Monthly Archives: August 2023
Summer Garden Pie
Ingredients:
· 1 tablespoon butter
· 1 (14.5 ounce) can yellow corn, drained or 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels
· ½ onion, diced
· 2 medium zucchinis, ends removed and thinly sliced
· 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
· 1 tablespoon dried basil or two tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
· 4 eggs, beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add corn, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sauté until vegetables are tender, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While vegetables are cooking, line an 11×7 baking dish with nonstick spray. Remove vegetables from heat. Drain vegetables.
Transfer vegetables to the baking pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the basil, oregano, salt, cheese, and eggs.
Pour egg mixture over the vegetables.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake an additional 5 minutes to brown. Let cool and then slice.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutritional Analysis: 210 calories; 12g total fat; 6g saturated fat; 0g trans fat;
130mg cholesterol; 570mg sodium; 11g carbohydrate; 3g fiber; 6g sugar;
0g added sugar; 14g protein.
Eating Over the Rainbow Challenge
JOIN us in our Eating over the Rainbow Challenge! Pick up your FREE items today at the Warren County Cooperative Extension Office!
We are challenging families to eat at least one fruit and vegetable each day, for at least one week during the month of August.
The Eating over the Rainbow Challenge helps make food fun and encourages children and their families to try new foods with our fun and FREE resources!
Pick up your FREE resources TODAY at 5162 Russellville Road Bowling Green, KY.
Complete and return the included evaluation at the beginning of September to receive a FREE LUNCHBOX and incentive items!
Call 270-842-1681 for more information.
Buy Kentucky Fresh
Fruits and vegetables grown locally and sold at the farmers’ market spend more time maturing in the field, and less time on the road. They aren’t picked green and sprayed with hormones to ripen. They are naturally at their peak flavor and nutrition, and ready for your family to enjoy.
When your family has fun selecting fresh and delicious local foods, you help your neighbors on small farms and keep more money in your community. Take time to talk to the farmers and learn about their farms and fresh foods in your area.
Tips for shopping at the Farmers’ Market
· Mind your budget. Before you go, decide how much you have to spend. Bring along a calculator or paper and pencil to track spending. Don’t buy more than you can store safely and eat or preserve before it spoils.
· Bring the kids and let them help pick out some of the fruit and vegetables. They will learn how to shop wisely and might even get excited about trying new foods.
· Arrive early for best selection. Popular items may sell out fast.
· Shop late for best prices. Some farmers will sell items at a lower price, rather than taking them home. Don’t be afraid to bargain.
· Make a lap around the market before making purchases. This will allow you to see which booths have the best quality food for the lowest prices, which vendors accept EBT or nutrition program benefits, or offer promotions such as Double Dollars.
· Keep an open mind. Produce sold at the farmers’ market is usually grown for taste, not appearance. It may look imperfect, but taste great.
· Ask for seconds. Sometimes farmers have good produce that didn’t look good enough to display. Ask if they have seconds that will sell at a reduced rate.
· Buy fruit and vegetables in season. That’s when they’re at the height of quality and lowest price.
· Ask questions. Farmers are usually happy to answer questions about their produce, and they often have good cooking and serving suggestions.
· Buy now, enjoy later. If possible, buy large amounts of produce in season and freeze, can or dry it for winter. Contact the local Extension Office for information on food preservation.
Celebrate Tree Check Month
By Jonathan L. Larson, Entomology Extension Specialist, Kentucky Pest News
In the spirit of invasive species awareness, the USDA has declared August as “Tree Check Month.” Specifically, the hope is that people will serve their community by checking for the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), an invasive longhorn beetle pest that could be devastating to Kentucky forests and landscapes. While this pest is not known to currently live in the Bluegrass State, there are active infestations in Ohio, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York as of 2023. August is the peak season for finding adult beetles, and you are asked to contribute 10 minutes of your time by participating in Tree Check Month to help make sure that ALB hasn’t snuck into Kentucky.
Asian Longhorned Beetle Basics
Asian longhorned beetle is a pest that was first accidentally imported to the U.S. in 1996. This initial find was in Brooklyn, NY and was eventually eradicated. Unfortunately, other populations popped up in other parts of New York State, as well as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Ohio in the U.S., and Ontario in Canada.
Adult beetles are 1 to 1.5 inches long with antennae that are longer than the rest of the body. They are black with white splotches on the back, and the antennae are black and white. The legs and feet can have a bluish color. Larvae are cylindrical; they are a type of “roundheaded borer,” and can be up to 2 inches long. Larvae are more cryptic, as they live under the bark of the tree but can be discovered when trees are taken down.
Most of our native longhorn beetles aren’t considered primary pests of trees as they tend to opportunistically feed on dead and dying trees. ALB can infest healthy trees, and over time, the larvae inside will kill the tree. They can be found in 13 different host trees: ash, birch, elm, golden raintree, horse chestnut, Katsura, maple, mimosa, apple, mountain ash, London planetree, poplar, and willow. Larvae will feed down into the heartwood of the tree. When infested trees are cut, the inside often looks like Swiss cheese. Once a tree is infested, there is no way to save it. Areas where this is pest is discovered are quarantined, and infested trees are destroyed. There have already been thousands of trees removed in the United States.
What Should You Do?
To participate in Tree Check Month, go out into your landscape and see if you have any of the hosts listed above. If you do, then inspect your tree for symptoms such as:
- Large exit holes.
- Pits chewed into the bark.
- Sawdust-like material at the base of the tree.
- Dead branches in the upper canopy.
Adult beetles can also be spotted; they are large and in charge, so they can be obvious. They may be on trees themselves or they can be discovered on cars, outdoor furniture, sidewalks, and walls. The latest infestation (in South Carolina) was discovered due to the observations of a citizen in the infested neighborhood. Without their attention, state and national officials would not have known the pest was there. By participating in Tree Check Month, you can help protect the trees of Kentucky and ensure we haven’t been invaded. You can report suspect beetles or symptoms to the UK Department of Entomology through our Facebook page (Kentucky Bugs) or through the Office of the State Entomologist (reportapest@uky.edu).
More Information
If you want to learn more about Tree Check Month or the Asian longhorned beetle, you can find info at the following USDA sites:
Stockpiling Forages to Extend Grazing Season
Article Source: Ray Smith, UK plant and soil sciences professor
Good pasture management can help extend the grazing season further into the fall and early winter. Take advantage of good growing conditions to obtain high-quality pasture for late fall and early winter grazing. Stockpiling helps broaden the pasture season for the cow herd, reduces feed and labor costs by lowering the amount of hay needed and provides an ideal location for the beef cow herd to winter and calve.
It’s easy to begin to stockpile. Simply take cattle off pastures in late summer, apply nitrogen fertilizer and allow grass to accumulate growth through late fall. Then, put cattle on the pasture one section at a time until they’ve finished grazing the whole field.
Take soil samples for analyses to determine pasture requirements for phosphorus, potassium and lime. You’ll need this information to renovate with clover in the spring.
Tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are the best grasses to stockpile in Kentucky. Both retain green color and forage quality late into winter, are somewhat resistant to low temperatures and form a good sod. Tall fescue produces more fall and winter growth than Kentucky bluegrass.
Nitrogen and moisture are critical to successfully stockpiling grasses.
Apply nitrogen in mid-August. Topdress at the rate of 40 to 60 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre for Kentucky bluegrass. Use 40 to 100 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre on tall fescue.
Numerous studies show wise fertilizer use and timing results in high yields during fall and early winter. Tall fescue crude protein and digestibility are better during fall and early winter than at any other time of the year.
Yields can be very good when water is available during the stockpiling period. Tall fescue can produce two tons of dry matter up to late November. With adequate water, producers can achieve 25 pounds of dry matter for each pound of nitrogen used.
After frost, let cattle graze grass-legume fields quickly before plants deteriorate. Then, put animals on the stockpiled grass fields. For the most efficient use of stockpiled fields, establish a strip grazing system by using a temporary electric fence to section off areas of the field. The first grazing area should have water and mineral sources. When animals have grazed this area, move the fence to open a new strip. Repeat this process until the entire field has been grazed.
Stockpiled grass is an excellent choice for fall-calving cows because it can be used to meet high nutritional needs after calving and during the breeding season. Grazing stockpiled grasses may offer the most benefit to spring-calving cows in thin body condition during the fall. Growing, weaned cattle can be grazed on stockpiled fescue. Using stockpiled grasses helps lower feed costs when backgrounding cattle.
For more information about pasture management and other topics, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Cooperative Extension Service.
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