For the June 27 edition of the WLRY Farm Page, Connie visited with Fairfield County 4-H scholarship winner Derek Burns about what it was like being a High School Senior while in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Smith
The basics of watering your landscape
Watering home landscape and garden plants properly is one of the most misunderstood tasks facing most gardeners today and often the cause of many plant deaths.
First, you need to understand how a plant loses water. Transpiration is the process by which a plant loses water through its leaves. This is a necessary process for plant growth. A large tree may lose hundreds of gallons of water a day in the summer. Water lost from the soil by evaporation and transpiration must be replaced by precipitation or irrigation. Water may also evaporate from the soil surface, leaving it dry. Water from lower layers in the soil is drawn to the surface by capillary action and also evaporates. This continual evaporation may deplete water from quite deep in the soil.
Establishing the correct water-air relationships in the soil is essential for the best growth of all plant types. Oxygen in the soil is necessary for plants to grow. Watering too often or too much is likely to Continue reading
Food Preservation: FCS Office hours
Are you ready to learn about food preservation? Have questions? We may not be able to meet in person but are offering a couple of opportunities to learn about food preservation. You can register for just one or all of them.
The Ohio State University Extension Food Preservation Team will be hosting Food Preservation Office Hours on Tuesdays from 4 – 5 p.m. Each date will present a different topic as listed below, please register at the links listed for each session.
June 30: Canning & Freezing Fruit (link: go.osu.edu/canningfreezingfruits)
July 14: Pickles (link: go.osu.edu/pickles)
July 28: Salsa (link: go.osu.edu/makingsalsa)
Food Preservation 101
Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Franklin County will be presenting a series on Food Preservation 101 that will cover basic methods of food preservation including canning, freezing, drying and fermentation. These classes will be held on Fridays from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
June 26: Pickling and Fermentation
July 10: Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
July 17 : Dehydration
Please register at go.osu.edu/Preserve. If you missed a class, please visit go.osu.edu/preservefranklin to view the recording. You will also find many preservation resources available there.
Fair Board President Nancy Myers; “It’s changing for the better!”
After the Governor’s latest announcement that further reduced restrictions for holding Fairs, the WLRY Farm Page visited with Fair Board President Nancy Myers about how that gives hope for hosting a modified FULL Fair this October.
A special shout out to Ruff Seed Farms, Fairfield Federal, Bay Food Market, the Fairfield County Cattlemen Association, Hugus Fruit Farm and Rise Land Company for your continued support of The Farm Page.
Board President Nancy Myers Updates the Planning Process for the Fairfield County Fair
In an interview earlier this week, Fairfield County Ag Society President Nancy Myers gives an update on the ongoing planning for the County Fair in this year of the coronavirus.
Jr. Fair Director Chuck Miller discusses recent changes adopted for the Fairfield County Fair
During a meeting on Tuesday, May 19, the Sr. Fair Board made some changes to procedure in preparation for the July tagging of livestock for the upcoming Fair. In this interview for The Farm Page, Chuck Miller discusses those changes, and other outlook as the planning for the 2020 Fair continues in spite of COVID-19.
Trying new things during difficult times
No doubt, the last two months have definitely changed us. How we move forward is our choice.
Can we do things differently?
Are we willing to change?
So, during this long holiday weekend perhaps it might be a good time to take a look back to the Victory Garden Revival. Given our very cold and wet spring, you still have time to plant a few things in a garden space or maybe create a container of your favorite cooking herbs.
A look back at history tells us that in 1941, just 12 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USDA began plans to promote Victory Gardens throughout America. The concepts of the Victory Garden are just as valid today as they were then and there is no better time than the present to start your own.
Did you know that U.S. Department of Agriculture created the the goals of the Victory Garden program in 1942? Could some of those goals benefit us today?
Goal 1: Increase the production and consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits by more to the end that we become a stronger and healthier nation.
Wouldn’t it be great to teach our children and grandchildren where food comes from and how Continue reading
Considerations for filling your freezer with local meats
Bay Packing manager David Ford answers your questions about filling the freezer with locally sourced beef and pork during COVID-19 during this portion of the WLRY Farm Page.
Is it affordable? Do you have plenty of freezer space? How long can those purchases stay in the freezer without “freezer burn” . . . lots of questions answered during this interview!!
Local Food Market makes adjustments in light of COVID-19
During this week’s WLRY Farm Page, Karen Kraft Crutcher shares the Bay Food Market approach to social distancing while trying to supply customers with fresh local meat for their table. Keeping their meat case full while also accommodating call-in orders has caused a change in walk in hours to their Maple Street store. Listen in and get the full story . . .
Explore the Challenges of a Full Service Flower Shop during a Pandemic
Earlier this week we visited with the folks at Flowers of the Good Earth and learned what it is has been like to be a full service floral shop during the pandemic. Mother’s Day deliveries were made practicing safe social distancing . . . but we also learned more about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and how suppliers are sometimes unable to deliver many flowers to the shop. This is likely to continue in the weeks and months ahead, as most flowers used in the industry are grown in Europe and Central/South America, and air transportation is still limited. Shopping local is critically important to the success of our community . . . learn more by listening in to this Flowers of the Good Earth interview.