Despite all the rains back in June, landscape plantings are now facing very dry conditions. As lawns turn brown and plants wilt, watering becomes necessary. With watering restrictions in many areas and high watering costs, set priorities when deciding which plantings to water.

For example, vegetable crops may be in a critical stage for drought stress. Adequate water is needed to fill out the ear of sweet corn, pod of beans and developing tomatoes and peppers. If plants are under drought stress, harvest yields and quality will suffer. Gardens that have been mulched will thrive longer without rainfall or irrigation. Try to water early in the day.

First priority for watering trees and shrubs should be newer plantings; especially those made this season. Established trees and shrubs also need water, especially if conditions remain dry. Water the entire root zone area. Be careful, however, not to overwater, especially on clay soils, as roots sitting in excessively wet soil for prolonged periods can die even in dry weather.

Browning lawns may be a very visible signal of drought stress, yet actually tolerate drought very well. Cool-season grasses go dormant and resume active growth when conditions improve. Applying 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water every two to four weeks won't make lawns green again, but should be enough to maintain stems and roots so lawns survive and resume growing later.

Flower beds and groundcover plantings also need watering, but needs vary according to the species present and site conditions. For example, perennial beds with species more tolerant of dry soils, such as yarrow, purple coneflower, liatris or sedum can usually get by with minimum need for watering. Other species may need frequent irrigation to remain healthy. Careful planning can make maintenance practices, such as watering, much easier.

Hopefully some timely rains will come soon to help relieve drought stress on plants. In the meantime, evaluate your landscape plantings and put together some watering plans to assure plants make it through the dry weather.

Source: Bruce Spangenberg, Extension Educator, Horticulture, University of Illinois Extenison

Is your lawn a little thin or in need of repair? The last week of August is the ideal time for seeding lawn grasses in our area, including seeding into existing lawns. There are a variety of ways to go about renovating a lawn. When over seeding a lawn, good seed to soil contact is essential. Simply broadcasting seed over existing grass rarely is successful. The area needs adequate preparation. For small patches needing to be reseeded, preparation can be as simple as raking away debris and roughening the soil surface. The broadcast seed over the prepared area.

Preparing larger areas for overseeding requires some type of power equipment. One option would be to use a vertical mower, power rake or dethatcher. Equipment such as this will tear out debris, including thatch and can also roughen the soil surface. After raking away the debris torn up, seed could then be spread over the area.

Another option is to use a slit-seeder. Slit-seeders will cut through existing live and dead grass, depositing seed directly into the soil in the process. This is an excellent way to renovate lawns. Slit-seeders and other equipment mentioned above could be rented at many rental agencies or the work can be done by hiring a lawn or landscape care company.

For all these types of renovation mentioned, it is assumed the soil under the lawn is in good shape. However, if underlying problems such as heavy clay or compaction exist, the value of just reseeding without improving the underlying soil is questionable.

Methods to improve the soil include core aerating, top dressing or totally renovating the site. Core aeration will help improve conditions and degrade thatch, but it takes time (i.e. more than one season of aerating). Adding organic matter or better soils by top dressing may help and can be done in conjunction with aerating. The lawn could be over-seeded afterwards.

Severe soil problems may be best solved by total renovation. This basically means to start over and thoroughly amend the soils before reseeding or resodding. Although this involves the most work and money initially, in some situations this may be the best option to consider.

Source: Bruce Spangenberg, Extension Educator, Horticulture, University of Illinois Extension

Each season has certain insect pests associated with it. Now that we have reached late summer, one of the insect pests of the yard and garden is the yellowjacket.

Small, yellow and black "bees" flying in the backyard, on picnics, or in parks are most likely yellowjackets. Don't confuse the name "yellowjacket" with the term often associated with the much larger bumblebees. Yellowjackets are about the size of a honeybee with yellow and black stripes and can sting repeatedly. Honeybees are brown with black stripes and a hairy body.

Yellowjackets are readily attracted to trash cans, ripe or overripe fruits and vegetables and outdoor activities involving food and soft drinks. Sanitation helps keep yellowjacket problems to a minimum. Keep food covered as long as possible when having a backyard outing.

In the garden or around fruit trees, clean up fallen or rotten produce such as apples or tomatoes that may be piling up. Alert children to the problem that often exists as wild apples or crabapples often accumulate under trees, attracting yellowjackets.

Another problem with yellowjackets is when nests are in areas frequented by people. Yellowjackets nest in the soil, under porches, in landscape timbers, or in wall voids. Soil nests in problem areas may be treated with diazinon and the hole then sealed. Apply carbaryl (Sevin) dust in and around openings to nests in other areas. As the insects come and go, they will pick up the insecticide and carry it into the nest. Do all treatments in the evening and only treat nests in problem areas.

Gray, football-shaped nests up in trees are the work of the bald-faced hornet. If at all possible, leave the nest alone. It will die off with the arrival of winter and will not be reused again next year. If the nest is in a problem area and needs to be destroyed, wait until evening and spray insecticide up into the opening (stand to one side) in the bottom of the nest. Apply ready-to-use wasp and hornet spray products.

The best advise with these types of insects is to leave them alone if at all possible. Only control them when the threat of people being stung exists, which is often the case when the nest is near homes or other structures.

Source: Bruce Spangenberg, Extension Educator, Horticulture, University of Illinois Extension

Adults of masked chafers, also known as annual white grubs, appear to be low in number this year, at least in central Illinois. However, Japanese beetles appear to be making up for the shortage of masked chafers, with their numbers appearing to be higher than usual in many areas of the state.

Weather conditions are ripe for a large grub infestation. After adequate rains across the state in early July, follow-up rainfall has not occurred. The forecast for the middle of July was for no rain throughout Illinois. The lack of rain and the presence of sunny skies will likely cause non-irrigated turf to return to dormancy. If so, the adult Japanese beetles and masked chafers will concentrate their egg-laying in green, irrigated turf. This should result in damaging numbers of grubs from mid-August into October.

Application of imidacloprid (Merit) or halofenozide (Mach 2) to irrigated turf during July is recommended to prevent turf damage later. Both insecticides take about 3 weeks to kill grubs but last for several months. They are most effective on small, newly hatched grubs. Both insecticides are also available to homeowners, with halofenozide also available as Grub-ex, Ortho Bug-B-Gone and Scotts grub control.

Watering in the insecticide application with at least 1/2 inch of water is recommended. Mach 2 is quite water-soluble and dried residue readily washes off the grass and into the root zone with rainfall. Imidacloprid is more water-soluble than older grub insecticides and washes off with rainfall almost as easily as halofenozide. However, ultraviolet light (sunlight) is a major factor in the breakdown of many pesticides and leaving the insecticide residue in strong sunlight on the grass waiting for a rain may result in some breakdown of product. In addition, insecticide on the grass blades and thatch is not in the soil controlling grubs. As the grubs will not hatch until late July, applications at that time should be watered in so that activity against the grubs starts as soon as possible. In any case, if rainfall has not occurred within three or four days after application, irrigating the insecticide into the soil is a good idea.

You will want to cut through and pull back treated turf in August to make sure that the insecticide application was effective. Wait until at least three weeks have elapsed since the insecticide application. You will also want to check lightly irrigated and non-irrigated, untreated turf in early August to determine if a spot rescue treatment with trichlorfon (Dylox or Proxol) is needed.

Source: Dr. Philip Nixon, Entomologist, University of Ilinois

Some bagworms are approaching one inch in length and causing considerable damage. Check to make sure that damage is not occurring, particularly on arborvitae, spruce, Eastern red cedar and other junipers. Damage tends to be heaviest at the top of the tree, so use binoculars to aid inspection.

If you tend to use malathion, carbaryl (Sevin) or other older insecticides, realize that bagworms over 3/4 inch long will not be controlled. Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Dipel or Thuricide) should still be effective. Trichlorfon (Dylox), cyfluthrin (Tempo), and other synthetic pyrethroids should still be effective as well. In southern Illinois, the caterpillars may already be too big for Bt to be effective.

Other caterpillars commonly appear at this time of year and can be very noticeable. Yellow-necked caterpillar, walnut caterpillar, white-marked tussock moth and other caterpillars can occur in large numbers. They eat all the leaves off large branches or small trees. Realize that tree leaves provide most of their food for the tree during the first half of the growing season. Healthy, deciduous trees can lose some or all of their leaves from now through the end of the growing season with little impact on tree health.

Evergreens, particularly conifers, can be killed by defoliation so infestations there are more serious. Large caterpillar infestations on evergreens should be treated with Bt or another appropriate insecticide. Infestations of caterpillars on deciduous trees and shrubs may or may not be treated, depending on the health of the plants and their importance in the landscape. Plants on which the aesthetic damage of caterpillars would be very noticeable should be treated for that reason. Others, as long as they are healthy, probably do not require treatment.

Source: Dr. Philip Nixon, Entomologist, University of Illinois

Fantastic Foliage
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/foliage/
Use this new web site to place a spot of color or unusual foliage in your garden.

My First Garden
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/
Kids can learn how to plan, nurture and enjoy the benefits of a beautiful flower or vegetable garden.

August

• Monitor for pests (annual white grubs mid-August thru September). (Sod webworm)
  
• Irrigation (as needed)
  
• Prepare for seeding, over-seeding (optimum time)
  
• Seeding - latter half of month (optimum time)
  

September

• Over-seeding and establishment (optimum time) - first week
  
• Fertilization (key time)
  
• Cultivation (aerification, spiking, slicing) - lawn should be actively growing
  
• Postemergence broadleaf weed control to actively growing weeds (optimum time)

Suburbanization is the outward movement or expansion of development away from the main part of a city into previously uninhabited areas, including farmland or wooded (forest) areas. It is the result of people wanting to escape the city confines by living several miles (or more) away. The construction of housing developments and shopping malls (strip malls) continues to increase due to a high demand for rural-type living. However, encroaching into uninhabited areas puts humans into direct competition with nature. To survive, insects and wildlife, compete for food and space. As suburban sprawl encroaches into areas previously occupied by insects and wildlife, it may lead to increased calls to pest-control operators and lawn care professionals by homeowners living in suburban environments.

New housing developments commonly have pest problems due to the installation of trees, shrubs, flowers and turfgrass, which provide an abundance of food for many insects and wildlife. Some common insect pests include ants, termites, wasps, wood-boring insects and mosquitoes. Wildlife pests include skunks, raccoons and deer.

A combination of insects and wildlife can lead to problems for the homeowner. For example, many new housing developments have turfgrass that is watered regularly, providing an ideal environment for Japanese beetles to lay eggs. The larvae (grubs) that hatch become a food source for skunks and raccoons, which destroy the lawn while looking for the tasty morsels. Then the homeowner wants to know what can be done to prevent the problem.

Landscapes containing a variety of plant material (especially trees, shrubs or flowers in the rose family) may experience more problems with deer because easily accessible food is abundant.

Building wood homes in previously wooded areas where termites or ants may have been provides abundant food for these two insects. Termites feed on the wood and ants enter homes looking for food or nesting sites, depending on the species.

Suburbanization may also create plant stress and influence natural control from predators and parasitoids. For example, construction damage (mainly digging, which injures the root system) places undue stress on pre-existing trees or shrubs that are to be saved and used in the landscape. This stress increases susceptibility to wood-boring insects.

Shopping malls generally locate trees, shrubs and ground covers near buildings or in a parking lot island. These plants are surrounded by concrete or asphalt, which absorbs and radiates heat, creating a micro-habitat that may create stress. This increases susceptibility to insect pests, including scales, aphids and spider mites. Also, these micro-habitats, or islands, may be inhospitable to natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) due to temperature, dust or automobile exhaust; and the plants may be so isolated that natural enemies cannot locate the pests.

Suburbanization will continue to be a dominant factor as cities expand. However, it is important to understand that just because we inhabit an area it doesn't mean we will not have pest problems. We can never eradicate insect pests: They were here first and many are a vital part of the established ecosystem.

Source: Raymond A. Cloyd, Entomology, University of Illinois

Do-It-Yourself Biodegradable Paper Mulch?

U. S. Department of Agriculture chemist, Randal L. Shogren, has been experimenting with a seemingly simple technique for making paper mulch last long enough in the weather to benefit crops and then break down readily into the soil. The secret is coating the paper (Shogren uses brown grocery bag paper) with vegetable oils (such as soybean oil and linseed oil). Epoxidized soybean oil plus citric acid coating extends the life of paper mulch from less than three weeks to about 13 weeks.

A patent has been granted for the idea of using vegetable oils to make paper mulches more durable (but not too durable!), so it would be illegal to market such mulches without a license from the patent holder. But the method appears so simple that backyard gardeners could easily experiment with it; would the USDA even consider taking action against such non-commercial infringers of the patent?

For more information about Shogren's work, you can contact him at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois, e-mail shogerl@ncaur.usda.gov or phone 309-681-6354.

Reference: Anonymous, "Paper Mulch Coated with Vegetable Oil Offers Biodegradable Alternative to Plastic," Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World 8(5), May 2001, 4-5. (American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659).

Mulch Material Measurements

Handy rules-of-thumb for figuring mulch coverage, from the University of Massachusetts Extension Service:

A three-cubic-foot bag will cover approximately 18 square feet two inches deep.A cubic yard of mulch in bulk form will cover approximately 162 square feet two inches deep.

"Tough Trees and Shrubs for Tough (Midwestern) Sites"

That's the title of a new publication from the University of Minnesota Extension Service. It suggests "tough" woody plants suited to six ecological regions in Minnesota and it shows how to determine - before you plant - important properties of your soil, which as whether it is severely compacted and how well it drains.

Paper copies of "Tough Trees and Shrubs for Tough Sites" can be ordered from the University of Minnesota Extension Service for a small charge by calling 800-876-8636 (ask for item number 7502). Or you can access the electronic version free of charge at www.extension.umn.edu.

August - Edible

Plant greens, lettuce, kohlrabi and radishes for fall harvest.

Remove dead or diseased plants from the vegetable and flower garden.

Sow rye or oats to improve soil quality in harvested areas of the garden.

Plan a family outing to one of the following county fairs:

Kankakee County Fair - August 1 - 5 - Fairgrounds 815-932-6714
Kendall County Fair – August 3-5 - Fairgrounds 630-553-2860
McHenry County Fair - August 1-5 - 815-338-5315
Will County Fair - August 22 - 25 - Fairgrounds - 708-258-6592
Lake County Indiana Fair (Crown Point, IN) - August 3 - 12 - 219-663-3617
Illinois State Fair - August 10 - 19 - 217-782-6661

Cure onions in a warm, dry place for two weeks before storing.

Sow beets, spinach and turnips now for the fall garden.

August -Ornamental

Dry flowers from your garden for year round enjoyment in arrangements or wreaths. Factsheet available.

Continue watering the lawn regularly if you want to keep it green.

Look for grub damage and sod webworms in the lawn. Treat only if insect population is high. Factsheet available.

Late in the month, establish new lawns or renovate poor quality ones. Factsheet available.

Do not fertilize perennial flowers after August 10.

Order bulbs for fall planting.

Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.

Once bagworms reach full size, insecticides are ineffective. Pruning off and burning large bags provides better control.
Watch Scotch and Austrian pines now for Zimmerman pine moth damage. Factsheet available.

August - Indoors

Repot summer blooming orchids.

Watch for scale insects. They will appear as brown bumps on stems or leaves. Try dabbing a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol on them to kill the insects.

September - Edible

Pull vegetable plants that have finished bearing and add to the compost pile.

Plant radishes, spinach, leaf lettuce and mustard greens.

Pull weeds before their seeds ripen. This will save much weeding next year.

Visit a pick-your-own orchard. For a list of farms call 773-233-0476 or visit our web site at http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/apples/

September - Ornamental

Seed a new lawn or renovate a poor quality one early in the month. Factsheet available.

Core aerate or dethatch lawn if thatch layer is greater than 1/2 inch. Factsheet available.

Plant trees, shrubs and perennials.

Harvest gourds when shells become hard or turn brown. Factsheet available.

Divide spring or early summer flowering perennials and replant. Factsheet available.

Divide crowded daylilies.

Plant peonies and lilies. Factsheet available.

Leave flower heads with edible seeds, like purple coneflowers and sunflowers standing to feed wild birds over the winter.

Lift and divide iris rhizomes and overgrown peonies.

September - Indoor

Bring houseplants indoors before night temperatures regularly dip below 50°F.

Start the dormant period for your winter-flowering amaryllis. Place them in a cool, dark location and let them dry so the foliage will die back. They should be dormant until early December. Factsheet available.

Poinsettias can be forced into bloom for Christmas if they are moved indoors to a sunny window. Each night for 8-10 weeks, they must be kept in a cool, dark place where there is no light for 14 hours. Factsheet available.

It's August and the heat is on. Heavy, long-cooking food is simply not on the menu. How about a salad for supper tonight? For some people, having a salad means not getting enough to eat. Well, that depends on the salad ingredients. Adding pasta, rice or chilled cooked meat to salad greens can provide a filling and satisfying summer meal.

History
The "first" salad was probably made by the ancient Arabians who mixed greens of the field in a large container. They warmed olive oil in the sun for a dressing. The Greeks later created new recipes, developed new herbs and introduced spices. The Romans improved the dressing. A princess of the Medici family of Florence, Italy, introduced salads to the French. Europeans brought salads to America. We have learned much about the secrets of seasoning from the Germans and Bohemians.

Today
Salads do more than make meals attractive and appealing. They have come to have an important and popular place in our menus. While they do add sparkle and interest, even more important is their nutritional contribution. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid guidelines suggest an individual eat 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit each day.

Valuable vitamins and minerals are found in many of the major salad-making ingredients. Vegetables, especially the leafy greens and deep yellows, are major sources of Vitamin A. Various other vegetables contribute significant amounts of Vitamin C and folate and the minerals iron and magnesium. They are naturally low in fat and also provide fiber.

Many of the fruits we use in salads are high in Vitamin C and also provide important amounts of Vitamin A and the mineral potassium. They, too, are low in fat and also low in sodium. Protein and carbohydrates may also be present in salads in varying degrees depending on the ingredients.

While salads can add valuable nutrients to our diet, they can also add lots of calories if we are not careful! Not all salads are "low calorie." Everyone knows there are very few calories in lettuce - 1/4 head has about 20 calories. Adding other ingredients such as green pepper, cucumber, and green onion will only add a few more calories, because these foods are low in calories, too.

But what about the salad dressing? Salad dressings can add an additional 50-100 calories per tablespoon. How many tablespoons do you use? On a salad, such as one you might have from a salad bar in a fast food restaurant, it is not uncommon for people to add 1/4 cup of salad dressing. This would add 200 - 400 calories to the salad. That's as many calories as a dessert. Consider choosing low fat dressings that contain 15 calories or so per tablespoon.

Variety is the key to successful salads. A salad, like other parts of the meal, requires contrast in color, flavor, texture and form. These contrasts make salads a delightful creation for company occasions as well as for everyday meals.

Salad ingredients readily achieve flavor contrast through mixture of sweet and tart fruits, or succulent vegetables with tangy or sweet dressings. Difference in texture is appealing with the use of crisp salad greens and garnishes of croutons, fresh herbs, chopped onion, celery, radishes and/or green pepper. Form and shape can easily be varied with slices, chunks, cubes, dices, strips, shreds, balls, fluted edges, halves and crinkle cuts. Food can be arranged so that colors compliment each other.

Preparation of Salads

• To save time and work in making salads, keep all ingredients, seasonings and utensils together in one work area, preferably near the refrigerator.
  
• Marinating some ingredients before adding to a salad adds zest. Toss pasta, cold meat
  or vegetables with a thin salad dressing until they become well seasoned. It is preferable to marinate each kind of food - meat/fish/boiled potatoes, etc. - separately, drained and then combined with the other foods just before the salad is served. A plastic bag works well.
  
• Foods that do not cut easily with a fork should be cut into pieces convenient for eating. Raw celery and cold potatoes may be diced; raw cabbage, carrots and lettuce may be shredded; raw carrots may also be grated, diced or sliced.
  
• Canned fruits and vegetables should be drained and chilled thoroughly before they are used in salads. Store cans of mandarin oranges, artichoke hearts, olives and other ingredients in the refrigerator for quick pre-chilled ingredients.
  
• To prevent salad foods from becoming crushed or bruised, handle them as little as possible. When tossing green salads to distribute the ingredients and to coat them with the dressing, use a super large bowl, a few light strokes and two large forks.
  
• Avoid using too much dressing. Dressings are added to salads to moisten and season the foods and to bind them together. Excess is wasteful, decreases the crispness and flavor and adds calories. Place a small amount of dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Add other ingredients and toss lightly.

One essential step is washing greens - including lettuce - before storing. First, remove the cores of tight heads of lettuce by banging the stem end of the head on a counter top and twisting. Then hold the head cut side up under running water and allow the water to push the leaves apart to prevent bruising.

Remove only wilted outer leaves. Although outer leaves may be coarser than inner ones, they should not be discarded unless they are bruised because they are especially rich in vitamins and minerals. Drain the head well before refrigerating.

To wash delicate leafy lettuces such as garden and Boston varieties, swish them up and down in a pan of cold to lukewarm water to remove all dirt and sand. Escarole or Romaine greens should be cut off from the roots or stems of the plants and each leaf should be washed individually to remove all dirt.

After allowing the lettuce to drain thoroughly, pat leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper toweling or whirl in a wire basket to remove as much moisture as possible. Then wrap greens in a soft towel, plastic wrap, foil or a plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use. The crisper in the refrigerator is tailored for storing greens and other vegetables.

Finally, never use a knife to cut greens for salad use. Instead, tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. (This may seem to take a little longer at first, but soon you will become as fast as you were with a knife.) Torn leaves combine more easily with dressing and are easier to eat with a fork - not to mention the fact that they look better.

Creamy Herb Dressing (Easy, Low-Calorie, Low-Fat)

Though there are many low-calorie dressings on the market, you may want to consider making your own salad dressing. Following is a basic low-calorie dressing to which you can add a variety of seasonings, depending on your preference. Experiment by adding chopped green onions, capers, balsamic vinegar and a dash of sesame oil or your favorite freshly chopped herbs.

Basic Low Calorie Dressing/Dip
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley,
At least 1/4 cup buttermilk*
minced or 1 teaspoon dried
Dash of black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dillweed,
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
minced or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons lemon juice or flavored vinegar

Put all ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add 2-3 more tablespoons of buttermilk to thin dressing to consistency you desire. Dressing contains only 12 calories per tablespoon.

* Buttermilk is always made from low-fat milk.

Tomatoes disguise their wholesomeness in most delicious ways.

Locally grown, vine-ripened tomatoes become available in our area from mid-July to October. So, it is tomato time again. The days of fresh vine-ripened tomatoes are fast fleeting.

Americans eat about 17 pounds of tomatoes per person annually. Tomatoes are low in calories and high in nutritional value. Two medium tomatoes can supply a full day's requirement for Vitamin C at only about 25 calories each. They are also an excellent source of beta carotene and fiber. Current research links lycopene in tomatoes with reducing the risk of some forms of cancer.

More tomatoes are grown in backyard gardens than any other form of produce. U-pick farms in the area are also selling tomatoes at 50-70 cents per pound and cheaper. You won't find prices like that in the grocery store.

The question is often asked why do homegrown tomatoes taste better than store bought tomatoes? Well, wholesale tomato growers harvest tomatoes while they are still green. Sugar and flavor are under-developed, but they travel well.

Vine-ripened tomatoes are rich in flavor and they contain more Vitamin C than commercial varieties. Even if your tomatoes are not fully ripened, they will be superior in flavor. Commercial tomatoes are also refrigerated soon after harvesting, which slows down the ripening process. You see, tomatoes continue to ripen after harvesting, but they ripen best at room temperature. Never ever refrigerate tomatoes. Refrigeration mutes the flavor and halts ripening.

To get the full flavor from fresh tomatoes, store them at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Always set them on the blossom end, as the shoulders are the tenderest part and bruise easily.

Tomatoes can also be frozen. Many people do not preserve tomatoes at home because they do not like the canning process. But, biologically, tomatoes are a fruit and do not require blanching unless you want to remove the skin before freezing, which is optional too. For more information about tomatoes and other garden vegetables visit "Watch Your Garden Grow" at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies

Have you ever left your doctor's office unsure of what he/she said? Do you sometimes worry that he may not know exactly who you were either? Conversation, like the practice of medicine, is an art. Your doctor is seeing many patients, he/she is on a time schedule and may not have seen you since last year or even longer. Make the most of your limited time together by using the following suggestions:

• Make eye contact - Start with a greeting and wait until your doctor looks at you before you start talking. Always answer questions as succinctly as possibly. Address your doctor by name when asking a question.
  
• Tell the story - When you describe your symptoms, always start with the general and work your way down to specifics. This is how medical professionals have been trained to think. Move from what you feel to objective facts (information you can see, count or touch).
  
• Describe the effects - Be sure to talk about how your condition affects your life. Does it interfere with work, sleep, eating habits, relationships or anything else that is important to you? This will help bring out your doctor's compassion and remind him that he is treating a person and not just an illness.
  
• Do not expect reassurance - Your doctor will not say "everything will be O.K." or "don't worry about it" unless they are absolutely certain. They do not want to belittle your fears only to give bad news later.

Stress On-The-Job

In most job situations it's the "bossed" not the boss who experience the most stress-related symptoms? Studies have shown that workers who view themselves as simply "cogs in the wheel" experience the most stress on the job. If you feel that your job is not offering enough autonomy, make an attempt to change the situation.

Start by analyzing what bothers you and try to come up with solutions. Discuss your proposal with co-workers then speak to the boss. By demonstrating problem-solving skills, you may get more responsibility and recognition. If your job is managing others you can probably reduce stress by providing on-the-job training and offering real responsibilities that lead to a sense of control. Remember that powerlessness can lead to poor performance and stress too.

Making a Sanitizing Solution

Cleaning is the removal of all visible dirt and soil. Sanitizing goes beyond cleaning. It is the removal of micro-organisms such as bacteria, mold and germs you cannot see. Some surfaces in the home need to be sanitized from time to time.

Cutting boards, countertops, sinks, sponges and dish towels are among the items that need sanitizing. So, how do you make a sanitizing solution? It is as simple as mixing chlorine bleach and water; however, different sanitizing jobs call for different strengths.

• To sanitize cutting boards - Wooden and plastic cutting boards should be sanitized periodically. Start by cleaning the surface in hot, soapy water and scrubbing with a stiff brush and rinse. Then mix one tablespoon chlorine bleach with one quart cool tap water and use this solution to rinse again. Allow the boards to air dry.
  
• To sanitize countertops - Use a milder solution to sanitize countertops. Mix two teaspoons chlorine bleach with one quart of water.
  
• To sanitize kitchen sponges and dish cloths - Mix 3/4 cup chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of water and allow them to soak for at least two minutes. Rinse and air-dry.
  

Sanitizing solutions should be mixed fresh daily as needed. Caution: handle chlorine bleach with care, keep out of reach of children. Too much chlorine will fade or strip out color and weaken fabric. More is not better. All brands of chlorine bleach meet the minimum standard, more expensive brands are charging for colorful bottles added fragrance and advertising.

Boost Your Memory Naturally

People believe that memory loss is an unavoidable part of aging, but some research suggests that this does not have to be the case. You can help to keep your memory strong by keeping your mind active. Games - crossword puzzles, word games and card games - are all good exercises for improving memory. Go to lectures, take a class or join an activity group. Activity will induce new stimuli.

To help improve short-term memory loss, memorize a poem or lines from a play or song, make up rhymes and compose mental pictures. Repeating and rehearsing new facts - such as the name of someone you have just met - can also help.

...aside from losing potency, some prescription and over-the-counter drugs become dangerous over time? The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommends cleaning out your medicine cabinet each month and discarding drugs that are past their expiration date. Drugs should be stored in a cool, dry place, which makes the steamy bathroom chest less than ideal.

...most Americans believe that larger portions equal better value? According to information from the National Restaurant Association 56 percent of diners age 44 and younger believe in "the bigger the better" philosophy. Research indicates that people eat more if it is in front of them. Resist super-sizing your meals in search of a bargain. Keep servings healthy by asking for a doggie bag for half the portion to eat later. Don't forget to refrigerate it.

...Austrian and Italian researchers have provided strong evidence that chronic infection may increase overall risk of the blood vessel disease, atherosclerosis? People with chronic bacterial infection - ranging from sinusitis and bronchitis to inflamed digestive and urinary tracts - may be at substantially higher risk for developing conditions that may lead to heart attack and stroke in later life. Risk may be associated with the toxic effect of the inflammation itself or with the body's immune reaction to it. American Heart Association, Heart and Stroke News; Spring 2001