Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 133, Number 13, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 1 April 2010 — Page 7

Edible landscaping not only has die potential to add dimension and interest to your yard, it provides food for you as well as animak that wander through. It may seem like a piece of cake to grow fruits or nuts. Plant, water, and wait a while. There are, however many dungs that should be taken into consideration. The key is not just to get die plants to grow, but to get them to

Lady Beetles again?

Yes, they are showing up again for some people and will be showing up shortly for others. Remember when the Asian lady beetles caihe out in record numbers in the fall of last year? Well, once again, you may have noticed some activity inside your home or building. How could this be? You haven't seen them for months but now they are crawling everywhere. Last year, when temperatures fed, the lady beetles appeared by the thousands around homes and buildings. They moved into cracks, walls, and any

Another part of spring: Foods

In all die years that I have written my column I know that I have never written as much about the weather and food as I have this past year. So much of March has been unusually warm, but as I type this column, it is cold and windy, reminding me of soup weather. Spring is a wonderful time of the year for many reasons. Until I was 131 lived in a subdivision, but I truly feel I have a rural background because of all the time I spent with my grandparents on their farm. Spring rural activities have to do with die fret that the temperature is getting wanner, there is more sunlight, the grass is greening up, bulbs, trees and shrubs are flowering, and of course spring means the birth of many young animals. Another part of spring is of course spring food! 1 know for a fact that when many of you think of spring food you think of grilling and making all the great tasting foods that go with grilled meats such as baked beans, three bean salad and of course potato salad. What I am typing about is some of the first foods that we have from our gardens in Michiana. The first food of spring that comes to mind for me is dandelion greens, and yes, I have seen some growing in comers and other protected areas. The warmer weather has warmed the soil so the greens are growing. My grandparents always referred to wilted dandelion greens as spring tonic. To enjoy a dish of these nutrient-dense greens some of you with weed-free lawns will have to visit

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Landscaping you can eat

produce something that is actually edible. Some edible plants may be vines such as the grape or a ground cover variety like the 1 strawberry. There are also shrubs and bushes such as blackberries and gooseberries or trees such as the apple, cherry, or walnut. The size and space that would be needed for these plants when fully grown should be taken into consideration. This will help you avoid overcrowding or plant-

other areas they could use to gain access into the home. The beetles have spent many months in a sort of hibernation mode where there was no activity at all. Then, when the weather started to warm up again, the beetles became active. This usually occurs in late winter or early spring. They can appear in many places within the home from the living room to the kitchen. Lady beetles are not harmful to furniture or other items in the home and fortunately do not infest stored food. Sweeping or vacuuming them up are two ways to get them out of the home.

Punka Extension Elkhart County By Mary Ann Uenhart-Cross Extoson Educator/Consumer Famly Sqence areas where they are growing. Dandelion greens are a spring food that have been eaten for years because they were the first salad-like food that grew and people were hungry for something that was fresh and like a salad. When people first started eating them I'm sure they did not realize how good they were for them. Greens of all kinds are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Spring is the only time to really enjoy fresh dandelions; this is when they are tender and mild dose to blooming their flavor Ranges and becomes strong. Today, commercially grown dandelion greens are used in spring salad mixes that you can buy in the grocery store. Yes, you have probably enjoyed them in a restaurant salad and not even noticed them. Eating fresh dandelion greens is a great way to stretch your food dollars. Dandelion greens are also a great way to live "green" in regards to the environment. Instead of spraying your lawn to kill them, you can dig them for eating. This makes sense because dandelions and other greens are really good for you, so you should eat more of them. I really encourage you to enjoy a mess

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Agriculture

Punka Extanoton By Erjcka Soumare Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator ing something in an area that causes problems in the future. It is beneficial to know what areas are best for your edible landscaping. Some plants may prefer a

Punka Extension Elkhart County By Ericka Soumare Agriculture $ Natural Resources Educator Just remember that if you vacuum them up, you should empty the bag right away because the lady beetles can crawl bade out. Asian lady beetles may seem like a pest if in the. home, but they are definitely the "good guys" in our yards and gardens. Their yearly heightened activity in and around your home or building is just part of their life journey.

of dandelion greens but I believe you are going to have to dig or cut your own as 1 have not seen them readily available in local markets. There are a lot of different varieties of leaves to dig and there is a slight difference in their flavor. I prefer the medium green, wider leaves as I believe they have the mildest flavor. I suggest you look for dark green long leaves less than 1 inch wide. The leaves become bitter with age and need to be cooked to tame or mellow the flavor. Here are my thoughts from my experiences. I like to dig the root and give it some serious shaking. My mother taught me by showing me to do a lot of what she called, "dry cleaning." This entails cutting the root off to let the dead leaves fall out before you begin rinsing the leayes. Once you pick through the several (Ranges of Wlra\TSort or pick through the stems and discard any that are woody or thick. The way I eat dandelion greens is wilted with a warm dressing. The dressing is made by browning a little flour in bacon grease and adding water, a little vinegar and sugar. Cook until it is slightly thickened. Dry the greens and cut them into the dressing. Heat just until they are wilted. The wilted greens are often served on mashed potatoes or with new red potatoes. The greens are garnished with slices of hard cooked eggs and crumbles of bacon. I have also enjoyed dandelion greens with a hot bacon dressing-

certain type of soil or temperature range. You should not assume that I all plants will require the same I environment to grow well. It is also important to know if the plants you are growing are self-pollinators or need other varieties of plants to pollinate them. If your edible plants are self-pol-linating, then you can get by with planting one variety that will still produce. Examples of self-pollinat-ing plants are apricot, blackberry

Soup! I have written many times about being a seasonal eater and I know that many of you are also from the conversations that we have shared. Seasonal eating goes along with local grown food and the whole food movement. . _ I find myself not only eating seasonally but also writing my column about season- Elkhart County c ° ld By Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross meals of soups anl Exenspn Educwor/Consumer Fakay Soence stews and using the crock pot. These soups and stews also call for fresh baked crunchy bread. I grew up eating soup with my family and also with my grandparents, and I sure fond memories of soup. The weather really doesn't have to be winterlike for me to enjoy soup; I eat soup year round but there is just something more enjoyable about it in the cold damp winter months. For centuries hearty soups were the mainstay of family meals and in many parts of the world they still are. In today's modem kitchen the crock-pot is a great small appliance for soup making and the Dutch oven is the soup kettle for the stove. Virtually very country has a national soup, which has survived over the years. Preparation may be very similar but differing ingredients reflect national and regional tastes. The days of soup makers making stock may be past but that is how you get the best flavor from all kinds of meat and vegetables. I encourage you to cook meat and bones and make stock. You can remove the excess fat from soup by chilling it overnight, and then lifting off the hardened fat before adding the other ingredients and reheating. When you don't have time you can remove some excess fat by laying a clean paper towel over the top to soak up the grease and or wrapping ice cubes in the papier towel. For the most economical vegetable soup plan to save clean vegetable pieces and edible peels, and stems in a freezer bag in the freezer. Then when the bag is full, simmer the vegetables in water to make a tasty broth or add to your beef broth. I caution you to avoid strongly flavored vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower, which will the broth unlessyou-litoe thatflavor. - **■» ***■ m .*«• When adding vegetables to make soup, the most nutritious plan in the winter is to add frozen. If you must add canned, choose no salt added varieties of canned beans, vegetables, and tomato products. Plan to add salt-free seasonings and a dash of lemon juice or vinegar added to your soup just before serving; this will liven up the flavor. If you are saving time by using commercial canned soups, add some extra nutrition by adding frozen or leftover vegetables, beans and cooked grains or pasta. Soups need to be simmered, don't boil them or the broth will be cloudy and the ingredients will loose their shape. Season soups gently at first and taste your soup just before serving. Add dried herbs at the beginning and fresh herbs at the end. You can bolster a ho-hum stock with a quarter to one half teaspoon of Worcestershire or a cooking bouquet or one to two tablespoons of tomato paste. Remember that soups make a tasty snack! It fills you up and low fat bean or vegetable soups are more nutritious than most snacks. Keep soup on hand at home and at work. If you're eating late, eat a cup of soup, it will take the edge off your hunger so you will make better choices and possibly not overeat. Remember to read the labels when purchasing broths and soups. Many contain a high amount of sodium per calorie. A good rule of thumb is to try and find one that contains the same number or less for mg of sodium as it does calories. Enjoy!

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Advance News * Thursday, April!, 2010

and grapes. If your plants need to cross-pollinate, then they will not produce if other varieties of plants are not planted nearby. Examples of plants that cross pollinate are butternut, chestnut, crabapple, and plum. For more information on edible landscaping, you can visit the web at www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO -190.pdf. You can also contact your Elkhart County Extension office at 574-533-0554 for more information.

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