Saturday, April 22, 2017

Garden Day Plant Sale Update




Free Soil Sample 

How to take your sample is below
Speakers of the day will be on the following topics

11AM  Pollinator Habitate 
12 PM Tour of the Pollinator Garden
12 PM Container Gardening for Vegetables
1PM    Three season gardening. What How and Why?
11 to 2 Tours of the organic edible garden, orchard, and Award Winning Pollinator Garden

All Day  Ask the Master Gardener

Do you like to try unusual plants? We have a few.
Cuban Oregano                                             
  •  Cotton Plant
  • Vicks Plant
  • Castor Bean (Toxic but beautiful climbing plant in the right garden)
  • Jack in the Pulpit
  • Strawberry Spinach
  • Cress
  • Triple curled Parsley
  • Quinoa Brighest Brillant Rainbow
  • Okra Clemson Spineless
  • Lemon Grass
  • Ascepias -Milk Weed
  • Solidago ZIG ZAG 
We will also have divisions from our pollinator garden as well as divisions brought in by our Master Gardeners from their gardens. All a surprise until this coming week.

General Prices

4"pots  3.00
6 Pks.  4.00    
Scented Geraniums.  5.00 All a great size
Calendula    5.00
Larger pots of perennials 5 to 18




Pre planted Mixed Herb Garden       25.00














Wild Columbine 






Trumpet Honeysuckle    15.00






















              







Thursday, April 13, 2017

Sweet Potato Flatbread


by Michelle L. Dauberman


I don’t know about you but I love a good carb.  Especially those that come in the form of warm breads and sweet potatoes.  So what would you say to me if I told you that you could combine the two into a tasty flat bread and that you make some at home.  Yum, right.  So here’s the skinny.

To make sweet potato flatbread you will need:
2 Tbsp of oil
1 c of all-purpose flour + ¼ cup of flour for rolling out the flatbreads
1 c of mashed sweet potato
½ tsp of salt

Making this flat bread is just as simple as the ingredients:
1.  Cook/boil 1 c of sweet potatoes.
2.  Mix 1 c of flour, 1 c of mashed sweet potato and ½ tsp of salt.  Knead until it forms a smooth dough.  Your dough may be a bit sticky so dust it with a little flower as needed.
3.  Dust a flat surface with flower.
4.  Place the dough on your flat surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
5.  Roll out each piece into a thin circle.
6.  Heat 1 tsp of oil, at medium heat, in a pan.
7.  Cook/heat the first side until golden brown and flip to cook/heat the second side.
8.  Serve warm and enjoy!


For more information on how to grow sweet potatoes in your home garden visit this PSU extension page:  http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/news/2016/buy-sweet-potatoes-now-to-grow-your-own-in-the-spring



Garden Day and Plant Sale Partial List of plants for sale

The April 30th Garden Day and Plant Sale is fast approaching. Below is a partial list of
plants available as new selections become available closer to the sale.

See everyone on the 30th.





2017 MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE VEGETABLE LIST

Amaranth (Yin Tsai/Chinese Spinach)
·       Mixed – thrives in the heat of summer when growing spinach is impossible; its soft leaves are a welcomed addition to salads; like spinach, it melts delectably when cooked; mixed green, red and b-colored
Arugula
·       Rustic—smaller Italian native; distinctive nutty flavor; fine, deeply indented, dark green leaves; slow to bolt;
Beets
·       Boldor—luminous golden beets; improved uniformity and vigor; sweet and delicious when juiced, shredded in salads or roasted
·       Cylindra – shaped more like a fat carrot; 6-8” long, 1 ½ to 2” long; dark red roots taste great; ideal for slicing or pickling
·       Detroit Red – heirloom; large, smooth roots; also good for greens at early stage; exceptional flavor; freezes & cans well
·       Golden Orange—heirloom;  dates back to early 1820’s; rich, golden-yellow and very sweet; greens are tasty
·       Touchstone Gold – pale orange spherical roots with sunshine gold flesh; delectable sweet taste, both raw and cooked; keeps wonderful color when cooked; more reliable than many other golden types
Broccoli
·       Gai  lan – also known as Chinese kale or Chinese broccoli; thick, flat, glossy, blue-green leaves with thick stems; flavor similar to broccoli but slightly more bitter
·       Gypsy—very heat tolerant; plants are very vigorous with a strong stalk and energetic root system; color is a paler green; resists down mildew; good flavor
Broccoli Di Rapa
·       Novantina – non-heading broccoli, also called Broccoli Raab or Rapini; always served cooked
Cabbage
·       Red Express – one of earliest, open pollinated red cabbages available; uniform, dense heads; medium sized – 2-4 lbs.; crunchy texture; can be planted close together in a compact space
·        
Collards
·       Vates—in 1950’s this strain was praised as a “new, dwarf strain,” longstanding and heat-resistant; winter-hardy in this area, producing a crop into very cold autumn weather; make super healthy and delicious cooked greens
Cress/Garden Cress
·       Wrinkled, Crinkled, Crumpled – very ruffled garden cress; good for salads; very flavorfull
Cucumber
·       Armenian – heirloom, highly ribbed; light green; sweet taste; long and thin; best picked when 12”
·       Boothby Blonde – heirloom; short, oval fruits; 3” to 4” in length; become yellower as they mature; sweet, mild flavor
·       Dar good slicing/pickling cuke; bushy plants that are good for containers; fruits hold well on plant; powdery mildew tolerant; superb new Polish variety
·       Mexican Sour Gherkin (Mouse Melons) – heirloom; packs lots of flavor in tiny, teaspoon sized fruit; delicate foliage with fistfulls of tiny, fruit that look like miniature watermelons; grow in the ground with a trellis to plant in a hanging basket
·       Tendergreen Burpless --  excellent slicing green cucumber; popular for over 80 years; medium-dark green; 7-12 inches; smooth, tender skin; tolerates cool, damp soil; powdery mildew and mosaic virus resistant; altogether a superior sort
Eggplant
·       Black Beauty – very handsome heirloom eggplant; one to three pound, glossy, deep
purple fruits that keep well and have superb flavor
·       Black Egg—fruit resemble black bombs or teardrops; produces unusually tender fruit on
vigorous 3 foot plants; sets fruit early and best when picked early
·       Slim Jim – exceptionally earyl; fruits are purple, long and slender; flavor is mild; harvest  at any size but 4-5” is best
Endive
·       Tres Fine – frisee –type heirloom; mildly bitter bite ; a wonderful addition to salads
Fennel
·       Zefa fino – all parts of plant are edible with a sweet, licorice-like flavor; 4” medallion-shaped bulbs mature in 90 days; leaves of the 2’ plant can be eaten throughout the summer; very aromatic and tender, never woody; almost never bolts
Kale
·       Blue Curled Scotch – heirloom; compact plants yield tender blue-green crinkled leaves; quite delicious; very cold hardy; rich in vitamin A
·       Red Russian – tender, oak shaped, 3’ leaves from reddish green to red after frost; may be left in garden for harvest throughout the winter
Kohlrabi
·       Kolibri – exterior attractive purple, interior crisp, clear white; flavor is fine and delicate for kohlrabi; globes can exceed 1 pound and are not woody
·       Kongo – produces uniform pale green fruit which hold well in ground without becoming woody; luminous light green skin encases a tender, juicy, creamy-white interior; best to harvest young for best flavor
Lettuce
·       Black Seeded Simpson  -- old favorite; light green frilly leaves, loose head; very dependable
·       Burpee Mesclun Blend
·       Garnet Rose – Romaine type; bright garnet color throughout; excellent for containers
·       Green Towers – tall Romaine type; intense green; easy to grow
·       Kweik – quick-harvesting, large, lime green butterhead lettuce; grows best in cool temperatures
·       Leaf salad Blend Mix
·       Little Gem – heirloom; very small, romaine type; heat tolerant
·       Paris Mesclun Mix
·       Red Oak Leaf – long standing oak leaf variety; does not turn bitter in the heat; tight rosettes of deeply-lobbed leaves, tinged with gorgeous burgundy
·       Red Velvet – soft frilled leaves are maroon and green; loose leaf; slow to bolt
·       Stardon Lettuce Mix
·       Tom Thumb – heirloom; small cabbage-like green heads only 3-4” across; very tasty
·       Winter Density – Romaine type; early and compact; bolt resistant
Melons
·       PMR Delicious 51 (Cantalope) --  juicy, perfectly sweet dark orange flesh with creamy texture and strong flavor; excellent resistance to powdery mildew
·       Rocky Ford (Musk Melon) – average size musk melon; well known for fine grain texture and sweet flesh; wowed gardeners since 1881
·       Sugar Baby (Watermelon) -- melons roughly 10 inches across; unmistakable crisp, mouthwatering  rich, sweet flavor; perfect for the home garden
Mustard Greens
·       Purple Osaka – Japanese mustard greens with large, rounded purple leaves; beautiful, pungent and sharp; best when planted as cool weather crop; can be used as companion plant to discourage aphids     
·       Red Giant— this India  Mustard is easy to grow, vigorous and good in stir fries, quickly boiled or pickled; grows to 1’ with large, slightly fringed leaves of a deep purplish red; winter-hardy and slow to bolt; relatively resistant to disease and pests
Okra
·       Clemson Spineless  -- plants are about 3’ tall; numerous spineless pods that are tender and tasty if picked young; won All American award back in 1939 and still going strong
Pak Choi
·       Shanghai Green – delicious baby type; compact plants; light green stems; extra tender; finely flavored
Peppers (Hot)
·       Big Thai Hybrid – medium-hot, 4” to 5” fruits on 30” plants; mature quickly from green to dark red
·       Cayenne Blend – adding cayenne increases the “heat” of your favorite chili or othe spicy recipe; fruits are colorful and festive when dried
·       Early Jalapeno – early, dark green 3” peppers; excellent fresh or pickled; zesty flavor
·       Hungarian Yellow Wax – medium-hot Old World favorite; excellent for pickling; also good for salads and frying
·       Spicy Fiesta Blend – hot and spicy; great for containers
 Peppers (Sweet)
·       California Wonder —vibrant, red when ripe fruit; crisp and flavorful
·       Coral Belle – intensely orange bell pepper; compact plant with reliable production
·       Jupiter – older commercial variety, perfect for home gardener; produces blocky 4 ½” by 4 ½” green fruit that ripen to red; disease resistant
·       King of the North – open pollinated; very bushy, high yielding plants; can produce 14-20, blocky, large fruits per plant; harvest when green or wait until they turn bright red
·       Mad Hatter – novel shape & flavor; disc-shaped, three-sided sweet pepper; citrusy flavor; vigorous plants produce an abundance of 2” to 3” fuirts
Spinach
·       Strawberry – old-fashioned plant dating back to 1600’s in Europe; produces greens that are picked and cooked like spinach plus attractive red but bland tasting berries that can add a nice touch to fruit salads; easy to grow plants
Swiss Chard
·       Bright Lights – almost neon in appearance with vivid red, orange or yellow veins running through the stalks; also effective in ornamental gardens
·       Burpee’s Rhubarb Chard – heirloom; crimson stalks with glossy green, crinkled leaves; easy to grow; best in full sun; tolerates some shade
Tomatillo
·       Toma Verde – early, abundant and easy to grow; delicious tart green fruits mature to sweet yellow ones; enjoy raw, grilled or roasted
Tomatoes (Cherry)
·       Black Cherry – indeterminate; long vines covered with distinctive, very dark purple fruit; exceptional flavor of a Brandywine in a cherry tomato
·       Black Vernissage – “black” tomato loaded with flavor and production; 2 ounces make a big splash in garden and kitchen; heirloom
·       Camp Joy – strong growing vines bear big, heavy clusters of large-sized red cherries; full flavor with intense sweetness; heirloom
·       Gold Nugget— determinate; bright yellow; early and abundant; compact plant; thin skin yet resistant to cracking; 1” juicy, mild fruits
·       Green Grape – sister to ‘Green Zebra’; rich, sweet and zingy; fruits are lime green inside; skin is chartreuse –yellow; beautiful in salads
·       Pandorino – indeterminate;  vigorous, tall vines covered with early multiple cascading clusters of cherry-bright, sweet, grape-shaped fruit; extremely disease resistant
·       Peacevine—open pollinated; indeterminate;  perfectly round, 1” red fruits; plentiful and early; up to 18 tomatoes per cluster
·       Red Pear –heirloom grown since colonial times; indeterminate; attractive and tasty 1-2” fruits
·       Rosella – massive trusses of pink to purple cherries with smoky blush; ½” across; very few seeds; excellent balance of sweetness to acidity
·       Snow Fairy – incredibly dwarf tomato from Russia; heirloom; produces large yield of small, globe-shaped fruit, very early; plants are short, stocky and very deep green; fruit is tart and of an average tomato taste; good for containers
·       Sungold – indeterminate; great “tomatoey” flavor with intense sweetness; 1” fruit; very heavy yields
·       Sungold Select II –indeterminate; selection from regular ‘Sungold’; one of the tastiest cherries out there; variety is not completely stable – few plant still produce red fruit
·       Yellow Pear – indeterminate; very sweet, 1 ½” pear-shaped fruit; mild flavor; great for snacking; very productive; easy to grow
Tomatoes (Plum)
·       Amish Paste – indeterminate; sweeter than most paste tomatoes; juicy, 8-12 ounce fruits with meaty flesh; very few seeds; useful for sauces, canning and slicing
·       Italian Roma – heirloom; superb Italian paste and canning tomato; also delicious for salads and sandwiches; heavy producer
·       Russian Purple – purple, egg-shaped fruit; good for salsa, eating fresh or cooking; very productive; fruits weigh about 6 ounces each; AKA Ukrainian Purple
·       San Marzano – heirloom ;indeterminate; classic Italian paste tomato; many consider is the best; high-yielding
·       Speckled Roman – intriguing paste tomato with orange & yellow stripes; yummy flavor; very meaty; excellent for sauce, canning and freezing
Tomatoes (Slicers)
·       Aunt Ruby’s German Green –indeterminate; green fruit become amber tinged when fully ripe; spicy and sweet flavor; fruits 5”X4”
·       Black Krim – beautiful, dark purple-black fruits; rich, old-fashioned flavor with hint of smokiness; reliable and productive
·       Bloody Butcher – heirloom; indeterminate;  early to ripen; deep red color inside and out;  yields 5-9 3-4 ounce fruits in clusters
·       Brandywine – heirloom; winner of many taste tests; pinkish/red, extra-large fruit; fabulous flavor
·       Burpee’s Jubilee – indeterminate, high yielding cross between Tangerine and Rutgers; up to 3” across; bright golden orange; delicious mildly- flavored fruit
·       Carbon – heirloom; smooth, large and beautiful fruit; one of the darkest and prettiest of the purple types
·       Chef’s Choice Yellow—hearty, beefsteak type tomato in a beautiful yellow color; sweet, citrus-like flavor with just the right touch of acidity; disease resistant
·       Cherokee Purple – indeterminate; heirloom; old-fashioned variety from Tennessee; superbly rich flavor and striking color; very productive
·       Copper River – indeterminate; rare and very sought after, potato-leaf tomato; green when ripe bi-color with faint, metallic-yellow stripes
·       Early Harvest Hybrid – determinate; 10 ounce red fruit; 4’ high plants; early harvesting
·       Kelloggs Breakfast – indeterminate; heirloom; extremely large, sunny orange beefsteak with outstanding flavor that is unforgettable
·       Pineapple – indeterminate; heirloom; orange and yellow striped both inside and out; very large, beefsteak type; fruits are 5” in diameter with juicy, meaty flesh; fine, mild flavor; fruit can exceed 2.5 pounds!




MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE HERB LIST 2017

Basil
·                Mammolo – perfect for containters;  bred for high leaf to stem ratio; bushy, compact plant; classic Italian aroma and flavor without the without the minty smell some of some of the Italian basils
·                 Purple Petra – premium purple-leaf basil; dark-red foliage with excellent flavor; good for containers
·                 Thai
·                 Lemon
·                 Lime

Dill

Lovage

Oregano
·       Cuban – part sun to full sun; drought tolerant; easy to start from cuttings

Parsley
·                 Flat Leaf
·                Giant of Italy
·                Sweet Parsley Triple Curled (heirloom)

Sage Pineapple

                                          Perennials and Annuals

  

Arisaema triphyllum--'Jack-in-the-pulpit'

Coreopsis lanceolata--'Lanceleaf Coreopsis'

Scented Geraniums
Pelargonium
Pelargonium--'Attar of Rose' scent
Pelargonium--'Citrus Scent'
Pelagornium--'Lemon scented'
Pelargonium--'Mint-scented Rose' scent
Pelargonium--'Old Spice' scent

Pepper, Ornamental--'Pepper on a Stick'

Calendula
Calendula--'Ball's Improved Orange'
Calendula--'Yellow Gem'

Ricinis communis, 'Red Castor Bean' ****
 **** DANGER: poisonous, skin irritant

Setcreasea pallida--'Purple Heart'

 
 














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