Some folks say barbecue season never really ends in Texas.

That may be true, but it definitely heats up in summer.

The beauty of barbecue is delicious meals can be fired up on the cheap if you know what to look for.

“The best thing to do is to keep an eye for ads,” said Dan Wolf, manager of United Supermarkets on North Judge Ely Boulevard. “We change it up all the time and always offer low prices on popular items such as brisket and chicken. It doesn’t have to cost a whole lot of money to have a great barbecue party.”

In addition, Wolf said, you don’t have to be a Food Network-quality culinary wizard to impress your friends at your next backyard bash.

“One of the most popular items in our meat department is pre-marinated chicken skewers,” said Wolf, a perfect fit along with different seasoning choices.

Tony Martinez of H-E-B on Barrow Street recommends a bit of southwestern flare to his customers.

“It seems like we sell more pork carnitas than anything else,” said Martinez, noting they are available year-round for approximately $2 per pound. “We are happy to suggest tips on cooking them. They are easy to prepare and combined with tortillas that can be heated right on the grill, they make a delicious barbecued meal for a very low total cost.”

Martinez also recommends chicken-based dishes for his customers looking for easy-to-cook barbecue meals. He offered up the following easy recipe featuring chicken drummettes that are usually priced at about $1 per pound:

Chipotle Chicken Drummettes

½ c. Central Market Organics True Texas Barbecue Sauce

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, stem and seeds removed

¼ c. H-E-B Brown Sugar

1 grilling mesh

4 lb. Hill Country Fare Chicken Wing Drummettes

¼ c. Hill Country Fare Louisiana Hot Sauce

Instructions-

Combine barbecue sauce, chipotle pepper, and brown sugar in a blender. Process to a smooth consistency and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with foil, insert grilling mesh or vegetable-grilling rack, heavily spray with no-stick cooking spray.

Remove and discard excess fat, place drummettes in a large zipper bag, add 1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Gently turn bag over to coat chicken. Marinate in refrigerator for one hour or until ready to grill.

Heat gas or charcoal grill to 375F. Arrange marinated wings on grilling mesh. Grill with lid closed for 10 minutes. Turn wings over, grill 10 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170F. Brush drummettes with barbecue sauce mixture and grill for 10 more minutes or until sauce is bubbling and caramelized.

Combine barbecue sauce, chipotle pepper, and brown sugar in a blender. Process to a smooth consistency and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with foil, insert grilling mesh or vegetable-grilling rack, heavily spray with no-stick cooking spray.Abilene Christian University student Paul Bailey knows about living on a tight budget and believes that barbecue is really the way to enjoy food that won’t break the bank.

“I live with three roommates and we barbecue several times a week,” said Bailey. “It is cheap to eat good — and when we split the cost we eat for way less than we could if we went out. Barbecuing also is the best way to throw a party!”

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Leigh Brock

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Here are a few tips from hgtv.com…

• Don’t like getting dirt under your nails when you work in the yard?  Try dragging your fingernails across a bar of soap before you go out.  It will seal the underside of your nails so dirt can’t get in.  When you’re done, just use a nail brush and some water to clean up.  The soap is already there!
• Weed eater giving you trouble?  To prevent the string from jamming or breaking, spray it with vegetable oil before installing it into the trimmer. 
• Want your husband and kids to help you dry herbs?  Give them this project.  Dry them in the car.  All you have to do is put them on a sheet of newspaper in a single layer and lay them on the seat of your car on a hot day.  Close the doors and windows and let them dry.  Just make sure you REALLY like the way your herbs smell…
• Create natural markers for your plants with smooth, flat stones.  Write on each of them with permanent marker and place them beside the plants. 

For more tips, check out this website.

hgtv.com

Mother’s Day weekend had beautiful weather. Gardeners were in the mood to plant, and plant they did. It was a great start to the season for many people.

As we plant, insects always begin to appear. Let me tell you about some of the critters that have been active in the gardens.

Aphids have been out in abundance. Aphids come in various colors — black, green, clear. Whatever the color may be, aphids can usually be found sucking the juices out of the new growth on plants. Rose bushes are a favorite food, along with viburnum and lupine. There are many different sprays that work well at controlling aphids. Just make sure that if you are spraying vegetable plants that they are listed on the product label as acceptable.

A week of rainy weather usually means that slugs are active. Slugs usually feed only at night. During a period of rainy and overcast weather, you may find them feeding during the day. They can make short work of destroying hosta and lettuce plants, to name a couple. There is a good organic control containing iron phosphate. If you sprinkle the granules around plants attacked by slugs, you will put a significant dent in the population in a short period of time.

Caterpillars of all types have been active. The main culprit appears to be the winter moth caterpillar. This is one of a handful of relatively new pests to invade our area. They feed on practically all of the deciduous trees, but they really like maples and any of the ornamental flowering trees. An application of the organic control called Bt will make quick work of this pest.

Another caterpillar that has made its arrival on the scene is the saw fly larva. This critter feeds on long-needled evergreens and has a particular fondness for Mugho pines. They can strip a plant of needles in a short period of time. Bt also works well on this insect.

If you have planted any of your vegetables, you may have noticed that the following morning, some of the plants appeared to have been cut off at the soil line. This is the work of the cutworm.

They live in the soil and will attack new plants as soon as they sense they are in the ground. There are many powders and liquids that you can apply to the soil. This should be done as soon as you are done planting. Again, check the product label if you are applying it to vegetable plants.

Although not an insect, your lawn may have problems from a fungus disease. If you look at your lawn in the early morning and it seems to have a pink appearance, then your lawn is infected with a fungus disease called red thread.

This disease forms during rainy weather and often shows up when the grass has not been cut. The combination of rain and long grass makes a perfect breeding ground. An application of a fungicide, followed up by another application in two weeks should control this disease.

Well, this gives you quite a few things to look for in your garden. Take some time to look at your lawn and gardens every few days. This will allow you to spot problems early on and allow you to treat the problem before it gets out of hand.

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll talk to you again next week.

• • •

Tim Lamprey is the owner of Harbor Garden Center on Route 1 in Salisbury. His website is www.Harborgardens.com. Do you have questions for Tim? Send them to ndn@newburyportnews.com, and he will answer them in upcoming columns.

BY MICHELE S. BYERS

COMMENTARY

When it comes to wildlife, New Jersey is well positioned. Not only does the Garden State have highly diverse geography — from the mountains of the Highlands to the ocean beaches, from the Pine Barrens to the tidal marshes of the Delaware Bayshore — but it’s at the sweet spot where northern and southern ecosystems overlap.

That adds up to great wildlife viewing opportunities close to home. With 325 resident and migratory bird species, 90 mammal species, 79 reptile and amphibian species, and over 400 species of fish, New Jersey beats most of the 50 states, even Alaska, on species per square mile!

Invertebrates, especially insects, are spectacularly diverse. Insects make up three-quarters of the world’s species, and New Jersey has tens of thousands of species of butterflies, moths, beetles, damselflies and other insects. Hundreds are rare, and there are even more species awaiting discovery.

Now’s the time to get outdoors and see bald eagles plucking fish from the water, beavers building dams, black bears foraging for berries, red foxes running through meadows and butterflies alighting on wildflowers. Here are some tips for watching wildlife.

If you’re looking for a particular animal, do your homework. Each one has its own specific habitat requirements. Before you set out, learn when and where the animal feeds and nests. Dawn and dusk are the best times for mammal activity; warm, sunny afternoons are best for butterflies and dragonflies.

Pick your vantage point carefully, and don’t let the animals know you’re there. Use hills, hollows, ridges, gullies and tree lines to blend into the landscape. Cars make great blinds, if there’s a place where you can park and watch.

Go for camouflage: wear muted, natural colors and unscented lotions, and avoid clothes that rustle. Leave your pets at home!

Keep your distance: use binoculars and scopes; you’ll see greater detail. Don’t try to sneak up too close. If an animal reacts to your presence, back off and leave it alone.

Move like molasses: you’ll have a better chance if you move slowly and quietly. Just as you can spot wildlife by looking for movement, they spot you the same way.

Use all of your senses: take in sounds and smells, as well as sights. In fact, closing your eyes for a few minutes can heighten your sense of hearing.

Respect the environment: stick to marked trails, and don’t disturb plants, bushes or branches around nests or dens. Pick up litter and report vandalism.

Chill out: unlike humans, wild animals don’t follow schedules. Allow plenty of time. Successful wildlife viewing takes patience, a relaxed pace and a little luck. It’s a lifetime learning experience, so the more you practice, the better you’ll get!

For detailed descriptions of more than 100 of the Garden State’s best places to view wildlife, pick up the New Jersey Wildlife Guide, published by the state Division of Fish Wildlife; it’s available through most online book sellers. You can find out more through the Division’s “Watchable Wildlife” webpage.

And for more information on conserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, go to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website or contact me at i
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.

Michele S. Byers is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources, please visit our foundation’s website at www.njconservation.org or contact Michele at
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.

ALSO BY MICHELE S. BYERS

N.J. honeybees need wildflowers and pesticide alternatives to survive

New Jersey’s rare native plants need protection

‘We Were an Island’: N.J.’s Peter Blanchard tells story of couple escaping technology and conserving nature

N.J. conservation ‘crossing guards’ escort amphibians across the road

With high gas prices, New Jerseyans want more ‘walkable’ communities says Monmouth poll

Read like the Lorax: Great nature books for kids

Permit Extension Act would create ‘Ground Hog Day’ in N.J.

New Jersey in natural fight against insects and weeds

There’s nothing like biting into a fresh tomato or chomping down on an organic carrot just pulled from the earth.

With skyrocketing food prices, more people will be planting their own food with the West Coast’s unofficial start of the growing season beginning this weekend.

“Everybody can appreciate how much better a homegrown tomato tastes rather than a cardboard ball that’s masquerading as a tomato that came from Mexico or China,” says David Tracey, a gardening expert in Vancouver.

Fellow green thumb expert Andrea Bellamy says gardening can be intimidating for some but it’s just a matter of trying it. “Gardening is all about trial and error, sometimes a lot of error. But in the end the results are more than worth it.”

Both experts offer tips on how to get you on your way to growing a diverse variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs.

PICKING THE RIGHT PLANTS

The end of May is a good time to plant spring, fall and heat-loving crops, but there are still some that work better with the West Coast climate.

Tracey recommends growing garlic, broccoli, beets, cabbage, carrots, peas, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips and kale “is a real winner in our climate.”

Bellamy offers up a list of varieties of her favourite fruits and vegetables that grow well in our climate. These are avail-able at West Coast Seeds in Ladner:

French Breakfast radishes, Sugar Ann snap peas, Fortex beans, Bright Lights Swiss chard, Lacinato kale, Adagio arugula, Red Sails and Amish Deer Tongue lettuces, Sungold cherry tomatoes and Sasha’s Pride tomatoes.

SOIL MATTERS

Soil is key, Bellamy says. If you’re planting in the ground, you want to make sure you augment your soil twice a year with organic matter.

You can use your own homemade compost or purchase some at most gar-den centres, she says.

Manure is a good option but it has to be pre-composted because fresh manure can burn the roots of your plants

And Bellamy likes to use worm castings, which is “basically worm poop, but it’s odourless and it contains a really high level of nutrients for your soil.”

SEED VS. SEEDLINGS

Bellamy says some plants are better to purchase in seeds and for $2 you can buy one package of 1,000 lettuce seeds compared to one lettuce seedling.

Plants that are best to start from seed include: all leafy greens, beans, peas, carrots, radishes, beets and most root vegetables since you don’t want to ever transplant those. Things that you want to buy as seedlings are usually warmer season crops like tomatoes and peppers.

When purchasing seedlings, Bellamy says to look for plants that are a deep green and are short, stocky and bushy. Avoid seedlings that are too tall and flimsy and contain too much yellow.

TOOLS

Having a wide range of tools depends on whether you’re planning a large or small garden, but here is a list of some basic tools Bellamy like to use:

1. Watering can 2. Coiled garden hose (takes less space) 3. Weeder and cultivator (she recommends a Cobra Head) 4. Trowel 5. Stakes and twine (for sup-porting vine tomatoes, peas and beans) 6. Pruning shears 7. A good pair of gloves

Occasionally, it absolutely makes sense to splurge. For me, that splurge usually comes in the form of flowers or plants and this time of year, my gardening gloves are itching to hit the dirt. As long as our budget warrants it, the budget will include garden spending in the spring.

However, garden necessities don’t come cheap, so if you choose to make the investment, you want to be sure that your plants are built to last. Read on for some inexpensive ways to make the most of your gardening dollars.

Buy perennials

While annuals boast big bursts of garden color, they don’t show up for you year after year. Stretch your gardening dollars by purchasing plants that keep on giving. Most perennials are easy to care for and can take a good beating when it comes to climate. Shop for clearance plants that might need a bit of TLC; they’ll respond to your care and bounce back in no time. 

Buy plants that feed you

Invest in a vegetable garden to add cost-free, healthful additions to your plate and save at the grocery store all season long. A couple of dollars for a tomato or pepper plant can equal upwards of $40 in savings by summer’s end, so don’t miss this opportunity to save. It’s also a chance to get the whole family involved in growing their own food.

Fertilizer from leftovers

If you’re not quite ready for a compost bin, that’s OK. You can make plants happy with leftover kitchen items like eggshells and coffee grounds. Eggshells contain calcium, which plants use up during the growing season. Dry your eggshells and give them a zap in the blender to make a calcium-fortified dust that you can work into the soil.

Stale or used coffee grounds are an effective fertilizer as well. Instead of pitching them in the trash, scatter them in the garden. Containing plant-healthy trace minerals like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, coffee is a perfect recycled, natural plant food. Acid-loving plants, like rhododendrons, are especially responsive to it.

Water

Don’t feel the need to water every day. Most plants prefer a good soaking every several days with the opportunity to dry out, instead of being damp all the time. After five years of vegetable gardening, I’ve found the best time to water is in the early morning. Avoid fungus by directing water at the roots, not toward the leaves. In addition, if you’re growing any kind of spicy pepper, let it experience draught between watering; it will be spicier at harvest time.

Molly Logan Anderson is a freelance writer who lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Mike, three kids and two labs. Join Molly on her family’s journey of living a frugal life and making financial freedom their reality in her columns or visit her website at www.mollylogananderson.com, on her blog at www.butterfliesandmudpies.blogspot.com or on Twitter at @MollyLoganAnder.

Bowling, gardening, riding bikes, playing tennis, going horseback riding. Those are just a few things on Suzanne Casey’s list of activities kids can do during the summer. Casey has been a teacher for 15 years and has seen the difference it makes in the life of a child when the summer months include some structure.

“Having no plan and no responsibilities,” said Casey, who teaches third, fourth and fifth grade at St. John’s Episcopal School, “it’s like the free time blob.”

Children make decisions with happiness in mind, she said, which makes overindulgence easy. Parents should be making decisions about summer activities with the best interest of the child in mind, though, making time for both learning and relaxing.

No parent wants their child to fall behind in education during the summer months, so Casey suggested parents encourage their children to read during the summer.

Reading can keep their minds sharp during the break, Casey said, and she recommended finding a series that can keep a student busy all summer.

“A series is not always the best literature,” she said, “but they’re expanding their vocabulary and they’re doing something constructive.”

To make reading seem like more fun, Casey suggested finding a book that has been made into the movie and watching the film version as a reward after the book has been read.

“They’ll only look at it (reading) as a chore if the parents hate it and don’t do it and make them read something they don’t want to read,” she said.

Besides reading, parents should make sure their children make time for chores and take advantage of opportunities to help others.

Patty Rae Wellborn, an educator for 15 years and the current art teacher at St. John’s, said finding creative outlets for children during the summer is imperative, as well.

“It keeps them busy, keeps them from being bored — and they love art,” she said. “Whether they’re artistically inclined or not, kids love art.”

Students in public elementary schools don’t have a lot of opportunities to practice their art skills, Wellborn said, so the summer can be a great time to encourage creativity. Art classes and camps are available this summer at many Abilene locations, including the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, The Grace Museum and the Abilene Public Libraries.

Although teachers seem to agree structure is important during the summer months, Casey believes children, just like adults, should have some free time to do anything they like.

“Kids should have scheduled time every week or every day to just do whatever they want,” she said. “Still, if they don’t have structure, they won’t enjoy or benefit from summer.”

— Hannah Boen

• 

Burlington, NJ (PRWEB) May 14, 2012

Seeds of the Month Club retailer and Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person author, Michael C. Podlesny, recently released the 2nd edition of his book, adding in areas to emphasize how easy and more cost effective it is to start a vegetable garden from seed.

“Since I started the Seeds of the Month Club back in 2009, I have received many questions on my Facebook page as to how to increase a seed’s germination rate,” says Podlesny. “I updated my book to reflect easy steps gardeners of all skill levels can take.”

One of the basic tips Podlesny talks about in his book is putting some clear plastic wrap over top of seed starting pots, which helps create a greenhouse effect, thus speeding up the germination process.

“Growing fresh vegetables from seeds can be, at times, one of the most challenging things new gardeners will face,” Podlesny continues. “With the new tips and tricks I added to the book, a lot of the guess work many novices face, will disappear.”

Just in time for gardening season, Podlesny,’s book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the Rest of Us is available on Amazon.com in both print and for the Kindle.

Podlesny added, “I have been growing veggies for over 30 years, and it is so exciting to see a tiny seed grow into a large plant that yields fresh produce. In vegetable gardening, you truly do reap the fruits of your labor.”

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There’s nothing like a freshly picked tomato. You can grow tomatoes, they’re easy. You don’t even need a garden. A simple container will do.

Thomas Mitchell, a horticulture teacher at Niagara County Community College, shared tips on growing vegetables during a presentation at Plantasia, Western New York’s premier garden and landscape show, earlier this spring.

Mitchell’s number one point was that you have to have good soil. I demoted that tip to number two because I want everyone to know that they can have tomato plants and enjoy fresh tomatoes no matter how little land they have.

1. You can grow tomatoes in small spaces: You don’t need a lot of room. You can grow tomatoes in containers and they don’t have to be fancy containers. Do you have room for a five-gallon bucket? Then you can grow tomatoes.

If even that is too hard, use a bag of potting soil as your container.

Use a big bag of potting soil according to Mitchell. Poke some holes in it for drainage. Flip it over and cut a hole in the top. Insert your tomato plant.

2. Start with good soil: “It’s important to have good soil,” Mitchell said. “You can’t be successful if your soil’s not good. The more you can do to improve your soil, the more successful you’ll be.”

If your soil is especially problematic, he suggested using raised beds.

3. Fertilize properly: Test your soil so you know how much fertilizer to use.

Be careful with feeding, he recommended. If you feed too much, you’ll get big plants, but not many tomatoes.

The acidity of the soil is important and most vegetables like a pH of 6 – 6.5.

“You can’t tell the acidity of the soil by tasting it,” Mitchell said, trying to dispel a myth. “My grandfather used to say he could smell if the soil needed lime” to change the pH, but you really need to have the soil tested.

Volunteers from the Master Gardeners program of Cornell Cooperative Extension will be available to test soil and answer questions at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo.

The dates are May 12 and 26, June 9 and 23, July 7 and 21, Aug. 4 and 18 and Sept. 1, 15 and 29. The fee is $5 to have three samples tested.

Call 827-1584 ext. 291 for information on how to take your soil samples properly so that you get accurate results.

4. Choose good seeds: Mitchell encourages people to start plants from seed, but “cheap seed is not better seed,” he said.

He said he likes hybrid varieties of tomatoes, which have been bred to be more disease resistant and tend to perform better than heirloom plants.

However, if you like to save your own seeds, be aware that the seeds from a hybrid may not be true to the variety because of pollination with other plants. If you want a plant that is very much like the one you have, save the seeds from heirloom tomatoes.

5. Don’t plant seeds too early: This is a tip to file away for next year: Don’t start your seeds inside more than five weeks before it’s safe to plant outside, which is usually after May 20.

“The biggest mistake people make is they start them too early,” Mitchell said.

Here’s a tip to use right now: When you transplant your seedling outside, plant it as deep as you can and new roots will form along the stem, he said.

6. You can let your tomato plants trail: We’re all used to staking tomatoes or using tomato cages to prop them up, but you can allow the tomato plant to grow on the ground if you want, he said.

Mitchell doesn’t like the wimpy tomato cages that you buy, so he makes his own with the screen used to reinforce concrete.

Even if you have little space for gardening, you can grow fresh tomatoes.

Connie Oswald Stofko is publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com the online gardening magazine for Western New York.

Email Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com.

RICHMOND, Va. —

Accept it, gardeners — change is the norm for gardens and landscapes. Nature alters growing conditions through weather and seasons, as does the interaction of plants, insects and wildlife. Man creates modifications each time he clears trees to plant grass, introduces non-native species or adds hardscape features.

Another way our environs change is through the progressive maturing of plants and trees over time. From the day an area is cultivated and planted, it begins to change. Over the years the maturing process may completely change a garden’s growing conditions — available sunlight, moisture, soil condition, temperature and space — and therefore the species of plants and trees that will thrive there. The savvy gardener not only recognizes the subtle changes, but flexibly and knowledgeably adapts with them.

The Henry M. Flagler Perennial Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden exemplifies the gradual changes that a garden landscape experiences over time. In 1990, the area was treeless and sunny. The garden staff planted an extensive collection of sun-loving, herbaceous perennials, accented by flowering shrubs and trees.

Fast forward 20-plus years and the Flagler Garden has naturally transformed from a sun garden to primarily a shade garden as trees grew tall and expanded their leaf canopies. Shrubs grew into mature widths and heights. Root systems became denser, causing competition for available nutrients and moisture.

And while many of the more than 1,200 plants and trees adapted well to the gradual changes, others found it less ideal. Horticulturists are now reworking this mature garden, and their tips might benefit homeowners who are dealing with similar situations.

The staff is selectively pruning large trees’ lower limbs to increase available sunlight and improve air circulation. Increased understory light avoids plant “legginess,” as well as lopsidedness caused by branches stretching toward the light needed for growth. With more light and air flow, moisture remains on leaves of understory plants for shorter time periods, reducing the risk of disease.

In other places, the horticulturists are transplanting sun-loving plants or repositioning plant beds to take advantage of existing sunlight.

Initially, the Flagler Garden was densely planted with small nursery stock for immediate impact. Now, with maturing specimens, plants are being thinned to provide ideal space for their size and long-term health. Less density reduces habitats for voles and other garden pests as well.

When plant replacements are necessary, staff follows the “right plant — right place” practice, which in this case means transitioning to shade-loving species. Organic materials are being used to improve soil structure and quality, and appropriate pH spurs the intake of natural nutrients. Additionally, “useless turf” will be reduced to increase display areas.

Rather than fighting change in the garden, embrace it. Try to understand the mature garden’s natural processes, take appropriate steps and then enjoy your rejuvenated landscape.