Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 135, Number 47, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 21 November 2013 — Page 4

Page A4

Advance News • Thursday, November 21, 2013

There is no magic to composting

A few years ago, I was preparing to teach a Master Gardener class. In front of me were handouts and publications from several university extension services, as well as the Complete Guide to Composting, a 1967 Rodale Press book that is considered one of the best. My son, who was probably six or seven at the time, asked what I was doing. I explained I was preparing to teach a class about composting, and I was reading all kinds of information and trying to pull the best information I could to prepare for the talk. His next comment stuck with me for many years. While looking at the inches thick, fine print Complete Guide for Composting, he said, "Composting most be really hard if the book's that thick." It struck me that many people probably feel the

Getting schooled

Last Tuesday I went to visit Nicky Wiggins forth grade class of Woodview Elementary School in aanee for a manners eon and career expo. We practiced waiting our

turn while speaking, eating pizza with a fork and krufe and overall using our manners. After lunch was over, I was called to the front, which I wasn't that far from to begin with, to speak on my job as

the new editor of the Nappanee Advance and Bremen Enquirer. I chose to go completely unprepared - I'm not much for public speaking, that's why I'm a writer instead. 1 showed them my bag of tricks and electronics and went straight on to the question and answer portion. I was sure I'd bomb the whole presentation, but I was surprised. I think I was asked over 30 questions and most of the kids participated. Questions like "How do you come up with news," "What do you like best about your job," "What's your favorite story you've ever written" were asked and I have to say, some of them were pretty difficult questions.

Continuous Publication Since 1879 Advance News »■ serving Nappanee ei wokcvusq Pebllsbed Weekly • (USPS 370-960) Periodical postage paid in Nappanee, IN 46550 raSTNUSTHI: Please send address corrections to P.O. Box 220, Plymouth, IN 46563 Mamtag EdRM* Lois Tomazewski Eater Dani Molnar Sports Eater James Neil Costello Mvkatta Manpr Cindy Stockton PnaßMfTMaepr Greg Hildebrand /annum Mu Angi Rodriguez OrcaiOM Manper Ashley Han CllllllM Ml ?" U ,°T V through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All classifieds must be pre-paid. Deadline: Monday at 11:30 a.m. AdVOPtISIRB Call Angi Rodriguez at 1-800-933-0356 for rate information or to place an ad. Deadline: Thursday at 5 p.m. Legal Notices Deadline: Wednesday at 5 p.m. (Week prior) ftuhtcrlntlaat Annual subscription price (52 issues) eee>i>ri|iusse i 8 s2l in-state and $26 out-of-state. To renew or start a new subscription, or to solve delivery problems, call the Circulation Department at 1-800-933-0356. Newt Email news items and photos to advanceObnin.net, or drop them off at the Bremen office, 126 E. Plymouth St. For possible story ideas, contact Dani Molnar, editor, at the office at 574-546-2941 ores*, 574-209-0704. Deadline: Friday at noon. Publisher reserves the right to reject, edit or cancel any advertising at any time without liability. Publisher's Hability for error is limited to the amount paid tor advertising.

same way. We've all seen these TV show gurus and thick manuals trying to explain the "magic" of , compost. When it comes down to it,

there is no magic. It's just rot or decay of organic matter, and when we build a compost pile, we are just trying to organize it so it decays a little faster. A simple recipe for compost is two parts brown plant material to three parts green, then throw in a dash of soil and add a little water to give it that "chocolate cake" dampness feel. If the pile heats up quickly and then cools fast, or awful smells come from the pile, it was too green or too wet. Add some brown materials, re-mix and try again.

I was terrified, but I pushed through. I'm not much for public speaking because I'm always so certain I'm going to say the wrong thing. Even at home, I'm guilty of saying I don't

Editor's Paspicm By Dani Molnar, m Eduobh * lift

El

know when I really do know what I think to avoid a confrontation or to avoid being wrong. "Did you dye your hair" and "How many pets do you have" became much easier questions for me to answer because of the simple oneword answer required. 1 think it's because I'm young, comparatively speaking, so I haven't had a lot of real-word experiences teaching me to do this job just yet. I talked to Shawn McGrath the other day, former editor (he sends his regards), who helped to remind me that, yes, I'm new, and this is my first job as an editor and there are things I won't

Extension Tips By Jeffßurbrink

If the pile doesn't heat up, it's either too brown, or too dry. Add some green materials or water, remix, and try again. If you are short of green materials, as is often the case in a fall leaf pile a fertilizer containing nitrogen can be used to stimulate the pile. A compost pile probably needs to be about four feet tall to heat up effectively. Turning the pile when it begins to cool will speed up the process. More information can be found at www. hort.purdue.edu/ext/ ID-182.pdf.

understand coming in. He told me I should take every opportunity as a learning experience, whether it's someone upset with me over something that hasn't been resolved in a timely manner,

a story that's become much more difficult than I intended or just a simple manners luncehon with a group of elementary kids. I sometimes feel, v some of jmy iHriers -ifcfcve th«* upperhand on me!

They've been reading the Nappanee Advance News and the Bremen Enquirer since before I was even bom! The knowledge they must have! I'm trying, I'm new and I'm young. I've been here a little over a month now, but it doesn't mean I need any less support from the community. So I'll continue to implore of you to help me make this paper better by providing with tips, news or ideas any time you hear of something.

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Opinion

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Making waves The 2013-2014 Wa-Nee Waves Swim Team has been practicing since September. They are very excited about this age group swim season. They will be participating at local meets as well as meets at Notre Dame, Purdue and Helen P. Brown Natatorium in Fort Wayne. The photo shows (from left) front row) Connor Marshall, Maverick Smith, Landon Weldy, Alex Bowers, Preston Roa, Ryan Brinkhoff, Beau Stankovich, and Dillon Boggsm, (second row) Julian Jansen, Brooklyn Chupp, Caitlin Knepp, Andrea Williams, Elle Roberts, Madison Weaver, Madelyn Baldridge, Earl Williams and Landon Casteel., (third row) Coach Scott Bowers, Victoria Vega, Andrew Williams, Emily Williams, Laura Faller, Ty Stankovich, Wesley Bell, Bryce Knepp, Natalia Vega, Danica Miller, and Coach Brooke Casteel, (dfourth row) Paige Barrett, Mackenzie Weaver, Jason McNeill, Khalan Hostetler, Nikala Herr, Kate Jarvis, and Coach Adam Greenawalt., (fifth row) Coach Mike Jansen, Hannah Miller, Alexis Meyers, Drew Flickinger, Macey Smith, Megan Stankovich, Karl Hershberger, Kennedy Brinkhoff, Elle Jansen, Kenneth Schlatter, Brianna Weldy, and Abigail Richner. Not shown is Kennedy Hochstetier.

There is just nothing like roasted turkey! I am not sure if it is made so special because we only have it a few times a year or if it is all the food that goes with it. I do know that there is a difference when it is roasted in the oven verses cooked in the crock pot. Turkey is a really easy meat to cook and it's most economical. Some of the challenges include the amount to buy and the safe way to thaw it. These two issues are what raise the most questions. The amount to buy is really a personal choice. 1 like all .the recipes I c|j? '•make wfffr roaifed ‘ turklfr I suggest you'll need about one pound per persoa or a pound and half per person if you have hearty eaters or want ample planned over's. If you're having a large gathering you might want to prepare the turkey a day or two ahead, have it all carved and then the day of the meal all you have to do is warm it. If you do this, make sure to put some turkey broth over it and cover it when heating. This will keep it from drying out. The oveti doesn't need to be really hot, just be sure you

Turkey cooking

and bring the meat up to 180 degrees to ensure safety. While the quality and taste of frozen versus fresh turkey are quite similar, the keeping time is not. A frozen turkey can be purchased months in advance, butfiifresfefcird should, be boiflU ofttrto'mo days priorto roasting. There are basically two types of birds to choose from, a prebasted bird which typically includes vegetable oil, broth and spices, and the un-bast-ed bird to which nothing has been added. If you're counting fat grams, cook the un-basted bird in a cooking bag. This should give you really moist turkey that is lower in fat. USDA Grade A is the highest quality grade for poultry and the most common one in the stores. Grade A poultry has good shape and structure, fat covering, and is free of pinfeathers and defects such as cuts and bruises. Age and not gender, is the determining factor for tenderness. All turkeys in the market are young, usually four to six months old. A hen generally weighs less than 16 pounds and a tom is usually over 16 pounds. It is best to defrost your turkey in the refrigerator. The rule of thumb is a minimum of 24 hours of defrost time for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. By this calculation, it can take four to five days or longer to defrost a 20 pound turkey. Once defrosted, a completely thawed bird will last for an additional day or two in the refrigerator. I have always found that

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use your meat thermometer

Food and Nutrition By Mary Ann Lienhart Cross

it takes longer to thaw the

turkey than the guidelines suggest. If you find this is the case, you can safely speed up the defrosting time by submerging the wrapped

bird in a large sink of cold water. Check or change the water every 30 minutes to make sure it remains cold. Allow 30 minutes per pound. To me this is a lot of messing with water and keeping track of changing the water as it warms, yjut it does work. When roasting the turkey allow roughly 15 to 18 minutes per pound for an un-stuffed bird and 18 to 24 minutes per pound for a stuffed bird. Have your oven preheated to 325° F. To determine doneness, use a meat thermometer. Remember the turkey will continue to cook when you remove it from the oven so don't overcook it or the meat will become dry. The temperature to strive for when roasting a whole turkey is 165° F. The juices should run clear. If roasting a stuffed bird, be sure the stuffing also reaches a temperature of at least 165° F. Keep in mind that cooking times do vary! Every year people wonder why tljeir turkey is done too early or too late. There are many reasons for this such as the oven temperature may not be accurate, the turkey might still be partially frozen in the center, or the roasting pan is too small to allow adequate heat circulation. Please remember to let the turkey sit at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing so that you will have nice slices that will stay together verses crumbling and falling apart. I am so ready for a turkey sandwich, I am not sure I can wait for the planned overs!