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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: southern.news@unce.unr.edu 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