Ellie's Molasses Cookies

 
Dalita brought some super delicious molasses cookies to the Ice Cream Social.  So delicious there weren't any left to take home. YUM!

 

Ellie's Molasses Cookies

3/4 C butter
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 molasses
1 egg
2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt

Melt butter in 3 cup saucepan. (I don't melt the butter.) Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

 Add 1 cup sugar, molasses, and egg.  Beat well.  Sift flour and spices.  Add to butter and mix well.  Chill in pan for 2 hours or overnight. 

Roll into a ball (1 tsp.) and coat with sugar.  Flatten with bottom of a glass coated with sugar.  Bake 8 - 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Makes 72 cookies.

 

Comfrey - a great plant for pollinators

Last week was National Pollinator Week but it is never too late to write about pollinators. It is really cool when you really "SEE" what is happening under your very nose when it comes to pollinators in your front yard.

Why are pollinators a good thing? Some plants use the wind to spread their pollen but most plants need assistance from an animal or insect to get their flowers pollinated.

If a flower doesn't get pollinated, it won't set seed i.e. make the fruits, vegetables and nuts that we (as well as the rest of the animal kingdom) eat. If we didn't have something to pollinate our fruits and vegetables, we'd be very hungry and not have such a diverse diet.

I've grown comfrey for years but never realized until this year what a great pollinator plant it is. It is hardy, lives in pots or the ground, reseeds readily, is easy to pull up when you don't want it where it has appeared and blooms from April until the end of October.

This afternoon I went outside and glanced over at my thicket of comfrey and found half a dozen bumble bees buzzing around. They make a circuit of the flowers, disappear from view then come back for another circuit around the flowers. Over and over and over again. Besides the bumble bees there are tiny native bees that are buzzing around and crawling in the flowers themselves.

Comfrey has been used for healing purposes since at least 400 B.C. I've used it as a salve to heal small "ouchies" and I have a friend that uses the dried leaves in bathwater to get rid of the itch of chiggers and ticks.  When I read up on comfrey, I found that it had been used for food, as a dye, in cosmetics and as an ornamental. (Internal use is NOT recommended any more.)

I've planted a baby plant by the birdbath at the garden and we'll see how well it does there.  Anything that blooms at least 7 months of the year and is used by multiple pollinators deserves a home in one of our pollinator borders.

Horticulture Week at Green Meadows Preserve Park - July 8th

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Cooperative Extension. To celebrate the 100th anniversary and Horticulture Week, Cobb County Cooperative Extension is holding a series of classes and events the week of July 7 thru July 12th.  Extension Horticulture Week Events

Tuesday July 8th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Green Meadows Community Garden will be featured as well as the Cherokee Garden and the historic Period Gardens around the house. Feel free to come at any point between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.  There are only 2 events with specific times.

9:00 am General Welcome and Thank You for coming

9:30 am  Bluebird Trail walk (2.3 miles) for those who want to take a walk on the trail system and learn more about bluebirds and bird habitat.

9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Tour the gardens and talk to gardeners and Extension staff.

Gardens and Orchard:
Community Garden
Cherokee Garden
Historic Period Garden around the House
Organic Orchard

Additional Activities:
Bee Hive exhibit
Scavenger Hunt for children in the Community Garden
   (no collecting, just marking off the list)
Bug Talks in the garden
Watch the birdfeeders behind the garden

Feel free to bring a picnic lunch to eat under the Pecan Trees behind the house. Port-a-potties will be available for this event.

3780 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs, 30127 (Intersection of Dallas Hwy and Old Hamilton Road).

Free and open to the public. For information, call 770-528-4070.

Community Education Lecture Series - Saturday June 28

This morning I received a last minute announcement about a Community Education Lecture Series and Garden Open House at Fountain Gate Gardens in Kennesaw.

When:        Saturday June 28th
Where:       Fountain Gate Gardens
Time:         9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Location:   3007 Cherokee Street
                   Kennesaw, GA 31044

During the open house, drop in to tour the gardens and ask any gardening questions you might have. Free Seed packets while supplies last.  Learn more about their Plant A Row program.

Three short classes to be held in the Brown House in front of the gardens

9:30 am - 10:15 am     Planning for a Fall/Winter Garden

10:30 am - 11:15 am   Vegetable Garden Basics  

11:30 am - 12:15 pm   Fundamentals of Organic Gardening

 For more information you can email garden@fountaingate.com

Traffic Delays This Weekend - 150th Commemoration of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

This is to give everyone a heads up that there are going to be significant traffic delays starting Thursday evening, June 26th through Sunday June 29th.

 In fact, you might want to avoid all roads going East that go anywhere near any part of Kennesaw Mountain or into Marietta.  Certain sections of  Barrett Parkway and Highway 41 will also be jammed up.

(Remember Burnt Hickory between Due West Road and Barrett Parkway is still closed and won't reopen until the end of July.)

The 150th Commemoration of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain is this weekend and 60,000 visitors are expected to attend the events.  Schedule of events for 150th

Satellite parking for Kennesaw Mountain and 24 Gun Battery events will be at Mount Paran Christian School and the Bell's Ferry Parking lot (actually located near the corner of Bell's Ferry and Hwy 41). Marietta High School is providing parking for all activities at Cheatham Hill. Shuttles will be provided. Event Parking for 150th

Marietta also has many activities that tie into the events being held at Kennesaw Mountain this weekend.   http://www.mariettacivilwar.com/

Honeyed Applesauce

Honeybee hard at work!

I always have such fond memories whenever making this old family recipe.  As kids, we would ride in the back end of an old 50's station wagon and make our pilgrimage to White House Fruit Farm so mom could get the bushels of apples in season for her "special sauce".  We would all help dad pick out the apples, carry the bushel baskets to the car, and for a twenty-five cent glass of cider promise to stay out of them on the car ride back. Dad would willingly hand over the cider knowing every bit that promises made when it came to fresh apples weren't our strong suit.

Once home, cleaning, coring, and peeling were a chore none of us kids minded and a simple sliver of apple here and there kept us all happy and out of trouble.  The smell of apples, cinnamon, and honey permeated the house for days.

Later in years, Rick and I would take our own boys up to Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge to pass down a tradition as sacred as making the sauce itself.  They too would enjoy the ride sitting in the back end of our station wagon.   After an enjoyable day of gathering different types of apples for what is now entrusted to my care, we would sip some cider, grab some tasty snacks, and make the return drive home.  Seeing the boys sneak an apple or two from the visor mirror brought both a snicker and realization that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  No pun intended!

With the kids now grown and gone Rick and I still make our own pilgrimage to the orchards each year celebrating something constant in a life so full of change.  The kitchen is a little quieter and Van Morrison's soulful song, Tupelo Honey, softly plays while we cook.  While not his best album, the song is wonderful and somehow it has seemingly been deemed appropriate for the occasion!  One hopes as the boy's age they will find orchards rich in history with stories of their own and enjoy a tradition of gathering apples and making sauce with their families.  One hopes the glance in the rear-view mirror brings them a warm smile and the memory of how kind and gentle life can be.  One hopes...........  

Nothing beats local honey or farm fresh apples in season when making this recipe.  Macintosh apples paired with Clover, Tupelo, or Wildflower honey are among my favorite combinations to use.  I am so excited to try the recipe with some of the local honey from Rita, who is one of our Master Gardener's, as well as some from the hives of Mike and Sue at Green Meadows.  One hopes I can hang on to a few jars until the Macintosh are in season as well.  One hopes..........

Hives at Green Meadows!

INGREDIENTS:

9 - 10 medium Macintosh apples

1-cup honey (Tupelo, Clover, or Wildflower are wonderful choices)

4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

½-teaspoon salt

½-teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a 4 – 5 qt. saucepan, combine the honey, vinegar, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix well and heat on low.

Prepare all apples.  Wash, dry, core, and peel.  Cut the apples into wedges.  Add the apple wedges to the honey mixture as you prepare, making sure to have them completely coated.  This will keep them from browning.

Bring the honey mixture and the apples right to the point of a boil.  Stir frequently.  Once you have the mixture going good, reduce its heat to a lower temperature that just barely keeps it bubbling.  Set partially off the burner if necessary.

Cook down to a desired consistency, mashing the apples with a spoon as they become tender.  Stir frequently.  Usually takes about 30 minutes.

Top with an extra dash of fresh ground cinnamon and serve. Works amazingly well hot or cold.

Serves 6 - 8.  This recipe may easily be divided; however, the size of the saucepan should be reduced to a 3 qt. for the best results.  Freezes extremely well for making extra-large batches.

For those that like a little soulful music while you cook........................

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq3YLhtuzTQ - link to Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey released in the early 70's.

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Plants in Peat Pots

If you buy plants in peat pots there is one thing you should always make sure you do - bury the edge of the peat pot completely under the soil. When it is sticking up it acts like a wick and causes moisture to evaporate faster from the area surrounding your plant.

Myself, I like to totally remove the peat pot from the roots (gently to minimize damage to the roots) so I don't have to worry that the soil level will go down around the pot. I always put the peat pot remains under the mulch so it will decay and add organic matter to the soil.

Two Upcoming Vegetable Gardening Classes

Extension has two vegetable gardening classes coming up. One is this Wednesday and the other one is in July.  Pre-registration is required.

Try New Vegetables
  June 25  11:30 am to 12:30 pm
  North Cobb Senior Center
  Registration Required - 770-528-4070

Planning Fall Vegetable Garden
  July 24  6:30 to 8:00 pm
  Cobb County Extension Office
  Registration Required - 770-528-4070

As a bonus you can take a class on:

Smart Irrigation
  July 12  9:00 am to 12:00 pm
  Cobb County Extension Office
  Registration Required - 770-528-4070

Classes are free and taught by Extension staff and Master Gardeners. For more details go to
cobbextension.blogspot

updated 7:58 pm 6/23/2014

Easy Strawberry Ice Cream

For the Ice Cream Social today, I made ice cream using strawberries I picked when I went to the Lcclstrawberry Farm in Rome with Mike last month.  This is a really easy ice cream recipe if you want to make a quick, no cook, egg free ice cream.

1 1/2 pints (3 cups) half and half

16 ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 to 2 cups strawberries, pureed or mashed (they can be fresh or frozen as long as they are in small bits)

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Pour into ice cream canister and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.

Makes 1/2 gallon

To Make Vanilla instead of Strawberry:
Omit Strawberries
Increase half and half to 2 pints (4 cups)

Summer of 1864

JUNE

The Sounds of Battle drew closer and closer. Cannon Fire. Rifle and Musket Fire. Drums pounding out the beat. Feet thudding on the ground. Battle Yells. Screams.

Smoke and the stench of fighting filled the air.

Regardless of which side you were on, it was a horrific time.  It didn't matter if you were a civilian or a part of the military. It was pure hell.

Visualize Green Meadows Preserve and Community Garden as it is today. Then think back 150 years ago today - this area was a constant battlefield. All through the month of June, West Cobb County was a battlefield with thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers marching to and fro.

As the summer progressed, the war crept closer.

Military action
New Hope Church - May 25
Picketts Mill - May 27
Lost Mountain - June 5-9
Gilgal Church June 15 - 17
Mud Creek Line - June 17
Kennesaw Mtn - June 27


Picture a summer like this one in 2014. Lush foliage. Crops growing well. Rains coming every afternoon.

Then imagine what it looked like after the battles in 1864. Splintered and cut down trees. Torn up earth. Buildings destroyed to make fortifications. Gilgal Church was dismantled and used (as well as the pews)  to build fortifications by the Confederate Army.

As the crow flies, small battles and military actions weren't far from the Green Plantation marker in front of the house at Green Meadows Preserve.

Military Action at Gilgal Church (1.1 miles)
Due West Community (1.2 miles)
Battle of Gilgal Church (1.3 miles)
Mud Creek Line (1.6 miles)
Battle of Pine Knob (1.7 miles)
Darby Plantain  (.8 miles)
Main Confederate Battle Line (2 miles)

To visualize the movement of the various armies using current roads, zoom in to see all the Historical markers in Cobb County.

Visit Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park between June 26 and June 29 to learn more about how the Civil War impacted the civilian population, medicine was practiced on the battlefield, hear music from the era and see demonstrations of cannons and rifles being fired. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is having a huge series of events and programs (link to schedule)  commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

The City of Marietta is also having a variety of events all summer long as is the The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History.

All clipart images proved by Classroom Clipart. Photo provided by Victor Williams.

2nd Annual Ice Cream Social - Saturday June 21st

Last year we had such a great time, we decided to make the Ice Cream Social a yearly event. Below are the details for our event this year.

 

When: Saturday, June 21, 2014

 

Time: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

 

The concept is simple. Bring your frozen home made ice cream  to the garden with a label saying what kind it is. (And an ice chest to keep it cold until the end of the meal!)

 

We will happily supply hot dogs, buns, chips and water. If you want to bring a side dish to round out your hot dog and ice cream, please do.

 

Vote for your favorite flavor to find the best of the garden! Last year we had 10 flavors I think - yum yum.

 

Prizes to be awarded for Best Ice Cream and Most Unusual Ice Cream.

 

 

 

Black Gold - Your Compost at Work

Look what was under all the green compost in Bin #1 !  Rich black soil, roly-poly composters and microbes, then most likely worms under that!  This soil was moved to Bin #2 where partially composted material belongs to give it more time for the compost process to complete.  The next step (which could have been done today) is to screen the dirt through a coarse screen in the shed and send it to garden beds.  Thanks to all who've contributed to Bin #1 and SPECIAL KUDOS to those who chopped the waste material before tossing it in!  I wish I had a LEGO prize to give little Wayne who did just that today ... without even being told!