Flower Arrangements from the Flower and Vegetable Gardens

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

A few miniature eggplants and a red onion

Look what you can do with flowers from your garden and a little time. Oh, and vegetables, too!

Perfect centerpiece of a picnic table

This lovely centerpiece is made with hydrangeas, different kinds of tomatoes (and  tomatillos) as well as a sunflower. Hosta leaves were used as a base for the basket.

From your yard-zinnias, hosta leaves, Queen Anne's lace, hydrangeas

Master Gardeners of Franklin County created these floral arrangements from flowers and plants in both the demonstration gardens and their own backyards.

Check out the zucchini used for a base and container. Add some greens with different textures, a few colorful flowers and a sprig of parsley.

Zucchini as a base and container

Also, a bell pepper and watermelon. Perfect for this time of year.

There's enough peppers in the veggie garden to eat so use one as a flower vase.

Watermelon with corn, eggplant and lollipop cherry tomatoes

Flowers found in most yards: hostas, zinnias, cosmos, black-eyed susans, Queen Anne's lace and beautiful grasses (if not in your yard, certainly in a nearby field!), hydrangeas, blanket flowers, garlic chives, and petunias.

Hearth basket uses dried grasses for texture

A beautiful hearth basket, or to use by the front door, has sunflowers, dried grasses, blanket flowers and black eyed-Susans.  The stems are not that long but are discarded stems added to the arrangement.

Vegetables and herbs with a few blooms and grasses tucked in

And here's an attractive basket full of vegetables with some herbs tucked in as well as a few dry grasses.

Go out in your yard and find a few blooms, a few green leaves, and maybe a vegetable or two and put together you own celebration arrangement of summer's bounty.

Busy…Busy...

The guys certainly were busy tonight…

That's a goldfinch, the entire family has been here today…

And they sure do enjoy the anise hyssop, along with my bees...

September: Learn about Bulbs, Compost and Getting More Plants

The September programs are now taking registrations. The Fall Into Gardening event is free but register now for the other programs.

Bulbs-Fall Planting program: Find out about choosing, planting and caring for spring flowering bulbs. Learn how to force bulbs to flower during the dreary winter days. More about this interesting topic at "Trick Bulbs Now for Winter Treats." $10 - You'll think it's a bargain when beautiful blooms brighten your windowsill on a gray January day.

"Composting" is a valuable resource and money saver. Learn which of the variety of methods you can use at your house. $10 Sign up now and start composting this month.

Perennials at MG Nancy Miller's house (Laurie Collins)

"Dig, Divide & Multiply Perennials" will help you figure out when and how to divide your perennials to keep them healthy - and to share with others, too! $10 is a bargain for all the money you'll save multiplying your plants.

All course and events are held at the Agriculture Heritage Center, 181 Franklin Farm Road, Chambersburg, unless noted.

Our programs are growing in popularity and now require pre-registration. Call 717-263-9226 for more information and to register. We now accept credit cards to make phone registration easier.

Tomato Day and Fall Into Gardening - Two Great Events

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

14th Annual Tomato Day

This event, held by the Master Gardeners of Penn State, Franklin County, will host lots of visitors on Saturday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Agriculture Heritage Center, 181 Franklin Farm Road, Chambersburg. As in years past, this event will be on the lawn by the stream but this year it is scheduled on a Saturday. No excuse to miss it!

Preparing for the taste test (Laurie Collins)

Tomato Tasting
The most popular destination on Tomato Day is the big tent covering tables laden with 20 or more varieties of tomatoes, cut-up and coded with a letter. Visitors do a blind taste test, recording their rating for taste and appearance. Paste tomatoes, beefsteak, slicing, cherry, and heirloom types are included in the samples.

At the end they receive a key to the codes and discover the names of the tomatoes. The ratings are tallied at the end of the day and posted on the Franklin County, PA Master Gardeners Facebook page.

Salsa Verde (made with green tomatoes (Public Opinion)

Salsa Contest
Everyone is invited to enter the Salsa Contest. Competitors bring their salsa and recipes along with a bag of chips. Although typical salsa recipes are made with ripe red tomatoes, past winners have included a mango salsa and salsa verde (green tomato) variations. Last year’s winner, Charles White, will be among the judges for best salsa but visitors can also taste and vote for the “People’s Choice” award.
Largest Tomato Contest
If there’s a “big ‘un” in your garden that will be ripe around August 23, consider entering this contest. Past winners have clocked in at about 2 pounds. The 4-H Garden Club will be entering and has some mighty big Mortgage Lifter variety tomatoes and one will definitely challenge all comers.

'Mortgage Lifter' in the 4-H Garden

Join the fun and enter the contests. Deadline to register for the Largest Tomato and Salsa contest is August 18. Call 717-263-9226 to register or for more information.

Flower arrangement display

Flower Arrangements
Master Gardeners will display a large variety of floral arrangements using seasonal flowers and greens from both the demonstration and home gardens. These will be on display in the lobby of the Agricultural Heritage Building.  Stop by and get some new ideas of how to display your beautiful blooms.

 

 

Fall Into Gardening

A new Master Gardener event this year will be on Saturday, September 6, 2014 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the barn across from the Agriculture Heritage Center, 181 Franklin Farm Road, Chambersburg.

This family-friendly event will have a self-guided tour of the eight demonstration garden areas, a scavenger hunt for younger visitors, a demonstration of planting bulbs for forcing, and a fall plant sale plus interesting exhibits in the Clubhouse near the barn.

Garden areas, created and maintained by the Master Gardeners of Penn State, Franklin County, include drought-tolerant, perennial, herb and pollinator gardens. Stroll through the Woodland Meadow and Native Habitat area and check out the Victory Garden with a variety of vegetables and fruits as well as the new 4-H Achievement Garden.

Pink hyacinth (tomylees)

 

For the younger visitors up to age 12, accompanied by an adult, there will be a scavenger hunt. Prizes are available for the first 75 participants.



Learn how to plant beautiful flower bulbs that will bloom during both the holiday season and the gray days of winter.

Daylilies to Highlight the Fall Plant Sale

A Fall Plant Sale will be held in the newly renovated holding area near the greenhouse. Locally grown perennials for sun and shade plus a variety of herbs, shrubs and trees will be available. Of special interest is the wide variety of unusual daylilies (Hemerocallis). They won't be blooming  but here are a few waiting for you to grab them up.

'Frances Joiner': This stunning mid-season re-bloomer, is a light yellow with rose eye above a greenish yellow throat

'Francis Joiner'

'When My Sweetheart Returns': A small, single mid-season re-bloomer in pale yellow with rose eye above a greenish yellow throat

'When My Sweetheart Returns' Daylily (Nancy Miller)

'Morning by Morning': Eye-catching fragrant, early season coral pink double flower with dark coral eyezone above a yellow throat

'Morning by Morning'

'My Sweet Rose': A very fragrant, mid-season bloomer in rose pink with cream to deep green throat

Master Gardeners will be available at each of the gardens to answer questions and share information as well as at the Patrick Gass Garden at the north edge of the parking lot on the west side of Franklin Farm Road. This is a work-in-progress project but already has historic plants and information signs.

Free. Parking at the Agricultural Heritage Center lot, west side of Franklin Farm Road.

Come Compost with Us

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

Another great way to recycle and help the earth rejuvenate itself! Free but please register!

Master Gardener Trey Gelbach will join George Hurd for this workshop.

Leave No Crop Behind - Gleaning

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener


They may not be beautiful but they are edible and nutritious.

At the Grove Family Library I saw a flyer for The Gleaning Project of South Central Pennsylvania and this was new to me.

 

What is Gleaning?

Gleaning is collecting excess, unsalable but edible food from gardeners, farmers, distributors and producers and distributing it to food banks, shelters, local agencies and individuals who would not typically have access to fresh food. Why is it unsalable? It most likely is slightly damaged or otherwise imperfect although still edible and nutritious.

Harvesting (gleaning) beans (Annalee Newitz)

While this is typically collecting after-harvest leftover crops from farmers' fields or from fields where it is not profitable to harvest, gleaning can also include collecting food from restaurants, grocery stores and even catering operations.

School group gleaning (Courtesy Laughing Dog Farm)

Daniel Botkin, the Farm Manager of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill, Massachusetts, noted online, “Personally, I like to think of gleaning as a form of 'targeted recycling'.”

Does Gleaning Make A Difference?

If gleaning is done on leftover crops and food, how much can it be?

The Gleaning Project notes on its Website that since June 2013 they have salvaged over 100,000 pounds of food. This is with the help of 95 volunteers (482 hrs.) and 33 growers, producers and distributors in Adams County. This food was distributed to approximately 5,187 unduplicated individuals at or below ... Federal poverty level with the help of 40 community-needs assistance agencies and organizations.

Since January 1, 2014, The Society of St. Andrew reports 8.4 million pounds gleaned and 36.3 million food servings delivered.

 

Highlights from the 2013 Boston Area Gleaners annual report show over 88,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables gleaned with over 354,000 4-oz food servings delivered.

Franklin County has over 1,500 acres of vegetables and 200,000 acres of cropland. Penn State Extension estimates that 50% of food is lost between field and fork.

How Does This Work?

Here’s how the Gleaning Project explains it:

“Want to be part of a food justice flash mob? Not to sound corny (pardon the pun), but that's exactly what The Gleaning Project does! When farmers have excess, unsalable but edible food in the fields, we gather volunteers and head out. All the food goes to local needs assistance agencies, like food pantries and shelters.”

To volunteer, go to the Gleaning Project Website Volunteer page.

Since harvesting needs to be done within 1 or 2 days of notification, gathering volunteers has been made significantly easier with e-mail blasts, Facebook notifications and even Twitter.

The Gleaners. Jean-François Millet. 1857

Another Thought on Gleaning

Botkin also shares a bit of philosophy on his Website: “Gleaning precious foodstuff is an ancient, ubiquitous practice. But we must also transpose its brilliant logic to other commodities routinely wasted, like energy, clothes, lumber, bricks, books …”

 

For more information check these links

The Gleaning Project of South Central Pennsylvania

NPR: Gleaning a Harvest for the Needy by Fighting Waste

Boston Area Gleaners Blog

Penn State Extension: Sustainable Food Recovery Programs – Information on establishing and maintaining partnerships in food recovery (gleaning) and distribution chains

USDA Gleaning Toolkit: How to start a program

Society of St. Andrew: Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry