9.30.2009

As of Oct. 1, I have pears available! Learn more about what you can do with a pear!


Anything that can be done with an apple can be done with a pear!

Pears are an excellent source of dietary fiber (a medium sized pear has 6 grams of fiber, 24% of the recommended daily allowance) and a good source of vitamin C, a proven anti-oxidant. Pears also offer potassium (a medium sized pear has 190 mg of potassium). They contain no saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol. A medium pear has about 100 calories. Raw pears don’t freeze well.

17 Things to do with a pear:

Eat them whole and raw, easy to take them with you anywhere, anytime – not messy like some other raw fruits.

Potato Chip RAW pear, cut a pear up like a potato chip (wash and slice them into thinner chips).
Use a pear in every smoothie you make
Blend them up and use in a favorite sauce for added sweet flavor.
For later use, blend them up, add sugar, put in sandwich bag and freeze. (5 c. mashed fruit, 2 c. sugar)

Use a juicer and make pear juice. Pear juice is thick and very sweet. Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett pears all make fine juice. Pear juice can be diluted with water and lemon juice or apple juice if desired. To juice pears, wash and remove hard stems, cut, and run through the juicer either by themselves or with other fruits and vegetables. Pear juice contains vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, Folic Acid and Niacin. It is also rich in phosphorus and potassium, and supplies lesser amounts of calcium, chlorine, iron, magnesium, sodium, and sulfur. Pear juice has mild diuretic and laxative effects. Don't plan to attend an all day workshop or seminar after you drink a full glass of pear juice OR just make sure you can get to a bathroom a few times! Pear juice helps the most in bladder disorders, constipation, liver disorders, prostate disorders.

Pears make great tasty thickening agents for any soup, stock or stew.
Bake a pear
Poach a pear
Sauté a pear
Roast a pear
Grill a pear
Dry a pear
Make Pear Relish
Make into preserves or jam – using our Freezer Jam Recipe (see Sept. 1 Tip for recipe)
Make into a chutney
Spike any baked good with 1 – 2 mashed pears for additional sweet flavor
More info on how to use pears: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_2005_Harvest_05.pdf

What we plan to do with our GIANT Sunflowers...




http://www.essortment.com/all/growingsunflowe_rsos.htm

Join us Thursday, Oct. 1, to build a PVC Hoophouse "Greenhouse"


http://tipnut.com/how-to-build-a-pvc-hoophouse-gardening-tip/

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMy thoughts about our 2009 Garden Season as we near the end.

What a wild ride it's been for me this year! 2009 was the first year I did a Garden Group on a large scale, with approximately 130 garden members, joining us throughout the year. New people joined us in the fall, which I was so grateful for, since the gardens are as demanding now as they were in the spring.

There are different jobs throughout the garden season and they all seem to be demanding.

Some people may think that this is a great way to earn a fast buck. I know they have never gardened before. I hope to have earned at least 5 cents/hour!

Even with all the hundreds of hours that each of you have donated, which has been TRULY appreciated, it's still a lot of hard work and effort.

What can you compare it to? Any mother who has a newborn baby knows how many hours around the clock are required to care for that child. Since I am the mother of four beautiful grown children, I can relate. The gardens this year have been like having another baby. I've canceled vacations and other plans so I could stay and care for this big baby!!

Am I going to do it again next year? YES!! But with some minor changes. We will have automatic sprinklers in place in 2 of our gardens. That will cost some serious money but it will save us hundreds of hours worrying about the watering.

We're not done yet! We still have plenty to do for the entire month of October.

I do want to thank EVERYONE in our garden group, young and old, who has donated even ONE hour to help us with this giant project.

The harvest season has been amazing! Next year I want to try and motivate more people to join in the great harvest! I'll teach more food preservation classes on what to do with this abundant, delicious harvest!

All of the children who have helped us throughout the season, but especially during harvest time, have been fantastic! Every child should be part of a garden experience like this!! They will know how much work goes into the food that they take for granted. I have loved their energy and enthusiasm and I know they will have a greater desire to garden all of their lives.

In the early spring, I was reluctant to have any children involved in garden work since the work in March and April was mostly shredding leaves, tilling the ground, cutting down large tree branches using chain saws, burning branches, etc. As we started planting and especially harvesting, the children were the BEST workers!!

We offer daily garden work schedules Monday - Saturday. If you can't come to any of these, let me know, via email, when you can come and we'll work things out. Many of our garden members found a time they could commit to weekly and would become "regulars" on those days. I hope everyone will make time to do that again next year.

We did have just a few times when "unknown" people were messing with our gardens or taking produce without me knowing about it. I want everyone to get plenty of produce and help with the gardens, but I ask that you check in with me first if you want to come and get anything from the gardens or you want to donate anything to the gardens so we don't have any surprises.

I use ONE lawn care service who donates grass clippings to me. We can not handle any more than that.

Always bring your Green Garden Membership Card with you whenever you come to the gardens. We haven't had any problems this year and I am SO grateful for the calibur of people who have helped us with the gardens! But it is important to be able to identify yourself with your Garden Card, if necessary. Everyone is on the honor system so keep track of the dates and times you work in the gardens on the back of your card.

Thank you SO very much for being part of this large community garden project! We have had SO many compliments on it. We have the endorsement of Mayor Dennis Webb of Holladay. It's all because of your efforts! You are the BEST!

I hope you all join us next year for an even better garden season.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFall Planting - Trees and Shrubs

Fall is the best time of year to plant almost anything.
It gives the plants a chance to take root in cooler weather before they really start growing the following spring.

1. What do I need to know before I go to the nursery to buy my plant?

1. What you want the plant to do
1. Shade
2. Seasonal Color
3. Screen
4. Low Maintenance

2. How big is the area you want it to fill
1. Height (look up)
2. Width (look for sidewalks, driveways, etc)
3. Long term growth

3. How much money are you willing to spend

2. What do I look for when purchasing a tree or shrub?

1. Health of the foliage
1. No insects
2. No disease
3. No broken wood, etc

2. Health of the roots
1. No rot (smell the roots)
2. No Major Girdling roots
3. No trunk damage

3. Different Sizes
1. Smaller may establish faster, but not always
2. Container vs. Ball and Burlap (B and B)

3. What are some tricks to planting the tree or shrub to give it the best chance for survival.

1. Remember, this plant is a long term investment, do a good job!
2. Dig the hole three times as wide as the container (roots grow out, not down)
3. Remove as much packing material as possible while disturbing the roots as little as possible
4. Water deep

To learn more about planting tips, the Utah State University Extension Forestry Department has prepared a great article. You can access through this link: extension.usu.edu


The USU Extension Office is offering flower arranging classes. You must register in advance. You can do so by contacting the office nearest you.
Come participate in the FLORAL ARRANGING CLASS at the Ogden Botanical Gardens or
Wetland's Discovery Point.


Just in time for holiday decorating, come learn how to bring beauty into your home throughout the year by designing your own floral arrangements. Participants will take home their own attractive creation, valued at more than the actual cost of the class, and also gain a knowledge and understanding of selecting, designing, and using a wide variety of plant materials.

Class requires pre-registration/pre-payment: $25/member, $30/non-member*

WHERE: Weber County
Ogden Botanical Gardens
1750 Monroe Blvd, Ogden Davis County
Wetland Discovery Point
676 South 50 West, Kaysville
WHEN: Thursday, October 1, 2009 Thursday, October 8, 2009
TIME: 6:30-8:30 p.m. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
REGISTER: Call 801-399-8201 Call 801-451-3403
DEADLINE: Tuesday September 29, 2009 Monday, October 5, 2009


Jerry L. Goodspeed
Utah State University Extension
Weber County
Director - Ogden Botanical Gardens
(801) 399-8201
extension.usu.edu/weber/

9.27.2009

We have been juicing grape and plum juice! Learn how to do it.

Click on this link to see the steam juicer that we use. It is the best! It's one of the easiest ways to preserve grapes, plums and several other fruits. Learn more about it for cooking fish, potatoes, etc.

http://www.homebrands.com/bacsteamjuic.html

9.25.2009

My favorite FREEZER Jam Recipe



This recipe has a lot LESS sugar than regular jam PLUS it has NO high fructose corn syrup!

It's much healthier, costs a lot less money and is delicious!

Enjoy making and eating FRESH, homemade jam! It costs VERY little money if you take advantage of all the fruit trees that are ready to harvest!

I love this recipe because it has much LESS sugar than other jam recipes. I especially love making peach, apricot, pear, grape or plum jam during the months of August and September but you can use whatever is available. Choose whatever fruit is in season in your area.


5 cups mashed or pureed fruit
2 cups granulated sugar or less if you prefer
½ cup light corn syrup (it stops the crystallizing of sugar)
4 TBSP Clear Jel (Instant) (*learn more about this product below)


Mix DRY INGREDIENTS: (sugar and Clear Jel (Instant) together.) Mix well.
Mix WET INGREDIENTS: (mashed fruit and corn syrup together) Mix well.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Put in freezer containers and freeze.

More about Clear Jel (Instant):
Use this ingredient INSTEAD of pectin. It's MUCH cheaper and allows you to use MUCH LESS sugar in your recipe. I've made Apricot Jam and Pear Jam with this recipe and they are both SO delicious!!

WHERE TO BUY CLEAR JEL (Instant): Gygi Culinary Solutions OR John and Jenny's Bosch Kitchen Center
Cost: $11.25 for 5 lb bag - Since you only need 4 TBSP/batch, this makes a lot of jam and will last a LONG time! OR buy a much smaller amount from me directly if you like.

www.gygi.com
3500 So. 300 W. SLC, Utah
801-268-3316

Fruit Crisp - Using a variety of fruits that are in season


Heat oven to 375

5 c sliced, peeled cooking apples, pears, peaches, or apricots, or frozen unsweetened peach slices (I make this w/ thin sliced apples or pears WITH the peels ON.)
2-4 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 c oats
1/2 c packed brown sugar (I prefer white sugar w/ 1 tbsp of molasses which makes brown sugar)
1/4 c all-purpose flour (I prefer whole wheat flour)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I did a combo of nutmeg and cinnamon)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c chopped nuts or coconut (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

For filling, thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. Place fruit in a 2-qt square baking dish. Stir in the 2 - 4 TBSP of sugar.

For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and spice(s). Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts or coconut. Sprinkle topping over filling.
Bake crisp in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 min.(40 min for thawed fruit) or till fruit is tender and topping is golden. If desired, serve warm with Ice cream. Makes 6 servings

Watch this End of Summer Zuchhini Squash Video

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5237082n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea;cbsnewsMainColumnArea.0

9.13.2009

How to ripen tomatoes

http://tipnut.com/ripen-tomatoes/

How to freeze vegetables

http://tipnut.com/freeze-vegetables/

11-22 Fruit Crisp - Using a variety of fruits!

Heat oven to 375

5c sliced, peeled cooking apples, pears, peaches, or apricots, or frozen unsweetened peach slices
2-4 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 c oats
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I did a combo of nutmeg and cinnamon)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c chopped nuts or coconut (I leave this out)
Vanilla ice cream-optional

For filling, thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. Place fruit in a 2-qt square baking dish. Stir in the granulated sugar.
For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and spice(s). Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts or coconut. Sprinkle topping over filling.
Bake crisp in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (40 min for thawed fruit) or until fruit is tender and topping is golden. If desired, serve warm with ice cream. Makes 6 servings