Turn the Page April 2021 Book Review

April is National Cancer Control Month and an excellent time for Rebecca Skloot’s highly acclaimed “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” As Henrietta lies dying in a colored ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, cancer cells are harvested without her or her family’s knowledge. Starting in 2000, Skloot spent ten years researching the science and, reaching beyond the cells with a stunning combination of science and compassion, now tells us about Henrietta’s life and her disenfranchised family.

This is the true story of the poor, African-American woman whose cancer cells became the only human cells for many years that did not die in cultures. Named HeLa (HEnrietta LAcks), they were used by scientists in breakthroughs from vaccines to cloning and gene mapping and fostered a multimillion dollar industry.

Windy weather brings out kites but Geraldine McCaughrean sends people aloft with them in “The Kite Rider.” Beginning when 12-year-old Haoyou watches as his father is strapped to a kite, sent aloft to forecast a cargo ship’s fortunes, then falls to earth dead, the story continues at a steady pace.

It follows Haoyou as he takes to the skies as a kite rider, his adventures carrying the action. But it is the interesting characters around him – Mipeng the medium, the evil menace Di Chou, the Jade Circus’ master Jie, as well as the great Kublai Khan – who add depth to the story.

The author brings readers into the sky with Haoyou, into the crowd of circus spectators and into Kublai Khan’s court. Although recommended for ages 10-14, the well-written description of 13th century China’s everyday life, culture and customs will please readers beyond that limit.

Rebecca chose the blood red rhododendrons blooming outside the Manderley estate’s morning-room each spring. If you enjoy mysteries, psychological thrillers and love stories, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier has it all.

Memories of Maxim de Winter’s first wife Rebecca not only inhabit Manderley but drive the young new wife to try to fill the fashionable shoes of her predecessor and secure her husband’s love. After a short courtship and little knowledge of Maxim’s past, her attempts fall short, often blocked by the diabolical housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, herself obsessed with the dead Rebecca.

Du Maurier created a page-turner, adding intriguing characters that pop up in the twisting plot and providing a satisfying, if surprising, ending.

All books are available at the Franklin County Libraries.

~ Carol Kagan

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Are you interested herbs? 

Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog 

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon.

Heirloom Vegetables: Good Taste and Interesting Tales

Purple Calabash

[I now have a column in the Franklin County Free Press (online). There may be different topics covered there. Please visit their page. I am sharing my April 10, 2021, column here.]

Heirlooms provide a sense of history. The wardrobe from Great Aunt Rose’s attic, an antique carved chair, and a rusty tool from a local auction carry a sense of history, of the people who used them. This holds true for heirloom vegetable varieties.

“Heirloom seeds are usually more than 50 years old and have been passed down from generation to generation,” said Kathy McFarland, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company . “This means they come with fascinating stories and heritage from years past.”

While the stories don’t enhance flavor, shelf-life, or color they are a way to connect to our vegetable heritage. “Heirloom seeds have often been handed down as family favorites,” said Christine Mayer, Director at Wilson College’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living. 

Heirloom varieties are open pollinated which means that, unlike hybrids, seeds you collect from one year will produce the same plants the next year. “Using heirlooms helps preserve the gene pool and assure that resilience from pests, diseases and climate are built into the system,” noted Mayer.

Many gardeners are drawn to stories behind the names. ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’  tomato came from radiator business owner, “Charlie,” who came up with a large, meaty, and productive variety that he sold during the depression. He used the money to pay off his mortgage.

Aunt Lou's  Underground Railroad

‘Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad’ tomato has been traced back to Kentucky through Ripley, Ohio. The seeds were carried by an escaping slave as he traveled the Underground Railroad. The tomato is characteristic of those grown in that era.

Home gardeners have the luxury to choose what they grow. Many choose heirlooms for taste, size, hardiness, qualities for cooking, and color not found in hybrids; and savings seeds from year to year ensures the same plants.

The Japanese White eggplants, originally from Kyoto, Japan, are considered a Kyoto heirloom and are often found in home gardens and served in upscale restaurants. Their spongy texture quickly absorbs flavors such as ginger, soy sauce and miso as well as any sauces.

Japanese White Eggplant

Tomatoes have a wide range of shapes, colors, taste, and growing habit. Cherry, slicer, beefsteak, or canning types are available as are pink, orange, white and ‘Green Zebra’ striped varieties.

Heirlooms may not be pretty but gardeners seeking tasty fruit often find them the best. “Most heirlooms taste better than the hybrid and genetically modified produce because these have been bred and selected for generations based on how they taste,” said McFarland.

Pennsylvania heirloom tomatoes include Brandywine, reported to be introduced in 1885 by Amish farmers in Chester County. Other heirlooms include Amish Paste, Hahnstown Yellow, Amish Oxheart and Eva's Amish Stripe. 

The Hinkel Hatz pepper is named for fruits the size and shape of chicken hearts – a translation of hinkel hatz. It is a rare Pennsylvania Dutch heirloom dating to before 1880. The peppers are usually red or yellow and reported to have been cultivated for over 150 years.

Fish Peppers date to the early 1800's, grown by African Americans in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Black chefs made white paprika from the creamy white young pods for fish and shellfish white cream sauces, a secret ingredient passed down through oral history. The white paprika did not detract from the dish's appearance.

The rediscovery of these  peppers may be due to a barter - bees for seeds. In the 1940’s, Horace Pippin sought a remedy for his war wounds. Hearing that bee stings may relieve the pain, he bought bees from H. Ralph Weaver, in exchange for vegetable seeds which included the rare fish pepper. These seeds were made available to in the 1995 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook.

Several years ago, I discovered German Strawberry oxheart tomatoes. Strawberry refers to the shape and not the size. Oxheart tomatoes are large (up to 3 lbs.), heavy and meaty with few seeds. Here are a few pictures.

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Are you interested herbs? Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon.

Spring Tree Planting Tips

 

[A NOTE from our Master Gardener Facebook page written by Annette MaCoy, Master Gardener Coordinator.]

This spring, you may be spending more time at home and in your garden than you expected. Perhaps you’ve decided that, along with the Victory Garden you’re planting for fresh and healthy produce, you’d like to plant a tree in your landscape for shade and beauty.

Many local nurseries and garden centers are still open during the Covid-19 shutdown, but before leaving home, be sure to call the business first to check on its status and hours of operation, which may be limited or modified.

[Tim Abbey, Extension Education says "During my twenty-four year career, the most common tree problem that I encounter isn't an insect or a disease—it is us." See his tips for Successful Planting.]

Do you know the right way to plant a tree? You might be surprised to find that it’s not what you thought. Consider the following statements – true or false?

It pays to Plant with Care.

All these statements are false, and yet all are often repeated as time-honored tradition. Research as proven otherwise. If you want a tree to survive and thrive, follow these suggestions instead.

Smaller trees – up to about 6 feet in height or up to about 1-inch caliper – are much easier to transplant and will re-establish much more quickly than a larger tree in a small container, which is likely to have a very poor root system. A larger tree may suffer transplant shock for 5-10 years, during which time a smaller tree will have surpassed it in growth rate and size.

Use your shovel handle and lay it across the grade. (Photo: joegarden.com)

Planting Hole - Dig a shallow hole that is 2 to 5 times wider than the root ball. You must find the root flare first; then dig the hole only deep enough to position the root flare at or slightly above soil grade. The root flare is that widening of the trunk at its base to join the roots; it may be buried or hidden within the container mix or ball of soil. An easy way to know if your hole is at the right depth is to take your shovel handle and lay it across the grade. The top of the root ball or tree flare should be at or above the handle level.  The root mass should be resting on undisturbed soil, and your planting hole should be a wide, shallow bowl, not a deep narrow cup.

Roots - Do give the roots a “bad hair day”! It is important to loosen and examine the roots of a container-grown or balled-and-burlapped tree before planting. Kinked, girdling, damaged, defective, and very long roots should be trimmed. This does not harm the plant; it will encourage the growth of healthy new roots and may prevent the future problems of a poor root system. When working with roots, always keep them moist and shaded. If possible, remove excess amounts of the container medium in which the tree was growing – whether it’s the soilless mix of a container or the heavy clay soil of a balled plant – to facilitate root contact with the backfill soil in the planting hole. All twine, and as much burlap and wire as possible, should be removed from a balled plant.

(Photo: Univ.Maryland)

Soil - In average garden soil, do not amend the backfill soil with organic matter. Loosen it and break up large clumps before backfilling around the roots. If the soil is extremely poor, mix up to 10% by volume of organic matter into the backfill. Amending the backfill soil with copious amounts of organic matter (compost, manure, or peat moss, for instance) changes its texture, which makes it very difficult for the roots to grow beyond the planting hole. A strong tree will have roots spreading outward into native soil, not circling within amended backfill soil.

Mulch - Do not mound mulch up around the trunk of a tree. This is called a “mulch volcano,” and we all know that trees don’t grow in volcanoes. Mulch should be applied in a thin flat layer, 2 to 4 inches thick, spread over as much of the root zone under the tree’s canopy as you can manage, with an area left bare directly around the tree’s trunk. Mulch piled right against the trunk keeps the bark moist, which can lead to insect and disease problems; it also provides habitat for nibbling animals such as mice and voles, and can lead to girdling roots by interfering with oxygen and water absorption by the roots.

Pruning - Newly planted trees should not be pruned to ‘balance’ the crown and roots. The leaf canopy provides energy to the roots to help them begin growing. Pruning stimulates the tree to expend energy on new top growth at the expense of root growth. The only pruning that should be done at planting is to remove broken, dead, or defective branches. Give roots at least one year to become established before pruning the tree for structure.

Once your tree is properly planted, continue to keep it watered (moist but not saturated soil throughout the root zone) for at least the first year after transplanting. These guidelines, more than any transplant potions or outdated advice, will ensure a healthy tree for future generations.

~ Annette MaCoy, Penn State Extension, Franklin County

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Are you interested herbs? Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon.

Master Gardeners Growing for the Community 2021

 

Please read all the information before making a request. 

Master Gardeners are reaching out to community organizations and community gardens in Franklin County to offer free plants from their Greenhouse. Any non-profit or educational community organization or community garden in Franklin County that serves the public may request free transplants of a variety of vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers. The plants will be available for pick-up in late May at the Master Gardeners’ Barn, near their Demonstration Gardens, at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg.

Organizations serving youth, seniors, low-income, or food-insecure clientele, or educating the public about issues of food security, food nutrition, or healthy gardening are encouraged to contact the Master Gardener Coordinator to place a request for donated plants.

Here’s how it works. The transplants will come in flats (trays) of 18 plants. A flat will hold an assorted variety of either annual flowers, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, or other vegetables. Your group or organization may request as many flats as you can handle for distribution to your group’s clientele. However, quantities are limited, and the Master Gardeners may have to make substitutions or adjustments to your request depending on availability.

The following types of plants are available, grouped per flat:

Assorted Annual Flowers include varieties good for pollinator gardens and cutting gardens, such as calendula, globe amaranth, marigolds, salvia, Mexican sunflower, tropical milkweed, and zinnias.

Assorted Herbs include culinary varieties such as flat-leaf parsley, common chives, sweet basil, French thyme, Greek oregano, and summer savory.

Assorted Peppers include varieties that are sweet or have very mild heat, such as California Wonder, Goddess, Lunchbox Orange, Lunchbox Red, Sheepnose, Pimento, and Shishito.

Assorted Tomatoes include sauce varieties such as Amish Paste and San Marzano; slicer varieties such as Beefmaster, Better Boy, and Mortgage Lifter; and salad snack varieties such as Smarty and Sun Gold Hybrid.

Assorted Vegetables include varieties of cucumber, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, and zucchini.

We are not able to fill requests for specific varieties in a flat, and the varieties available are subject to change, depending on germination and growing conditions in the Greenhouse. We ask that you request a minimum of one flat of 18 plants; but if you can use only one flat, we can mix flowers, herbs, and vegetables in the flat if you want.

When your transplants are ready in late May, your group will be contacted to arrange a time for contactless pick-up at the Master Gardeners’ Barn. Each plant will be labeled with its variety name, and educational factsheets will also be available with a brief description of each variety as well as general growing information and tips.

If your Franklin County group or organization is interested in free transplants from the Master Gardeners’ Greenhouse, and you would like to request flats or want more information, please contact the Master Gardener Coordinator, Annette MaCoy, at ahm11@psu.edu.  You can also call the Franklin County Extension office at 717-263-9226 and leave a message for Annette; she will call you back.

Master Gardener Calendar - Pictures - Summer Reminder

HELLO MASTER GARDENERS! 

Taking pictures for the Master Gardener 2022 Calendar? Below are the guidelines.

Don't forget photos of your delicious vegetables as well as late summer blooms. Clean the veggies and spritz a little water on them.  

Here are the guidelines.

Files should be 2 Mbs (6 mp on phones is 18 Mbs) or larger. Most cell phone photos are good. See Smartphone camera tips at the bottom.

A resolution of 300 dpi and a minimum size of 5"x7"

Try to include action photos.

If a MG is in the picture they should be wearing MG branded clothes.

Identifiable children need a parental release.

No staged photos - real interactions with the public. [Prob not much of this...)

Tips for using your Smartphone camera

1. Shoot in Landscape

- Rotating your phone to landscape mode and using the volume buttons to take the photo provides a more stable hold on the phone, reducing noise in your pictures.

2. Utilize the Grid Lines

- Locate this option in your photo app settings.  Keep your main subjects off center so they become the focus.

• Focus on the eyes

• Place strong lines and divisions like the horizon on the gridlines

3. Don’t Zoom!

- Get up and personal with your subject for the best results.  Most smartphone cameras have a digital zoom, but using this won’t help you get detailed pictures from far away.  Zoom is just essentially cropping our picture on the screen.

4. Choose different or unusual camera angles

- This allows you to explore different point of view.

• Lie on your stomach
• When taking pictures of small children or pets, get down on their level.
• Climb up and look down!

5. No Garbage Cans!

- You should also avoid cluttered or ugly backgrounds by changing your point of view.  Watch out for the trash cans or other unsightly objects in your view.

Be creative. Night shot with flash

6. Multiple Shots

 - If you see something that catches your eye don't just take one shot and hope for the best. The chances of getting a good photo with your first shot are very slim. You should take shots from various angles and distances.

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Are you interested herbs? Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon.