the mason jar - washington state university
TRANSCRIPT
Our clinic has been very busy this month with many clients coming into the of-
fice with plant and insect problems. The most common has been powdery mil-
dew, with the willow leaf beetle also quite popular. The latest information we
have received about the leaf beetle is that it most likely will not harm healthy
trees. This is good news for all the tree owners who were concerned that they
needed to cut down the affected trees.
This month we will be having a party to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Master Gardener program in Washington State. We will meet at Steve and Pat
Edmondson’s home on Dayton-Airport Road. To get there, you can go out Day-
ton-Airport Rd, you will pass the WA State Corrections Center, near the end of
the road you will go over some railroad tracks, the Edmondson’s driveway is the
second on the right. If you are coming down Shelton-Matlock Road, turn right
onto Dayton-Airport Road and take the first driveway on the left. This party is a
potluck and we will be discussing the success of the bean trial. Bring beans if you
have some along with your observations of the beans you grew. Please feel free
to invite past MGs that you may know. We would be very happy to see our old
friends again.
The plant sale meeting and TTGG workshop meeting were well attended. A sur-
vey will be developed and used during OysterFest to get a feel for what topics
the public would like us to present. Next meeting for the plant sale—Oct. 3rd.
September 2013 The Mason Jar
The Mason Jar Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter
MG Highlights:
Volunteers needed for Monday Clinics
12-3 pm
Bean Trials gathering, Sept. 21 at Pat
and Steve Edmondson’s home, 2 pm
Upcoming training for new MGs starts
Sept. 20
Plant Sale 2014 meetings begin Sept.
5th
Tuesdays @ Catalyst—harvesting 9-
11:30 a.m.
Mason Jar article deadline—first of
every month; send to Christy Rowe
Inside this issue:
Don Tapio article,
‘Is that a Cricket?’
2
Book Review
‘Eating on the
Wild Side’
3
August Genl. Mtg.
Minutes
4,5
,7
Master Gardener
Contact Info
6
Catalyst Updates 8
Master Gardener
of the Month;
MG Reminders
9
Calendars 10,
11
Seeds For Thought
R. Jeanne Rehwaldt
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the
Master Gardener Program
Advanced Education Conference
Everett, WA
September 26—28
For more info, contact Jan Mutter @
[email protected] Also check the website for more info
@ www.wa-mg-conf.org
Page 2 The Mason Jar
That Chirping Sound May Not be a Cricket
Garden Article by Don Tapio, WSU Extension Regional Specialist
Grays Harbor County Extension
Right along with cooler temperatures, shorter day length and changing foliage color, the
sound of crickets chirping is a sure indicator that fall has arrived. Common Questions
this time of year include: Are crickets harmful? Do they eat plants? What if they get
inside our house? Here are a few facts regarding these musical insects which are in the
grasshopper family.
Although crickets normally live outdoors feeding on garden debris, they may occasionally invade homes seeking
moisture. They can become a pest by their presence. Their monotonous chirping can be especially annoying at
night when you are trying to sleep. In addition, they can feed on a wide variety of fabrics, foods and paper
products. Cotton, linen, wool, rayon, nylon, silk and furs are susceptible along with soiled fabrics, wallpaper
paste, glue from book bindings, fruit, vegetables, meat and even other crickets. An occasional cricket or two in
the home usually presents no serious problem. However, large populations may congregate around lights at
night making places unattractive.
The easiest way to prevent crickets from getting inside the home is to make sure all windows and doors are
tight fitting with proper screening in place. Exclusion is an important factor as well as light discipline. Avoid
bright mercury vapor lights in entryways and along structure perimeters since crickets will be attracted from
far distances. Convert to sodium vapor yellow lights (less attractive to insects) instead of white, neon or mer-
cury vapor lights. Clean up piles of leaves, bricks or lumber next to the foundation. Store firewood away from
the foundation. Ivy and other groundcovers should be trimmed at least eighteen inches away from the wall.
Crickets often congregate under garbage cans in great numbers. Elevating the cans on bricks or placing them
on a cement pad will help eliminate hiding areas.
The chirping sound made by crickets is emitted by a large vein called the stridulatory organ which runs along
the bottom of each wing. This vein is covered with teeth, much like a comb. The familiar chirping sound is cre-
ated when the cricket runs the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing. As he does
this (only male crickets chirp) the cricket also holds the wings up and open so that the wing membranes can act
as acoustical sails. It is a myth that crickets chirp by rubbing their legs together.
Smoke detectors or alarms occasionally give off cricket ‘chirp-like’ sounds. This mechanical chirping is a signal
repeated at regular intervals, both during the day and night, warning that the battery is weak and needs to be
replaced. After learning the source, more than one homeowner has been relieved and embarrassed for blaming
crickets for the noise.
Entomologists have identified four separate cricket songs. The loudest is used to attract females and repel oth-
er males. The courting song, which is much quieter, is used when a female cricket is near. An aggressive song
is used when the antennae detect the presence of another male cricket and a copulatory song is produced for a
brief period after mating.
On a final note, you can actually get a rough idea of the temperature outside by counting the frequency of
chirps. Simply count the number of chirps in fifteen seconds and then add 37. The number you get will be an
approximation of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
Page 3 The Mason Jar
Book Review:
Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson
Reviewed by Pat Carpenter
A friend of mine recommended this book to me, saying, being a
gardener, “you’ll like it. “ Looking at the title, I was a bit skepti-
cal, figuring it would be more about foraging wild greens, than
growing them. I was wrong. While she does write about the
higher nutritious value of the wild forerunners of our modern
fruits and vegetables, her main premise is that some modern
varieties have retained more nutrients than others and how we prepare them makes a differ-
ence too. For example: purple carrots have more anthocyanins and beta-carotene than orange
ones (she notes that the ancestor of our present day carrot was a purple native of Afghanistan).
Steamed or sautéed carrots have more digestible nutrients than raw ones and even more so if cooked whole. Cooked tomatoes have more lycopene than raw tomatoes. Usually darker col-
ored fruits and vegetables have superior nutritive qualities, for example red cabbage is better
than green. However there are exceptions - white flesh peaches and nectarines have more anti-
oxidants than orange ones. Sweet onions are less nutritious than the pungent Spanish ones,
scallions and garlic have amazing curative properties.
Along with giving the background history of various plants, she throws in some interesting his-
torical tidbits too, such as Civil War doctors used onion poultices for treating wounds, Native
Americans on the east coast tended and harvested vast tracts of Muscadine grapes, Alexander
the Great was a fruit connoisseur and brought varieties of apples and apricots back to Europe;
Thomas Jefferson grew 19 varieties of beans and had 38 varieties of peaches planted at Monti-
cello. In contrast the number of varieties of fruits and vegetables available in supermarkets to-day is certainly limited which is why she advocates shopping at farmers’ markets and/or growing
your own.
Speaking of beans, she claims that canned red kidney beans have more antioxidants than blue-
berries (which she still considers a super food). Canned artichokes hearts are surprisingly super
nutritious too. She writes a lot about antioxidants and what she calls phytonutrients or bionutri-
ents; hundreds of these have been identified, but she usually refers to them in general terms.
Some of which have anti-cancer properties, which I think means that in lab test tube tests they
can kill cancer cells. She does quote many, many tests that have recently been conducted on the
effects of bio-nutrients on health. I am always a bit skeptic about fantastic curative claims. You
need to keep in mind the old rule that correlation does not equal causation. But she doesn’t go overboard on these claims and in whole the book seems to be meticulously researched as well
as very readable.
The book is divided into chapters separately covering different vegetables and fruits. Each chap-
ter gives advice on which varieties are the best (nutritionally) for home gardeners to grow.
Some interesting recipes and cooking tips are included. For example: to get the most out of
(continued on page 4)
garlic, it should be chopped or pressed and then sit for 10 minutes before cooking. Unfiltered ol-
ive oil lasts longer and is healthier (not sure where to buy this). Now if I can just remember all
these healthy tips. Eating more berries might help.
The author, Jo Robinson, lives on Vashon Island, and is an avid gardener. She has written several
books about the benefits of raising livestock on pastures. She’s a passionate advocate for healthier
eating which is definitely needed in America where we eat more iceberg lettuce, white potatoes
and bananas than other more nutritious choices, and there are lots of good choices out there if
you know what to look for.
*NOTE: If anyone else has a book they would like to share we would welcome book reviews for future Mason Jar newsletters.
(Book Review cont.)
Page 4 The Mason Jar
The Mason Jar
MINUTES— August 12, 2013
Mason County WSU Master Gardener
Present: Pat Carpenter, Pres.; Christy Rowe, Vice President-Elect; Lou Schmidt, Vice-Pres.; Margie
Plebuch, Treasurer; Jan Mutter, Foundation Rep.; Sybil Jones, Reporter-at-Large; Evon Masteller,
Secretary; Jeanne Rehwaldt, WSU Coord. MG Membership: Erika Stewart, Nancy Dillon, Bonnie Day, Tim Gerro, Karen King, Lisa Hender-
son, Puja Pecovsky, Mary Bigger, Bonnie Ross, Beatrix Blackerby, Sherry Clemmens, Steve Ed-
mondson, and Don Acheson.
Approval of July 8, 2013 minutes - Steve motioned, Beatrix seconded - passed.
Officers’ reports
-Treasurer’s report - Margie Funds in the following accounts were given and in the Sec’y. file: Children’s Garden, Catalyst Park
Food Bank Garden, Master Gardener’s Savings and their Regular Acct.
-Vice president’s report & programs - Lou
Greenhouse tour details for today, i.e. carpooling, etc. John Adolfson gave a report on his gardening tool invention with information and samples at 11am
along with a period for questions and answers. Product sells for $1 each retail or .32 each whole-
sale in bulk. Good to sling up the branches of tomatoes to aid in the support of the heavy fruit
during growth cycle.
- Secretary’s report - Evon - Nothing to report.
- Foundation Rep. report - Jan
Conference is soon and hope people have registered. Securing items for raffle and silent auction.
- Coordinator’s report - Jeanne Sept. 20th - Basic training begins and held at the Public Works Bldg. Would like a MG volunteers
to help with set up, take down, and refreshments at training.. Hope Island, Oct. 18th - Pruning w/
picnic. Meeting at the Arcadia Boat Launch site. Need mentors. We need to enlist more people
(continued on page 4
Page 5 The Mason Jar
(Minutes continued from page 4)
from our resources. 20 names from the Garden Tour indicated an interest in taking training. Invita-
tions to apply will be sent out within the week. Farmers’ Market - Lisa Stroman is unavailable for this Saturday, Jeanne will staff the booth for the AM
shift, no one is signed up for the PM shift. Please contact Jeanne or Lisa Stroman to volunteer for a
shift. They are 9 am – noon; or noon – 3 pm. This is a great place to talk with community members
about our program and to answer plant problem questions. Shelton Waste Water, John Ozga sent a letter of appreciation as they were able to give away 800lbs.
of fertilizer at the Mason Area Fair in the Ag. Bldg. We can give opportunity to the same at our 2014
Plant Sale. Pioneer Garden - Sybil and Jeanne are maintaining a water schedule/harvest and will contribute vege-
tables harvested to St’s Pantry on the off days from Pioneer Food Bank (once/month) distribution cy-
cle. Pioneer event on Sept. 14th needing an M.G. participation - Jeanne will call April. Bean celebration and Master Gardener Reunion on Sept. 21st beginning at 2 pm at Steve and Pat Ed-
mondson. - Steve Edmondson Radio station wants to change their format to not include the M.G.’s unless someone from our group
steps in. Steve will mentor and help the new spokesperson. Also need to find someone to sponsor us.
Our show slot is 2-3 mins. which requires about 2 pages double-spaced of written dialogue.
Committee and project reports
- Plant Sale 2014 - Margie P. and Mary Bigger Garden Store Sign made by Mary for the docket that will include anything needing special treatment.
Location will be where the Rhodies were sold this 2013 cycle.
Lou Schmidt will be our plant procurement person. Meetings will be schedule every 1st Thurs. of the month beginning Sept. 5, 5pm at Memorial Hall. Jan.
meeting will be the 2nd Thurs. due to the holiday season. This space and time is already reserved for
us.
Vendor form has been modified for the next year’s cycle to address the requirements needed.
A handbook is being written by Mary and Margie for M.G.s to reference as needed.
-Catalyst/Children’s/Community Garden - Bonnie Day/Lisa Stroman/ Sybil Jones Cat. Pk. - pumpkins and squash are growing like crazy. Water is costing under $100/month for every-
thing. Record harvest so far was 207 lbs. last week, our highest yield so far not including potato and
pumpkin harvests. Comm. Garden - we had a walk-about tour of each other’s gardens and learned from each other
about insects, diseases and harvesting/growing in our respective gardens. Composting remains a prob-
lem that demands more diligence to process than gardeners are willing to act upon, eg. covering de-
bris, chopping up the thicker foliage, turning it etc. Signage is a possibility to help remind folks in that
particular direction.
-Garden Tour - committee for 2014 mtg date - Pat Carpenter/Lou Schmidt ($1800 profit this year.) Date for next year will be July 12th. A committee is already forming with
Lou, Beatrix, Sherry Puja and Pat C. Next meeting will be Sept. 18th, 4:45pm @ Pat Carpenter’s
house – 130 W Pine Street. Downtown area will be the location with the possibility of vendors at
Cat. Pk.
CONTACTS:
Page 6 The Mason Jar
Office: 303 N. 4th Ave
Shelton, WA 98584
360-427-9670
Ext. 680
Fax 360-427-7264
Extension Staff:
Robert Simmons
Director
Ext.690
R. Jeanne Rehwaldt
Master Gardener Coordinator
Ext. 688
Michelle Lapp
AmeriCorps
Ext. 687
Master Gardener
Ext 687
Foundation Representative
Janet Mutter
Executive Board
President
Pat Carpenter
President Elect, Mason Jar co-Editor
Christy Rowe
Vice President
Lou Schmidt
Secretary
Evon Masteller
Treasurer
Margie Plebuch
Directors at Large
Sybil Jones
Lisa Stroman
Page 7 The Mason Jar
(Minutes cont. from page 5)
- Farmers’ Markets - Margie and Lisa S. Because Lisa Stroman is stepping aside for awhile, our booth needs an am/pm M.G. volunteer to work
our booth for the remainder of the season. Please contact Jeanne Rehwaldt for further information.
(Update – Lisa S. will continue to be available for the market and scheduling with a few exceptions.
Contact Lisa if you want to volunteer for a shift.)
- Fair round up - Nancy Dillon The fair made some money and positive framing for commissioners and the community to work on towards future organization. However, Nancy shared that she will not be the organizer next year. It
will need a Superintendent. There were 175 entries this year which was about half of last year’s total.
Next fair board meeting will be held September 9 at 6:30 pm at PUD #3 on John’s Prairie Rd. Discus-
sion will be for a Holiday fundraising event.
Other items for discussion: - Composting Workshop at Squaxin Wellness Fair - Erika Stewart, Tim Gerro and Lou Schmidt volun-
teered to do this workshop. - Mason Jar article deadline. First Monday of the month, please submit to Christy Rowe. This will ena-
ble information to be distributed before the M.G. General meeting of the 2nd Mon. of every month.
(Update – Christy and Jeanne have decided to hold the newsletter deadline until the General Meeting.
That will enable Christy to add anything from the meeting to the newsletter to update members who
cannot attend the meeting.) - Sign up for Clinic - more volunteers needed, this is our busy season - and so some people signed up,
but there are more slots available. Please check with office staff for further info - office manager, Lisa
DeWall ext. 680 to confirm your date/time. - Through the Garden Gate workshops - Jan., Feb., Mar.,- 7 classes. Evaluations will be worked out to
be tended to during the Oysterfest in October by Michelle Lapp, AmeriCorps, to create more ideas
that our community may be interested in learning. Volunteers are needed for the OysterFest Exten-
sion booth October 6 and 7. A sign up schedule will be sent out by Jeanne. Bonnie Day will chair this committee which will have its first meeting Sept. 5th, 4pm @ Memorial Hall
before the Plant Sale meeting. - Master Gardener for July - Nancy Dillon
Congratulations Nancy. We all agreed she did a fantastic job with great appreciation from all of us. Next meeting on Sept. 9th our program will be facilitated by Puja Pecovsky whereby we bring our
own “aha’s”, “oh darns“, and “what is that?” type of show as we tell in our own garden stories/
experiences. It looks like we are all excited to share something about our growing plants.
Dates to remember:
- Sept. 3rd*, Tues. MG Board Meeting 10 @ WSU
- Sept. 5th, Thurs. Plant Sale meeting 5 pm @ Memorial Hall
- Sept. 7th, Sat. Community Garden meeting 9am @ Catalyst
- Sept.9th, Mon. Next General meeting 10:15 @ Library
*would usually have been last Monday – changed because of the MG Cluster meeting in Lewis Co.
Adjourn 11:45am
Program: Tour of Doug Wright’s greenhouse in Kamilche.
John Adolfson, entrepreneur - short presentation “Hook n’ Grow” with information and sample.
Respectfully submitted,
Evon Masteller, Secretary
CATALYST PARK NEWS: It's harvest time at Catalyst Park. This week (August 27th) we harvested 400 pounds of vegetables with
the help of Lou Schmidt, Jan Mutter, Sherry Clemmens, Lisa Stroman and Randy our community garden-
er. This is the largest harvest we have ever done and feel like all the hard work we did in the spring in
expanding the planting rows has really paid off for the food bank. We plan to be harvesting every Tues-
day morning throughout September so it's not too late to come to the garden and help us out.
The community gardener's bed are overflowing with tomatoes, lettuce and eggplant and our newly plant-
ed pumpkin and squash bed is huge! The garden is at 8th and Harvard in Shelton and we start work at 9
a.m.
Here are some pictures that show what we have been doing this year. For those of you that have not
been up to see all of Michelle's hard work at Pioneer I have included a few pictures of the Pioneer Food
Bank Garden.
See you at the garden, Erika, Even, Nancy, Sybil and Bonnie
Page 8 The Mason Jar
Catalyst Park Harvesting
-and- Pioneer School
Greenhouse
Page 9 The Mason Jar
Important Information for Master Gardeners:
Plant Sale 2014 Co-chairs: Mary Bigger and Margie Plebuch—save the date! May 10, 2014
Garden Tour 2014 date set—July 12, 2014 focusing on Downtown Shelton gardens New MG Training—Sept. 20 through Dec. 20th; mentors needed and presenters for classes to
be held at the Public Works building . October 18th pruning class at Hope Island; all welcome!
The Mason Jar; new revisions to deadlines and requests for articles:
*First of each month articles and submissions need to be sent to: [email protected]
*The Mason Jar will go out online soon after the monthly General Meeting
*Committee Chairs should submit any updates, information, requests for volunteers etc.
*Looking for recipes, gardening tips and ideas, decoration inspirations, photos etc. Through the Garden Gate workshops to continue in 2014; January—March on Saturdays at
Memorial Hall, $10 per class. First committee meeting Sept. 5 @ 4 p.m., Memorial Hall Bean Trials and Celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of the Master Gardener Pro-
gram—Saturday, Sept. 21st at Pat & Steve Edmondson’s home. BYOB and potluck Request for Payment / Reimbursement: new forms have been developed to submit requests
for payment / reimbursements to the Treasurer. No form, no receipt ~ no money!
WSU Office Garden needs attention; volunteers needed
KMAS replacement for Steve Edmondson needed! Contact Steve for more information.
Oysterfest Oct. 5—6: volunteers needed for the MG booth
Oct.14 - General meeting at Timberland Library, 10:15 a.m.
Master Gardener of the Month—Nancy Dillon Congratulations Nancy for being chosen as the July Master Gardener of the Month. She once again put
her energies and efforts into volunteering as the Superintendent of the AG and Hort. Building at the
area fair for the past three years. Nancy earned her MG certification in Ephrata, WA four years ago.
She originally grew up in Missouri, moved to Olympia in 1998, then on to Colorado, Ephrata and then
here to Mason County seven months after becoming a MG. Nancy comes from a large family of nine and continues to go back to Missouri for an annual family
gathering. Her immediate family includes her husband, two children, two grandchildren and the family
dog Sammi. In addition to being a gardener, Nancy’s past profession was as a nurse for thirty years.
She enjoys building things with fabric and wood. As a MG Nancy says her favorite aspect of the program is—The People! She learns something every-
time she is with the fellow gardeners. She loves the harvesting, preserving and “everything looks so
pretty in jars.” Every year she expands her garden but mostly sticks to the usual things to plant. Favor-
ite time of the year? “The spring where everything is so perfect, slugs haven’t attached too badly and
no problems have occurred yet.” One of the tricks she would like to share is that when you plant tomatoes, add one handful of manure,
one of bone meal and one tsp. of Epsom salt. This prevents blossom end rot. As far as advice for the
newest MGs and trainees Nancy says to just give a little of their time because it makes a big difference.
MGs can also be a great gardening resource she has found. One thing Nancy would like to ask is for
someone to step up and get involved with the Fair. She will not be the Superintendent next year but
says it is really a fun, community oriented experience and would recommend the experience.
Thanks Nancy for your commitment to the program.
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