Different Use for Garden Plants

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

The Master Gardeners recently toured the local Roy-Pitz Brewing Company in Chambersburg, one of 108 craft breweries in Pennsylvania where they explored a different use for plants. Barley, malt, hops and other interesting ingredients –watermelon, pumpkin, blueberries- go into making a variety of craft beers.

Master Gardeners listen to Jessie Rotz talk about the brewing process.

Jessie Rotz, co-founder and president, led us through the building, built in the early 1900’s as a hosiery factory, and down into the basement brewery. This is 6,000 sq. ft. of classic brick and old pine timber which has been restored to its original look and texture.

Master Gardeners examine and smell some of the barley

Jessie walked us through the brewing process from barley selection to vats and on into bottling and marketing. 

Bottler in the brewery

What did we learn? (Continuing Education)

Liquid Art Logo

Chambersburg water supply is a perfect blank canvas for the Liquid Art of the brew masters. The water is similar to the water in Cologne, Germany, with a pH of 7. This is soft water which is used untreated and unfiltered.

Different hops- American, English or noble German hops- create a different taste for their specialty brews. Some brews combine as many as five different hops.

Seasonal brews use different ingredients such as pumpkin, blueberries and watermelon. Other flavorings are added to add caramel, chocolate, citrus or other tastes. Occasionally batches of brews are concocted such as Chambersburg Peach Sour made with Chambersburg peaches pressed by Hauser Estate Winery. One of the newest batches has been made with chocolate from Nathan Miller Chocolate, a Chambersburg business located in the brewery building.

Melon day when brewing the Lovitz Watermelon Lager

This is a local business started by local residents, Jessie Rotz and Ryan Richards, long time friends. They have marketing education and actually studied the art of beer brewing.

Many of the brew names refer to local area places and personages. See info pulled from their Website .

What is skunked beer? The off taste of beer referred to a “skunked” comes from exposure to sunlight not lack of refrigeration. Amber bottles are the best color to protect beer from light while clear and green are not so good.

 

There’s a lot of taste testing involved as this brewing process is very different from the big beer companies and batches are very individual. There was more taste testing early on before Jessie and Ryan were married, less taste testing now.

 

Different hops in diverse combinations, many varieties of barley creating special blends, different malts from around the world, yeast, great Chambersburg water, cold temps and hot water, steam and special ingredients added in the conditioning vessel, green beer, wort, carbonation -  this is artistic chemistry.

Some of the vats in the brewing process

Let’s just come back and do some taste testing. A suggestion for a horticulture/garden theme book club was tossed out for consideration.

Here’s some of the interesting local themed beers with information from their Website.

LUDWIG’S REVENGE

This dark brew was inspired by the historical Civil War burning of our hometown of Chambersburg, PA in July 1864. During the raid, Ludwig's Brewery, operated by George Ludwig, was burned to the ground by Confederate soldiers under Gen. McCausland's orders. In remembrance of this truly buzz-killing event, we created a German style Rauchbier, or dark smoked lager. This beer uses all its ingredients from Bamberg, Germany, which is where the style was born (coincidentally, the same area where Ludwig himself was born and taught to brew).

OLD JAIL ALE

This beer was inspired by Chambersburg's 1818 "Old Jail" that is one of the few structures to have survived the burning of Chambersburg by Confederate Forces in 1864. The jail also served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. [Check out the monkey with the stein.]
 

 

 

When the Frost is on the Pumpkin

By Carol Kagan, Penn State Master Gardener, Franklin County

Three on a hay bale (C.Kagan)

School’s back in session and the “back to school” items have been pushed to the rear shelves. Halloween, harvest time, Thanksgiving and, yes, Christmas and all the other mid-winter holidays have taken over.

Heels over head in the pumpkin bin (C.Kagan)

If you grew pumpkins this year and they survived any groundhogs (the nemesis in the 4-H Achievement Garden this year), squash bugs, squash vine borer, cucumber beetles, or aphids, you have the makings for not only Jack-O-Lanterns but pumpkin seed snacks and pumpkin flavored foods.

Harvesting Pumpkins

Although a light frost is not damaging to pumpkins, they should be harvested before a hard freeze. To see if a pumpkin is ready to harvest check the stems. The stems should be dry and the skin should not break when pressed by a thumbnail.

Don't carry pumpkins by the stem (WikiCommons)

To harvest, cut the fruit from the vine with pruners or loppers. Leave a long section of the stem attached. Avoid breaking the skin and bruising fruit when handling. Penn State Master Gardener Emelie Swackhamer, Lehigh County, also cautions not to pick the pumpkin up by the stem as it can snap and a falling pumpkin can get broken or even hurt your foot. Until you are ready to use them, pumpkins will store for two to three months with temperatures above freezing and below 65° F.

Jack-O-Lanterns

Swackhamer posted tips online for picking the best pumpkins for carving. In choosing a pumpkin look for one without rotten spots or scrapes, with a green stem (handle) firmly attached, and that sits solidly on the ground. Lighter orange pumpkins tend to be easier to carve because their walls are thinner, but they also may not keep as long. Darker orange pumpkins tend to have thicker walls and are often harder to carve, but they often last longer because their rind is harder.


Cut out a lid (Christine S)

Use one of the serrated pumpkin-carving knives instead of a sharp kitchen knife. Younger children should always be supervised but more importantly, this is an ideal activity for the family – parents and children. Cut a circle around the stem at the top and remove it. This is the lid. If you plan to use a candle and put the lid back on, be sure to remove most of the pulp and cut notches in three or four places around the edge of the lid.



Scoop out the "stringy stuff" (WikiCommons)

Scoop out the seeds* and stringy stuff, scraping the sides. This is easily accomplished with a metal spoon. Now carefully carve designs through the walls of the pumpkin, cutting from the outside. Use a glow stick to light your pumpkin so you will not have to worry about fire.

The West Virginia Extension Service suggests, after carving, dipping the pumpkin in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp: 1 gal. mix). Bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer. Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks. Another suggestion is to cover the carved areas and inside with petroleum jelly to keep if from drying out.

Pie is one way to eat pumpkins (WikiCommons)

Pumpkin Eating

Pumpkins are an especially hardy crop, dark orange in color and loaded with both alpha and beta carotene. These micro-nutrients are the phytochemicals, or “plant chemicals,” needed to form vitamin A. An essential component in our daily diet, vitamin A promotes the formation of a strong immune system, healthy skin and clear vision.

Pumpkins come in many varieties and are cultivated and used for a multitude of reasons. One example is the “pie” pumpkin, specifically developed for baking and/or cooking purposes. Ideally, pie pumpkins should exhibit a deep orange color. After halving, remove the seeds* and stringy stuff then cook this pumpkin, either in the oven for 30 -60 minutes at 350°, or microwave on high for 15 minutes. Now you can peel the pumpkin and cut or puree it for use in soup, muffins, pudding or pies.

*Pumpkin Seed Snacks Preheat the oven to 250°F.

It’s icky but fun to pick through the stringy stuff and pull out the seeds to make snacks. Discard any broken seeds and clean off all the stringy stuff. Follow the recipe below for 2 cups of seeds.

Ingredients:

1 Qt. water

2 Tbsp. salt* (may be omitted)

2 C. pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil or melted, unsalted butter

Bring the water (and salt) to a boil. Add the seeds and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds, spread on kitchen towel or paper towel and pat dry.
Put the seeds in a bowl and toss with oil or melted butter. Stir in salt or any other herb or seasoning desired. Try onion or garlic salt before roasting. Like spicy food? Try a Cajun or Mexican mix of dried spices.

Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet or roasting pan. Place pan in the preheated oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Remove and cool the seeds. Shell and eat them or pack them in plastic bags and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Cool the seeds, then shell and eat or pack in air-tight containers or zip closure bags and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Visit these links for more information:

PSU LehighMaster Gardeners: Picking a Great Jack O Lantern  by Emelie Swackhamer: Horticulture Educator, Lehigh & Northampton Co. Cooperative Extension

PSU AlleghenyMaster Gardeners:  Pumpkins: Pie, Soup orJack-O-Lantern

Plant Talk-Colorado State University: Harvesting Pumpkins