Thursday, October 18, 2012

October Greetings from the President


Greetings fellow gardeners,

I see pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, scare crows and hay bales everywhere.  Fall is in full swing and isn’t it great!

We just came back from four days of leaf peeping in Vermont.  The leaves were just at peak and they were spectacular!  We looked and looked for a moose but couldn’t find one anywhere.  (We did see a camel though! Ask me at our meeting and I will show you a picture.)

Can you believe that our last meeting for the year is this month?  The time has really gone by very quickly. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your vote of confidence in electing me president.  I hope that I did you proud.  It is an honor to serve as president of this club with many awesome members.

I also want to thank our many committees for the outstanding jobs that you do every year.

We have the best Garden Club because we have the best members!

Don’t forget our Harvest Dinner on Saturday, October 27th.  It will be a hoot to see all the costumes and taste all the yummy food.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our meeting on Tuesday, October 23 at the American Legion. (Don’t forget we will be doing our voting of officers.)

Until then………

June

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Fall News

FROM THE PRESIDENT


(Actually from the Vice President; President Petruccelli is on vacation in Florida)
 
Amazing Autumn, Garden Lovers,

We are so lucky to be living in an area where we can experience the beauty of the four seasons—autumn, being my favorite for many reasons. We are well aware of the color changes taking place everywhere now, and the cooler temperatures are happening more often and lasting longer, especially at night. But now the leaves are falling, with some tree species completely bare. Soon we'll be raking and bagging leaves as we begin to put our own "gardens to sleep." Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, November 10th, we'll be putting our own community garden "to sleep." If you can spare an hour or more, please join us.

Not only are changes taking place outside, but we're beginning to make changes inside, too. You may be bringing plants inside that cannot tolerate the colder temperatures. You may be decorating for the fall with artificial leaves, aromatic spiced candles, or pumpkins and cornstalks on your porch. You may be preparing for Halloween with jack-olanterns, black cats, and lots of candy.

Don't forget about our costume party (awh come on, have a little fun), at our annual Harvest Dinner where everyone brings a favorite dish to share. This year's feast will be held on Oct. 27th at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, starting at 6 p.m. with a DJ and your best voices (OK, Ronnie, this one is for you) we should have a fun evening.


Lastly, I love the smells of autumn, like leaves burning, fireplaces crackling, soups and stews cooking, hot apple cider simmering, pies bubbling and cookies baking. My mouth is watering right now. Slurp. Slurp!


Just a reminder. This month's meeting at the American Legion Building is on October 23rd, at 7 p.m. It's election month. No more Presidential debates, please. Two is enough. hahaha


No meetings in November and December. We will resume, same time, same place, on January 22, 2013...yep! 2013. Carolyn

We’re looking for donations for our Salute America
2013 Spring Luncheon. They can be
something to put in a basket that we
make, or a basket with something in it that
you would like to win.
Everything will be cherished.
You can call me at 289-0867
Or e-mail me at
 
 

Mark Bittman's Tomato Jam

Makes 2 small jars with a little left over
1.5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne
1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then pour into hot, sterilized jam jars, screw the lids on and turn the jars upside down to cool completely.
Contributed by Paula Murphy who says, “It’s DELICIOUS!” [Karen Ferb seconds that motion]

tomato jam




As 'The Minimalest' himself says, "A Pretty Great Jam"