11

Inside this

issue:

The Apple 2

Apple-icious 3

Member photos 3

Love is in the

Air

4

Walk on the

Wild Side

4

Weed of the

Month

5

Updates 6

Book Review 6

Events 7

Grow Your Own

Pasta!

8

Last Word 9

...for discerning weeders October, 2013 An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

MASTER GARDENER’S ON PARADE

DON’T FORGET TO

LOG YOUR HOURS

ONTO THE VMS

SYSTEM!

Click here to enter

More numerous than

Santa’s elves! Master

Gardeners at Baker

Farm Expo, Plant Sale

prepping, BIA Home

show help desk and

plant sale! Photos by

Scott B., Marg S., and

the Baker Farm Expo

posting.

22

THE APPLE courtesy of Lockey B.

“America popularized

the apple pie as our

country became the

leading apple pro-

ducing nation.”

A member of the rose

(Rosaceae) family,

the apple bloom and

scent catch the atten-

tion of honeybees.

Spring produces pet-

als of white stripes

and tints of red that

resemble tiny roses.

Bees are a key polli-

nator of the apple

tree. Nectar and pol-

len are gathered to feed the larvae and store honey for the winter

months. But there were no domestic honeybees to pollinate the

apple trees that made it across the Atlantic in the early 17th cen-

tury. So, little fruit was produced until 1622, when hives of bees

were shipped from Europe to Virginia. American Indians called

honeybees “white man’s flies.” Apples began to flourish in New

England.

Colonists also brought along apple pie recipes, some of which

dated as back as far as medieval times. Archaeological evidence

reveals that man has enjoyed apples since 6500 B.C. The walls

of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II’s tomb reveal decorations of

dough filled with nuts, honey and fruit.

Traditions concerning the apple have been passed along through

the ages. Colonist women gathered for apple-paring bees and

many cabins were decorated with strings of apple slices hung to

dry. An Irish and Scots custom was to peal an apple in one

string, fling it over the left shoulder and it would form the initial

of your sweetheart’s name. Bobbing for apples was a Celtic tra-

dition to reveal the name of a potential spouse. The tradition of

tossing rice at the bride and groom is thought to be derived from

the tradition of tossing apples at newlyweds.

The most popular drink in New England was apple cider. Pow-

ered by a horse drawn press, it took approximately 36 apples to

produce a gallon of cider. It was served at meals, offered to

guests and often used as barter. A half barrel of hard cider could

pay for a child’s education.

Apple pie was popularized by Americans as the country began

leading the world in apple production. A classic American apple

pie made with uncooked apples mixed with oil, sugar and spices

and baked in an enclosed shell, descends from 15th century Eng-

land.

In 1801 John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed, packed a horse load

of apple seed from a press in Pennsylvania and headed west.

Frontiersmen traveled many miles to buy his seedlings. As pop-

ulation moved west, land companies insisted that settlers plant

apple trees. Planting an orchard was considered as important as

building a cabin.

History reveals numerous facts about the apple. Ancient Greeks

told of golden apple trees that enchanted, mystified and tasted

like honey. Winners of the original Olympics received a branch

of apple blossoms that symbolized immortality. Apples were an

icon of immortality to the Norse. Celts called the apple the fruit

of the gods. To the Chinese, apple blossoms depict a woman’s

beauty. A loved one becomes the apple of your eye. In 1902 the

New York Times wrote “No pie-eating people can be permanent-

ly vanquished”. During the 19th and 20th centuries, apple pie

became a sign of our nation’s prosperity. Young men fighting for

our country during World War II, when asked “why are you

fighting?” would answer, “For Mom and apple pie”.

Nutritional properties of the apple abound. Apples are a superi-

or source of soluble fiber, flavonoids and antioxidants. In 1904,

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” the familiar saying, was

created by fruit specialist, J. T. Stinson for a lecture tour. Hip-

pocrates prescribed apple cider vinegar for its healing properties.

Today 2,000 varieties of apples are grown in the United States,

about 200 commercially. The apple and its many delicious vari-

ations is a true symbol of our nation, culture and unique herit-

age.

*Taken in part from DAR publication American Spirit Septem-

ber/October 2013

Check out the next page

for a couple of yummy

apple recipes!

Ed. Note: Check out

what the nutrition

label on an apple

would be!

33

APPLE-ICIOUS! courtesy of Lee V.

It is almost time for

apples to become the

most available fruit in

the market. There

are all kinds and col-

ors of apples from

green to bright red,

sour to sweet. Each

of these types of ap-

ples may be used to make jellies and apple sauce. As with any

recipe, you should experiment until you find the taste which sat-

isfies you. If you prefer a sweeter end product, add more sug-

ar. For more flavor, add more spices. A recipe is only a guide -

your taste is the only limiting factor.

Begin with apples of the color and sweetness you prefer; if you

want light colored, tart jelly, pick Granny Smith. If you want

amber, sweet jelly, use Red Delicious. The color of the jelly you

end up making is dependent upon the color of the peels of the

apples. I used McIntosh which is pink and semisweet. The apple

sauce is not as dependent upon the color of the apples used but is

more influenced by the sweetness of the apple.

Peel the apples, about six medium, and quarter and core them,

retaining the peels and cores. Place the peels and cores into a

muslin bag and tie tightly. Put the quartered apples and the bag

of peels and cores into a large pan and add three cups of wa-

ter. Cook until the apples are very tender, about 30

minutes. Pour through a colander set into a large bowl, extract-

ing as much juice as possible. Discard the muslin bag of peels

and cores.

For apple sauce: Move the cooked apples to a food processor or

blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. You should end up

with about two cups of apple flesh. Place the apples into a

pan. Proceed with the recipe. For sweeter apple sauce, add more

sugar.

For apple jelly: Place the strained apple juice into a pan, and

proceed with the recipe. For sweeter jelly, add more sugar

Apple Jelly

3 1/2 cups apple juice

1/2 box commercial pectin

3 1/2 cups sugar

Put apple juice in a pan, add pectin, stirring well until pectin is

dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil. Add sugar and return to a boil

for one minute. Pour into three 1/2 pint jars.

Apple Sauce

2 cups chunky cooked apples

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Dash of powdered cloves

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Our master gardeners grow some amazing plants!

Thanks to Dick H. for sharing his ‘Cajun’ hibiscus.

Thanks to Lockey B. for sharing her photo of Night blooming cereus with moon!

Don’t forget—send us YOUR favorite gardening photos!!!!!!!

44

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...AGAIN, UGHHHH!!!!! By Linda M.

Nothing I like better than smushed bug guts all over the front of

the car, NOT. As usual, when something shows up around my

yard that fascinates, scares, annoys or attacks me, I like to try

and learn as much as I can about the critter.

These little guys, although a nuisance, are harmless to humans.

They don't sting or bite, and they aren't poisonous. But they

sure can mess up the paint job on your vehicle.

The love bug is a fly in the Bibionidae family, that is easily iden-

tified by its slender black body and red thorax. These small flies

are closely related to mosquitoes and gnats. The males are about

1/4 inch in length, while females are 1/3 inch. There are two

known species of love bugs in the US. One is a native species,

and the other is an invasive species that first appeared in south-

ern Louisiana during the 1920s. The outbreak soon spread

southward, into Mississippi and Alabama, and finally reaching

Florida in 1947.

They primarily feed on nectar from various plants, particularly

sweet clover, goldenrod, and Brazilian pepper. Here in Florida

we notice them mostly during their April–May and August–

September love fests, when they are most active between 10:00

a.m. and dusk each day. There are a few things we can do to ease

the annoyance this time of year. Traveling at slower speeds will

help reduce the number of bugs that will be spattered, and trav-

eling at night motorists can avoid the insects.

If you haven't waxed your car recently, you can spread a light

film of baby oil

over the front

of the hood,

above the

windshield,

and on the

grill and

bumper, and it

will make re-

moving their

‘remains’ a

little easier.

Wash the car as soon as possible, if you leave the insects on the

vehicle for several days, the finish will be permanently damaged.

In nature, the adults live just long enough to mate, feed, dis-

perse and deposit a batch of eggs (100 to 350) — all in about

three to four days. So hang in there, after several weeks, this too

shall pass!

Sources of Information:

1. N. Leppla, Living With Lovebugs (ENY-840), Department of

Entomology and Nematology (rev. 9/2009).

2. H.A. Denmark, et al., Lovebug, Plecia nearctica Hardy (EENY

-047), Department of Entomology and Nematology (rev.

4/2010).

3. Lovebugs in Florida, J. Weston, D. E. Short and M. Pfiester

WA

LK

ON

TH

E W

ILD

SID

E

Courte

sy L

inda M

.

Fall has finally arrived in Florida, and along with cooler

days and nights, we get to enjoy new animals migrating

and other fascinating wildlife activity in our area.

Birds

*Warbler migration peaks early this month.

*Sandhill cranes that nested in more northern latitudes

begin to move down to join our resident birds. Typically

sandhill cranes are seen in small family groups or pairs.

They are known to stay with the same mate for several

years and young sandhills stay with their parents until

they are about 10 months old. Like their endangered rela-

tives the whooping cranes, sandhills live to be older than

most birds. In fact, some sandhills live up to 20 years.

*Ducks begin to arrive for the winter.

*Grosbeaks, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrushes

begin migrating south for the winter.

Mammals

*Flying squirrels will be moving into pecan groves as the

nuts ripen.

*Black bears are feeding heavily in preparation for winter.

Amphibians

*Flatwoods salamanders breed with the first rains of Octo-

ber. Upland Forest Ecosystem - Comprised of tall loblolly

and longleaf pines, oaks and hickories. This forest type

resides on sand "ridges" that were once beaches, when

the ocean was further inland. The uplands provide im-

portant habitat for an array of flora and fauna including

several endangered and protected species such as the

flatwoods salamanders.

Insects

*Monarch butterfly migration nears its peak along Flori-

da's Gulf coast. Every autumn the eastern North Ameri-

can population of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus

(Lepidoptera: Danaidae), migrates from as far north as

southern Canada to overwintering sites in Central Mexi-

co. This journey may cover 4000 km or more for some

individuals and take as long as 75 days.

Fish

*Redfish and trout move up creeks and rivers in north

Florida.

*Fall spawning of the redear sunfish.

*Largemouth bass are active in cooler waters.

55

WEED OF THE MONTH By Jenny G.

Acalypha Gracilens,

Slender Three Seed-

ed Mercury

Slender Three Seed-ed Mercury is a weed that is “a new one” to many of our weed experts! It was brought in for ID by

one of our interns and it took some doing to identify it! Not no-ticed in our neighborhoods before, everyone is finding this plant nearby!

It is a North American native plant known as Slender Three seeded Mercury, Acalypha Gracilens, a Euphorbia, related to spurge. Also sometimes called Copperleaf, Slender three seeded (or three seed) Mercury is widespread in eastern and southern North America: from Maine to Florida and west to Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Texas. It’s a forb or herb, a non-woody plant (that is not a grass) in the genus Acalypha. It can be found in sun to part shade in disturbed habitats including fields, lawns, roadsides and clearings. https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/acalypha/gracilens/ These plants are characterized by longitudinally folded, lobed, leaflike bracts that persist throughout the growing season. It

flowers from late spring to mid-fall produc-ing flow-ers in greenish clusters in the axils of leaves. The 3 seeds are small, egg-

shaped and dark brown to light gray or tan, nestled in the bracts.

The leaves and leafy bracts sometimes change from green to cop-pery in the fall as the mature seeds drop. Three seeded mercury can be found from bottomland forests to upland prairies, pas-tures, old fields, disturbed places, and weedy gardens. An annu-

al, this weed grows and produces abundant seeds in one season and is therefore of moderate importance as a seed producer. The seeds are used by Northern Bobwhite, Mourning Doves, Swamp Sparrow, along with other songbirds, and may be included in “Wildflower Birdseed” mixes. Many insects are attracted to three seeded mercu-ry, making it a component of brood habitat for quail. Seeds are readily used by quail for food. White tailed deer also forage this plant. However, slender cop-perleaf may become abun-dant on dis-turbed ground and is consid-ered a high-use deer for-age plant throughout the Southeast, especially during summer. Slender three seeded mercury is often spread by animal-dispersed seeds. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACGR2

A pre-emergent herbicide containing the active ingredient atra-zine will provide very good control of three seeded mercury. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/weeds/threeseeded_mercury.htm

Other means of control are the same as for the ubiquitous Spot-

ted Spurge.

http://www.southeasternflora.com/view_flora.asp?

plantid=1365#

http://sagebud.com/slender-threeseed-mercury-acalypha-

gracilens/ http://www.floraofalabama.org/Genus.aspx?id=1889

http://www.missouriplants.com/Greenalt/

Acalypha_gracilens_page.html http://

www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/SpecimenDetails.aspx?

PlantID=3571

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Lockey B.

Les C.

Sylvia C.

Mike C.

Stacey D.

Jeannette D.

Andy D.

Dick H.

Joe J.

David S.

Allen Y.

66

BOOK REVIEW By Marg S.

There are times when you just don’t want to deal with a big garden. Whether it’s space limitations, cost or ability, a large garden

isn’t possible. Never fear! You can still enjoy gardening just on a way smaller scale!

Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World, by Janit Calvo ISBN 978-

1604693720. 256 pages with a lot of photographs may just provide the solution for you.

This book deals with technique and scale. It’s a fun book and the pictures are terrific. The

ideas are easily convertible to 1/4 scale for use in containers. It’s a wonderful ‘hobby’ to con-

sider when it comes to adding to your gardening skills or creating that peaceful oasis that

you’ve always wanted without the heavy lifting!

My only ‘complaint’ was that the captions weren’t that great and the index left a bit to be

desired. Other than that, a good book to get you started on the road to ‘downsizing’ a gar-

den!

UPDATED PUBLICATIONS

Alternatives to Invasive Plants Commonly Found in North Flori-da Landscapes

Based on years of UF/IFAS research producing and trialing cul-tivars, this 3-page fact sheet lists native and non-invasive, non-native ornamentals as alternatives to invasive plants commonly used in Florida landscapes. Only plants considered to be gener-ally available in the nursery trade are listed. Alternative plants are similar to respective invasive plants as much as possible in terms of size, habit, texture, and flower color. Was written by Gary W. Knox, Sandra B. Wilson, Zhanao Deng, and Rosanna Freyre, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, August 2013.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep467

*************

Armillaria Root Rot (Also known as Mushroom Root Rot, Shoe-string Root Rot, Honey Mushroom Rot)

Armillaria root rot is a disease that decays the root system of many common trees and shrubs. It is caused by several species of Armillaria, fungi that can be recognized by the clusters of yellow to honey-colored mushrooms that emerge during moist conditions. The disease is often lethal, and infected trees may have wilting branches, branch dieback, and stunted growth. Infected trees and shrubs should be removed and re-placed with resistant species. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Laura Sanagorski, Aaron Trulock, and Jason Smith, and pub-lished by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, July 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep478

***************

Calcium (Ca) and Sulfur (S) for Citrus Trees

Calcium and sulfur are sometimes called sec-ondary nutrients. This term does not mean that these nutrients play a secondary role in citrus plant growth and development. Ca and S are as essential as N, P, K, Mg, and other nutrients for healthy plant growth. An inadequate supply of Ca and/or S can be a major constraint to crop production and quality. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Mongi Zekri and Tom Obreza, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, July 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss584

****************

Potassium (K) for Citrus Trees

Citrus fruits remove large amounts of K com-pared to other nutrients. Potassium moves from leaves to fruit and seeds as they develop. Potassium is necessary for several basic physiological functions such as the formation of sugars and starch, synthesis of proteins, normal cell division and growth, and neutralization of organic acids. Potassium is im-portant in fruit formation and enhances fruit size, flavor, and color. This nutrient also helps to reduce the influence that ad-verse weather conditions (such as drought, cold, and flooding) have on citrus trees. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Mongi Zekri and Tom Obreza, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, July 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss583

77

General Membership Meeting

October 2, 2013 @ 10 am

Extension Annex

Hollywood Blvd.

33RD ANNUAL

FLORIDA MASTER GARDENER

CONTINUED TRAINING CONFERENCE

OCTOBER 20-23, 2013

EMBASSY SUITES ORLANDO

LAKE BUENA VISTA SOUTH

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

NOTE:

THE 3 DAY CONFERENCES ARE GOING TO AN ALTER-

NATE YEAR SCHEDULE. THE NEXT CONFERENCE

WILL BE HELD IN 2015.

OCTOBER 4TH AND 5TH

10 AM TO 3 PM

8581 NAVARRE PKY (HWY 98)

AT THE FOOT OF THE NAVARRE BRIDGE

88

GROW YOUR OWN PASTA! by Karen H.

If you love pas-ta but it doesn't always fit into your dieting plans, you might want to try growing your own healthy 'pasta'. I'm referring of course to spa-ghetti squash and if you haven't tried it,

you're in for a very nice treat. Simply baked and served with marinara sauce, it's an excellent low-calorie substitute for the real thing. But it can also be used in many other recipes as we will see below. Spaghetti squash includes a fair amount of vita-mins and minerals, especially vitamins A and C, and it's a good source of dietary fiber. While one cup of cooked pasta contains about 220 calories, the same amount of spaghetti squash has only 42 calories! (And, seriously, who has ever eaten just one cup of pasta?)

First things first, though. Growing your own spaghetti squash is simple. Squash is a heat-loving vining crop and will require some space to grow. It is subject to the same pests and problems that other squash experience but don't let that deter you from trying it. Here are some good guidelines for successfully growing spa-ghetti squash in your own garden: http://tinyurl.com/mzjepvn

This article has some suggestions for dealing with the aforemen-tioned pests: http://tinyurl.com/l5crgep

If you are short on space it is very possible to grow vining crops vertically by using trellises for them to climb on and support the fruit as it gets larger. There is also a new bush variety of spa-ghetti squash that I'm going to add to my container garden next year. (see seed resources, below).

Now, what to do with all that spaghetti squash? Well, that's the fun part and people have come up with all sorts of delicious-sounding recipes that will give you plenty of ideas. If, like me, you've been limited to serving it as a pasta substitute with spa-ghetti sauce you'll want to try some of these recipes. The basic cooking method for obtaining the spaghetti-like strands from the squash calls for baking it first. Here are instructions for that

process: http://tinyurl.com/mzkfbk

And, according to this article, it's also possible to microwave, boil or use your slow-cooker to do the initial cooking of the squash: http://tinyurl.com/ypnsst I've not used any method except for baking it my-self but I certainly in-tend to try the micro-wave method!

Here's a recipe for Spaghetti Squash Alfredo and, as I write this at 4:30 PM thinking ahead to dinner, it sounds pretty darned scrumptious! http://tinyurl.com/md5v7qg

And here are two collections of recipes. Some of them are in the sweet category vs savory. I must admit to having a bit of a prob-lem with thinking of spaghetti squash as the basis for a sweet dish but obvi-ously I have-n't been ad-venturous enough in exploring the many uses of this wonder-ful squash:

http://tinyurl.com/lh5p857 http://tinyurl.com/a4ygj9o

Seed Resources: Seeds for spaghetti squash are readily available in most seed catalogs and in the seed racks of most garden cen-ters. Burpee offers a bush variety as well as the standard vine types: http://tinyurl.com/kjwoy5j

Ed Note: 1 cup of spaghetti squash has only 31 calories, 0.6

grams of fat, 109 mg of potassium, 1.5 grams of dietary fi-

ber, 2.8 g of sugar, 17 mg of sodium, 0.6 g. protein, Vitamin

A, Calcium, Vitamin B-6, Magnesium, Vitamin C and Iron.

Not to mention, it’s a good source of anti-oxidants!

99

Your member site:

www.ocmgamembers.org

The Foundation for the Gator

Nation.....An equal opportunity

institution.

Have pictures or an idea for

an article?

Send it in!

Articles and pictures are

always welcome.

You’ll remember from last month

that I was determined to find a new

cereal. Well I found it. The only prob-

lem is that my 30 lb. cat has also deter-

mined that he likes my cereal as well. I

tried to logically explain to him that it’s

rude to shove your face into someone

else’s bowl and trying to stick your foot

in there is just wrong. At this point, I’m

losing the logic battle. I do, however,

manage to burn a few extra calories in

the race of trying to protect a bowl and

not spill milk. You would think it was

the milk Mr. Puss would be af-

ter....no...it’s the cereal. Welcome to my

world.

This cat also thinks that any piece of

paper has only been placed there for

him to lie on. It makes life interesting

when one is trying to read the newspa-

per but I get really upset when he de-

cides to occupy the top of my To Do

list.

You see, I have discovered that there

is a contest going on in my house. Hap-

py Hubby and I are in a tight race to

see who can forget more things in any

given day. Now, I’ve always been a list

maker but lately, it’s taken on a new

sense of urgency.

There are the errand lists, shopping

lists, doctor lists, activity lists, home-

work lists......and then there is my Mas-

ter List. Yup, I even have a list of the

lists.

I get up early and work on that day’s

list. Things that I have to do (or places

I have to go), details of daily life that

keep me on track....most of the time. I

don’t feel like I have it together until I

get my list done and then can start

marking things off.

I know a lot of other folks who make

lists. But why? Why do we do this? I

did a quick search with the question:

Why do we make lists? The result was

207,000,000 hits! Lordy! We seem to

be a list making species. I checked out

a few of the articles and found a com-

mon thread. We make lists in a effort

to make order out of chaos. Makes

sense, there’s nothing more chaotic

than life and we do like to keep our

lives neat and tidy.

But what does it do if we ignore those

lists or perhaps don’t cross off every

single item? That part of the reading

got boring. Everything from ‘passive

aggressive response’ to inertia...you get

the idea....YAWN!

The reality is that nothing ever hap-

pens the way we expect it. Life has a

way of intruding into our list of things

to do. The sun is shining and there’s a

cool breeze....I really don’t want to

clean the bathroom....so the ‘list’ gets

chucked out the window.

But we do need order of some sort.

What we have to watch out for is being

so strict with the list that we forget to

take the time to have fun, learn, and be

amazed at the world. Sure, we have

appointments and errands that HAVE

to be done but some of the other items

aren’t imperative and can be put off for

a bit.

So go ahead and make a list but be

sure to add things like ‘stroll in the gar-

den’ and other items that don’t ‘count’

as tasks. Remember that one of the

chief characteristics of a list is that it

obeys the principle of infinity and eter-

nal renewal. Where would we be if we

had nothing left to do?

As for me, I put the ‘list’ back where

Mr. Puss could lounge for a while and I

scratched him behind the ears. Lis-

tened to him purr and then went out-

side to watch the butterflies on the

flowers. This is one day that I’ll gladly

win the contest to see who can forget

the most stuff.

“The time you enjoy wasting is not

wasted time.” Bertrand Russell

Marg S.—Editor

Shari F., Karen H. and

Linda M.—Co-Editors

LAST WORD By Marg S.