dbmcgiff@ncsu.edu

Demystifying Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Myths

Eat your vegetables; you need 2-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; raw fresh fruits and vegetables are better for you than frozen, canned or cooked; certain fruits and vegetables have more nutrients than others...with so many statements in the news about fruits and vegetables it can be confusing about which fruits and vegetables should be part of your diet, how much you should actually strive to eat each day, and how they should be consumed.

View this from the NC Extension Homegrown series: Demystifying Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Myths to dispel the common myths and misconceptions around fruit and vegetable consumption.

Harlequin Glorybower

Harlequin Glorybower or peanut butter tree, Clerodendrum trichotomum, is a curious name for a plant. Though the name is odd, the bush or small tree is spectacular. Fragrant showy clusters of sweet-scented, jasmine-like white flowers in late summer yield iridescent blue/green berries and have hot pink flower petals at the base. These petals are actually the calyx.

Harlequin Glorybower is a deciduous, open, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with a non-formal growth habit reaching a height of 10 feet and an equal spread. It is called peanut butter tree because crushing the leaves between your fingers, releases the scent of peanut butter. It grows well in hardiness zones 7 through 11. You can prune harlequin glorybower to a single trunk and train it to grow as a small tree, or allow it to grow more naturally as a shrub. It also grows well in a large container.

Harlequin Glorybower tolerates partial shade, but full sun brings out the most attractive, denser foliage and bigger flowers and berries. It adapts to well-drained soil and is relatively drought tolerant once established.

The literature on this plant suggests it can be aggressive and suckers generously. I have had mine for 10 years and have not found that to be the case. If it does, suckers can be removed in spring or fall and shared with a gardening friend. That is how I first got my plant. Lucky me; a master gardener friend had several and shared two with me.

For more information, contact the Extension Master Gardener Helpline at 910-947-3188, Monday-Friday.

By: Dolores Muller, EMGV, Moore County

Photo: by Dolores Muller

Fall into Autumn at Farmers' Markets

Moore County Farmers' Market
www.moorecountyfarmersmarket.com

Downtown Park, Southern Pines, Saturdays,
April 16-October 29, 2022, 8AM-Noon

Armory Sports Complex, Southern Pines, Thursdays,
Year-Round, 9 AM-1PM
(closed Thanksgiving, November 23)

Sandhills Farmers Market In Pinehurst
https://www.facebook.com/SFGMarket/

Tufts Park, Pinehurst,
Saturdays, April 16-October 1, 10 AM-1 PM
Wednesdays, April 20-September 28, 3 PM-6 PM

Sandhills Farm to Table
Community Supported Agriculture
subscribe @ https://www.sandhillsfarm2table.com/
Deliveries from April 20-November 10

Pesticides: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

There is a lot of anxiety and misconceptions in general about pesticide uses. Often homeowners call our office wondering what kind of “safe” or organic pesticide they can use to eliminate a pest or a weed. The truth is by their nature, all pesticides pose some risk to human health. So, if all pesticides can be risky, why use them and what is the difference between organic and synthetic pesticides?

A pesticide in general terms, whether organic or synthetic, is any substance used for killing, repelling, or mitigating pests, which includes insects, weeds, and diseases. Whether you want to control lawn weeds, keep mosquitoes at bay, or protect your garden produce, pesticides are an invaluable tool. They are also a crucial part of the agricultural systems that produce nutritious food for a growing world population.

Synthetic pesticides are man-made products that may be derived from naturally-occurring substances. Synthetic pesticides often have a longer persistence in the environment, which is good for long-term pest control, but may have a higher chance of affecting people, wildlife, or beneficial insects. Synthetic pesticides may kill a targeted pest through direct contact or may be transported throughout a plant systemically. Systemic insecticides are water soluble and are distributed throughout a plant and have the longest environmental persistence in the landscape. The benefit of systemic pesticides is that you have longer-term control over seasonal or year-round pests and you reduce the frequency of pesticide applications. However, systemic insecticides have also been shown to negatively impact important beneficial insects, including honey bees and other pollinators.

Organic or “natural” products are derived from naturally-occurring materials like minerals, plants, or soaps and oils, and generally have lower environmental persistence than synthetic pesticides. There is a common misconception that organic products are safer for humans than synthetic, but this is not always the case. A product is considered “organic” because of how quickly it breaks down, not for its toxicity to humans, wildlife, or beneficial insects. Rotenone, for example has low environmental persistence, but is moderately toxic to most mammals, and is extremely toxic to fish. Low environmental persistence may also mean that more applications are required. The tradeoff is that while you are applying something with low environmental persistence, you are applying it more frequently than if you were to apply a synthetic product. Whether synthetic or organic pesticides are used, you should apply in late afternoon and avoid applications just before and during flowering.

Pesticides are safe and effective when used with respect. The key to applying pesticides safely is to read the labels. Reading a pesticide label is not exactly the most thrilling thing to read, but it contains all of the pertinent information you need when you must apply pesticides. They will also contain information regarding personal protective equipment to be worn. At a minimum, you should always wear latex gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and close-toed shoes when applying pesticides. It is also recommended that you wash pesticide-contaminated clothing separately from other laundry. Pesticide safety is important not only for the applicator, but also for family members who may have secondary contact with pesticides. Remember that the label is the law and should always be followed exactly as it appears on the product. When used properly, they can be an important tool for keeping your lawn and landscape beautiful, your family safe, and your garden productive.

Moore County's Community Development Division Will Administer the 2022 Urgent Repair Program

Moore County's Community Development Division is pleased to announce that we have been approved to administer the 2022 Urgent Repair Program (URP22) funded by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency with funds provided by the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund. The Urgent Repair Program funding will serve approximately ten (10) homes countywide over the next eighteen (18) months. The program will help assist very-low/low-income households with special needs in addressing housing conditions that pose imminent threats to life and/or safety or provide accessibility modifications and other repairs necessary to prevent displacement. The program begins on September 1st. Click for more details at 2022 Urgent Repair Program

Pack your Lunch for Better Physical
and Financial Health

Time to get back into the swing of things packing healthy lunches for your family! You can save a lot of money by taking a lunch and healthy snacks every day to work or school. It is also a great way to make sure you are getting foods from all of the food groups.

Foods for the Fridge

Vegetables: Carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, edamame

Fruit: Fresh fruit (tangerines, berries, melon), fruit cups in 100% juice, unsweetened applesauce cups or pouches

Protein: Hummus, boiled eggs, low-sodium deli meat

Dairy: Cheese sticks, cheese slices, yogurt, milk cartons

Pantry Food Items

Whole-grain starches: Whole-grain bread, wheat tortillas, wheat English muffins, popcorn, whole-wheat crackers, whole-grain cereal, rice cakes

*Nuts or seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter

Fun treats: Trail mix, dark chocolate, fruit leather

Other Helpful Techniques

Make egg bites in muffin tins or hard-boil eggs for an easy breakfast

Prepare produce as you get home from the store

Use the bin system (watch video below)

Make big batch of whole grains like brown rice and make grain bowls

Roast veggies to add to grain bowls or salads

Try some of these healthy recipes from our Med instead of Meds program.

Black Bean Burritos

Protect Your Woodlands from Invasive Threats

Management of forests and trees are essential to producing healthy and productive environments. No matter what your objectives are — leaving a legacy, recreation, aesthetics, wildlife habitat, or profit — forest management can help you get there. However, invasive threats can impact tree health and degrade forest environments.

Register and join the Extension sponsored webinar, Invasive forest pests: Who are they and what can we do about it? to learn about the most prevalent invasive threats to North Carolina's forests, some up and comers to watch out for, and how to mitigate them to protect your woodlands.

Women Are Forestry Stewards Too!

ForestHerNC is an organization of natural resources professionals, sponsored by NC State Extension and other partners, and is focused on supporting, educating, and empowering women landowners to engage in forest conservation and stewardship in North Carolina.

Statistically, the percentage of family forest ownership where a woman is the primary decision maker doubled from 2006 to 2013. And, these women make decisions for 44 million acres of North America’s family forest land, or 16% of all of the family forest land. However, surveys have shown that many women feel like they are not equipped to manage their forest
lands.

ForestryHerNC presents regular webinars to engage women in woodland stewardship, and empower them to make decisions that will protect NC forested woodlands. In the webinar, scheduled for September 8, explore conservation practices that create and maintain healthy soils, water, plants, and wildlife in family or individually owned forests. Click here to register for the upcoming Conservation in Practice,as well as the previous and future webinars.

Come See the Moore County 4-H Showmanship Livestock Show

Come out for the Moore County 4-H Showmanship Livestock Show that will be held at 155 Hillcrest Park Lane, Carthage, NC 28327 on Saturday, September 24, 2022, beginning at 8:30 am. The annual livestock show is part of the 4-H Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit, which is sponsored by Cape Fear Farm Credit and Carolina Farm Credit, as well as the Moore County Cattlemen’s Association and Farm Bureau. Along with Moore County 4-H members, 4-H’ers from the following counties involved in the circuit will all be showing and competing in the livestock show: Anson, Cumberland, Guilford, Lee, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Stanly, and Union.

4-H youth that raise and show livestock gain many life skills. Some of these skills include responsibility, time management, and animal husbandry skills like feeding, breeding, vaccinating, and treating animals for sickness or injury. Youth who show animals learn about ownership obligations, entry and market deadlines, how to make travel plans, and teamwork from working together as a family. In addition to learning life skills, youth who raise market animals are learning to raise nutritious and wholesome food. Youth also develop a tremendous appreciation about how their animals are part of the food chain and eventually part of the food supply.

4-H members who are part of the 4-H Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit can register for the Moore County Livestock Show by the deadline: Friday, September 9, 2022 at 5:00pm.

Registration can be found @ Livestock-Show-Family-Registration-Form.docx Please email filled out registration forms to Tom Shea, tpshea@ncsu.edu.