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November 2015
Shop. Teach. Learn 2
Is your garden ready for winter? 3
Bringing plants indoors 4
Find Cooperative Extension online. 4
Inside this issue:
We’re on the Web
www.unce.unr.edu
www.unce.unr.edu/blogs/southernarea
www.YouTube.com/UNRextension
Keeping the Holidays full of cheer
Last gardening workshop of the year
T he holidays are the perfect time for family get-togethers and spreading holiday cheer. But the
holidays can also be the perfect time for spreading something not so cheerful—foodborne
illness! Foodborne illness is the disease that results from the ingestion of foods containing toxins or
microorganisms.
Typical symptoms of foodborne illness include vomiting, diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. They can
start anywhere from a couple hours to days after consuming a contaminated food or drink.
Foodborne illness can be avoided by using proper food handling techniques. Everyone, from farmers
to markets, to food preparers, to homemakers have a role to keep food as safe as possible. To keep
your holiday foods safe at home, follow the simple steps outlined here:
THAWING: NEVER thaw a turkey or any other food on the countertop! Place your frozen bird in
its original wrapper in the refrigerator (40°F). Allow
approximately 24 hours per 4- 5 pounds of turkey. Once the
turkey is completely thawed, keep it refrigerated for no more
than 2 days. If you forget to thaw the turkey or don't have
room in the refrigerator for thawing, don't panic. You can
submerge the turkey in cold water and change the water every
30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes defrosting time per pound
of turkey.
(Continued on page 2)
Join Cooperative Extension on Saturday, November 21, for the this year’s
final, one-day workshop on Gardening in Small Places: growing fruit at
home. The class runs from 8 a.m. to noon. Can you grow fruit trees and
berries in the desert? You bet! Figs, nectarines, peaches, apricots, pears,
apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes and blackberries are just a few of the fruits you can grow at
home. The fruit varieties may be different than what you’re used to but the results can still be
spectacular. Let Angela O’Callaghan instruct you on what plant attributes to look for when planning
your home orchard.
Homeowners and other interested parties are welcome to attend. Class space is limited to 25 and pre
-registration is required. There is a $25 fee per class which covers class materials.
To register for this class, held at the Lifelong Learning Center (8050 Paradise Road, Las Vegas,
Nev.), email or call Elaine Fagin at 702-257-5573. You can also register online through Eventbrite.
COMM U NI TY CONNE CTI ON
STUFFING: Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the
bird right before you put it in the oven. You can prepare the wet
ingredients of the stuffing separate from the dry ingredients the
day ahead and keep them refrigerated, but don’t mix them until
you are ready to stuff the turkey. Stuff the turkey loosely—
about 3/4 cups of stuffing per pound of meat. Never purchase a
fresh turkey that has been pre-stuffed (frozen is ok, but don’t
thaw before cooking).
COOK: COOK TO PROPER TEMPERATURES. Proper
cooking will kill bacteria. Get a
food thermometer and learn to use
it. Measure the temperature of the
cooked turkey in the fleshy part of
the thigh. It should be 180°F.
Stuffing should reach a
temperature of 165°F. When using
a microwave for cooking, rotate
food or stir occasionally during
cooking to ensure all areas have been heated thoroughly. Bring
sauces, soups, gravy and marinades to a boil when reheating.
Heat leftovers thoroughly to 165°F.
CHILL: REFRIGERATE PROMPTLY. Refrigerate foods
quickly because cold temperatures keep harmful bacteria from
growing and multiplying. Set your refrigerator no higher than
(Continued from page 1)
Holiday cheer
40°F, and the freezer at 0°F. Refrigerate or freeze perishables,
prepared foods, and leftovers within two hours of use or sooner.
Divide leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling
in the refrigerator. Allow air to circulate freely in the
refrigerator. In other words, don’t over-pack it. Leftover turkey
and stuffing should be used within three or four days, gravy
within one or two days. Make sure you reheat the foods to 165°F
before eating.
Foodborne illness is no fun and it can be very dangerous, but by
using common sense and safe food handling procedures, you can
avoid foodborne illness, and reap the healthful benefits of all
your favorite foods—and keep the holidays a joyful time! For
more information on food safety, or to receive a Talking about
Turkey booklet, call the Cooperative Extension at 702-222-3130.
Susan Lednicky, Nutritionist
Shop. Teach. Learn.
Many children are unfamiliar with many foods. This is typical of children of any age, and even of some adults! It would be
extremely beneficial to your children if they could experience new and different foods with you, simply while shopping at the grocery
store. Here are a few tips to help you examine new foods with your children and turn the experience into learning you can both enjoy:
Budget extra time to go grocery shopping, and take your child with you. At the store, pick out
different foods and see if your child can tell you what they are. See if they can tell you if the food comes
from a plant or from an animal.
How many times have you heard adults make negative comments about foods around children?
(“Broccoli is gross.” “That bread is like cardboard!”) Be open-minded. Don’t force your food preferences on your child.
Allow your child to choose one “new” fruit or vegetable to buy and try at home.
Read and compare food labels with your child so that he or she can learn that not all foods are exactly the same.
Look at many different types of dry beans and nuts. These foods are full of vitamins, minerals and protein; are
relatively inexpensive; and provide a great variety for children to explore. Buy one of each type of nut in-the-
shell and allow your child to study the differences and the similarities between them. Open the shells and have
your child do the same with the nut inside. Make pictures using different colors of dry beans. See if your child
can name each type of bean.
Many children are unfamiliar with fish and seafood. They may eat fish at home, but very few can name any
fish beyond tuna, fish sticks, and goldfish. Take time at the grocery store to view the fresh fish counter. Borrow a book from the
library that shows what the fish look like when they are alive. Talk to your child about where different types of fish are found (salmon
(Continued on page 3)
Shopping together helps your
child understand the pleasurable
aspects of food and the variety
that is available.
NOV EM BE R 20 15 Page 3
Is your garden ready for winter?
Shop...
can be found in rivers in Washington and Alaska, trout can be
found in many lakes and streams throughout the country, Lake
Mead has bass, trout and many other fish).
Taking some extra time with your child now will enhance your
relationship in many ways. It will help your child understand the
pleasurable aspects of food and the variety that is available. It will
also help your child have an open mind when considering food
choices, and may eventually lead to a strong and healthy lifestyle!
Susan Lednicky, Nutritionist
(Continued from page 2)
November 7: Getting your
yard ready for winter.
Winter will be here soon. In
the desert we sometimes
experience colder winter
winds and freezing
temperatures that can harm
our homes and landscapes.
Now is the time to learn
some simple techniques to
protect your plants, trees,
landscape and pipes. Master
Gardener Jodi Starkey will
offer great ideas on how to prevent
winter injury and harm to your landscape. Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners—
for the 10th year—will offer a free class
at Acacia Park in November. The class
is offered in partnership with the City
of Henderson Parks and Recreation
Department, and is published in
“Henderson Happenings.”
The class is taught by a Cooperative
Extension volunteer Master Gardener
instructor and begins at 9 a.m.
Pre-registration is requested by going
online www.cityofhenderson.com/
parks and clicking Online Registration.
Community Connection is published monthly by and for the Southern Area of Cooperative Extension. Editor, design & layout: Marilyn Ming, UNCE Marketing/Public Relations Specialist
Direct comments/suggestions to: [email protected] An EEO/AA Institution.
Cooperative Extension’s mission:
Discover: by assessing community needs;
understanding emerging issues; Develop:
science-based programs to help resolve the
needs of community residents; Disseminate:
through evidence-based educational programs;
classes and publications; Preserve: by
publishing findings via curriculum and fact
sheets and demonstrate knowledge to
strengthen the social, economic and
environmental well-being of people.
Cooperative Extension Southern Area
has offices and offers programming in
Clark, Nye, Lincoln Eureka and
White Pine counties.
Office locations and phone numbers are:
Clark 702-222-3130
8050 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, 89123
Northeast Clark 702-397-2604
1897 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.
P.O. Box 126,
Logandale, 89021
Southern Clark 702-299-1333
55 Civic Way
Laughlin, 89029
Southern Nye 775-7274-5532
1651 E. Calvada Blvd
Pahrump, 89048
Northern Nye/Esmeralda 775-482-6794
P.O. Box 231
#1 Frankie St., Old Courthouse
Tonopah, 89049
Lincoln 775-726-3109
P.O. Box 728
360 Lincoln St.
Caliente, 89008
Eureka 775-237-5326
P.O. Box 613
701 S. Main St.
Eureka, 89316
White Pine 775-293-6599
950 Campton St.
Ely, 89301
Bringing plants indoors
Find Cooperative Extension online
@UNRExtension
Over the next few months, even people who do
not have much in the line of a “green thumb”
will start buying or receiving plants. Brightly
colored mums in foil-wrapped pots can be the
perfect host gift, and those of us who prefer not
to use cut flowers will often try something
different, like a potted orchid, for a dining table
centerpiece. Even plants with dramatic or
different kinds of leaves become presents. From
about the end of September, right on through the
New Year, people give and get more
houseplants than they do during the other nine
months.
These plants generally fall into one of three
categories. Some of them will last no longer
than a bouquet of cut flowers would. Others,
however, can be maintained indoors, relying for
the most part on window light. Some others can
actually be planted outside in the garden, and
will survive for at least a few years as long as
they receive a small amount of care.
The plants that do not last long are usually those
that produce lovely shows of blossoms. It can
be easy to feel like the most incompetent
gardener when these (almost invariably) die.
While it is always sad to lose a plant, that kind
of self-criticism is not necessarily called for. In
order to create the glorious show of blooms, the
plants may have experienced such forcing that
they are “used up.” They were exhausted,
pushed to grow so fast, and produce so many
flowers, that they become more tender than a
normal, healthy plant would be. Enjoy these
living bouquets while they last.
Many houseplants evolved in areas where the
climate is usually warm and moist – tropical rain
forests. If they have not been forced to grow
excessively, they can survive indoors. In order
to include them into the interior garden,
however, it is critical to examine them carefully.
First, shake the plant gently (not in front of the
person who gave it, of course.) No flying
creatures
should
appear. Then,
examine the
leaves for
limpness,
discoloration
or holes,
which could
indicate
disease.
There must
be no insects,
nor little
masses of
something
cottony
adhering to
the
undersides or the juncture of leaf and stem.
Finally, dig around a bit in the soil. Again, there
should be no appearance of “critters”. If any of
these problems should be present, the gardener
has the choice of treating with one of the many
pesticides available, or washing the plant
thoroughly with a mixture cool water,
dishwashing liquid and alcohol, or discarding
the plant.
If the plant is one of the hardy mums or some of
the cacti, it might be just the thing to place in the
garden. It should first be examined as
rigorously as one that would be kept indoors,
but then can be planted in amended soil, like any
other addition to the landscape. With the
numbers of plants that will be given or received
over the coming fall, why not look at them as
garden additions, either indoors or out?
Angela O’Callaghan, Social Horticulture Specialist