"Semester at Sea: An Around the World Odyssey in 108 Days" will be presented on Tuesday, November 10, 5 to 7 pm.
In 2009, Joan Walters took a trip around the world. She participated in a "Semester at Sea" sponsored by the University of Virginia. The MV Explorer ship served as a floating university for undergraduate students. You can hear about the adventure of a lifetime from Joan, who traveled on this ship as a Lifelong Learner. This two-hour program will take you to four continents and 14 countries...without jet lag or seasickness!
Program will be held at the U of I Extension Building #30, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield. Cost to attend this program is $5 and will include refreshments. Pre-registration is encouraged. Register on-line at the Sangamon-Menard Unit website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/sangamonmenard. Questions call (217) 782-4617.
This month as we celebrate the things that we are thankful for, many of us will sit down to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with our family and friends. A traditional meal for our family includes: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn pudding, a cranberry relish and pumpkin pie.
The tradition of celebrating the fall harvest dates back to 1621 when Pilgrims and Native Americans feasted together. Cranberries, one of three fruits native to North America, were possibly served at this celebration and continue to be part of holiday menus. (The other two native fruits are blueberries and Concord grapes.) The fruit was called "crane berry" by the pilgrims. The pink flower blossom and the small stem resembled the head and beak of cranes. Eventually the word was shortened to cranberry.
Wisconsin is the national leader of cranberry production, producing 58 percent of the cranberries that Americans consume each year. The 2007 Wisconsin cranberry harvest yielded approximately 351 million pounds of fruit. Other major cranberry producing states include Massachusetts, Oregon, New Jersey and Washington.
So what are the steps to growing a successful cranberry crop?
The cranberry plant is a low growing, trailing, woody evergreen vine. Plants prefer a sandy or organic, acid soil with a soil pH between 4.0 and 5.5. They need an adequate supply of water for frost protection, harvest and winter flooding. Plant beds are excavated to about 18 inches above the final water table. It takes about four years to produce a crop of fruit from a new plant.
Fruit are borne on short vertical upright branches, known as uprights. An upright can grow erect for one or two seasons before its weight bends it downward and a new vertical shoot is produced. Flower buds are formed in late summer the season before they open. The plants produce a pink flower in late June and early July. After pollination, a berry begins to develop. The green berry takes about 75 to 100 days to mature to the dark red color.
Cranberries are harvested between September and October. Beds are either wet or dry harvested. One technique for harvesting is to flood the marsh area where the plants are growing. Mechanical harvesters lift the berries from the vines.
In the winter, cranberry plants must be protected against fluctuating temperatures and drying winds. In December, dormant vines are flooded with water that freezes into a solid covering of ice. In the spring, water is pumped out of the bogs.
Fresh cranberries are only available at supermarkets in the fall, September to December. So, it is a good idea to buy extra bags for later use. Cranberries can be frozen for up to nine months.
Cranberries are a good source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C, and one cup of raw cranberries is low in calories, saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol. This Thanksgiving include a healthy cranberry dish as part of your celebration. Cranberry recipes and fact can be found on the Wisconsin State Cranberries Growers Association website, http://www.wiscran.org.
Cranberries can be used in a variety of recipes including gelatin salads, sauces, beverages and desserts.
Source: Jennifer Fishburn, Horticulture, Unit Educator, University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit
If you live in a rural area that is constantly exposed to the wind, you could save money by installing a farmstead windbreak. In the winter, a dense multi-row windbreak can save 10 to 40 percent in heating your home. Energy use to cool your home in the summer can also be reduced by a windbreak.
Windbreaks can have other benefits too. Wildlife habitat, especially with the addition of shrubs can be created. Fruit trees or trees for fuel wood production can also be incorporated into a windbreak, providing food and fuel to heat your home.
Join Dave Shiley, Natural Resources Management Extension Educator as he presents windbreak design, planting, and maintenance. Renovating old windbreaks will also be discussed. The presentation will be via the University of Illinois telenet system and local computer PowerPoint presentation allowing live discussion between the instructor and gardeners throughout Illinois. Cost to attend is $5.
The presentation is set for November 12th at University of Illinois Extension , Building #30, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield. The program will be held at 1:30 p.m. and repeated at 6:30 p.m.
To reserve a packet of handouts pre-register on-line at the Sangamon-Menard Unit website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/sangamonmenard. Questions call (217) 782-4617.
Organic Gardening Day 2009 is scheduled for Saturday, November 21, from 8:00 am through 4:30 pm, at the Hawthorn Hotel and Suites, 101 Trade Center Drive, Champaign, IL.
As has become traditional, organic gardening experts from around the world will present five educational sessions to inspire herb gardening and use in the coming year.
Dr. John Biernbaum, from Michigan State University, where he works with organics, herbs, greenhouses, and the student farm, will first talk about Soil Building Techniques. In the afternoon, he will relate his experiences with Year-Round Production in Unheated Greenhouses.
Anne Patterson, from Living Earth Farm, in Farmington, Illinois, will explain how to bring about Real Health Care Reform – From Your Garden! Eat healthy to be healthy.
Niall and Kristie Campbell, the owners of Firefly Grill in Effingham, Illinois, will co-present From Garden to Table: Savoring the Fruits of Your Labors, a discussion and cooking demonstration featuring recipes which incorporate fresh herbs and organic produce.
Jim Schmidt, a home horticulture specialist from the Department of Crop Sciences here at UIUC, will speak about Pest-Free Posies, which will detail some relatively trouble-free flowers for the organic garden.
There will be a retail area selling a broad spectrum of gardening products.
Registrations will be allotted on a first come, first served basis, through Nov. 13.
Cost of registration, $59 per person, includes seating in the lectures, rolls during morning registration, and an organic theme lunch buffet. To register, mail checks, payable to the University of Illinois, to: Organic Gardening Day 2009, Attn: Tracey Malkovich, AW-101, Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801-4730 (see enclosed return envelope) to reserve registration and lunch. For more information or to confirm receipt of registration, call (217) 333-3420 and mention Organic Gardening Day 2009.
University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteer program may be for you if you have a desire to learn more about gardening and then share your knowledge with others.
Master Gardeners are adult members of the community who are interested in learning more about lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, the environment and much more. Master Gardener trainees receive 60 hours of in-depth unbiased, research-based horticulture training from University of Illinois Extension educators and specialists. A Master Gardener Intern is expected to return 60 hours of volunteer service in the year following their graduation. Classes will be offered on Thursdays from 9am to 4pm, starting January 21 and ending April 1, 2010.
Applications are due November 9. If you would like an application or more information about the Sangamon-Menard unit program, phone (217) 782-4617.
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