WOW! CBMGA had a really great meeting this past Thursday. We
had two great speakers on canning, our wildflower project is going
forward with the arrival of the wildflower seeds, information of the
Master Gardener State Convention, two field trips were announced and
propagation of hydrangeas were covered.
Our own Master Gardeners Jill Klepzig and Rhonda Lesher shared
the honors of speaking on various aspects of canning.
Jill spoke first on pressure canning, demonstrating the parts of a
pressure canner and how important it is to make sure all of the parts
are functioning properly and are in good shape. Jill had several things
she had canned in her pressure canner showing that properly done,
home canned goods can last from one to two years depending on the
contents.
Rhonda Lesher spoke second and initially spoke on canning in what
is called a “hot water bath”. Rhonda gave some great tips on what is
needed and why it is needed to do hot water bath canning.
Rhonda shared not only her dill pickle recipe, she shared some of her
dill pickles so that everyone could see how they tasted…and as
someone who loves dill pickles, they were wonderful. Rhonda pointed
out that if you are canning something acidic, then it can be canned in a
hot water bath and does not need to have the extra heat achieved from
pressure canning.
The group had several questions about canning from what kind of
produce did best in which kind of canning to how long to pressure can
different products, all of which Rhonda handled with ease. Rhonda told
the members that if they had any questions about canning, they could
just call 1-800-HelpMeRhonda(it’s a joke folks, pls’ don’t call this number).
Some of the information that was presented came from
Texas A&M Food Processing
Thanks Jill and Rhonda for such an informative presentation.
As part of achieving their volunteer hours, Phylicxia Moore and
Martha Deming worked on researching and compiling information to
apply for awards given out by the state organization, Texas Master
Gardeners. And as it turns out their hard work got Cypress Basin Master
Gardeners their first award from the state, and it was a First Place!
Great work on Martha’s and Phylixia’s part in researching what was
needed to apply for the award. Their research took them to Dale Van
Hoose and Rhonda Lesher who are working with Dr. Scheiner in the first
in the nation Earth-kind® Grape Trials. Martha said compiling the
information and applying for the award was like doing a research paper
in college. But all their hard work paid off with a First Place award for research on our grape trials.
Tommy and Rosemary Morgeson attended the state convention this
year in Collin County. The convention lasted three days and had
numerous presentations by experts in almost every field of horticulture.
Tommy gave a presentation on the convention and what they learned
while there.
Tommy said attending the convention was a wonderful experience and
highly recommended that everyone that ever has an opportunity to
attend one do so. They met with people from all over the state and
shared information on how the different Master Gardener groups
conduct their organizations. They were able to view the grounds at the
site where virtually everything that is being grown there is being done
using Earth-kind® methods.
Kay Miller then spoke on two upcoming field trips for members of
CBMGA. One to the Overton Field Trials and the other to the Blueberry
Farm in Quitman. Both of these events are posted on the website on
the calendar at CBMGA June Events.
Kay then presented what is hoped to be a monthly presentation by
the membership on how to propagate a particular plant. This month
Kay demonstrated a method of propagating hydrangeas. The method
involves using the mother plant as the host, inducing a branch to take
root at a point on the branch while still connected to the mother plant.
Here Kay shows one of the branches she is working on propagating.
Two members passed milestones in their participation in Master
Gardeners. Jim Falk and Erna Hess. Erna moved to our location a
couple years ago but she earned her 15 year award. Great job Jim and Erna.
And so as I began, it was quite the night with a lot going on. There will
be much more in the near future as the newsletter matures.
And if you want to know more about plants, how to grow, care for,
propagate, nurture and reap the benefits of, then stay tuned. We are
just getting started.
CBMGA Plant Ramblings June 09, 2016
CBMGA