The Tuscaloosa County Master Gardeners would like to thank the following organizations for partnering with us to enhance your experience at our Fall Conference planned for October 17, 2015. To learn more about our conference and how to attend, click here.
UPDATE! The Tuscaloosa County Master Gardener Fall Conference WILL be held at the Tuscaloosa County Extension Auditorium! Please register quickly and don’t miss this GREAT GARDENING INFORMATION! Our speakers are OUTSTANDING!
Pre-registration for our Fall Conference on Sat., Oct.17, is required. Deadline is Oct. 12, to allow for us to order the correct number of catered lunches. If you know you want to attend, click here and print off the registration form and mail in today!
Have you been thinking about those delicious recipes that Judith Rives shared in her presentation, “Tricks with Herbs?” Click here to get a preview before they are posted to our recipes page!
Other recipes mentioned at the meeting included:
Herb pastes: http://herbalacademyofne.com/2015/03/making-herb-paste-an-easy-way-to-preserve-fresh-herbs/
(For people who don’t like goat cheese, use cream cheese. I like a cream cheese/Greek yogurt blend that I found in the cream cheese section in Wal-Mart.
Signaling yet another victory for the clean food movement, the largest spice company in the world has announced it will be almost entirely organic and non-GMO by the year 2016.
Because of the organic and non-GMO food boom, other companies such as Simply Organic have been able to grow thanks to the support of customers looking for cleaner options.
The McCormick spice company has maintained its spot as the world’s largest, however, and is 
now making a move that comes as a surprise to many in order to keep other companies from stealing its market share.
McCormick to Officially Go Organic, GMO-Free Soon
In total, about 80% of its products will meet the new standard. New labels will also adorn the familiar McCormick packages, with over 70% expected to sport new “non-GMO” labels according to the article.
As noted by Food Dive, many of the company’s herbs and spices are already non-GMO, but the increased transparency is expected to be a selling point for many consumers as it has been for products that have become Non-GMO Project Verified.
Also announced by McCormick, a new non-GMO vanilla extract will be introduced along with numerous other organic spices and flavorings to compete with its rivals for the growing organic dollar in the United States (and elsewhere).
“The announcement comes ahead of the peak fall cooking and holiday season where consumer usage of herbs, spices & extracts as key ingredients in recipe favorites increase,” according to the news release.
McCormick a Healthier Option?
Believe it or not, numerous companies use irradiation in order to make spices “more safe” for the consumer.
If you’re buying from any old spice company there’s a high risk that you could be getting irradiated spices.
Luckily for people who wish to avoid irradiated spices there are options. Simply Organic, Frontier and other organic brands are good bets according to a report from FoodBabe.com, and McCormick, while not organic just yet, is another company that does not use irradiation.
According to this article from Food Safety News, McCormick opts instead for steam treatments, preserving more of the health benefits of their spices (although some say it harms the taste more than radiation treatments).
– See more at: http://althealthworks.com/7696/victory-worlds-largest-spice-company-to-go-organic-and-non-gmo-by-2016/#sthash.JQrSkIsb.pb1bQ0nX.dpuf
Coming October 17, 2015, Tuscaloosa County Master Gardeners will host their annual Fall Conference with programs on shade trees for home landscaping, honey and honeybees, and bulbs Fall IS the time for planting spring flowering bulbs. The keynote speaker is Roald Hazelhoff, Director of the Southern Environmental Center on the campus of Birmingham Southern College. His topic is “Urban Forest Gardens”, which will explore using vacant urban lots as outdoor laboratories and sanctuaries. The conference is from 8:30 am to 2:30pm. The cost is $25, which includes lunch. Location is the McAbee Activity Center, at 3801 Loop Rd. For more information and to register, visit mg.aces.edu/Tuscaloosa or call 205-759-2175. This event is open to the public.
Check out the new look on our TCMG Home Page here . The annoying pop-up, “join our user base” is gone! Now, you should see a Follow button on the right side of the screen for visitors to subscribe. Also discovered, a new plug-in that allows us to customize our email notifications. What do you think? FYI…We’ve had 1,353 unique visitors to our TCMG website in the last 30 days.
So enjoyed Eleanor Craig from Fern Ridge Farms, a small specialty nursery located at 6254 Hwy 273 Cedar Bluff, AL 23939. Ferns remind us of the earliest forms of life, like an ancient, primeval forest which has never been touched by man. I purchased a Tassel Fern and a Japanese Beech. Did you add a fern to your garden? Leave a reply to share.
Visit Eleanor’s website here .
Ran across an amazing video from a drone’s perspective of Shawna Coronado’s urban garden
here .
Snagged a Begonia Rex Escargot at The Plant Lady Nursery last week. I saw this plant featured on the Martha Stewart Show a few years back, but I’ve never met one “in person.” I love the silver bands and how the leaf curls in on itself, creating a spiral effect. Apparently, it’s supposed to have rosy-pink flowers, but it is so unique and beautiful, who cares!
Click here to view information about Blount County MGs Fall Conference.
Blount County MG FALL CONFERENCE
FALL AMGA CONFERENCE SCHEDULED
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If you are interested in attending the Tuscaloosa County Master Gardener’s fall conference, please print out the registration form and mail to the address included or bring it with you to our September meeting on 9/9/14. The deadline is 9/15/14 so that we will have plenty of time to plan our lunch numbers and our handouts. We have a wonderful lunch provided by Linda Franzo,one of our presenters. The special part is that she will be showing us how we can prepare the same meal in the second part of her presentation. I am so excited. The menu is as follows:
*Herbs de Provence chicken salad on croissant
*Tzatziki with veggies
*Mediterranean hummus w/ herbal pita
*Orange cranberry almond quinoa salad
*Herbal cookie
It is healthy and I know it will, undoubtedly, be tasty. So if you are not into herbal things and want to expand your horizons, please sign up and we will take you on a herbal trip. If you are into herbs, welcome to “Herb Serendipity.”
The Bounty of Fall registration
Looking foward to seeing everyone there.
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