Request a Speaker Master Gardeners are available to speak to garden clubs, at workplace seminars or other groups about a wide variety of garden-related topics. We have access to the latest university based research, attend educational seminars throughout the year and have personal interest in many aspects of gardening. Here is a list of just some of the topics we are able to present to your group. Don’t see what you are looking for? Contact our Speakers Bureau and we can help. Please remember that our Speaker Bureau program is run by volunteers and we therefore ask for your patience. Please allow 3-5 business days for a reply. Ideally, we ask that you request speakers a minimum of 4-6 weeks before your event although more urgent requests will be considered and fulfilled whenever possible. We appreciate your understanding. Popular Topics Annuals Bee friendly plants Beekeeping Blueberries Container gardening Composting Herbs Houseplants Invasive plants and pests Orchids Putting your gardens to bed Shade gardening Spring bulbs Square foot gardening Seeding starting Vegetables And more!! Request a Speaker First Name Last Name Email Write a message. Please include the location for the presentation. Submit Your request has been sent.

< Back Fermenting Your Own Hot Sauce Joy Johnson, Master Gardener Sometimes just experimenting with your vegetables makes you a winner. Read about how to grow the peppers and make the hot sauce that won over Joy Johnson’s “hot sauce crazy” family members. The men in my family love hot sauce. They put hot sauce on burgers and brats, eggs and ham, enchiladas and tacos, potatoes and pasta, the list goes on and on. They even give each other hot sauce for Christmas. Whenever one of them travels, they bring back sample bottles of hot sauce made in the city they visited. Since they often don’t care for all of the vegetables that I grow in my garden, I thought I would outsmart them this year. I planted a package of “Mixed Hot Pepper” seeds that I got from a Burpees catalog. I figured I’d finally found vegetables they would eat from my garden. The peppers got off to a slow start in my basement under a grow light in February. A few of them grew to 3-5 inches in height. Most of them stopped growing at 2 inches and were very thin. I was not very hopeful as I gingerly transplanted them outside into the garden at the end of May. But I watered them and fertilized them. Then I completely ignored them for a month while I prepared the rest of the yard for our son’s wedding. One day, weeks after the wedding was past, I walked down to the pepper patch and there were tall, healthy plants covered with peppers! I was delighted. I recognized the Jalapenos, because I’d grown those before. I wasn’t familiar with any of the others. After doing some research, I learned that I had Anaheim, Hungarian Wax, Cayenne and Ancho peppers. The colors ranged from red to orange to yellow to green. They were beautiful and I was so excited. I decided to ferment my own hot sauce. I picked all the peppers and filled two 17-quart bowls. One tip my daughter had shared with me - don’t mix the red ones with the green ones. Your hot sauce will turn out a very ugly green-brown; most unappetizing. So, I separated the greens into one pile and the reds, yellows and oranges into another pile. The hot sauce turned out great! I gave bottles of it as Christmas gifts. Here is the recipe. Oh, one more tip – wear gloves when picking, washing and slicing the peppers (and don’t rub your eyes, no matter what!) Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce 1 ½ pounds peppers of your choosing (a mix of sweet peppers and hot peppers), tops and stems removed, halved 6 cloves garlic peeled 4 cups filtered water 4 teaspoons sea salt 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, optional Instructions: Place the peppers and garlic in a clean wide mouthed quart canning jar. Set aside. To make the brine, heat the filtered water and sea salt in a medium saucepan until the salt has dissolved completely. Let cool to room temperature. Place the peppers and garlic in a clean glass jar. Pour the brine over the peppers and garlic, completely submerging them. If you run out of brine, you can make more by mixing 1 cup of warm filtered water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Cover the jar with folded cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band. Place in a warm, dark spot for 5-7 days or until the brine looks cloudy and small bubbles begin to appear when you tap the side of the jar. When the fermentation time is up, strain the brine, reserving it. Place the fermented peppers and garlic in a blender and add in 1 cup of the brine, plus the apple cider vinegar, and honey or maple syrup, if using. Blend until completely smooth adding in additional brine to reach the desired thickness. Transfer to a bottle and store in the fridge for 3-6 months. Bottles with stoppers are available at Hobby Lobby. The hot sauce turned out great! The men in my family love it. My son in law even said it is the best hot sauce ever. I ended up with a green sauce made mostly from jalapenos and underripe other varieties. And a red sauce made from all of the red, yellow and orange peppers. They taste quite different, but both are hot and delicious. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson (1,2,3,4)

< Back Low Cal Jerk Chicken Tacos? Joy Johnson, Master Gardener If you are trying to lose your extra ‘Covid’ pounds or working on getting back in gardening shape or just like great chicken tacos, you will love this recipe. In this offering, Master Gardener Joy Johnson still manages to find something from her garden to place into her March recipe. By the time March rolls around, we’ve all probably given up on our New Year’s resolutions, but if you are still trying to lose your extra ‘Covid 19 lbs’ like I am, here’s a low calorie (272 calories in two tacos), delicious recipe that pops with flavor. I made my own jerk seasoning, which is listed here, but you can purchase a jar of jerk spice as an alternative. Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Tacos with Caribbean Salsa Serves 8 Ingredients for jerk seasoning: 2 T onion flakes ½ tsp each of Thyme, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, salt, nutmeg, sugar ¼ tsp black pepper 1 T dried parsley (this is the only ingredient that actually came from my garden – hey, it’s March) Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 T jerk seasoning Kosher salt 2 ½ lbs boneless chicken breasts 2 T lime juice ½ c orange juice 2 T chopped fresh cilantro Ingredients for Caribbean Salsa : 2 large mangos, peeled, diced into ½ pieces 1 avocado, peeled, diced into ½ pieces 2 T chopped red onion 2 T chopped fresh cilantro 2 T lime juice ¼ tsp salt Black pepper 12 extra thin yellow corn tortillas Process for the Chicken : Combine the garlic, jerk seasoning, and ½ tsp salt and spread it over the chicken. Put the chicken, the lime and orange juices, and cilantro in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Process for the Salsa : In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks. Pour any liquid left in the slow cooker into a bowl, then return the chicken to the slow cooker. Add 1 cup of the reserved liquid, just enough to moisten the chicken, and season with 1/8 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Heat the tortillas in a skillet set over medium-high for about 30 seconds. Fill each with 1/3 cup of the chicken and 2 T of salsa. Photo credit: Joy Johnson (1,2,3,4)

< Back Earth Day Mary Gadek, Dakota County Master Gardener Earth Day - Every April 22, the world celebrates the Earth and raises awareness about taking care of our environment. Kids of all ages can work together with their families and friends to make a positive impact on the environment right in their own gardens and communities. This article, first published in the Garden Buzz in 2022, is updated to provide information about current Earth Day events in Dakota County. Every April 22, the world celebrates the Earth and raises awareness about taking care of our environment. Kids of all ages can work together with their families and friends to make a positive impact on the environment right in their own gardens and communities. Take Action on Earth Day WHY do we need to act to help the Earth? Climate Change - Climate change is the process of our Earth heating up. Not “it’s time to go to the beach!” heating up, but, instead, our weather has become more extreme and unpredictable. Events, like severe heat, droughts and floods, are hard on the survival of our plants and animals. Emissions from fuel from our usage of cars, trucks, machinery and power facilities all contribute to climate change. Plastic Pollution - Plastic waste, from disposable water bottles to grocery store plastic bags, is ending up in our water all across the Earth. Marine wildlife end up eating the plastic, which is harmful to their bodies, or get tangled up in the plastic, making it difficult to function or even live. Earth’s Unique Habitats and Creatures Are Vulnerable - When the planet fails to take care of itself, its different areas are negatively impacted. For example, it is estimated that about 15 billion trees in the world are cut down each year. Without trees, the earth has trouble cooling down and can cause the weather to change and be more extreme. Trees shade our homes to help keep us cool during hotter days, resulting in less energy use. Plus, trees can give shelter for many animals and insects. Bees and butterflies are insects that pollinate plants which other animals depend upon to eat. Also, bees pollinate over 35% of our farms for food we eat. Native bee and butterfly populations have been quickly diminishing each year so we need to take care of them. Dakota County hosts many events on and around Earth Day. Check out these links for more information about what you can do locally to support the earth during the month of April. Eagan , Lakeville , Dakota County Parks , ACTION to take in your own garden: Plan and plant a garden or even just one more plant in your yard. Every plant in your yard, whether in the ground or in a pot, contributes in a good way to the interconnected world of plants, insects and animals, called an “ecosystem”. See below the Earth Day seed paper project as a fun way to plant seeds in your garden. When planning a garden, consider plants that grow successfully in Minnesota and attract bees and butterflies to create a pollinator garden. This article provides more information on pollinator gardens in Minnesota. Make a plant-based Bee Hotel. In the Fall during yard cleanup, collect hollowed stems of dried plants and put them into a pile in sunny spots. Bees will winter in these natural shelters. In the Spring, the bees will emerge to buzz around your garden. Replace the hotels every Fall. Plant a tree. To help replace the billions of trees cut down every year, plant a tree in your yard to help the Earth and make your landscape more beautiful. Reduce. Use solar lights in your landscape, instead of electrically wired ones. Reduce the amount of water used on your lawn by paying attention to the weather: less if it rains, more if a drought. Reuse. When you buy a new plant, clean and save the plastic pot to reuse in the winter to grow plants from seeds. Recycle. Throw any unused recyclable products into the recycle bin. Using gloves, pick up garbage at your neighborhood park. Use a reusable drinking bottle, instead of disposable ones. Walk or Bike. Get some fresh air and exercise and walk or bike in your community, instead of driving in your car. Walking or biking lessens the emissions being sent into the air. Grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. Grow your own fruit, vegetables or herbs in your own garden. By not driving to the store, you reduce sending emissions into the air. Bonus: In season, locally grown food is even more delicious because it is freshly picked and eaten right away. Buy local! If you are not able to grow your own food garden, buy from the local, community farmers’ markets. The farmers’ farms help create more oxygen in our air and their plants take in carbon dioxide, which is good for our air. Plus, driving shorter distances to distribute food, the farmers decrease climate change impacts. Be a Plant Advocate. Tell your neighbors about why Earth Day is important and how to take action. Make and give seed paper to spread the word! READ these books to learn more about Earth Day: Here we are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth , author Oliver Jeffers. A beautifully illustrated children’s book showing all the Earth and how we need to be nice to it. At: Dakota County Library: ISBN: 9780399167898 On Amazon at this link. Every Day Is Earth Day , author: Harriet Dyer. A bright children’s book inspiring the readers to take action everyday like it’s earth day. On Amazon at this link. Earth Day Seed Paper Project Supplies: 1 cup of scrap/shredded paper from your recycling bin; 4 shallow dishes; 1 cup water; 1 round cookie/biscuit cutter; heavy felt or thick, old towel; old sponge; vegetable food coloring; about 1 tsp of flower seeds (suggest using pollinator type plants seeds). Directions: Put the dishes on top of an old towel; Separate paper into 3 (of the 4) dishes. Add water, little by little, into each dish and combine with paper until fully wet and lumpy. Add 3-4 drops of blue food coloring to one dish with wet paper and combine. Do the same with green food coloring in a second dish. The third dish will be left without any coloring. Suggest: wear work gloves to avoid staining your hands. Set the cookie cutter in the fourth dish. Carefully take a pinch of the blue wet paper, squeeze dry and then squish into 2-4 different spots inside the cookie cutter. Repeat with green and plain wet paper. Sprinkle seeds on top of the paper circle. Take the sponge and push on the wet paper inside the circle until excess water has disappeared. Let dry for a few days. Make several of these and give to friends and neighbors as a way to celebrate our Earth! To grow the seeds, set in a pot of soil, seed side up and in a sunny spot. Spritz the paper with water to moisten it. Cover with plastic wrap until you see the first sprouts. Remove plastic and let the seedlings grow. Once the seedlings are at least 4-6” high, they are ready to plant in your garden. RESOURCES https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/kids-club/cool-kids/general-kids-club/earth-day/ https://extension.umn.edu/natural-resources https://www.c2es.org/content/climate-basics-for-kids/ https://extension.umn.edu/flowers-pollinators/annual-flowers-pollinators https://beelab.umn.edu/plant-bee-flowers https://extension.umn.edu/lawns-and-landscapes/flowers-pollinators https://extension.umn.edu/lawn-care/water-saving-strategies-home-lawns Photo Credit: Wikimedia (1), Flickr.com (2), Mary Gadek (3)

< Back December - Enjoying the Winter Garden Dawn Struble As Minnesotans, we learn to appreciate the cycle of northern gardening. The truth is, after putting the garden to bed for the season, the winter respite provides a chance to enjoy the garden in different ways. Read this article for thoughts about how to enjoy your garden in winter. Over the years I’ve often exclaimed, “I wish I lived in zone 7 or 8!” Then I wouldn’t have to say good-bye to my gardens as winter arrives. But over the same years, I’ve come to appreciate the cycle of northern gardening. The truth is, after putting the garden to bed for the season, the winter respite provides a chance to enjoy the garden in different ways. Before the snow flies, make time to move any garden art or sculptures closer to your home’s windows. This will allow you to appreciate the light, shadows and snow accumulations on your art, as well as on standing vegetation, shrubs and tree branches during the snowy months. Now is also the time to make note of plants that may need to be moved, split or removed next spring. You will thank yourself in the spring for writing it down! Watching the snow for animal tracks will help you learn more about the variety and habits of wildlife in your area ( 12 weeks of winter: The scoop on scat | UMN Extension ). You can use the cold weather downtime to read some great gardening books ( Gift Idea: Good Books for Minnesota Gardeners (umn.edu) or Books that created conversation in 2021 | UMN Extension ). And nothing tastes better in the middle of winter than a warm muffin baked from the garden rhubarb you froze last June! ( Using your harvest | UMN Extension ). If you are really missing the dirt under your fingernails, try an indoor herb garden, or make a winter window box or front entry pot. Taking care of your garden tool maintenance is also a valuable task during frigid weather. ( Clean and disinfect gardening tools and containers | UMN Extension ). Get the family involved and combat the dark days by making beautiful winter luminaries. It’s a fun and rewarding project for everyone, and will brighten your yard and garden areas. As you take that winter vacation to warmer destinations, don’t forget about the reciprocal garden admission program for Minnesota Landscape Arboretum members. Reciprocal Admissions Program – American Horticultural Society (ahsgardening.org) . You’ll find the visit sparking your excitement for another season of northern gardening after the well deserved winter break. Photo credits: University of Minnesota Extension (1, 3), Torange.biz (2)

< Back Snack on Celery Kristen Andrews, Master Gardener Intern Celery, while a delicious treat, can be a challenge for the home gardener to grow. Learn how you can start your own celery plants indoors and have a harvest of this versatile vegetable, early or late, into the growing season! Ants on a log I have fond memories of snack time as a child, munching on “ants on a log.” Those familiar with the treat know there are three main components: the ants (chocolate chips and/or raisins), the glue to stick the ants on the log (usually peanut butter), and the log (a crisp piece of celery). The star of the snack, a crisp piece of celery, has been produced commercially since the early 1800s. Celery is part of the Apiaceae (or carrot) family. These plants are known for their hollow stems, taproots, and flat-topped flower clusters. Other familiar plants in this family are dill, fennel, and cumin. Growing celery at home may be difficult, but the harvest serves as an excellent reward for anyone up for the challenge. There are two main types of celery: Trenching and Self-blanching. Trenching celery requires extra care to ensure the stalks are protected, whereas self-blanching does not. The taste of self-blanching celery may be a little more muted, but is generally easier to grow. Two recommended self-blanching varieties are Utah and Pascal. For the home grower, celery does best when started indoors, 10-12 weeks before the last spring frost date, for a spring crop. A fall crop can also be started indoors, 10-12 weeks before the first fall frost date. Transplant outdoors once temperatures are above 50F during the day, and no lower than 40F during the night. Celery's three main needs are: cool weather, water, and rich, organic matter soil. Celery Celery can be harvested by removing the outer stalk layer leaving the rest of the plant to continue growth. The plant can also be left to grow up to 3-inches in diameter and then all the stalks harvested as a whole. Cool temperatures and water will continue the growth of the plant. The rooty, stalk structured plant with leafy greens has many uses. The stalks are regularly consumed and used in everything from stir-fry to broth, or simply consumed raw. Less popular, but still edible, are the leafy greens on the top of the plant. Those can be added to salads or minced and used as a seasoning. If looking for new and innovative celery uses, Taste of Home has 28 Non-Boring Ways to Use Celery . Sources: https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/celery-in-the-garden https://www.almanac.com/plant/celery https://extension.umn.edu/find-plants/vegetables https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-plants-in-the-family-Apiaceae-2038061 https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/non-boring-celery-recipes/ Photo Credit: Brian Talbot, Flickr (1) & Buuz, Wikimedia (2)

< Back Using the Last Frozen Vegetables to make Tasty Tacos and Springtime Cake Joy Johnson, Master Gardener It’s May, you may have a few things peeking up in your garden, or maybe you’re like me and nothing is up yet, and nothing is ready for picking. I’m still living off of veggies that I canned, froze or dried last fall. Here is a crowd-pleasing recipe that makes use of my canned tomatoes, frozen corn and ground venison. You can use ground beef or ground turkey too. It also has corn chips on it, and those are a favorite! It’s very easy to freeze fresh tomatoes. Just pull off any stem, wash and put into freezer baggies and put in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, take them out of the bag and run them under hot water, the skins will peel right off by rubbing them with your thumbs. Cut out the stem spot and chop for your recipe. You’ll have that wonderful garden fresh tomato taste. Corn Bread Taco Casserole Ingredients 2 pounds ground venison, beef or turkey 2 envelopes taco seasoning 2 cups diced canned tomatoes, drained 1 cup water 1 cup cooked rice 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles 2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) cornbread/muffin mix 1 cup whole kernel corn 1 cup sour cream 2 cups corn chips 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese, divided 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained Topping: Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and chopped red onion Directions Preheat oven to 400°. In a frying pan oven, cook venison over medium heat until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Stir in taco seasoning. Add tomatoes, water, rice and green chiles; heat through, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare cornbread mix according to package directions; stir in corn. Pour half the batter into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half the meat mixture, all the sour cream, half the corn chips and 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining batter, remaining meat mixture and olives. Bake, uncovered, until cornbread is cooked through, 55-60 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup corn chips and 1 cup cheese; bake until cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes longer. If desired, serve with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Char’s Springtime Cake Some of you may have rhubarb peeking up, but due to our very cold early spring, I doubt it’s ready to pick. I had one package of rhubarb left from last fall in my freezer. I pick the last of my rhubarb in the fall just before it frosts and I wash, cut it into small pieces, put it in a freezer container and freeze it until early spring, like now, when I’m dying for a fresh spring taste of something from the garden. This recipe was adapted from one handed down to me from my wonderful step-mom who passed away last August, from COVID. Hers calls for all rhubarb, but since I didn’t have that much in the freezer, I substituted frozen strawberries and blueberries for part of the rhubarb. This was taste tested by family and friends and determined to be a wonderful taste of spring and summer! Directions Blend: 1 c. flour ½ c. butter 5T. powdered sugar Mix and press into a 13x9 pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden at 350 degrees. Mix: 3 eggs 2 ½ c. flour ¼ tsp salt ¾ tsp baking powder Add: 1 ½ cups rhubarb cut into small chunks 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries 1 ½ cups blueberries Pour over crust and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson (1,2,3,4)

< Back There Is Science Behind Lawn Care Janelle Rietz-Kamenar Believe it or not, the snow will melt soon and your thoughts will turn from shoveling to lawn care. Do you continue to use a lot of fertilizer and water on your lawn with mixed results? Are you concerned about the impacts of climate change affecting your lawn? Are you overwhelmed with all the lawn work in the Spring? If you said yes to any of these questions, click the link to learn more about the Science behind lawn care and how it can help you, your lawn and the environment. Do you continue to use a lot of fertilizer and water on your lawn with mixed results? Are you concerned about the impacts of climate change affecting your lawn? Are you overwhelmed with all the lawn work in the Spring? If you said yes, to any of these questions, click the link to learn more about the Science behind lawn care and how it can help you, your lawn and the environment. The University of Minnesota turf specialists have for years studied various methods of lawn care in order to achieve the best results with the minimal amount of human, water, and fertilizer resources needed. As it turns out, the best time to plant new grass or reseed your lawn is actually in early Fall not Spring. Dethatching and aerating your lawn are also best left for Fall. Spring is the second best time to plant new grass or re-seed your lawn. The U of MN Extension has developed an extremely handy lawn care calendar to make it easier to follow the science behind lawn care. Following this calendar will produce better results with less effort and hopefully, fewer chemical applications. The trick with Spring is practicing patience as you see your lawn emerge from the snow. For example, many people add fertilizer too early in the Spring. This will just encourage the grass to grow when it’s dormant or when growing should be slow. One of the most common Spring problems is grey snow mold. This has the appearance of whitish dead patches. The blades of grass are usually matted down with a fungal fuzz. This disease thrives on extra fertilizer almost as much as the snow so adding fertilizer will make it worse. Instead, to treat snow mold, rake the matted grass in order to allow for additional air flow. It will take time for the fungus to die and the grass to grow back, but generally, a fungicide is not needed. Also note that once the weather has turned warm, don’t spray for weed control. It’s too late and will increase the chance of damaging your lawn. Climate change is having an impact on our environment and one way to help your lawn is to consider adding some fescue grasses to your lawn mix during Fall re-seeding. Kentucky bluegrass is gorgeous but also needs a lot of water compared to fine fescue, for example. Another option is to consider adding a raingarden in order to retain the water runoff in your yard versus the storm sewers. Improved technologies have been developed such as “smart” irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors and more efficient sprinklers to more effectively manage water use. If you do have a sprinkler system, please check it every Spring by running through a short cycle to make sure the sprinkler heads are in good working condition and not wasting water. The bottom-line is there is science behind lawn care and following a lawn care calendar and best practices can achieve a better result with fewer resources needed. Resources https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/lawn-care-calendar https://extension.umn.edu/news/practice-patience-spring-lawn-care https://turf.umn.edu/help-lawn-water-conservation Photo credits: University of Minnesota Extension (1, 2, 3)

< Back I Forgot to Plant My Garlic in October! Planting Garlic in March Michelle Scullard, Master Gardener Are you a garlic lover? Yes, you can buy it at the grocery store but garlic grown in your own garden is so good. Garlic is normally grown in late fall BUT not to worry, if you act quickly, you can plant garlic in March and harvest it in July. Read this article to learn more about planting garlic in the spring or the fall. Didn’t get around to planting garlic this past fall? You can still get a garlic harvest this summer but you have to be quick and get that garlic in the ground as early as possible in March. As soon as the ground is thawed, you can plant those garlic cloves. Usually, garlic is planted in the fall in mid-to-late October, after the first killing frost. It is covered with straw or leaves and in the spring, emerges as one of the first green plants. Luckily, Minnesota springs are cool, so planting garlic in March still allows the garlic to go through the cold period it needs, although it is much shorter. Your garlic bulbs may be a little smaller, but you will still be able to harvest your own garlic. And there is nothing like eating fresh garlic from your own garden! You should not plant the garlic bulbs from the grocery store as those are usually from California and do not grow well in Minnesota. You can look at seed catalogs or nurseries for garlic to plant and some may still have some seed garlic. There are two types of garlic; hardneck and softneck. Types of hardneck that grow well in Minnesota include Rocamble, Purple Stripe, and Porcelain. Softneck varieties that do well in Minnesota are Artichoke and Silverskin. They produce bulbs with more cloves and are the type of garlic you can braid. Garlic is very easy to plant. To plant, take a bulb of seed garlic and break it into the individual cloves. Dig a small hole and place the clove pointed side up and cover with soil. You do not have to remove the papery skin that covers it. You can plant garlic close together, which allows you to plant a large crop in a small space. Plant in double rows that are six inches apart and plant the double rows 30 inches apart. You will want to plant in well-drained soil that has a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. You will want to cover with three to four inches of straw or leaf mulch to add an insulation layer. You do not have to worry about uncovering them as the garlic will push through organic cover. Controlling weeds is important as weeds can easily overwhelm the young garlic plants. Leaving the insulating straw or leaves that you used to cover them when you planted can help suppress weeds and keep in moisture. Water weekly to a depth of one inch. Insects that can affect garlic include onion maggots, bulb mites, and aster leafhoppers. The aster leafhoppers can cause the disease aster yellow. Make sure to practice a four-year rotation to help reduce insect and disease problems and only plant firm, healthy cloves purchased from reliable sources. Scapes are a bonus that grow at the end of the garlic stalk in early June. The hardneck garlics generally produce the scapes; rarely will the softnecks produce them. The scapes are the curved part of the stem at the top of the garlic stock. You can cut them when the green stalk starts curling. Cook them by sauteing them in oil, making pesto, or adding to dishes such as quiche. You can find recipes for scapes on the internet. There are mixed opinions on cutting the garlic scapes, however, as some people believe it affects the size of the garlic bulb. If you choose to leave the scape, a small garlic bulb grows on the end that will have small white and purple flowers. These can be harvested to use as garlic seeds for a future growing season. Garlic is harvested in late June to late July when the lower leaves begin to brown and about half the upper leaves are still green. You can also harvest a bulb and cut it in half to see if the cloves fill out the skins. If you are planting your garlic in March, you will likely be harvesting more toward end of July. Once you have dug up your garlic bulbs, leave about six inches to a foot of stem and knock off any soil. You then will need to allow the bulbs to cure for three to four weeks in a warm, dry, and airy place. You can place them over a screen or hang them so air flows around them. Once cured, cut the stems off and any remaining roots. You will want to store the bulbs in a cool, dry location. Garlic will keep for several months. You can eat the garlic as soon as it has cured. You can also save some to plant in the Fall after the first killing frost. For more information: Growing Garlic, UMN Extension Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (1,2)

< Back Turkey Wild Rice Soup Joy Johnson, Dakota County Master Gardener It’s chilly outside and a bowl of rich, warm Minnesota style soup along with flavorful sides will certainly warm you up. Luckily, Joy Johnson has provided a luscious recipe for wild rice soup made with Minnesota grown wild rice. If you had Joy’s foresight, you could add dried parsley to the soup and roasted sweet potatoes from your storage cabinet. Hungry yet? Read on to learn how to warm your kitchen (and tummy) with these recipes. It’s chilly outside and a bowl of rich, warm Minnesota style soup along with flavorful sides will certainly warm you up. The soup can be made with any type of milk, including non-dairy. I love using Minnesota grown wild rice, it is so flavorful and has a wonderful texture. Make sure to thoroughly cook it following package directions. I don’t have anything growing in the garden right now, but I do have delicious turkey stock and cut up turkey meat, both light and dark, frozen from the holidays. I dried a lot of parsley prior to frost, so that can be added to the soup too. I have fresh sweet potatoes from the garden stored and I’ll roast those to serve along side this soup. A cold turkey croissant sandwich with fresh greens is one of my favorites. A very special treat for this meal, is my daughter’s home-made goat milk cheese. It has a sharp pungent flavor and is delicious atop a nutty cracker with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Ingredients ½ cup butter cubed 2 carrots, finely chopped 2 celery ribs, finely chopped 1 medium onion, sweet white, chopped ½ cup all-purpose flour 4 cups turkey broth (or chicken) 2 cups wild rice, cooked 2 cups cubed cooked turkey 2 cups half-and-half cream 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1.2 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Process In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery and onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour until blended; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in remaining ingredients; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Roasting Sweet Potatoes Ingredients 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup honey 2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon Salt Process Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil. Photo Credits: www.flickr.com (1), Joy Johnson (2)

< Back April Bring Us – Asparagus! Julie Harris, Master Gardener If you are lucky enough to have an asparagus bed in your garden, you will probably be able to start harvesting this tasty vegetable in April. And look for fresh asparagus in the stores in April, as well. There are so many fantastic ways to eat asparagus – raw or cooked. But here is our family favorite recipe. Asparagus is one of few perennial vegetables suitable for growing in Minnesota gardens. If you are lucky enough to have an asparagus bed in your garden, you will probably be able to start harvesting this tasty vegetable in April. And look for fresh asparagus in the stores in April, as well. If you would like to start an asparagus bed this year, you should plant between early May and early June. An established bed can provide you with delicious and tender harvests for 15 years or more. There are many ways that you can use asparagus, of course. I ran across this recipe several years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since. Cheesy Asparagus Salad 2 ½ pounds fresh asparagus (white or green, or mix) 1 teaspoon of salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 ounce fresh thyme (or to taste) 1/3 pound Jarlsberg cheese or Swiss cheese, shredded ¼ cup spicy sprouts, optional Trim asparagus and break off thick ends. Place asparagus in boiling water with 1 tsp. salt; reduce heat and cook for 4 – 6 minutes. Cook until crisp-tender. Plunge into cold water to chill. Meanwhile, combine olive oil, vinegar, kosher salt and pepper. Remove leaves from 2/3 of the thyme stems; coarsely chop leaves and add to olive oil mixture. Place chilled asparagus on a platter; pour dressing over asparagus. Garnish with Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, remaining thyme and spicy sprouts. Photo Credits: Photo 1 - Newsletter Intro - credit: publicdomainpictures.net , Photo 2: Credit – University of Minnesota Extension

< Back Delectable Strawberry Shortcake (and a Bonus Rosemary Recipe) Joy Johnson, Dakota County Master Gardener It’s August and our gardens are in full growth mode, what a delightful exciting growing time of year. One of the most popular fruits that are ripening now is strawberries. Joy Johnson offers a mouthwatering recipe for strawberry shortcake. And – a repeat of a former favorite rosemary recipe. What a great time of year for eating fresh food in Minnesota! It’s August and our gardens are in full growth mode, what a delightful exciting growing time of year. I had doubled the size of my vegetable garden this spring and am enjoying even more abundance of fresh fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, last year’s torrential rains wiped out my raspberry and strawberry patch, so I don’t have any of my own berries this year. I am thankful so many people share their bounty at local farmers markets because one of my all-time favorites is strawberry shortcake. Here is a recipe for whole wheat shortcakes, they are heartier than the lightweight store-bought chiffon cakes. I prefer them and enjoy serving them in a bowl and adding a little almond milk to the bottom for the short cake to soak up. Since I planted blueberry bushes last spring, I enjoy a sprinkling of those on top of the whipped cream. You can never have too many berries! Strawberry Shortcakes Ingredients: 1-quart strawberries, cored and sliced 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup shortening 2 cups white whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup almond milk Sweetened Whipped Cream Process: Mix strawberries with 1 cup sugar; let stand 1 hour. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut shortening into flour, 2 T. sugar, the baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk just until blended Gently smooth dough into a ball on lightly floured board. Knead a bit, until it’s well combined, but not sticky Roll out gently to about ½ inch thick Fold the dough over on itself and gently roll out again just to loosely stick the folded dough together. Cut with a knife or biscuit cutter into rounds or squares. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Split apart while still warm, stack in a bowl with strawberries and whipped cream I met one of our new Master Gardener interns while working on a project team a couple weeks ago. We, of course, got to chatting about food and using herbs we grow. She requested a reprinting of my recipe for Rosemary Shortbread, since she wasn’t a Master Gardener when this recipe was first published in the Garden Buzz years ago. The Rosemary shortbread is a mouth-watering treat and definitely worth repeating. I hope you all enjoy it. Rosemary Shortbread Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt 1 cup unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks 1-2 teaspoons rosemary, chestnut or other dark, full-flavored honey Process: Heat oven to 325 degrees In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, rosemary and salt. Add butter and honey and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess. Dough should not be smooth. Press dough into an ungreased 9-inch baking dish. Prick all over with a fork. Bake until gold brown, 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson (1), pixabay.com (2)