost of soil amendments and watering when necessary.

Perhaps you wish to preserve for one or more of these reasons, or perhaps for the personal satisfaction of seeing a shelf filled with food jars lovingly prepared by you and your family.In any method of preserving, there are ways family members of all ages can contribute.Research shows that a child is more apt to eat food that he or she has helped to prepare.Even the youngest can snap beans or crush berries!

Canning, freezing and drying are the three main methods of preserving food.Since we advise hands-on learning for canning, read below to learn a bit more about freezing your own fruits and vegetables from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Home Food Preservation factsheet.

Enzymes are proteins present in plants. While the plant lives, enzymes help speed up the ripening and maturing process. Even after harvest, enzyme reactionscan continue causing undesirable color, flavor and texture changes in the food. Freezing slows down, but does not destroy enzymes in fruits and vegetables. That is why it is important to stop enzyme activity before freezing.

Fruits, like peaches, apples, pears and apricots, darken quickly when exposed to air. They also may lose flavor and texture when thawed. Crystalline (powdered) ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C, is the most common chemical agent used to prevent fruit from darkening. Ascorbic acid in crystalline form may be purchased at drug stores or where freezer products are sold. Lemon juice may also be used to prevent fruit from darkening, however it is not as effective as ascorbic acid and may add its own flavor to the fruit. See the Handy Reference for Freezing Fruits chart for ascorbic acid directions.

Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.

Written by: Judy Price and Diane Whitten, Cornell Cooperative Extension Home Food Preservation Experts andFreezing Fruits and Vegetables : Reviewed by Judy L. Price and Katherine J. T. Humphrey, Cornell Cooperative Extension Home Food Preservation Experts 2010 Original by Mary Lou Tenney, 1987, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University

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How to Start a Pollinator Garden

Lynne Bernstein, Master Gardener Volunteer

It doesn’t take acres of land to put out a gracious welcome mat for pollinators. Even a grouping of plants in containers can provide everything pollinators need: food, water, shelter and nesting sites. Native plants are the best choice for a pollinator garden because they provide the right host plants for the insects, in addition to nutritious nectar and pollen.

Choosing the Right Plants

No matter how large or small your pollinator garden is, the selection of plants is what will determine its success. Pollinators come in many sizes and shapes and their anatomy often determines which plants they are attracted to. Bees, for example, are most attracted to white, blue and yellow flowers. Anatomically, they are most efficient at nectaring at, and pollinating shallow and tubular flowers. Flies, on the other hand, are attracted to dull-colored flowers, often with an unpleasant odor. And hummingbirds prefer red-colored tubular flowers. A successful pollinator garden will have flowers in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors to attract a wide variety of pollinators. It’s a good idea to plant in groups (often called “drifts”) of three or more of the same plant to make it easier for the pollinators to find food.

Many pollinators are “specialists:” they can only feed on one or a few specific plants. If those plants are missing from our gardens, the pollinators will be missing, too. You probably already know that monarch butterfly caterpillars feed only on milkweed plants. The adult butterfly uses chemical and visual cues to locate the milkweed host plants where she lays her eggs so the larvae have a supply of food waiting for them when they hatch. Likewise certain bees seek out pollen from particular flowers to take back to the nest for their larvae. Without these specific food sources, those specialist bees and butterflies would perish, so selecting plants that support specialists is an excellent way to start a pollinator garden.

An ideal pollinator garden will include not just flowering perennials but also trees, shrubs, vines and native grasses. This diversity of plant size and type will support the needs of a greater number of pollinators as well as other wildlife that co-exist with them in our gardens.

Flowers in Every Season

Because there are pollinators actively foraging for food from early spring through late fall, it is important to include a mix of plants with a wide range of bloom times. For early bees, for example, you might consider planting a serviceberry shrub, and leaving dandelions in the lawn. Pussy willows and blueberry bushes are also spring-blooming pollinator favorites as are violets and columbine - the latter especially for hummingbirds just returning from their winter migration.

It’s especially important to include plants that bloom in September and October, so the pollinators can fuel up for over-wintering and migrating. Joe Pye Weed, native asters, sunflowers and goldenrods are important late-bloomers that not only produce nectar and pollen but also an abundance of seed for over-wintering birds. Cardinal flower ( Lobeliacardinalis) is another late-bloomer and is especially important to hummingbirds that are attracted to its red tubular flowers and sweet nectar - as they prepare for their 2500-mile migration south. Staggering the periods of bloom in the garden across the season with flowers of diverse sizes, shapes and colors will ensure that all of the pollinators will have food available throughout their lifecycle. A bloom chart like this one that is specific to your area can help identify plants that will provide pollen and nectar all season long.

Choosing the Right Place

An excellent way to start a pollinator garden is to replace part of the lawn with flowering shrubs and perennials, much like a traditional perennial garden bed. If possible, resist the temptation to use mulch around your plants which would interfere with ground-nesting pollinators. Instead, place plants close together and plant low-growing groundcover as a “green mulch” and to provide ground-level habitat. If you like a more relaxed, natural look, you can use native plants to create a mini meadow by allowing them to self seed around. Lobelia, asters and goldenrods are prime candidates for this kind of pollinator garden.

Foundation plantings and hedges provide another opportunity to attract and support pollinators, by including native shrubs in existing or new plantings.Consider serviceberry, blueberries, chokeberry and native viburnum, all flowering and berry-producing to support not just pollinators but also birds and small mammals. These same shrubs can be used as hedges for screening and wind blocks that do double duty providing nesting and resting sites for pollinators as well as privacy for you.

And don’t underestimate the value of a cluster of the right container plants to provide nectar and pollen as well as seeds for birds. Nearly any native plant can be grown in a container of the right size including shrubs and even small trees.

When it comes to acquiring plants, keep in mind that mature plants will look best the fastest but will eat up your budget the fastest, too. Less expensive options are to grow from seed and to obtain plants at swaps and local garden club plant sales. Plugs (young perennials) and saplings are other budget-friendly options often available from native plant nurseries and soil and water conservation districts. Winter sowing native perennials from seed is the least expensive but most time-consuming - and perhaps the most gratifying. A combination of these options creates a good strategy for establishing a long-lasting pollinator garden. You can find a video presentation of this technique on our YouTube channel.

Beyond Food

Shelter and nesting sites are also important parts of a pollinator garden. Pollinators find shelter and nesting sites in leaf litter, bark, soil, brush piles, dead tree “snags,” stone walls and other structures in the garden. The best way to offer shelter is to leave the pollinator garden as natural as possible.Some pollinators build nests in the ground and seek out bare patches to burrow into. Leaving some areas unplanted and unmulched will provide nesting sites for them. Minimize fall clean-up and dead-heading to maximize pollinator habitat. Hollow stalks left standing become cozy winter hide-aways for bees and other insects whose over-wintering larvae burrow in and cling to dead stems. Leaving a brush pile, fallen limbs, leaf pile and leaves on the ground will provide just the shelter the pollinators need.

The ideal pollinator garden will also provide a source of water.Water can be offered in many ways including a bird bath or shallow bowl, a fountain, a gentle lawn sprinkler and even a puddle or two. Just remember that standing water should be changed regularly to prevent mosquitos from breeding.

A little planning before planting will result in a garden that welcomes a variety of native pollinators. While not every site can grow every plant and not every plant will attract all pollinators, by choosing the right plants every site has the potential to be a welcoming pollinator habitat.

Finally, after all the effort to attract pollinators to the garden, sit back and watch the show knowing that a pollinator garden is not successful if nothing is eating there. Rejoice at the holes in the leave! They are an indication that the garden is doing exactly what it is supposed to do!

The following websites provide region-specific lists of pollinator-friendly northeast native perennials that can provide diversity of flower shape, color and bloom time.

https://pollinator.org/guides

https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/plant-lists/

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/combo.php?fromsearch=true&distribution=NY&habit=&duration=duration_perennial

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Last updated July 2, 2023