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Your Monthly News & Updates
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November is the month to...
Trisha Smith, Community Education Assistant (Home Horticulture), Piscataquis County
Extend your growing season by protecting hardy plants from a hard freeze. Succession planting, row covers, and mulch can keep you in fresh vegetables longer in the fall and earlier in the spring.
Read more.
Be sure you're storing vegetables properly. Temperature and humidity greatly affect the length of time you can enjoy your harvest. Learn more about storage conditions and even find plans for a basement vegetable storage room here!
Plant hardy native flower seeds! Many native plant seeds need the cold winter to break dormancy. Follow the Wild Seed Project's simple instructions here. Seeds can be found at Wild Seed Project Shop.
Be aware of the threat of ticks. October and November are peak months for adult deer tick activity. Learn more about ticks at
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Upcoming Events and Activities-
Do you know of a class, activity, or event that may interest gardeners in Piscataquis, Penobscot, or Somerset Counties? Please forward information to trisha.smith1@maine.edu for possible inclusion in our next newsletter.
Check UMaine Extension's calendar for educational opportunities all over the state
- November 8-Piscataquis County Extension Annual Meeting- a supper of smoked chicken (made on-site by Dr. Colt Knight, UMaine Extension Livestock Specialist) with roasted potatoes and root vegetables, salad and hand pies for dessert provided by Spruce Mill Farm. Cost is $8 per person. Register online
- November 11-12- Maine Harvest Festival if it has anything to do with Maine-grown and produced food or drink, it will be at the harvest festival! Cross Insurance Center, Bangor. See the vendor list
for a sneak preview.
- November 16-Conserving Maine's Bats: A Workshop for Woodland Owners, Foresters and Loggers
Congregational Church, Dover-Foxcroft. 9-10:30am. FMI or to RSVP, call Piscataquis Soil and Water Conservation District at 564-2321, ext. 3. Pre-register by November 13.
- December 2-Hometown Holidays Celebration, various Piscataquis County downtowns. Visits with Santa, family activities, and tree lightings characterize this annual event. Keep your eye on Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce
's website for details as they emerge.
- December 14-Recipe to Market-Is it for ME?
Workshop introduces participants to important topics an aspiring entrepreneur needs to consider before starting a food business. Piscataquis Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft. 9am-noon. Pre-registration required (follow link above). Piscataquis residents free, all others $10.
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By Trisha Smith, Community Education Assistant (Home Horticulture), Piscataquis County
Beets (aka "blood turnips") are distinctively earthy, a quietly dramatic vegetable. They are sweeter than either corn or carrots, high in vitamins A and C, and possess a wildly vibrant hue notorious for its persistence through the digestive process. Many beet varieties can easily (over)grow to be the approximate size and shape of a human heart , a slightly disturbing realization to have while wresting one from the soil. Some maintain a rounder shape at maturity, and others have been bred to be more cylindrical (a whole different kind of disturbing, harvesting those, I can tell you) for ease of processing.
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Fir Tip and Wreath Season
Compiled by Donna Coffin, Extension Educator, UMaine Extension Piscataquis County
November brings cold weather and an opportunity for farmers who have balsam fir growing on their property to add a little to their farm income. Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties have a number of Christmas tree producers who are looking for brush or balsam fir tree tips for their wreath making operations. If you plan to sell to these folks, it is best to contact them and ask what type of brush they need and how they would like it delivered. Tip gatherers, who plan to collect tips from land that is not their own, must receive permission to use private land whether you intend to sell the tips or use them for making your own wreaths.
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Volunteering with University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Volunteers are essential to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension achieving its mission to bring University research to people in our communities. Master Gardener Volunteers, 4-H Leaders and advisors, and County Extension Associations are some ways to get involved. Orientation and required trainings are available online. Explore the
Cooperative Extension Volunteers
page and/or contact your County office to indicate your interest.
Penobscot County
307 Maine Avenue
Bangor, ME 04401-4331
Phone: 207.942.7396 or 800.287.1485 (in Maine)
Piscataquis County
165 East Main Street
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426
Phone: 207.564.3301 or 800.287.1491 (in Maine)
Somerset County
7 County Drive
Skowhegan, ME 04976-4209
Phone: 207.474.9622 or 800.287.1495 (in Maine)
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MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS-Thank you for a great 2016-2017 SEASON!
Our reporting year is Oct 1-Sept 30. Final numbers of volunteers, the hours they worked, and the amount of produce donated in our communities should be available by the end of the calendar year.
Stay in touch with the MGV coordinator in your county, especially if you have trouble accessing online forms. We appreciate all you do, and want to be sure your good work is recognized.
It's also important that our county, state, and federal funders know about your efforts and impact in our communities. Choose the link to the online form for the county where you were trained (unless you have made other arrangements):
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Food & Nutrition: Should You Wash Raw Poultry?
By By Chantel Banus, UMaine Dietetic Intern
We are often told to wash raw foods before we prepare them. For poultry, however, this is not recommended. Yet according to a 2016 national survey, 67% of Americans said that they always wash raw poultry parts before cooking them.
Why raw poultry should not be washed:
* Washing poultry before cooking will not destroy bacteria (like salmonella).
* Instead, washing raw poultry can
spread bacteria, contaminating your sink and other
surfaces and making them unsafe.
How to prepare poultry safely:
* Wash your hands, not the poultry, before handling.
* Use a clean cutting board and clean utensils.
*Make sure all surfaces the raw poultry touches are clean.
*Always use separate plates or cutting boards for raw and cooked poultry.
* Cook raw poultry to a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
Fact: Cooking is what destroys the bacteria and
pathogens in poultry, not rinsing!
* Refrigerate cooked poultry within two hours, or one hour if the temperature is over 90°F
Remember, do not wash your poultry before cooking.
Sources
United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.
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Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
Kids are back in school! There is always a need for quality after school activities. If you're interested in working with youth, consider becoming a 4-H volunteer leader. Learn more about 4-H here, and find out what it takes to be a volunteer.
County Extension Association Executive Committees are crucial to the success of Extension in our communities. In partnership with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension staff, the Executive Committee of each County Extension Association assists with providing input on local educational programming needs, helps hire staff, and oversees the county budget appropriations that support educational Extension programs for county residents.
Read more here, and contact
your county's Cooperative Extension office.
Shared Earthly Blessings community garden in Dexter welcomes volunteers. Produce is grown, harvested, packed, and delivered to local seniors. For more information call John Gornall at 207.924.5232.
Maine Harvest for Hunger-When you donate your fresh produce to a food cupboard, soup kitchen, shelter, school, or needy neighbor, please give your county Extension office a call. Documenting how generous Maine gardeners are is what we live for!
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has employment opportunities across the state. Find the list
here.
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Adult and nymph deer ticks. Photo by Griffin Dill
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Be Tick Smart to Prevent Tickborne Diseases
Limiting exposure to ticks reduces the likelihood of any tick-born disease infection. In persons exposed to tick-infested habitats, prompt careful inspection and removal of crawling or attached ticks is an important method of preventing disease. It may take several hours of attachment before microorganisms are transmitted from the tick to the host.
It is unreasonable to assume that a person can completely eliminate activities that may result in tick exposure. Therefore, prevention measures should be aimed at personal protection:
- Wear light-colored clothing -- this will allow you to see ticks that are crawling on your clothing
- Tuck your pants legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up the inside of your pants legs.
- Apply repellants to discourage tick attachment. Repellents containing permethrin can be sprayed on boots and clothing, and will last for several days. Repellents containing DEET ( n, n-diethyl- m-toluamide) can be applied to the skin, but will last only a few hours before reapplication is necessary. Use DEET with caution on children because adverse reactions have been reported.
Conduct a body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas by searching your entire body for ticks. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Remove any tick you find on your body.
Read more
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The Maine Food System, What's That?
University of Maine Cooperative Extension helps support, sustain, and grow the $3.9 billion food-based economy in Maine. We are the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. Read more here.
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| Graphic by Michael Mendoza |
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If you eat, you are part of the Maine Food System!
You may also be growing food for yourself and/or others, supporting farmers' markets and CSAs, volunteering at food cupboards, community meals, or soup kitchens. If you aren't, we're trying to make it easier for you to get involved.
Organizations that address food insecurity with distributions of free food and meals exist in most communities. Many welcome volunteers as well as donations of food, including fresh garden produce in season. Access to refrigeration and timing of food distributions can limit an organization's ability to accept donations. It is best to contact them first. With this in mind, we aim to provide a comprehensive list of these organizations. Please do not hesitate to email trisha.smith1@maine.edu with additional or corrected information.
The Maine Food Atlas is an interactive mapping project created by the Maine Network of Community Food Councils and the Center for Community GIS. Explore or even contribute-The Maine Food Atlas relies on individuals to submit and update listings.
Click here to see a list of organizations tackling food insecurity in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Somerset Counties.
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Organizations of Interest
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
The Garden Club Federation of Maine National Garden Clubs, Inc. provides education, resources and national networking opportunities for its members, to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic and environmental responsibility.
Good Shepherd Food Bank In addition to distributing food to Mainers in need, the Food Bank is leading a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education, and strategic partnerships. Good Shepherd welcomes you to join in this effort.
Hirundo Wildlife Refuge is a 2,400 acre nature preserve spanning Pushaw and Dead Streams, Lac d'Or, vast wetlands (including a gently raised bog),
Silver Maple Floodplain Forest, mixed hardwood and evergreen forests. Accessible by canoe and trails.
Maine Audubon is a member-based organization that engages people in conservation, education and advocacy to advance wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation in Maine.
Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets' mission is to cultivate a vibrant, sustainable farmers' market community as a vital part of Maine's local food network. The Federation works with farmers, consumers, and communities to make wholesome, locally-grown foods available to all residents, to educate consumers about food resources, and to support farm viability.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) The purpose of the Association is to help farmers and gardeners: grow organic food, fiber and other crops; protect the environment; recycle natural resources; increase local food production; support rural communities; and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound farming practices.
Maine State Beekeepers Association
Northern Penobscot County Beekepers Association
The Grange provides opportunities for individuals and families to develop to their highest potential in order to build stronger communities and states, as well as a stronger nation.
To inquire about finding a nearby Grange, contact Walter Boomsma at
grange@boomsmaonline.com
Transition Towns The Transition Movement is comprised of vibrant, grassroots community initiatives that seek to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Transition Initiatives differentiate themselves from other sustainability and "environmental" groups by seeking to mitigate these converging global crises by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self reliance and resilience.
Transition Skowhegan meets every 1st Thursday at 6 pm, Skowhegan Public Library.
Contact Iver Lofving 474-7370 or Jason Tessier 474-4380
Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT) meets every first Friday at 6 pm, Abbott Memorial Library, Dexter. Contact Sam Brown 277-4221 or email info@ddatt.org
Wild Seed Project works to increase the use of [Maine] native plants in all landscape settings in order to conserve biodiversity, encourage plant adaption in the face of climate change, safeguard wildlife habitat, and create pollination and migration corridors for insects and birds. Check out their
Native Plant Blog.
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom promotes the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public. Curricula and resources for educators and others working with young people. Check out newsletters and/or subscribe
here.
Maine Farm to School Network supports the rapidly spreading farm to school movement in Maine. This network knits together a wide diversity of students, teachers, school nutritionists, parents, farmers and groups who support child nutrition and Maine agriculture.
Search their resource database,
join the network.
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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.
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Quick Links
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Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
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he 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.
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave. Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485
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Open Monday, Thursday, Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm,
Open By-chance on Wednesday
, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St. Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
7 County Drive Skowhegan, ME 04976-3117 Phone: 207.474.9622 or 800.287.1495 (in Maine)
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