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!
Many of the Master Gardener members have been busy on Wednesday’s at Sondra Henley’s Craft Day. She has been hosting this in her garage for several weeks in preparation for the first fundraiser for 2016. Antiques in the Garden will be held at Petals from the Past in Jemison April 22 and 23, 2016.
Chilton and Coosa counties in conjunction with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and Alabama 4-H sponsor a program each spring for 4-H members between the ages of 9 – 18 years called Chick Chain.
Participates receives 10 baby chicks (5 each of two breeds), and they have to take care of them for about 21 weeks. They are taught how to house and feed the baby chicks. Two of our members, Jerry and Pat Farmer assist Josine Walter, the ACES 4-H Regional Agent and other ACES staff members in handing out the 2 day old chicks (500+). They also go on many farm visits during the summer to check on the progress of the chicks.
The 4-H participants learn several things during the time of raising their chicks: how to produce healthy chickens, recordkeeping skills, poultry management skills, business management and they also achieved a sense of pride and accomplishment in a job well done.
On March 29th, several Chilton County Master Gardener members participated in a Jr. MG’s in Training Day held at Chilton Research & Extension Center. Josine Walter, ACES 4-H Regional Extension Agent held the workshop/training day in preparation for our organization starting a Jr. Master Gardener program in Chilton County. We really hope we can get this program up and running in the near future.
When Strawberries are ripe and readily available there’s nothing like Sure-Jell’s very easy low sugar recipe for:
Strawberry Freezer Jam
You may also find the recipe in the Sure-Jell box.
It is the closest thing to fresh strawberries! Just thaw and enjoy on a hot biscuit or even on a bowl of ice cream!
Picture provided by Audrey Giles
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