Featured Recipe: An Impressive Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Torte
September 5, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a dark chocolate torte with a raspberry sauce. It is an ideal dessert for impressing company or that special someone.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
It’s Easy To Attract Hummingbirds
September 4, 2010
Few sights are more thrilling in the garden than rapidly moving hummingbirds darting among colorful flowers. Hummingbirds, also known as hummers, are always a wonder to see, and it’s easy to attract them to your garden.
In Florida, we see three different types of hummingbirds, but the most common is the ruby-throated. This feathered jewel is only about three inches long and weighs as little as a single penny!
For their size, hummingbirds have among the largest appetites in the bird world. They feed every 10 or 15 minutes from dawn until dusk. During this period, they eat more than half their weight in food and 8 times their weight in water.
If you’re fascinated by hummingbirds, as I am, you probably hang out a feeder or two in the summer to provide them with sugar water. Artificial feeders will attract hummingbirds.
However, feeders should not be the sole source of food provided. The sugar solution may appeal to the hummingbirds’ sweet tooth, but it provides little nourishment. Nectar is much more vital to the hummingbird than just water and sugar. By planting certain flowers and shrubs, home gardeners can provide food and habitat for hummingbirds.
Typical hummingbird flowers are red, have a tubular shape and have no strong scent. But there are several notable exceptions to this general rule. Many plants with red flowers don’t contain very much nectar. Roses, petunias, geraniums and zinnias have brilliant colors but little nectar.
Plants that produce an abundance of flowers over an extended period of time and those that require little care are good choices. Native plants can “fill the bill” where nectar-seekers are concerned and should be used whenever possible.
Perennials that are recommended as nectar sources include butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), red basil (Calamintha coccinea), shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana), cigar plant (Cuphea ignea), firespike (Odontonema stricta), red star hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus), and obedient plant (Physostegia spp.).
It’s also important to plant a mixture of nectar producing trees, vines and shrubs that have overlapping blooming seasons. This will insure that a continuous source of nectar will be available to hummingbirds throughout the growing season. Some of the species recommended include red buckeye, bottlebrush, firebush (Hamelia patens), wild azalea, trumpet vine, and coral honeysuckle.
Contrary to popular belief, hummingbirds are not strictly nectar feeders. Insects and other invertebrates are the primary source of protein for adult hummingbirds and their young. An adult female can consume up to 2,000 insects per day. Small invertebrates including mosquitoes, gnats, small bees, fruit flies, spiders, caterpillars, aphids, and insects eggs make up the hummingbirds diet. So keep your plants free of pesticides. Pesticides destroy the insect food base vital to hummingbirds and their offspring, and may also contaminate the nectar they drink.
And if you do use artificial feeders, remember that the sugar solutions must be kept fresh. Florida’s hot weather can cause rapid bacterial growth in these feeders and birds that drink contaminated water could die. To avoid this, change the solution every 3 to 5 days. Clean the feeders with hot water and white vinegar. Do not use soap or chlorine bleach.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Danceworks Registration Underway
September 1, 2010
Registration is underway for Heather Leonard’s Danceworks.
Heather Leonard, a dance teacher for over 20 years, will resume the role of dance director and ballet teacher for Danceworks. She said she is excited that her former student, Chelsea Sims, will be teaching the jazz and tap classes.
“The new Dancework’s dance classes have been scheduled to help dancers achieve excellence in dance. Some of the older students will have the opportunity to dance twice a week without paying the cost of a large dance school,” said Leonard, who has taught dance to hundreds of girls from North Escambia and surrounding areas.
Classes will be held weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Byrneville Community Center. Registration continues this week by mail, and classes begin September 7.
For a printable information sheet, schedule and registration form, click here. For further information, contact Heather Leonard at (850) 256-0948 or email heather@erec.net.
Pictured: Last year’s Heather Leonard Danceworks recital, courtesy Ramona Fischer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Joel C. Burg Graduates From Basic Training
August 29, 2010
Air Force Airman Joel C. Burg has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
He is the son of Paul and Deborah Burg of Cantonment. Burg is a 2009 graduate of Tate High School, Cantonment.
Featured Recipe: Alfredo Sauce Spinach Pizza
August 29, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is an Alfredo Sauce Spinach Pizza that the whole family with love. It’s a homemade version of a restaurant favorite with a special blend of spinach, Alfredo sauce and cheese.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Roses: A Knock Out Performer
August 28, 2010
Knock Out roses are the hottest plants to hit the market in years. Gardeners love these colorful shrub roses because they bloom profusely with minimal care.
These shrub roses usually bloom like gangbusters for the first two to three years. Then, you may notice a decrease in their bloom set. But don’t despair; they may just need some attention.
Remember that roses need three things to perform their best: sun, water and fertilizer.
All roses prefer full sun. They perform and bloom best with eight hours of direct sun daily. While Knock Out roses can survive with less, some people will push the limit and place them in shady areas of the landscape. Less sun will result in leggier plants with fewer blooms.
Roses need a lot of water during the warmer months, but they don’t like “wet feet”. When watering, try to keep the water off the foliage. Reducing the shrub’s exposure to overhead watering prevents leaf spot and disease.
Even though these roses are good, easy-to-grow plants, they still need properly prepared beds when planting. If your area does not drain well, consider improving drainage by making raised beds.
The soil pH requirement for all roses is around 6.5. This indicates a slightly acid soil. Always follow recommendations of a soil test when modifying soil pH.
Mulch your roses with pine straw or a similar organic material in spring and add new mulch in late summer or early fall. Two to three inches of mulch are great for roses.
Because Knock Out roses bloom so profusely, you may want to fertilize them regularly to keep them looking their best. Fertilize them with commercial rose food according to the product instructions. Water the soil thoroughly before you feed the roses to keep from burning the roots. Stop fertilizing late in the season so the plants can prepare to slow down or go dormant during the winter.
Sometimes low potassium (the third number on the fertilizer bag) can contribute to blooming problems. Differences in soil consistency may account for differences in plant responses to equal fertilization. Take soil samples to make sure your nutrient levels are appropriate in all flower beds.
Prune in mid-February by removing two-thirds of the plant’s height. Also, prune again late August to early September by removing about one-third of the shrub’s height. It is important to eliminate some older interior wood when pruning two to three year-old and older plants.
Knock Out roses don’t have to be deadheaded. While not needing to deadhead roses is a good quality, it can also slow down the ability of the rose to bloom again quickly. If you want to keep your Knock Out roses blooming as often as possible, snip off the old blooms. Even though they will eventually drop their dead blossoms, you can get ahead of the game by helping them out.
Knock Out roses, as well as many other shrub-type roses, have five to seven bloom cycles between April and November. So take care of your plants properly, and you can enjoy blooms for the vast majority of the year.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Century Correctional Institution Donates School Supplies To Byrneville Elementary
August 27, 2010
The Century Correctional Institution donated a large amount of school supplies to Byrneville Elementary School, just in time for the first week of school. Century CI holds the school supply drive each year, with employees generously donating to the children of the community. Pictured above: Carrie Bryan, Officer Lyons, Grace Gray, Officer Sheffield, Warden Halley and Officer White. Pictured below: Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe Sullivan, Carrie Byan and Michele Edwards. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Back To School
August 24, 2010
Monday was the first day of school in Escambia County. We invited readers to submit their back to school photos.
To see the photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The Northview High School cheerleaders prepare for a back to school routine Monday morning. Pictured left: Cole Crichton prepares for his first day at Jim Allen Elementary in Cantonment. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Produce Stand Operates On Honor System
August 23, 2010
There’s a little produce stand tucked away on a dirt lane near Walnut Hill with no cash register, no cashier. All summer, customers would stop by, pick out the perfect tomato or a great watermelon, leaving their money behind in a simple drop box.
The produce stand, located just over the railroad tracks between Walnut Hill and Enon, has operated for years purely on the honor system.
“My dad liked to trust people; a man’s word meant something,” said Sherry Black. She has operated the simple wooden stand since her father, J.B. Kent, passed away several years ago.
The Ten Commandments played a lot into Kent’s business model. To this day, an oversize copy of the Commandments occupies one corner of the stand, just behind the money box and weight scales, perhaps as a reminder to anyone that might be tempted when there’s no one watching.
“But if they need it worse that I do, Lord bless them,” Black said.
Regular customers don’t need cash at Black’s produce stand. There’s a spiral bound notebook and pencil for them to jot down what produce they took and how much they owe. They will “settle up” later in the box, or see Black around the neighborhood and pay.
For several years, Black grew most of the produce in the stand herself. Now she picks, buys or barters with area farmers and backyard gardeners for the freshest items. She said she’s been known to be on the phone late at night, cutting a deal with local farmers for the best price.
And sometimes there’s a special treat for visitors to the produce stand, which is located on Deer Run Road off South Highway 99, about seven miles south of Highway 97. Peacocks from a nearby flock of peacocks will visit with produce stand customers.
The produce season for this year has mostly ended — Sunday afternoon the stand was sold out and empty.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: The Thunder Rolls
August 23, 2010
Residents in northern portion of Escambia County were treated to some unusual cloud formations Sunday afternoon as storms pounded the area from Molino south. The photos on this page and in our gallery were taken from South Highway 99, about six miles south of Walnut Hill.
The storms caused scattered power outages across the area, downed a few small trees and at least home on Blanc Lane in Molino was reported to be struck by lightning. There was no major damage reported in that incident.
Pictured top and inset: Our cameras caught two distant lightning strikes as storm clouds moved across the Molino area Sunday afternoon. Pictured below: The cloud formations associated with the thunderstorms. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
