The Chilton County Master Gardeners Association’s newly designed Demonstration Garden will have its Grand Opening on August 6, 2016 at 11:30 at the Chilton Research and Extension Center off of Highway 29.
Afterwards the Farm, Home and Wildlife EXPO will start with free tastes of fruit, ice creams, peach salsa and other culinary delights. Many presentations are offered for home and farm, along with exhibits for all ages.
Everyone is invited to attend!
(Photos by Sondra Henley)
Peeling peaches for the peach ice cream to be served at the annual EXPO at Chilton Research and Extension Center is always a project the master gardeners look forward to. This year’s Farm, Home, and Wildlife Expo will be August 6 from 12-5 p.m. Pictured left to right- Trisha Williams, Pat Farmer, Harriett Jackson, Alice Broome, Treasia Bennett, Margaret Ennis, Anita McGee, Wally Walters, Margaret Goolsby, and Sondra Henley
CCMGA member Sarah Saunders won 1st place this year in the Peach Festival Cook-Off with her peach upside-down Bundt cake. Congratulations, Sarah! The first time she entered, Sarah won 3rd place with a peach cake that wasn’t a Bundt style. Entries are judged on appearance, uniqueness, creativity, and taste. In fact, taste can count as many as 60 points. And of course, the recipe must include fresh Chilton County peaches! First, second, and third place winners receive $50, $35, and $25. Maybe we can talk Sarah into bringing one of these delicious cakes to our next monthly meeting!
The Demo Garden redesign continues to be a work in progress, but is right on schedule as far as Phase I, II, and III are concerned. The Grand Opening is scheduled for August 6, 2016, the day of the EXPO at Chilton Research and Extension Center. The public is invited to attend.Watch for upcoming information.
Our very own Harriett Jackson was interviewed by WSFA channel 12 out of Montgomery VERY early this morning at the Chilton Research and Extension Center. Harriett demonstrated how to make Peach Salsa, which she and some other CCMGA members made last year for the EXPO. Sondra Henley and Treasia Bennett helped her chop the vegetables and fruit for the salsa. The recipe is also posted on the WSFA website. Thanks, Harriett for doing a great job of representing our association and Chilton County!
The Chilton County Master Gardeners Association was well represented this year at the 2016 AMGA Conference held in Dothan, AL on May 12-14. To name just a few of the topics covered: Pros and Cons of Biochar by Dr. Yucheng Feng; Backyard Aquaponics by Ext. Horticulturist Jeremy Pickens, and Southern Wreaths Throughout the Season by author and artist Mark Ballard. Our web team was also very glad to finally meet Tyler Weldon from Auburn IT department after many emails back and forth about transferring our website to the Auburn server. He did a roundtable discussion on “WordPress-Managing Your Association’s Website” We also had 6 very nice gifts for the Silent Auction, which the AMGA said was the best this year ever in their conference’s history.
Our Lunch and Learn for April 27th was held at the Chilton County Extension Office and was all about Native Perennials. The program was brought to us by one of our members, Dr. Sue Webb, who has a doctorate in Microbiology and is a graduate of the Native Plant Certification Program at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. She brought several samples of native flowers that populate Alabama and told all about growing native perennials for a beautiful, easy garden .
We will host a Lunch and Learn the 4th Wednesday of each month from 12-1:00. This month will be “Daylilies” by Trisha Williams and Audrey Giles, June will be “Salad Bowl Gardening” by Harriett Jackson, July will be “Organic Gardening” by Bill Blackwell, August TBA, September “Starting Seeds” by Lanell Baker, the rest of the year TBA. Call the Extension Office at 280-6268 to reserve your spot, seating is limited.
Chilton County Master Gardeners’ first fundraiser of 2016 was a booth at Antiques in the Garden held at Petals from the Past on April 22-23rd. There were many handmade crafts including hod baskets, hypertufa planters, vine wreaths, gardening towels, planter chairs, birdhouses, and many other interesting items. This was our first time to use this venue as a fundraiser, and I think it’s a keeper! The weather turned out to be beautiful, even though several members got drenched setting up in a downpour!
Anita McGee, our new hospitality chairman, set the theme for this month’s refreshments as Japanese, and was very well done, thanks to Anita McGee and Alice Broome. Jane Mason gave an summary of Japanese culture. Sondra Henley presented the program for April on keyhole gardening, which is one of the types of gardens included in the Demo Garden redesign project.
The Demo Garden is open year round and is located at the Chilton Research and Extension Center on Highway 29 in Clanton. The garden’s main event is the Farm, Home and Wildlife Expo held the first Saturday in August. Master Gardeners strive to maintain its beauty and variety of plants all year. Currently the Demonstration Garden is undergoing a major redesign, led by V.P. Sondra Henley. Check out the calendar for scheduled days for volunteer opportunities. Your help is always welcome!
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