September 2009

1 - Monthly HEA Board Meeting at 9 a.m. in the Extension Office. Everyone is invited to attend!

7 - The Extension Office will be closed for Labor Day! Get out there and enjoy your LAST summer holiday!

15 - Tree Maintenance workshop at 1 p.m. in the Extension Office.

26 - Taste of Crawford County from 9:30-1:30p.m. at Lincoln Trail College Gymnasium. Everyone is invited!

29 - Sunbeams Unit will be assembling the October Newsletter at 10 a.m. in the Extension Office. Please call 546-1549, if that time doesn't work for you!

29 - Poisonous Plants workshop at 1 p.m. in the Extension Office.

30 - Deadline to register for the Fall Trip to Clabber Girl Museum & General Store, and the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Holocaust Museum/Historical Museum.

Check us out: web.extension.uiuc.edu/crawford/

• Refresh Bed Pillows – Put them in the dryer, along with a fabric softener sheet, on the air cycle for about 20 minutes. It should give them a clean, fresh smell.
• Cheap Table Centerpiece – Fill a pretty crystal bowl with water. Pick several large flowers from your yard and simply float them on the surface. You could add several small votives that can float in water too.
• Quick Dessert – Here's a yummy topping for pound cake: Heat 1/2 cup of your favorite preserves, and add 1 tablespoon of flavored liqueur, in a small saucepan. Then drizzle over the cake.
• Keeping Vegetables Fresh - When you put celery sticks or carrots into a zipper bag, add an ice cube or piece of wet paper towel. That will keep them moist and fresh.
• When boiling corn on the cob, add a little milk or a pinch of sugar to the water to make it sweet. Adding salt will make the corn tough, so save the salt for AFTER you boil!

Will take place on Saturday, September 26 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Trail College Gym. HEA is co-sponsoring the "Taste" and invites all County organizations, clubs, groups, businesses, individuals, etc. to sponsor a food or food related booth. Each booth will be serving a different food with booth rent being $25 to cover the cost of rent, advertising, etc.

Previous booths included: treats in a jar, Frito pies, Popcorn, pie, cheesecake, muffins, tacos, homemade candy, cinnamon rolls, cookies, vegetable pizza, barbeque, and conies. The Try hard Unit will have chili, vegetable soup and broccoli cheese soup.

This used to be a huge fundraiser for many county groups, so don't delay; get your booth fee and food application in before the September 9 deadline. Please call the Extension office for an application or for more details. We want to have a variety, therefore we will not allow duplicate food items at different booths. Again this year, we will have local entertainment, so even if you don't have a booth, come out and enjoy the festivities.

Come with the Nightengale Unit to Terre Haute, IN on Thursday, October 8. In the morning we will visit the Clabber Girl Museum & General Store and have lunch there. In the afternoon we will visit the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Holocaust Museum or the Historical Museum. Free admission to each place. We will be carpooling from the Extension parking lot at 8:30 a.m. so please call the office if you want to go! Deadline to sign up is September 30. For more information, please call Margaret Ferris 544-3062 or Bonnie Wright 546-1287.

Lucy Dennis, Barb Miller, Bonnie Wright and Debbie Tedford attended the District Workshop on August 18 in Mt. Vernon. They are all full of wisdom NOW after attending that meeting!

I am sure by now you have noticed the HUGE difference in this month's newsletter. I am hoping you are finding it easier to read but IF NOT… PLEASE call and let us know if the "typing" is too small. The Robinson Post Office wants us to change to a booklet to hide the staples, so please be patient as we work out a few of the bugs. But, changing the size of letters—is easy, so let me know what you think!!!! Call Hope at 546-1549 and give me some suggestions! Or e-mail me at hdennis@illinois.edu

Katie Zuber presented the June lesson titled "Violence Across a Lifespan". It was a very eye-opening program for everyone in attendance. The lesson was in the July/August newsletter but if you would like additional information, please stop by the U of I Extension office. Those in attendance were: Lucy Dennis, Diane Rahman, Kristina Wicke, Lori Hetzler, Shirley Thacker, Phyllis Neeley, Don Richart, Bonnie Wright, Madeline Harris and Hope Dennis.

Tree Maintenance doesn't have to be complicated. Once you understand what causes a tree to do poorly in your landscape you can make educated careful decisions to prevent future problems beginning with proper establishment. The program is Tuesday, September 15 at 1:00 p.m. at the Extension Office. It will stress that the careful tree maintenance choices you make today will give you and your family a tree that should survive for a long time and add beauty to your landscape.

And on Tuesday, September 29 at 1:00 p.m. is the seminar on Poisonous Plants focusing on garden flowers, vegetables, fruits, houseplants, landscape trees and shrubs, and native wild plants known to exhibit toxicity. Plants injurious to humans, pets and livestock will be covered in this interesting and informative presentation, as well as the toxins and effects associated with these species. The presentation will be via the U of I telenet system and local computer PowerPoint presentations, allowing live discussion between the instructor and gardeners throughout Illinois. If interested please call 546-1549 and reserve a seat and packet of information.

We want to thank all of the HEA members who volunteered their time at the 4-H exhibit barn during fair week. As usual, we offered cold water and a place to sit, visit, and get out of the hot sun. Actually, the weather at this year's fair was great for summer in southern Illinois! We had a nice exhibit of 4-H projects this year, so if you did not get a chance to stop by and see them, make sure to mark your calendar for next year. You are the BEST volunteers!

We need to encourage ALL members who would like to attend the Monthly Board Meetings—to please do so! This is where the HEA "brain-storming" happens! We need every Unit represented and we are currently missing a couple of Units. We need everyone's ideas, so attend on Tuesday, September 1 at 9 a.m. in the Extension Office. These meetings are scheduled for the 1st Tuesday of each month!

Feeling stressed after a long day, child care or household chores? You don't need to go far to get away from it all. Take five minutes of alone time and walk out to your backyard, deck or patio to tune into your five senses. Breathe in the scent of freshly mown grass or fragrant flowers. Listen to the birds chirping or the breeze blowing. Feel the sun's warmth on your face and notice the vivid blue sky and puffy white clouds. Take three deep breaths. You'll feel yourself physically relaxed and recharged so you can face the rest of your day with a smile.

LET'S ALL GO GREENER! Use an old metal coffee can and nail it to the garage wall to hold a garden hose. Simply wrap the garden hose (or extension cord) around the can. Put your garden hose nozzles, adapters, garden gloves and seed packets in the inside storage area of the can. You can also use an old mailbox. Recycling is FUN!

The "Home, Yard & Garden Pest" newsletter was originally offered for a paid subscription but now it is available on-line FREE at this website: http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/contents.php Click on the "download PDF version" so you can see the entire newsletter. Please notice the past issues for your viewing also. Be sure to bookmark this site or sign up for their monthly e-mail notification.

A Taste of Gardening website – with the increased interest in vegetable gardening, this site offers new gardeners the essential info for planning, planting, maintaining, harvesting and storing vegetables. You can visit the site at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/tog/

The website Focus on Plant Problems includes disease and pest problems for evergreen trees and shrubs, deciduous trees and shrubs, and perennial flowers updated and revised and is available at: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/focus/

Lawn Talk – includes information on selecting grasses, planting and maintenance issues, weeds and other pest and disease problems, and common lawn care mistakes. Visit the new site at: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawntalk/

Wildflowers – website will help gardeners incorporate wildflowers in their gardens. The wildflower directory features 144 different Illinois native wildflowers. Visit the website at: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/wildflowers/

The new Osteoporosis website discusses what osteoporosis is, the risk factors, how to prevent it, and establishing a bone healthy diet. In addition, the authors include how osteoporosis is diagnosed and treated. You can visit the site at: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/osteoporosis/

Helping Children Succeed in School – offers practical steps to help children be successful in school and have good studying skills. It suggests ways for parents to communicate effectively with teachers. You can visit the site at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/succeed/

U of I Extension Annuals Trial Garden – a new website to track the growing season of 180 annuals that are being tested at the Midwest Golf House. The annuals are rated weekly and also designates the Illini picks (or the outstanding performers) for the week. Go to: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/trialgarden/ and follow the performance of these various annuals throughout the growing season. The trials are for full-sun locations in a landscape application.

Our lives revolve around the weather! Working in the garden, painting the house, playing baseball or spending a day at the park all depend on the weather. The new Tree House Weather Kids website helps people understand such things as why the weather changes, how we predict the weather, and how weather causes great destruction. You can visit the site at: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/treehouse/

Gardener's often want to establish small fruits in their garden. Whether it's apples, pears, plums, strawberries or grapes, there are certain varieties that will do best in Illinois. Small Fruit Crops for the Backyard discusses growing conditions needed, planting and care, and suggested varieties for tree fruit as well as small fruits. Go to: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/fruit/

Know of a great cook in your area? Then consider nominating them for the "Prairie Cook of the Month". Each month, the Prairie Farmer magazine features a winning cook, including a photo, favorite recipe and why this individual is a great cook.

But your help is needed to locate those great country cooks in your area. You know the ones: they win the county fair pie crust contest year after year or they consistently serve up the most-favorite dish at the potluck, or they know just how to grill those steaks. And don't forget the men; we know there are plenty of great cooks who happen to be guys. The only criteria are that nominees are Illinois residents and that their recipe contains at least one Illinois-raised product. To nominate (yourself) or someone else –please complete a form, we have in the Extension office. It will ask for your information and your nominee's name and contact information, their best recipe, and a few words on what makes this individual a great cook.

CHEESE POTATOES

6 Potatoes peeled and quartered

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mix together the dried ingredients and pour into a large plastic bag. Put the potatoes into the bag and close. Shake until the potatoes are well coated with mixture. Melt 1/3 cup of butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350˚ for about an hour turning only once. When they are good and brown take them out of the oven and serve.

EASY LASAGNA

1 package lasagna noodles

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

Dash garlic salt

Dash oregano

1 (16 oz.) package shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese

1 large jar (32 oz.) Ragu spaghetti sauce

Boil noodles. Brown hamburger and onion and then drain; add garlic and oregano. Add spaghetti sauce & simmer 20 minutes. Grease 13 x 9 pan, assemble alternate layers of noodles, sauce, and cheese. Bake at 350˚ for 30-45 minutes, until top layer of cheese is brown. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

LIGHT COOL 'N EASY PIE

1 c. boiling water
1 small box sugar-free Jell-O
Dissolve Jell-O in water & let cool but not set. When cool add 16 – 18 ounces sugar-free fat-free yogurt WITHOUT fruit on the bottom. Use same flavor as the Jell-O. Then fold in 1 (8-oz) tub of cool whip. Pour into 2 graham cracker crusts & refrigerate. Top with cool whip if you like.

MACADAMIA TOFFEE SNACK CAKE

2 c. flour

1-1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. cold butter

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt 1 egg

1 c. milk 1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. vanilla or white chocolate chips

1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts

1/4 c. flaked coconut

In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Add baking powder and salt to remaining crumb mixture. In another bowl, whisk the egg milk and vanilla. Stir into crumb mixture until moistened. Transfer to greased 13x9 pan; sprinkle with reserved crumbs, vanilla chips, nuts and coconut. Bake at 350˚ for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and edges pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Yield: 20 servings.

Thanks to Jeannie Adams, Try Hard Unit, for sharing this delicious snack cake recipe with us!

APPLES — Wash. Eat. How easy is that?

• Slice apples and make a "face" on a plate with grapes as eyes and a strawberry as a nose.

• Slice apples and smear with cream cheese. Top with raisins or cranraisins.

• Make apple "flowers" by slicing apples and arranging them around the "center" of the flower made with a dollop of low-fat lemon yogurt.

Buying tips: Choose firm apples without soft spots or wrinkled skin.

Special tips: To wash, rinse well with cold water upon using.

Storing tips: Store apples in the refrigerator and use within 1-2 weeks.

Serving size: One cup of apples would be:

• 1/2 large apple
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup applesauce
• 8 oz. apple juice
• 1 cup sliced, chopped or cooked apples

Eating fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, cancers and strokes. Fruits and vegetables are: great tasting, high in fiber, low in fat and calories and snackable.

APPLE POCKET PIE (Makes 4 servings)

4 flour tortillas

2 apples

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Milk

Sugar (optional)

Warm tortillas in microwave to make them easier to handle. Chop apples into small pieces. Place 1/4 of the apples on half of each tortilla. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apple. Roll up the tortillas, starting at the end with the fruit. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and make small slits to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve warm. YUMMY!

EASY BAKED APPLES FOR ONE

1 large apple

2 t. brown sugar

2 t. raisins, optional

Cinnamon

Use a baking apple. Spray microwave safe container with vegetable spray – custard cup is great for single serving. Wash apple, remove core or cut into quarters or slices. Place in cup. Fill center with brown sugar raisins and cinnamon (or sprinkle over slices). Bake apple on full power in microwave for 2-3 minutes or until apple is tender. Note: Possible substitutions for brown sugar: pancake syrup, marmalade, honey.

We consumers are feeling a big crunch these days with the rising food costs. The Department of Agriculture predicts at least a 4%-5% increase in food prices this year. The largest increases are forecast for fat and oils and cereals and bakery products. Following are some food shopping tips to consider:

Shop less frequently. One way to save time and help lower costs is to shop less frequently. Fewer trips means less money spent on impulse decisions and less money spent on transportation costs to the store. This also saves you time.

Stock up on lower cost frozen and pantry items especially when they are on sale. Foods for the pantry and freezer have a much longer shelf life than refrigerated items. Frozen foods, canned goods and bulk pantry items also tend to be bulky and take more time to gather since you have to push the cart all over the store so it is more efficient to buy more of them all at once rather than little bits each week if you can afford to do so. By stocking up a lot on freezer and pantry items at a discount store and when you see them on sale, you can save a lot. This also makes weekly shopping easier – you can then dash in and out at the local market for just a few fresh produce and dairy items. Right now, with food costs rising, it makes sense to stockpile foods – buying now gets you today's prices. And if you stock up on healthy foods, you are more likely to prepare and eat healthful meals at home instead of eating out. Foods prepared at home are often much healthier and lower in calories than restaurant and fast foods and you spend less for gas if you stay home as well.

Choose less processed foods. By purchasing items that are less processed, you spend less money and get items that are healthier. For example, by choosing whole potatoes versus potato chips or frozen French fries, you save a lot of money per ounce. You also save fat, sodium, and calories as well!

- Bev Combs, U of I Educator

It is never too late to lower your risk of diabetes. Researchers of the Harvard School of Public Health recently reported that combining just five positive lifestyle factors could reduce diabetes incidence by 89% for people age 65 and up!

The health habits they looked at were:

• Physical-activity level, indicated by above-average leisure-time activity and walking pace
• Healthy diet, defined as above-average intake of fiber, a positive ratio of polyusaturated fat to saturated fat, low trans-fat intake, and low average glycemic index
• Light or moderate alcohol consumption
• Not smoking
• Avoiding being overweight – body-mass index (BMI) less than 25 or waist size under 34.6 inches for women, 36.2 inches for men.

Even if you do not have a "perfect score" on all five lifestyle factors, each additional positive factor reduces diabetes risk by 35%. The combination of just the two key factors – physical activity and a healthy diet – is associated with a 46% lower risk. Women appear to benefit the most from adopting healthy habits, but age made little difference.

- Bev Combs, U of I Educator

• Men with higher intake of vitamin C appear less likely to develop gout, the most common type of inflammatory arthritis in men.
• Ounce for ounce, kiwifruit has more vitamin C than an orange and more potassium than a banana.

Most American wheat is hard red spring wheat, but about 15% now is hard white wheat, which is a sort of albino wheat. Whole white wheat looks like refined wheat (which has had the bran and germ removed), but in fact it contains the whole grain.

Hard white wheat is not new – Australia and China grow lots of it. It has all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals of regular whole wheat, but is slightly different in chemical composition and has a milder taste. If you are buying bread or crackers, check the ingredients. "Whole wheat" is the best choice nutritionally, whether it is whole white wheat or regular whole wheat. It should be 100% whole wheat, or else whole wheat mixed with other whole grains, such as oats. Don't be confused by "enriched wheat flour," which is always refined wheat.

- Bev Combs, U of I Educator

DO DRIED FRUITS HAVE THE SAME NUTRITIONAL VALVE AS FRESH? Like fresh fruit, dried fruits are good sources of many nutrients, including fiber, potassium, copper, iron, calcium, and vitamins. However, dried fruits lose some of their vitamin C during processing. Since drying fruit removes up to 80% of the fruit's water content, the fruit's calorie and sugar content is at a much higher concentration, so it is particularly important to keep portion size in mind. 1/4 cup of dried fruit is roughly equivalent to 1/2 cup of fresh fruit. Some dried fruits contain added sugar, so check the ingredients list. Also look for sulfur dioxide, a preservative often added to keep the fruit from turning brown. For people with sulfur sensitivities or asthma, sulfites can be problematic.

- Bev Combs, U of I Educator