| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
1) DECEMBER IS THE MONTH TO...
- Think about getting your soil tested. Get your samples dug before freeze-up and send in January 1-March 1 for a discounted rate. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension recommends getting your soil tested every three years, if you have noticed growing problems in the bed, or if you have made significant amendments to the soil and need an updated profile.
- Take an inventory of your tool supply--let the gift-giving elves in your life know what needs replacement. Then repair, clean, sharpen, oil, and store your tools for next year's efforts in the garden. For more information on tool care, see here or here--proper tool care and maintenance can greatly improve the performance and longevity of your investment!
- Tidy up the garden. No, really. Get out there and bring in, clean, and store any breakable garden pots, stands, stakes, or decorations before the real snow buries them.
- Package saved seed. It's the giving season! Share your heirloom seeds with friends and family. Be sure you've saved heirlooms, not hybrids. See An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener for more information.
- Gather greens for holiday decorating. Other areas of the country have their favorites, but we in Maine love our balsam fir. Be sure to secure landowner permission for cutting tips and don't be fooled by spruce. Learn more here. See bulletin #7012-Making Balsam Fir Wreaths for techniques and guidelines.
- Sow seeds for native plants. Gather your own, or see Wild Seed Project's collection. There's still time for a planting project before the snow gets serious! Native plants need winter weather to break dormancy. Read more here; let us know if you give it a try.
- Feed the birds. By selecting the right type of food and feeder, you can attract the kinds of birds you most want to see. Learn more here.
|
 National Resources Defense Council graphic |
|
 |
2) Food Waste: Let's Talk Trash!
Kate Yerxa, Extension Educator
About 90 billion pounds of food is wasted each year. There is the need to reduce food waste as the population grows. Food waste costs each person $370 per year. Plus, food waste goes to feeding landfills and not to feed people. If the wasted food were edible food, it could feed 25 million more Americans each year.
Another way to reduce the amount of food in the waste stream is to compost fruit and vegetable scraps.
Learn more.
A more detailed guide to home composting is available for purchase through UMaine Extension Publications. Order here.
Read more about food waste from ReFED (a collaboration of business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to reducing food waste in the United States) here, and sign up for their newsletter here.
|
3) Celebrate the season with fresh greens
Trisha Smith
Home Horticulture Aide
I have nearly always had the luxury of cutting a wild balsam fir tree on my family's land. They were sometimes a bit sparse, and often had a flat side (or two) that had to go against the wall (or in a corner). But they all have that unmistakable fragrance that heralds the holiday season. Even if I choose not to have a tree, I will hang a wreath or display cut branches in vases throughout my home. Without water, the greens will dry in place, and are generally removed before they turn orange.
The dried leaves ("needles" or "spills") are easy to sweep up and save, if you're so inclined, and use to fill balsam pillow sachets. You'll already have a head start on next year's gift-giving season!
For more on gathering greens:
For wreath making tips and techniques:
Bulletin #7012
To learn about growing and maintaining fir for gathering tips, see
Bulletin #7089
Looking for a gift for the dendrophile in your life?
Order Conifers of Maine from UMaine Extension Publications.
|
4) Braised Cabbage
(courtesy Cooperative Extension)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon vinegar
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Sauté the onion for 1
minute.
2. Add the cabbage and apple and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Combine the pepper,
brown sugar, water and vinegar.
4. Add this mixture to the cabbage mixture and cook, covered, over low heat for
20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
5. Serve the cabbage hot or cold.
Makes 6 servings
Bulletin #4182-Vegetables and Fruits for Health-Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Photo by Reeser C. Manley
|
5) Featured Plant: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata
)
Developed by Marjorie Peronto, associate Extension professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension; and Reeser C. Manley, assistant professor of horticulture, University of Maine.
The berries of winterberry are devoured by 49 species of birds, including songbirds, winter waterfowl, and game birds. Frequent songbird consumers include eastern bluebirds, hermit and wood thrushes, American robins, catbirds, northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, cedar waxwings, and white-tailed sparrows. Because the berries are relatively low in fat content, they are often taken late in the winter when other fruits are scarce. This translates into a longer period in which we can enjoy the ornamental beauty of these winter fruits.
Read the rest
here.
Check out the whole series
"Native Trees and Shrubs for Maine Landscapes".
|
|
|
|
|
|
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
December 8-Kitchen Licensing Workshop. MOFGA Education Center, Unity. Designed for farmers and others interested in home-food processing for resale. $35 members, $50 non-members. Register
here.
December 9- Deadline for Piscataquis Valley Adult Education
class proposal for this spring's session (February 27-June 2) Questions? Email Hilda Roberts at
hroberts@pvaec.org or call 564-6525
December 10-Ornaments by Nature, Hirundo Wildlife Refuge. 2-5 pm. Gather materials from nature and craft into ornaments. Dress warm, bring a flashlight and a friend. All ages welcome. Please call (207)394-2171 to reserve your spot. Suggested donation $5 per adult. Members and children under 12 free.
Through December 31-Gardens Aglow! Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Thursday-Sunday 4-9 p.m. Closed Christmas Eve.
January 10-12-Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta Civic Center.
Some state parks are open through the winter and have special events. Check out Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry events calendar.
|
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Maine Composts! Week (May 8-12, 2017). Travis Blackmer, UMaine School of Economics, is looking for composting sites willing to open their facilities for students to learn about composting. To find out more with no commitment, email
travis.blackmer@umaine.edu.
The Maine School Garden Network newsletter, a local organization dedicated to school gardens, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship, can be accessed
here.
ONLINE COURSES & RESOURCES
For aspiring, new, and experienced farmers:
Support Maine farmers and eat food grown and produced in Maine. Outdoor farmers' markets generally wind down for the winter, but many communities have year-round markets.
Find a Farmers' Market near you
Maine Food Atlas
-discover local food resources and contribute to an ongoing interactive database.
Maine Home Garden News, a statewide newsletter by the University of Maine, is published during the gardening season. Interested Maine gardeners may access the most current issue here.
Want email notification of new issues? Sign up here.
National Ground Water Association. Learn more about water resources and safeguard your family's health through properly constructed and maintained water well systems. Consumer information sheets can be found
here.
Get Real, Get Maine. Maine's resource for finding local food, farm and forest producers and other agricultural connections
in Hudson hosts events all year long.
Learn more and get involved in permaculture at
Terrell House, a University-owned property right next to the Cooperative Extension building on College Ave.
Wild Seed Project works to increase the use of Maine native plants in all landscape settings in order to conserve biodiversity, encourage plant adaptation in the face of climate change, safeguard wildlife habitat, and create pollination and migration corridors for insects and birds.
|
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS
Penobscot Beekeepers Association
Monthly meetings through most of the year. Visit their
Facebook page or contact
Meetings 7pm on second Tues. of the month at the Dexter VFW.
Monthly meetings in Bangor through most of the year.
Visit their
website or call Theresa for more information 942-7396.
Hampden Garden Club
Monthly meetings Feb.-Dec., fourth Tuesday. Call Pat 862-3909 or Ellen 234-2945 for more information.
Sebasticook Garden Club meets at 1:30 on the 4th Thursday in March-October, 2nd Thursday November and December. No meetings in January-February. Most meetings are held at the Newport Cultural Center, 154 Main Street, Newport. For more information call Ann at 416-4807 or email eannh322@gmail.com
Milo Garden Club-Meets second Tuesdays September-June. Most meetings are held at the Milo Town Hall at 1:00 pm. Contact Gini Goodhind at 943-7772 for information.
Garden Club Federation of Maine's website maintains a list of Garden Clubs. Find one near you!
Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT). Discussions are held at Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter the first Friday of each month, 6-8 pm. DDATT is part of the worldwide Transition movement, local people getting together to reorganize their own communities to tackle three problems: economic instability, climate change, and the end of low-cost oil. Folks interested in seed saving have formed an interest group. More information can be found on DDATT's Facebook page.
|
|
Mission
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the major educational outreach program of the University of Maine with offices statewide. UMaine Extension provides Maine people with research-based educational programs to help them live fuller, more productive lives.
|
|
|
|
|
Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Kate Garland, Horticulturist
Theresa Tilton, Administrative Support Supervisor
|
The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, 207.581.1226.
|
|
|
|
Surface mail recipients can contact their county Extension office for further information when web links are included in an article.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
