11

...for discerning weeders

October, 2014 An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

ALL A-BUZZ by P. Garrett Before attending UF’s Bee College in 2010, I

thought all honeybees were essentially the

same. I really didn’t give much thought to

whether honeybees could be either male or

female or even whether there was a division of

labor in the hive. I hope this and next month’s

article clears up some misconceptions, adds to

your knowledge base and ,as always, helps all

of us develop even more of an appreciation for

our beloved insect, Apis Mellifera.

There are three castes in a colony: the queen,

drones and workers. All drones are male and all

workers are female. The queen’s primary func-

tion is to lay the eggs. Usually she lays ALL the

eggs in a colony but occasionally when the

queen pheromone is low or she just isn’t pro-

ducing enough eggs, one or more of the workers

may get an inkling to lay eggs too. Unfortunate-

ly, ALL of those eggs will become drones as

they are unfertilized eggs. All female bees have

the capability to lay eggs, but only the queen,

who has previously mated with drones, can pro-

duce female offspring. When a worker decides

to lay eggs, we call this “laying worker phenom-

enon” and it is pretty easily detected. In the cells

on the frame where the brood should normally

be, if a laying worker is suspected, the cell may

hold more than one egg. I have seen up to 3 eggs

in a laying worker cell. Also, the eggs usually

aren’t in the right place as the worker’s abdo-

men isn’t long enough to reach the bottom of

the cell correctly. Understandably, these multi-

ple eggs will not develop properly. Once this

phenomenon is started, it is very difficult to

stop. You may be wondering how a queen knows

when to lay a fertilized egg or an unfertilized

egg? The worker bees fashion the cells in the

honeycomb and they make the drone cells a

little bit larger. We think this is how the queen

knows which egg to lay. Controlled by the fe-

male worker bees, not the queen. When all is

going well, there always seems to be just the

right number of workers and drones in a colony,

imagine that! Approximately 5% of a strong

colony are drones and depending on the time of

year, a total of anywhere from 10,000 to 60,000

honeybees in a managed colony.

Basically, the drones are responsible for two

things, eating and fertilizing queens. A drone

has a 24-day larval and transition period where-

as a worker has 21 days. After birth, drones will

do orientation flights for a week or two, and

then for a few hours each day, fly up into the

wild blue yonder into the “DCA,” the Drone

Congregation Area, to mate with virgin queens.

Drones have huge eyes to better see queens

from a distance and do not have stingers! Un-

fortunately, upon mating with the queen and

upon insertion of his appendage, he is tempo-

rarily stunned, paralyzed and falls to his death,

leaving his appendage in her majesty. Boy, just

when you were thinking those drones have it

made! When her majesty returns to the colony,

her “attendants” proceed to clean her to remove

all the foreign body parts. She may mate with

15 to 17 drones. Some say the queen flies into

the DCA for only a few days, up to a week, but

basically she will return every day until her

“spermatheca” is full of sperm. Once it is full,

she is done mating for life. That is why we don’t

clip a virgin queen’s wings. We want them to be

able to fly high (about 300’ ) to the DCA. Then,

after we see she is laying eggs in the hive, we

clip one of her four wings to prevent her from

flying too far if the instinct to swarm comes her

way. Cont’d on page 2

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

Peanut butter

challenge

2

Events 3-4

Rabies 5

Contest 6

Book Review

Mycelium

7

Book Review

Straw bales

8

Wildlife

Happenings

8

Updates and

Info

9

Invasive Plant 10

The Swamp 10

Recipe

Round-Up

11

Out and

About

12

Last Word 14

HAVE YOU

LOGGED ON TO

VMS LATELY?

DON’T FORGET TO KEEP

YOUR HOURS UP TO DATE!

22

Incidentally, if there are still drones around come winter, they

are pushed out of the hive by the workers (some even have their

wings chewed off first) and are left to starve or freeze….bless

their hearts. Better they die during mating, at least a moment of

bliss before sharing their DNA for the proliferation of the spe-

cies.

As mentioned before, many believe the queen controls the colo-

ny but in reality, it is the workers. The queen does produce

“queen substance” (pheromone) from her mandibular glands

that the workers detect to keep them from laying eggs. However,

the workers run the show. If the workers feel the queen isn’t

performing up to par, the pheromone is low, or they think she is

unhealthy, they will exhibit “supersedure” behavior. They will

take one of her eggs and proceed to make a new queen, and

sometimes many queen cells can be found in the hive at one

time. Normally there is only one queen per colony. All eggs re-

ceive the same nutritional formula for the first few days, and

then when a queen is desired, the workers feed the larva Royal

Jelly. Royal Jelly has a higher sugar content and is a more spe-

cialized larval food. Sixteen days after an egg is laid, a beautiful

virgin queen emerges. Beekeepers are forever diligent in check-

ing for these queen cells, called supersedure OR swarm cells.

I thought I would be able to talk about various roles workers

have too, but alas I have exceeded my space already. In the next

Compost Pile, will learn more about the workers, and polyeth-

ism (word of the day).

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

BUZZ cont’d

The Peanut Butter Challenge is

underway!

Click on the image for more

information.

Pumpkin Planter. Submitted by A. Ogle

33

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

You can find even more events by going to the member web

site: www.ocmgamembers.org and click on the calendar

page. Events throughout the Panhandle are listed. Simply

click on the event and you’ll see all the pertinent infor-

mation!

SUGARCANE FIELD

DAY

NOVEMBER 6TH

There is a $10 registra-

tion fee per participant.

To register, call the Gads-

den County Extension Of-

fice 850-875-7255

Click here for more info

ANTIQUE TRACTOR DRIVE AND PULL

NOVEMBER 21ST AND 22ND

MARIANNA, FLORIDA

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

44

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

Click on the images to open up a link to the

specific event page.

Tri-County Horticulture Studies Group

Meetings and Activities for 2014

Meetings 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, lunch optional

November 20 Coordinators: Brenda Jordon and Marie Har-

rison

Location: Emerald Coast Nursery

Speaker: Designer for Leslie Odom, Owner of Nursery,

“Designs for Christmas”

Activity: On site. Emerald Coast Nursery is a great place

to shop.

Lunch: Ruby Tuesdays, Niceville General Membership Meeting

October 29th

9am

Crestview Extension Office

If you want the rainbow,

you’ve got to put up with

the rain.

55

Encounters with wildlife are increasing in urban and suburban

areas of the sunshine state as Florida's population expands and

natural areas shrink. Enjoying nature while protecting yourself,

your family and your pets starts with being informed and know-

ing what to do in an emergency. An unexpected encounter with

wildlife could be awesome, but also a chance to exercise cau-

tion. Mammals that are behaving in an unusual manner, drool-

ing excessively and are either too friendly, or aggressive should

be avoided. Rabies can be carried by wild animals, domestic pets

and livestock, including horses and cows, that have not been vac-

cinated.

In the United States, 90% of reported animal cases with rabies

are wildlife. Raccoons are a major carrier of rabies in Florida,

followed by foxes and bats. Raccoons and bats tend to live closer

to people and cause the most concern. However, not all bats car-

ry rabies. Only 1/2 of 1% are infected with the virus. Just as only

1 out of every 200 raccoons in the wild has been exposed to ra-

bies. Distemper and rabies will often kill raccoons if they be-

come infected. The idea that if you see a raccoon out during the

day it must be sick is a myth. It might be foraging for food when

your yard is quiet with your home's occupants at work, or

school. Conversely, just seeing a bat flying does not mean there

is cause for concern, or panic. The University of Florida Wildlife

series states that bats that carry the rabies virus will probably

become paralyzed and die quietly. Joe Schaefer states that more

people die annually from dog attacks, bee stings, lightning and

household accidents than from bat transmitted rabies.

Some surprising mammals that have tested positive for rabies in

Florida between 1992 and 2011: bobcat, otter, skunk, horse, cow,

beaver, coyote, ferret, opossum and panther. Although very few

wild beaver, coyote and opossum have been documented.

What is Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease that is usually transmitted from the sali-

va of an infected mammal when it bites another animal, or per-

son. The virus attacks the central nervous system (the brain and

the spinal cord) where it causes swelling, or inflammation which

leads to the symptoms of the disease. It is possible for the virus

to be spread through the saliva or brain tissue of an infected ani-

mal if it comes in direct contact with broken skin, open wounds

or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth) of another animal,

or person. The virus could spread from the saliva, or brain tissue

of a dead rabid animal, as well. The virus becomes noninfectious

when it dries out and when it is exposed to sunlight (Holly K.

Ober).

For humans, the risk of dying from rabies is very low. An infect-

ed bite can be disastrous and result in coma and death if left un-

treated, or not treated soon after exposure. More people die

from lightening strikes than rabies in the United States. In the

last 130 years, only 73 people have died from rabies in Florida.

This reported loss of life was mostly children bitten by dogs, or

cats, before the 1950s when the Florida law for animal vaccina-

tion was enacted. All cats, dogs and ferrets, older than 4 months,

are supposed to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veteri-

narian. This does not protect us from feral cats and dogs, howev-

er.

Prevention

However, even though the risk is minimal, recognizing the signs

of a potentially dangerous animal is paramount. The average

person would probably avoid an aggressive animal, but might be

lulled by an unexpectedly passive, or friendly one that is easy to

approach. Avoid contact with animals you don't know, or with

whom you aren't familiar. Don't touch wild mammals, or strays

with your bare hands whether they are alive, or dead. If you see

an animal behaving strangely, notify County Animal Control, or

the County Health Department. Affected animals may move

slowly and have problems walking, or flying while drooling con-

tinuously. Be prepared to explain the animal's actions and loca-

tion.

Do not trap wild, or stray mammals and attempt to relocate

them as it is against the law. Both a handling permit and

permission from the land owner are required.

Keep your pets and livestock vaccinations up to date.

Get vaccinated if you work in a high risk occupation, or for

travel to countries with a high rate of rabies.

Follow quarantine regulations on importing dogs and other

mammals in disease-free countries.

Contact local wildlife rehabilitators if you find injured mam-

mals rather than trying to care for them.

Cont’d on next page

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

RABIES by A. Rosati

66

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

RABIES cont’d

What To Do If You Are Bitten, or come in contact with the

saliva, or brain tissue of an infected animal.

Scrub the site of the infection with soap and running water for 5

to 10 minutes.

Seek immediate medical attention. Call your health care provid-

er, or 911. Report to your doctor, clinic, or emergency room as

soon as possible to be examined by a medical professional. The

same test used on animals can be done to check for rabies in hu-

mans.

Call the County Health Department, or County Animal Control

to come and safely capture the animal.

If your pet is bitten, put on gloves before examining the wound.

Avoid direct contact between yourself and saliva from the of-

fending animal. If you don't see any bite marks, or wounds,

wash your pet with soap and water to remove the saliva and call

your veterinarian for immediate advice.

In summary, be alert, use common sense and caution when en-

countering unfamiliar mammals, whether wild, or domestic. No

matter how interesting, cute, or cuddly-looking respect that they

are wild and can be unpredictable, as well as, pose a potential

danger to you, your family, or your pets. Your diligence could

offer safety rather a trip to the emergency room!

References

Forrester, Don and Schaefer, Joe, "Infectious Diseases of Flori-

da's Wildlife," EDIS Publication #WEC113.

Kern Jr., William H., "Raccoons," EDIS Publication #WEC34.

Ober, Holly K., 2013, "Protecting Your Family and Pets from

Rabies," EDIS Publication #WEC239, Solutions for Your Life.

Schaefer, Joe, 2013, "Dealing with Unwanted Wildlife in an

Urban Environment," EDIS Publication #WEC20, Solutions for

Your Life.

Smith, Ruthe and Schaefer, Joe, "Opossums," EDIS Publication

#WEC28.

UF, Florida Wildlife Extension, University of Florida Wildlife,

"Bats: Our Unexpected Ally."

UF Health, University of Florida Health, 8-14-2012, "Rabies."

Reference to Centers for Disease Control.

CONTEST

We’re starting a new feature with our newsletter. Every so

often, there will be a contest.

This month’s contest is called Who Am I?

The photo is of an Okaloosa County Master Gardener. Let’s

just say that it is a photo taken a short time before he joined

our group!

Feel lucky? Go ahead a email your guesses to our Editor by

clicking here

One entry per person. Entries must be received no later

than midnight, October 31st.

Here’s the fun part of the contest. If no one guesses correct-

ly, then the person who submitted the stumper photo will

get that month’s prize!

Winners will be announced at the general membership

meeting.

So check through those photos! Do you have a unique plant

that you think will stump our members? An old time gadget

or other item? Send them in! Remember! If you stump our

members then you’ll win the prize for the month!

77

Every now and then I run across a book which provides me with a new insight

into the way the world functions. Mycelium Running is one of those books. The

author, Paul Stamets, has published many scientific papers and is highly regard-

ed by his peers. So how did I find this book? Another one of those very informa-

tive presentations on TED talks. (See the site at the end of this review.)

For clarity; Mycelium. - The white threads or filamentous growth from which a

mushroom or fungus is developed; the so called mushroom spawn. Now that we

have that, try this--does the statement, “Mycelium is sentient.” seem absurd and

outlandish? If you take the time to watch the TED Talk or read the book it may

change your understanding as Stamets explains the concept.

That may have turned off a number of readers because plant growth and health

seems to be our main area of service. Without mycelium there would be no

plants or animals or any other life form. You would not even have any soil ! You

might have some dust or rocks but no soil. It is the Mycelium that breaks inert

substances into the nutrients which can be absorbed by plants. There are some

that even break down granite.

Another clarification : The term mycorrhizae is a term widely used for the symbi-

otic association between the mycelium and the roots of a vascular plant. In a

mycorrhizal association, the fungus colonizes the host plant's roots. It is usually

a beneficial fungus that we call mycorrhiza. In the book are photos showing the

growth pattern differences with a beneficial mycorrhiza and without.

If supporting life is not enough, consider their vast contribution to the medical world. Just think about Penicillin or the vast array of

antibiotics developed from molds. Their use in pesticides is also becoming more widespread and some hybrid mushrooms are being

used to defeat species specific insects. Reforestation time and cost can be greatly reduced with their proper application. They have

been use for oil spill clean up and now it has been discovered they are a great way to cleanup radioactive waste. Their uses are be-

come so diverse it has even created new terms.

Mycotechnology is part of a larger trend toward using living systems to solve environmental problems and to restore ecosystems.

Covers mycorestoration (biotransforming stripped land), mycofiltration (creating habitat buffers), mycoremediation (healing

chemically harmed environments), and mycoforestry (creating truly sustainable forests).

They not only form the underpinning of life they may just save us from ourselves.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

BOOK REVIEW by E. Smith

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help

Save the World by Paul Stamets

ISBN-10: 1580085792

Stag

ho

rn o

n R

edw

oo

d M

ou

nt

Ph

oto

cou

rtesy of D

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bo

them

The Jokester

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

88

BOOK REVIEW by A. Rosati

Want to try some-

thing new with vege-

table gardening that

will reduce your work

load, can be located

anywhere, and ex-

tend

the growing season

while preventing dis-

ease and insect is-

sues? This 139

page guide just might

persuade you to try

bale gardening.

Color photos and

drawings enhance the

step-by-step instruc-

tions for creating a

bale garden verses a

traditional soil gar-

den. Topics covered include planning, conditioning the

bales, planting, growing and harvesting. Tips are provided

throughout this easy to read book, as well as, questions and an-

swers, resources and plant profiles from basil to zucchini.

You will need one, or more, bales of straw, at least six hours a

day of direct sunlight and water. Of course you can always

start with one straw bale, but layout and suggested plants are

given for five, ten, fifteen and twenty bale vegetable gardens.

Two particularly interesting sections are the construction of trel-

lises and planting low growing annuals along the sides of

the bales with veggies on the top.

In summary, Joel Karsten tells us, "Using bale straw just like a

rectangular planting container, anyone can grow his or her fa-

vorite crops, with little effort, no weeding, and minimal bending

over"... "You won't need special tools, advanced training, horti-

cultural expertise or a big backyard with beautiful productive

soil."

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension

October is the first real Fall month in Florida, and along with

breaking out the blankets (for those chilly 60 degree nights), we

get to see a whole new batch of animals and wildlife activity.

Here are some interesting things to look for in October:

Birds:

*Warbler migration peaks early this month.

*Sandhill cranes that nested in more northern latitudes begin to

move down to join our resident birds.

*Ducks begin to arrive for the winter.

*Grosbeaks, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrushes begin mi-

grating 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 October.

Insects:

*Monarch butterfly migration nears its peak along Florida’s Gulf

coast.

Fish:

*Redfish and trout move up creeks and rivers in north Florida.

*Fall spawning of redear sunfish.

*Largemouth bass active in cooler waters.

October also gets us thinking about Halloween, ghouls, vampires

and their fascinating mascots: bats. If you want to learn the real

skinny about these beneficial little insect eaters, you should

check out the special Halloween edition on Florida’s bats by

clicking on the picture below.

Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten

99

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

UPDATES AND INFO by Editorial Staff

A reminder to check out the Master Gardener program on

Crestview Television! We have some new videos up there!

http://www.cvctv.info/channel.cfm?category=The%20Master%

20Gardener&id=4430

UPDATED PUBLICATIONS

The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 http://

edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs248

How to Start a Food Business http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs254

*Survival of Foodborne Pathogens on berries: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs236

*Integrated Pest Management for Mosquito Reduction around Homes and Neighborhoods http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1045

*Pavement ant Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1047

*Gardening with Annuals in Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg319

*Mexican Sycamore (Platanus mexicana) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep502

*Phoenix roebelenii: Pygmy Date Palm http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st441

*Purple Sunset Pomegranate (Punica granatum ‘PIIPG-1’) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep501

*Waterhyacinth: Florida's Worst Floating Weed http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag385

*Giant Woolly Bear (larva), Giant or Great Leopard Moth (adult) Hypercompe scribonia (Stoll 1790) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arc-tiinae) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1043

*A guide to Florida's common bark and ambrosia beetles http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr389

*A Parasitoid Wasp Cotesia congregata (Say) (Insecta: Hyme-noptera: Braconidae) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1042

*Soil and Plant Tissue Testing http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss625

*Heirloom Eggplant Varieties in Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1242

*Peach Scab http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1249

*Pests and Fungal Organisms Identified on Olives (Olea euro-paea) in Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1046

*Muscadines…it’s good to be late http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2014/10/03/with-muscadines-its-good-to-be-late/

*Homeowner best management practices for the home lawn http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep236

*Jalapeno and other hot pepper varieties for Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1241

*African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae Giles (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1048

INTERESTING ‘STUFF’

If you haven’t check out UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions web site, you really should. Packed with lots of goodies. http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/

Science Take—Rise of the Worker Bees http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000003068527/rise-of-the-worker-bees.html?emc=eta1

Article on butterflies http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2014/20140916_ButterfliesFlamingos.pdf

Where have all the butterflies gone? http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/where-have-all-the-butterflies-gone/2014/08/05/db293360-182d-11e4-9349-84d4a85be981_story.html

Climate indicators http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/

Florida Climate Institute https://floridaclimateinstitute.org/

Florida State Parks Newsletter http://www.floridastateparks.org/resources/sp-newsletter.cfm

Science Friday—Rooting Out the Plant Microbiome http://www.sciencefriday.com/playlist/#play/segment/9566

The Jokester

Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

1010

IF YOU THOUGHT KUDZU WAS BAD.... by D. Stever

Japanese Climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum) is an adven-

tive (non-indigenous) species that was introduced into Florida

as an ornamental plant in the 1930’s. In Florida it is currently

found in the north and western areas of the state, but is quick-

ly spreading southward. It is also found in the southern areas

of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Japanese climbing

fern is able to engulf shrubbery and ground covers by forming

a dense canopy of vegetation.

It is considered a perennial viney fern, climbing and twining,

to 90 feet (30 m) long, with lacy finely divided leaves along

green to orange to Black wiry vines, often forming mats of

shrub- and tree-covering infestations. Tan-brown fronds per-

sisting in winter, while others remain green in Florida and in

sheltered places further north.

The Japanese climbing fern can grow in sun or shade, damp,

disturbed or undisturbed areas. It can grow so dense that it

forms a living 'wall', leading to the elimination of seedlings and

other native vegetation. Japanese climbing fern was added to the

Florida Noxious Weed List in 1999. It is also a major problem in

pine plantations, causing contamination and harvesting prob-

lems for the pine straw industry. Old World climbing fern infests

cypress swamps and other hydric sites, forming a monoculture.

This massive infestation displaces all native flora and fauna,

completely changing the ecosystem of the area. http://

plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/639

The plant produces alternating generations of vegetative and

reproductive plants. The reproductive generation is rarely visi-

ble, and consists of smaller leaflets with sporangia along the un-

dersides of the margin. Spores are wind- as well as equipment-

dispersed. Japanese climbing fern is a perennial vine-like fern

that repeatedly grows back from rhizomes.

Easily confused with (Lygodium microphyllum), another inva-

sive climbing fern. Alternatives include Southern maidenhair

fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris), Turks' cap (Malvaviscus ar-

boreus), and American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

THE SWAMP by L. Fabian

The Swamp by Michael

Grunwald © 2006

Is it a liquid wasteland,

the Garden of Eden, a

national treasure or just

something to be con-

trolled by man and bent

to the many demands of

the people?

It is all about the Ever-

glades.

I was fascinated as I read

the book just how much

history had been

crammed into a story that

told of the efforts of the

many to drain the Ever-

glades or to save the Ev-

erglades (but no one can agree what to save it for...or from!). I

‘met’ politicians whose names are all over Florida as place names

of counties, roads and towns. Some were heroes, some were

goats.

My family lore had my grandmother riding down the railroads

into the Florida Keys. Reality says she wasn’t old enough to have

made a trip like that but her father was a conductor on one of the

Florida rail lines. Why did Flagler build his railroads and put a

hotel at the end of each segment? If he built it they would come.

Over time his railroad pushed into South Florida and with train

service people came to the towns he built and the great weather

that was advertised. And they came, and they stayed and their

need for land expanded. So did their need for fresh water.

Of course all of this new growth happened along the coasts. That

middle part was particularly hellish with alligators, mosquitos

and “savages” and bugs and sawgrass. Whites ignored the peo-

ple who thought they owned all that land in the middle...and a

good part of the outsides too. As far back as forever, no one had

noticed (or cared) that the land was already home to the Semi-

noles who had learned to live with the ‘swamp’ not fight it. Many

lives were lost in a battle for land that was declared “...the poor-

est country that ever two people quarreled for.” cont’d next page

1111

RECIPE ROUND-UP by K. Harper

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

I grow Serrano peppers. They’re a lovely hot pepper, small and beautifully shaped. They don’t pack the set-your-hair-on-fire heat that some of their siblings exhibit but they are definitely assertive. I grow a single Serrano plant from seed every year and every year the plant is overly prolific and I give away as many peppers as I can. It’s surprising how little demand there really is among one’s friends for fresh hot peppers. I use some in cooking but not a lot since they are, well, assertive! This year I vowed to do something constructive with my Serrano harvest so last month I went out picked the plant bare, and reaped enough to can my first ever batch of hot pepper jelly and my first ever batch of pickled peppers. Both turned out great, and I felt a real sense of accomplishment at actually using all of my hot peppers for a change. With that, the canning season drew to a close for me and I put away all my canning equipment till next year.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I went out to the gar-den last week and found the same plant fully laden with beautiful pep-pers in various stages of ripeness, from emerald green to fire engine red. I picked a pound and a half of the little beauties. And I found that here

isn’t any more of a demand for fresh hot peppers now than there was last month.

So, out comes the canning equip-ment again and tomorrow I’ll again be in the business of mak-ing hot pepper jelly and pickled peppers. This is my recipe for hot pepper jelly and, although it calls for Serrano pep-pers, there isn’t any reason you couldn’t use a different variety. I chose this recipe out of many because I wanted the resulting jelly to have a red color and many recipes were for a green version of the jelly. I used only the red Serranoes for my first batch of hot pepper jelly and I loved the way the natural red coloring came through just like the photo in the recipe. The jars are lovely and will make great Christmas gifts: http://tinyurl.com/mztlyuy My yield was 5 ½ eight ounce jars. And that still leaves me with a lot of hot peppers to use up! So I will can another batch of pickled peppers using this recipe which was very simple and turned out beautifully: http://tinyurl.com/mzre3nf My yield was two pints. I hope this will give you some ideas to use in the event that your

hot pepper plant is also an overachiever!

DON’T FORGET!

We now have a full calendar on our member web-site! Click on the event and any additional infor-

mation will be posted for that event. This calendar is updated constantly so check back often.

www.ocmgamembers.org/Calendar.html

SWAMP cont’d.

Survey after survey predicted that if the “swamp” was drained

there would be the richest soil seen outside of Eden and all a

man had to do was throw out a few seeds and he would be rich

with the bounty the land would produce. There was just one

little problem. No one could decide just where the plug was that.

when pulled, would drain the Everglades. Time after time there

were schemes to drain the Everglades and open up all that glori-

ous land to new ventures. Over time, many more dollars were

spent on futile efforts to drain the Everglades than what Florida

paid Spain to acquire the land. What we have done is interrupt

the flow of water that nourished an ecosystem unlike any in the

world.

What land the drainage efforts revealed was quickly bought up

(or given away by the state!) and all who bought demanded more

from the Everglades and the men who wanted to tame it.

Follow the history of Florida from it’s pristine state and the ef-

forts of man to remake it in their own vision through to the pre-

sent day when we have almost destroyed one of nature’s most

fabulous ecosystems. Is there still hope?

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author of Everglades: River of Grass

was reported to say “the Everglades is a test; if we pass, we may

get to keep the planet”.

The Swamp is available from the Okaloosa County Library Sys-

tem.

1212

OUT AND ABOUT by M. Stewart

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014

We’ve had a busy few months! Here is just a small sampling of

pictures from the Home Show, landscape work day, phenology

training and our latest Field Trip!

Click on the images to check out the full photo albums from each

event!

Home Show

Phenology training

Landscape work day

Wildflower Field Trip

L. Buhrow

L. Chambers

M. Crow

S. Daigle

A. Donatelli

D. Hickenbotham

J. Jones

D. Stever

A. Young

DON’T FORGET!

We are always on the lookout for neat links, updated infor-

mation, and ideas for future articles.

We also look forward to your pictures!

Recipes and anything else welcome!

Please submit your items before the 24th of each month.

Pictures should be in a jpeg format.

If you copy something, be sure to provide the source!

1313

Your member site:

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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.

I am here-

by declar-

ing that I

have had

enough! It

was bad

enough

that I

spotted

Christmas

decorations on display before Labor

Day but now...I had to head into the

local Big Box store and couldn’t believe

my eyes. Spider webs and pumpkins

were vying for space next to the pre-lit

Christmas trees while Pilgrims hats

floated on an end cap. Fall foliage was

relegated to a side aisle but there it all

was. Conspicuous consumption at its

best.

I have a problem with tracking down

candy for the trick-or-treaters and hav-

ing to move mistletoe in order to get to

the Milky Ways!

I mean, what am I supposed to deco-

rate my porch with? Perhaps a pump-

kin stuffed turkey surrounded by holly?

Am I to expect ghosts and goblins at my

door on the 31st singing carols?

I remember, as a kid, the outdoor

lights didn’t get taken out of their boxes

until the weekend after Thanksgiving.

At least one day was set aside to untan-

gle the strings. Face it, no matter how

careful you were, the light gremlins got

into the boxes and tangled everything

up. Next came the ritual of testing.

Now, this was when the bulbs screwed

in and each bulb was the size of Man-

hattan. If the string didn’t light up, you

had to go through each bulb and see

which one was the culprit.

After bulb replacement, you had to

make sure that you didn’t have two col-

ors that were the same next to each

other. I’m not sure what followed next.

I think the light fairy came along and

put the lights on the house. I supposed

hyper kids and ladders would scare

away the fairy. Be that as it may, the

lights were up and it was good. No one

turned their lights on until the 1st of

December. Earlier illumination could

get you banned from the next 6 covered

dish dinners at the VFW hall.

Now, we have the decorations out in

the stores before Fall even has a chance

to settle in. Lights have transformed

into meekly glimmering, non-heat pro-

ducing, LED’s. Giant inflatables have

taken the place of the pressed plastic

molded candles. Could someone please

explain to me the significance of the

pink, lit up poodle????

And let’s not forget the pumpkin fla-

vored EVERYTHING that is inundating

our lives. Pumpkin lattes, Ore-

os..pumpkin scented candles, dish soap

and Lord only knows what else.

I hereby declare that we need to get

our holiday’s back in order and pump-

kin belongs in pies...not ice cream.

We will not cave in and purchase

Christmas decorations before Hallow-

een! We won’t light any decorations

before Thanksgiving!

Oh I know. We’re all conditioned to

believe that all the ‘good’ stuff will be

gone if we wait too long. There will be

shiny objects that we just can’t live

without. But wouldn’t it be nice if Hal-

loween was allowed to have October,

Thanksgiving would have November

and Christmas would have December.

They’ve been around for a long time so

shouldn’t they have earned the right to

have their months all to themselves?

I imagine a future being landing on

our planet and discovering a big box

store this time of year. I would hate to

imagine what they would

think...probably that we decorated

green trees with pumpkins while wear-

ing Pilgrim hats.

M. Stewart —Editor

S. Farrell , K. Harper and S.

Berry—co-editors

LAST WORD By M. Stewart

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication October, 2014