Maplesville Plant Sale

Chilton County Master Gardeners held a plant sale at Heritage Day in downtown Maplesville on April 12. Plants were propagated by Master Gardeners and include iris, daylilies, shrubs, and much more. Master Gardeners were available to answer gardening questions. Children made pine cone bird feeders at the booth next to the Plant Sale. Our next Plant Sale will be the first Saturday in August at the Farm, Home and Wildlife Expo at the Chilton Research and Extension Center near Thorsby.

Audrey’s Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Poundcake

Cranberries, pecans and oranges are a great combination for the Holidays and this pound cake includes them all.

Ingredients:

  • 1  c. butter
  • 3 c. sugar
  • 1   8 oz. cream cheese
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 c. plain flour
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 c. fresh orange juice
  • 2  t. grated orange peel
  • 2  t. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 c. dried chopped cranberries
  • 1  1/2 c. toasted chopped pecans

GLAZE:

  • 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
  • About 2 T. fresh orange juice

 Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt or 10″ tube pan.
  2. Toast pecans and coarsely chop. Coarsely chop dried cranberries, set both aside.
  3. Beat sugar, softened cream cheese, and softened butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract.
  4. Sift flour and salt together in separate bowl.
  5. Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture with large spoon until just combined. Fold in pecans and cranberries.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan, tapping pan on counter to release any air bubbles.
  7. Bake 65-75 min, Do toothpick test: if a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of the cake, it’s done.  Cool in pan 10 min, then turn out onto wire rack or paper towels  to completely cool.
  8. For Glaze:  Mix powdered sugar and orange juice, drizzle all over cake.

Original recipe provided by Audrey Giles.

Steve McAnally

Steve McAnally has given service and dedication as a volunteer to CCMGA by developing, creating and overseeing the organization’s website. Steve certified with the Chilton County Master Gardeners in 2012. Having limitations that keep him from working with the more physical side of the MG program, he was quickly drawn to his interest and niche’.

In 2009, the Chilton County Master Garden Association needed a new webmaster. Leo Phillips started and managed the website since 2009 but was ready to move on to managing the First United Methodist‘s webpage and to his other interests.

Enter Steve McAnally, a Master Gardener intern enrolled in the 2012 Master Gardener Program sponsored by the Auburn Extension Service. Steve had plenty of experience with computers and web pages in his past working history. He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and has a professional career spanning 40 years in the computer field.

In 2012 Steve certified as a Chilton County Master Gardener. He worked with Leo Phillips, Sondra Henley and Audrey Giles, to develop a new web site for the Chilton County Master Gardeners Association. In 2013, Trisha Williams joined the Web Team staff. The development started in September 2009 and went live on December 2012. The aim of the web site is to promote Master Gardeners and gardening knowledge. Steve has met these web site goals constantly as he has sought to improve and provide interest and information to the CCMGA as well as to the public audience. The site is hosted by Auburn University and can be accessed at http://www.aces.edu/counties/Chilton/mg/.

Not only has Steve served as CCMGA Webmaster, he has been a member of the 2013 CCMGA Board, meeting monthly to manage decisions and activities of the organization and a member of the 2013 Finance Committee. His value to CCMGA….priceless!

Jimmy and Mildred Knowles

 

They have assumed one of most difficult chairmanships possible, besides fund raising.

The army is said to travel on its stomach, so do Master Gardeners.

Each month the Knowles make sure that enough volunteers have been assigned KP duty and remember the assignments via emails and reminder cards.

They insure that there is plenty of food and drink – picking up the slack when a lapse occurs.

They share their wealth of home grown fruits, etc with all of us.

The refreshment table is a pleasure to visit during each monthly meeting.

The Knowles embody the best of Master Gardeners – sharing their knowledge of plants, their enthusiasm, and they their enjoyment of Master Gardening.

Website Team

The Web Team met the criteria of a Service Project. This project provides a window of opportunity for the Chilton County Master Gardeners and the Cyberspace audience to sit in the comfort of their homes. There they can attend workshops and presentations, and read about community service through the many articles we offer along with other resource links. The Web team also met the criteria of Innovative Projects by establishing the newer technology of a web page to become our association’s newsletter. General Master Gardener accomplishments were met as we researched other informative links that would compliment Master Gardener skills and interests.

In 2009 Leo Phillips started the website giving us the springboard for the CCMGA website today. In 2011, a web team started discussing what else we wanted the site to be and become. Today the web team consists of, Steve McAnally, webmaster and site manager, Audrey Giles, writer, photos and designer, Trisha Williams, editor, Sondra Henley, writer and Barbara McAnally, Facebook Page manager. We wanted Master Gardeners to learn about each other and other people important to the MG Program so we chose to provide articles featuring selected people each month. We provide links to AU Webinars on specialty topics, such as the extreme Fire Ant problem Alabama has faced this year. We wanted research based information at the click of a button for MG to easily link to, so we added Gardening Research, along with Master Gardeners in Alabama and State Master Gardeners. We keep our CCMGA informed of daily weather forecasts and volunteer opportunities on our calendar of events. Categories of articles are Community Workshops, Recipes, Musings, Community Assistance, Speaker Bureau, Plant Sales, Extension Activities, Education Outreach, Group Tours, Timely Garden Tips and others.

Anyone who views our site may use the information provided there. We encourage, educate and share, who we are, what we are involved in and hopefully encourage others to join us  @ http://www.aces.edu/counties/Chilton/mg/.

Fig and Vine Cutting Team

This project meets the criteria of Demonstration Garden, Hands On Program, Community Service and benefitted CCMGA Plant Sales.

The group learned how to prune fig trees and muscadine vines. Agent, Jim Pitts, represented Auburn oversaw the pruning. The hands on activity and what was learned can now be implemented in the participant’s yards, and communities. All Master Gardener Interns and Chilton County Master Gardeners were given the opportunity to participate in the project.

The Fig and Vine Cutting Team included Ed Simmons, coordinator, Alan Reed, Jimmy and Mildred Knowles, Lamar Giles, Rick Miller, Wayne Short, Bob Bates, Lee and Wally Walters, Bettye Glass, Harriett Jackson, Belita Fowler, Margie Robertson, and John Sanders.

As coordinator, Ed contacted his team by email to inform them of meeting dates and what to bring. He made sure the team was properly informed about pruning techniques, ways to keep limbs separated and identified, disinfecting tools, and rooting practices.

Through this team’s efforts the Chilton County Master Gardeners had plenty of identified fig limbs to take home and root for upcoming sales. Fig tree plants are sold every year at the Expo in August, which features fruits grown on the site.

This team’s efforts begin in cold, wet weather in January and ended at the Expo on one of the hottest days of the year. From this team’s efforts, approximately 68 fig trees and 8 vines were propagated. Growing Figs informational handout was given with each sale.

 

An additional benefit of the trimmings was the waste which was made into vine wreaths. Several other Master Gardeners collected and rolled the vines into wreaths from the cuttings and sold them at CCMGA Plant sales.

2013 Awards Presented

Friends of Master Gardeners Awards are presented to persons or groups that have donated monies, services or materials to CCMGA during the year or have been supportive of the mission and purpose of the Alabama Master Gardener Program.  The Friends of Master Gardeners awards for 2013 were presented to:

Mayor Eddie Reed and the City of Jemison.

Hosts for the Christmas Home Tour:  Bobby and Judy Martin, Joe and Adrianne Dennis, and Melvin and Dot Hartley

ACES Secretarial Staff:  Elaine Densmore, Elaine Statin, Sandra Steverson

Emily Beckett, Clanton Advertiser

Marty Martin, Landscape Consultant

Alice Broome

I met Alice in the Master Gardener Class of 2012. She is a petite blond, with a lovely smile and a quick wit. She took the class while recovering from cancer. Her attitude and fortitude in taking care of herself was and is today admirable.

She lives with her husband, Norris, in Clanton. He is retired from chemical sales. He now sells church furnishings part-time. Norris is a degreed choral director and enjoys serving area churches on a part-time basis.
Between them, they have 3 adult children. Matt lives in Knoxville, TN, and has two daughters. Trina lives in Helena and has two daughters and one son. Alan lives in Southside (near Gadsden) and has two daughters and one son.

Alice has been volunteering with MG for a year and a half. She completed the MG course in March of 2012 and was certified early that summer. Currently, she is serving as Purchasing Agent for Chilton MG. She is responsible for researching logo and promotional merchandise. This includes identifying items based on quality and price. Once approved by the Board, she orders the items and offers them to the membership for sale.

Alice says that MG is synonymous with improvement. She believes we can offer Chilton county correct information on planting and caring for flowers, vegetables, lawns, and other horticulture related topics. MG also offers both men and women an opportunity to get to know others who share the interest of gardening.

She continued to say, MG is already an association in action. We advertise through word of mouth, local newspapers, and our website. The County is shown the knowledge the members of MG have obtained and the comradery we share through the community projects, such as plant sales and filling city flower baskets and pots.

She would like to encourage more participation from the membership when input is requested. Collecting a variety of ideas and suggestions helps her present new and improved ideas to the Board. Everyone’s request cannot be met, but she feels the group is more unified if diverse suggestions are considered.

When Alice first became a homeowner, in her late twenties, she became interested in gardening. She found that because her yard was an extension of the house, she wanted the yard to look good too. It didn’t hurt that she had always had a love for nature, so she was able to expand on that love.

What she likes most about gardening is the absolute beauty of plants, and the response they show to care and attention. She enjoys the creativity and therapeutic aspects of gardening. Mixing colors and textures and shaping plants and shrubbery is great fun.

Her yard is designed to be eye catching, well maintained, and a small sample of God’s handy work. She uses evergreen shrubs and vines for year round appeal. The yard really comes alive in the spring and summer with various annuals, roses, azaleas, and gardenias. The lawns are Zoysia grass and Bermuda grass. Variegated monkey grass outlines several flower beds and both variegated and solid English ivy cover the fence poles of the back yard. Large clumps of black and green elephant ears are focal points throughout the yard. Colors of purple, pink and yellow are most prevalent. And then there is the focal point of the back lot, her beloved gazebo. Surrounded by purple Lorapetalum, potted azaleas, Indian Hawthorn, and elephant ears, it is always there to offer a relaxing swing.

Alice spends about 20 hours per week during three seasons. She prefers the more formal flowers and shrubs versus the wild flower look. She likes the look and the maintenance of such plants as azaleas, roses, elephant ears and evergreen shrubs in large pots. She enjoys having large shrubs, for instance gardenia and Cleyera, for formal shaping.

Alice does not grow vegetables or fruits. Her gardening skills are limited to flowers, shrubs, and lawns. However, she says she certainly enjoys eating home grown fruits and vegetables!

Besides gardening, her other hobby interests include, interior decorating and pet sitting for family and neighbors. She also enjoys theater, movies, plays and musicals.

When asked about the words to live by, hers are: “Do not criticize anyone unless you have walked in that person’s shoes. I’m afraid we are all guilty of judging others without knowing the whole story.”

Alice’s favorite thing about Chilton County Master Gardeners is  meeting people with similar interest as hers and the contributions they bring to Chilton County.

Awards

Chilton County Master Gardeners will present awards in December for Outstanding Service and Dedication, Top Hours, Top Recruiter and to Friends of Master Gardeners. Deadline for nominations is the November CCMGA meeting.  Nomination forms are available on this website.