Author: trisha

July Meeting Buzz!

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The topic for our July meeting was Honeybees, so that’s the Buzz! Bill Evans, Master Beekeeper and current Vice President of the Alabama Beekeepers Association, told us about the importance of bees to pollination. He discussed the life cycle of bees and the jobs of each caste in the hive. Bees need nectar, pollen and water to survive. If a swarm occurs call a bee keeper to collect the bees.  Local ACES offices keep a list of beekeepers that will  collect swarms. Bill stressed the importance of buying honey from a beekeeper that you know so you get pure honey. For information on plants for bees check out this ACES publication:  Nectar and Pollen Producing Plants for Alabama

Charles Walker has completed requirements for Master certification and we presented his badge and certificate. Congratulations Charles!

MG V.P. Gives gift to speaker

 

Morgan Creek Vineyard Tour

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A tour of Morgan Creek Vineyards was a great way for Chilton County Master Gardeners to spend a hot summer day on Friday, June 29th.  The family-owned winery located in Harpersville, Alabama specializes in muscadine and fruit wines that range from dry to sweet. Charles Brammer, Jr, son of owners Charles Brammer, Sr and Mary Brammer, explained the process of making wine from harvest through bottling. He told us of the few insect problems and how they are controlled. Although they purchase most fruit from large growers they do have muscadine vines and blueberries on the property. Following our tour our gracious hostesses served samples of eleven wines — dry, semi-sweet sweet and fruit.

After the tasting several members went to Trisha Williams’ with their sack lunches and toured her garden. Trisha and her husband, Jackie, have a beautiful backyard with many large old trees, flower beds full of daylilies and other perennials, raised beds full of asparagus, and a vegetable garden with pole beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and much more. Thank you, Trisha,  for providing us with a cool porch, ice tea, and your Heavenly Cake dessert after our tours!

 

June Meeting “Setting Higher Goals”

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Mallory Kelley, Autauga Regional Extension Agent, was our guest speaker for the June Meeting. She shared the requirements and process for becoming an Advanced Master Gardener. The requirements include earning education hours in their selected garden topic and also teaching or volunteering in related activities.  Mallory calls on her Advanced Master Gardeners to help with answers to questions she receives.

John Wallace was presented his MG certificate and badge at the meeting.

Aldridge Garden Tour

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David Doggett, Jefferson County Master Gardener and volunteer docent at Aldridge Gardens,  led a walking tour of Aldridge Gardens in Hoover for a group of Chilton County MGs on June 4. It was a perfect day and most of the hydrangeas were at peak bloom. We learned the history of the property and garden as well as much information about the many varieties of hydrangeas in the gardens. David told us of the discovery in Alabama of “Snowflake”, “Harmony”, and “Gatsby” varieties of oakleaf hydrangeas. Aldridge Gardens has a great collection of mophead and lacecap hydrangeas in a variety of colors including blue, purple, pink, dark pink and white. Although they are known for hydrangeas, don’t miss the daylilies, Japanese maples, and many other plants in the garden.

 

Peaches and Cream Dessert

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This  peach dessert was a hit at the recent Extension Support Personnel conference held in Chilton County.  Linda Hays, a Chilton County Master Gardener, shared her recipe with us.

PEACHES AND CREAM DESSERT

INGREDIENTS:

 8 oz. cream cheese
 8 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk
 12 oz. tub Cool Whip
 4 c. fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
 1 c sugar
 4 oz. package peach Jello
 1 c. water
 4 Tbsp. corn starch
 1 regular size package Pecan Sandies cookies

DIRECTIONS:

Mix 1 c. sugar with peaches and set aside (the juice it makes will be used in Jello mixture). Mix
cornstarch into 1 c. water in saucepan, stir until dissolved. Cook on medium, stirring constantly, until very thick.  Then add Jello and juice from peaches (no more than 1 cup). Stir well, set aside to cool thoroughly. After Jello mixture is completely cooled, add peaches.

Combine softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk with hand mixer till creamy. Gently fold in Cool Whip.

Generously grease a 9×13 glass dish with softened butter. Crush cookies (reserving ½ c. of crumbs for top) and press well into bottom of the buttered dish. Layer 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture onto crumbs, then ½ of peach mixture, then 1/3 of cream cheese mixture, then remaining ½ of peach mixture, then remaining 1/3 of cream cheese mixture. You will have the crust, 3 layers of cream cheese mixture with 2 layers of the peach jello mixture in between.  Sprinkle the top with reserved ½ c. of crushed Pecan Sandies cookies. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Must refrigerate leftovers.
YIELD 12-15 servings

Peaches and cream dessert on a serving plate

BBG Fern Glade Tour

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Birmingham Fern Society members, Ken and Alicia Hall,  led a tour of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Fern Glade for a group of Chilton County Master Gardeners on May 14.  One area of the glade is devoted to native Alabama ferns and other areas showcase ferns from various places.  We learned about many varieties of ferns and how they multiply by spores or stolons. Ken collects spores and fronds from certain varieties and sends them to a nursery in Texas for propagation. He and Alicia told us how they create micro climates for ferns that need special growing condition. They  also showed us through the fern nursery  where plants are grown for the gardens as well as for the BBG Plant sale and the Fern Society sale. Thank you Ken and Alicia for sharing a wealth of information!

Members attending were Susan Cleckler, Elizabeth York, Trisha Williams, Joyce Lawson, Harriett Jackson, and Sondra Henley. Photos by Trisha Williams and Susan Cleckler.

 

Heavenly Cake

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Several Master Gardeners requested the recipe for Heavenly Cake, a sheet cake with pineapple, that was provided by Trisha Williams at our May Plant Swap.

Heavenly Cake

1/2 total batter from a yellow cake mix, mixed according to box directionsPhoto of Heavenly Cake
(remainder can be made into cupcakes or a single layer for later)
1 –  3 oz. instant vanilla pudding
1  – 8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups cold milk-
15 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
1 large cool whip
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Grease and flour a 9″x 13″ pan. Preheat oven according to cake mix directions. Mix cake as directed on the package, pour approximately 1/2 batter into prepared pan. Decrease baking time as your cake will only be about 1/2 inch thick. Cool completely in pan. Blend pudding and cream cheese and milk (it will have some lumps). Pour over the cake and let set for 5 – 10 minutes. Spread pineapple over the pudding mixture. Spread cool whip over previous layers and sprinkle with nuts. Must be kept refrigerated.

The Gardens of Clanton

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The Gardens of Clanton Assisted Living facility approached two Chilton County Master Gardeners for advice and assistance on planting annual pots for the entrance and front porch and an existing vegetable bed and pots on the back patio. The Gardens obtained donations of annuals, vegetables, and herbs and provided potting mix and pine straw. The entrance pots were planted with vinca, calibrachoa (million bells) and ornamental grass. Tomatoes, yellow squash, bell peppers and sweet banana peppers, radishes and basil were planted in the existing 8×8 vegetable bed after it was weeded and amended with compost. An herb pot with flat leaf parsley, oregano, thyme, chives, basil and garden sage was added to the patio along with pots of rosemary, lemon balm and chocolate mint. Other pots on the patio hold  cherry tomatoes and vinca for a pop of color. The vegetables and herbs will be used in preparing the residents’ meals and the herbs can be also be enjoyed just for their scents.

This project enhanced the entrance, front porch and the back patio of The Gardens of Clanton and will be enjoyed by the residents and visitors alike.

Thanks to Audrey Giles and Trisha Williams for implementing this project and thanks to both for donations of herbs. Thanks also to Alice Broome for the donation of the beautiful rosemary plant.

University of Montevallo Community Garden Tour

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Chilton County Master Gardeners toured the University of Montevallo Community Garden on April 17. The director of the garden, Holly Wadleigh, told us that volunteers and UM students plant, maintain and harvest the vegetables grown in the garden and donate them to Shelby Emergency Center. In addition to growing vegetables for SEC the garden hosts a Wise Women healthy living garden program and also rents garden plots to individuals. After a great lunch at Tavern on Main in Montevallo what gardener could resist a visit to Cedar Creek Nursery!

Gardening as We and Our Gardens Age

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“Gardening as We and Our Gardens Age” was the program topic for the March Chilton County Master Gardener meeting. Mike Rushing, Jefferson County Master Gardener, gave an informative and entertaining program on how we can continue to enjoy gardening as we age and experience changes in our abilities. We should evaluate changes in our gardens such as mature trees that create shade and perhaps remove a few or limb them up to provide more sun. He told us to eliminate plants that we consider high maintenance, plants that do not perform well for us, and plants that are dead or dying. Be sure to keep those plants that thrive. Another suggestion was to create smaller garden areas that one can reasonably maintain. Mike also suggested hiring someone to do the tasks you do not enjoy and to work smarter not harder.

Gardening as we age