Everyone looks forward to that first juicy tomato harvested from the garden. Many gardeners wonder if a tomato has to remain on the vine until it is completely ripe to develop that perfect flavor. It often is surprising to find out that the answer is no.
Learn more about harvesting tomatoes here: https://ckdgardens.com/2023/06/27/harvesting-and-ripening-tomatoes/
By: Cassie Thiessen
Ten percent of Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse in the last year. This number is expected to rise with the growth of the aging population. For the first time in human history, the population of older adults will outnumber children in the U.S.
Because of this shift in balance, there will be fewer caregivers to look after the older generation, which creates a risk factor for elder abuse.
Caregivers, including family members, account for 90% of elder abuse. Abuse that comes from loved ones can make older adults hesitant to report it, so oftentimes it is someone outside the family who will see the warning signs.
The six common categories of abuse are:
Older adults are an amazing value to a community with their wealth of knowledge and experience. Enjoy time with them, foster connections and look for warning signs of abuse.
By: Brenda Langdon
Add taste without adding a lot of calories. A combination of tomatoes, onions, and peppers can add zest to chips. A mixture of fruit, herbs, onions and pepper added to meat or fish can add unique flavors to dishes. There are a variety of salsa options for different preferences and dishes such as spicy, hot, sweet, herbal, and aromatic.
Salsa ingredients and preparation tips:
Serve salsa safely.
Source: University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension
By: Jamie Rathbun
Every year we have calls from gardeners who have tomato plants with leaves that curl up. When tomato plants grow vigorously in mild, spring weather the top growth often exceeds the root development. When the first few days of warm, dry summer weather hit, the plant ‘realizes’ that it has a problem and needs to increase its root development. The plant tries to reduce its leaf area by rolling leaves. The leaves curl along the length of the leaf (leaflet) in an upward fashion. It is often accompanied by a thickening of the leaf giving it a leathery texture. Interestingly, leaf roll is worse on some varieties than others.
Though rolling usually occurs during the spring to summer shift period, it may also occur after a heavy cultivating or hoeing, a hard rain, waterlogged soil or any sudden change in weather. This leaf roll is a temporary condition that goes away after a week or so when the plant has a chance to acclimate, recover from injury, or the soil has a chance to dry out.
By: Cassie Thiessen
In addition to keeping yourself safe from the weather, it’s important to also prepare to recover financially from disaster.
One of the best things to do is create a ‘Grab and Go’ box. If bad weather is approaching and you need to take shelter, take the box with you. The contents of your box should contain the things you need to recover from any eventual loss.
Items that should be stored in a Grab and Go box, include paper copies of items such as:
Consider adding personal items such as photos, letters and various keepsakes, and even a small amount of money. The box should be waterproof and/or fireproof. If the items are in a safe deposit box, include the key in your grab and go box.
Many things can be accessed online, but we may be able to recover faster with paper copies.
When creating your household inventory, start with one room, or even one part of a room at a time. Videotaping documents with your phone, taking pictures, or doing a video of the contents of your home is a great place to start. You will need to have some documentation about when things were purchased and what their value was, but video or pictures is helpful. Be sure you take your documentation from your phone and store it in a way electronically that you can access it if something were to happen to your phone.
Talk with your insurance agent to make sure you’re adequately covered for loss to the home and personal property.
By: Brenda Langdon
The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (KSFMNP) is providing seniors who meet age and income requirements with $50 in coupons to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey from authorized farmers at local participating farmers markets, June 1 through September 15, 2023. Coupons are available in $5 increments.
To be eligible to receive KSFMNP coupons, the following criteria must be met:
Applications for the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will be available starting on June 1st, at any Post Rock Extension District office.
By: Brenda Langdon
Most of us don’t want to serve “outdated” food to our families, but we also don’t want to throw food away unnecessarily. So how can we keep ourselves and our families from getting sick from eating food that is past its prime of safety, but also not waste food?
“Sell by” date: Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before that date.*Note that these dates generally refer to food quality, rather than safety. However, they can give a general idea of how long the food has been in the market.
By: Jamie Rathbun
