N O V E M B E R , 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E 1 6 , I S S U E 1 0
Queen Anne’s County Master Gardener Newsletter
The Watering Can I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Coordinators Corner 2
2016
Holiday Luncheon 3
QA MGs around the
Community 4
QAMGs Report 5-7
How to dispose of
leaves 8
Volunteer Ops 9
Educational Ops 10
Outside the
Garden Gate 11
Calendars 12
MG 2016 Flier 13
The 1671 Pumpion PIE
Both the Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe ate pumpkins and other squashes
indigenous to New England—possibly even during the harvest festival—but the fledgling colony
lacked the butter and wheat flour necessary for making pie crust. Moreover, settlers hadn’t yet
constructed an oven for baking. According to some accounts, early English settlers in North America
improvised by hollowing out pumpkins, filling the shells with milk, honey and spices to make a
custard, then roasting the gourds whole in hot ashes. Source: history.com
Pumpion Pie from: The Compleat Cook; London: printed for Nathaniel Brook, 1671
Take about half a pound of Pumpion and slice it, a handfull of tyme, a little rosemary, parsley and
sweet marjorum slipped off the stalks, and chop them small, then take the cynamon, nutmeg,
pepper and six cloves, and beat them, take ten eggs and beat them, then mix them and beat them
all together and put in as much sugar as you think fit, then fry them like a froize*, after it is fryed,
let it stand till it be cold, then fill your pye, take sliced apples thinne round wayes, and lay a rowe of
the froize, and layer the apples with currents betwixt the layer while your pye is fitted, and put in a
good deal of sweet Butter before you close it, when pye is baked, take six yelks of eggs, some
whitewine or vergis*, and make a caudle* of this, but not too thick, cut up the lid and put it in, stir
them well together whilst the eggs and pumpions be not perceived and so serve it up.
Source: pilgrimhallmuseum.org
Baked Whole Pumpkin, or Colonial Baked Whole Pumpkin “Pie” (Serves 8)
Ingredients
1 pumpkin, 5 to 7 pounds
6 whole eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons butter, in tiny cubes
Directions
Wash, dry and cut the lid off the pumpkin just as you would for a jack-
o’-lantern. Remove the seeds and save for toasting later.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, whipping cream, brown sugar,
molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger; fill the pumpkin with the custard
mixture and dot with the butter. Cover with the pumpkin lid and place
pumpkin in a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or
until the mixture has set like custard.
Serve from the pumpkin at your table, scraping some of the meat from
the pumpkin with each serving.
Source: http://www.spokesman.com/tags/vandetta-williams/
P A G E 2
FALL MEETINGS
5, 10, 15, 20, 25 YEAR PINS For those of you who are still missing your golden year pins, please email me with your
requests before December 1st so that I may place an order by our Holiday Luncheon!
MEET THIS MONTHS SPEAKER:
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
COORDINATOR’S CORNER
November 18th—
Deborah Landau, Ph. D, Conservation Ecologist
The Nature Conservancy
December 16th—Holiday Luncheon
Chester River Yacht & Country Club 11:30am to 2pm
(See next page for details)
VOLUNTEER HOURS Its becoming that time of year where hours need to be added and checked. Please do
not wait to the last minute and start entering them now! If you have not signed up to
log your hours online and would like to just send me an email for your username and
password. All hours are due by December 18th
CONSERVATION ECOLOGIST, Deborah Landau
Deborah’s work focuses on restoration at more than 30 Con-
servancy preserves across Maryland/DC and reaching in-
to West Virginia. Her projects include planting native trees or
removing non-native invasive species; returning natural pro-
cesses such as fire to landscapes; restoring natural hydrology
to lands that have been ditched and drained; and monitoring
how plants, animals, and habitats respond to these conserva-
tion actions.
DEBORAH ON WHY HER WORK IS REWARDING
“This may sound corny, but the most satisfying part is the fact
that The Nature Conservancy’s preserves are protected forev-
er. Sometimes I get satisfaction very quickly from my work,
like with prescribed burns — the native species will come back fast. But a lot of pro-jects, like tree planting, will take years and years and years to see results. It’s very satis-
fying to know that I can do these long-term projects and they’ll continue on and on. I
love going out into the preserves, and perhaps the coolest part of my job is just being
able to do something different every single day.”
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/maryland_dc/experts/deborah-landau-bio.xml
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
P A G E 4
QAC MG’s in the Community!
Youth Gardener s
Nancy O’Conner wrapped up the Fall Young Gardeners Series at Kent Island Library
last month with a class on the many varieties of corn. The children also learned how
to make their very own corn husk dolls. Nancy was joined by three other MGs- Jane
Chambers, Cynthia Riegel, and Pat McCaffery along with the help of six Kent Island
Garden Club members. We will resume classes again come Spring so stay tuned!
Centrevi l le Day
Betty McAtee and Joyce Anderson had
quite the busy and successful time at this
years Centreville Day! They encouraged
community gardeners both new and
veteran how to harvest and sow native
seeds over the winter in their own DIY
milk jug greenhouse!
P A G E 5
If you missed the Fall Heritage Harvest Festival this
past September, plan to make the drive to
Charlottesville, VA next year, for the fest on
September 10, 2016. As it will be the 10th
anniversary of this annual celebration of all heritage
edibles, it is sure to be chock full of interesting
lectures, demos and tours. The keynote speaker will
be chef & proprietor of The Inn at Little
Washington, Patrick O'Connell. Here is a link for
planning your visit: www.heritageharvestfestival.com
This was the second year my husband, Dave Kyger,
and I attended this festival and we were equally
blown away this year as the first time. The keynote
speakers were the Beekman Boys, who surprised
me, in a good way, with their knowledge, approach to gardening (boosting their community by involving
their community), and their assertiveness to market themselves as well as their community's products.
The event is held on the beautiful grounds of Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, in Charlottesville, VA.
The impressive vegetable garden is planted so the President would still recognize it – with many
experimental varieties of TJ's day in neat rows and trellises. Even in September, it is overflowing.
A tour of the house is not included in the festival general admission ticket price (which is about $15-20,
depending on if you pre-order) for the event, and I think it would actually be a bit tricky to fit that in as
well as all of the garden lectures on one day. So plan your time wisely, or make it a longer weekend and
tour the house on Sunday, when the festival is not underway. You may want to splurge for the $200
($375 per couple) VIP ticket that gets you all sorts of access, discounts and a house tour.
On the main event day, Saturday, there was a terrific tomato tasting (coincidentally, Craig LeHoullier,
author of the new book, Epic Tomatoes was a lecturer) and a very friendly seed exchange (no need to
bring seeds to share, although that is surely encouraged). There were tents with displays of gardening
topics of the area (such as bird clubs, environmental groups, and the central VA Master Gardeners),
books written by the lecturers (which they will happily sign) and several vendors (jams, honey, soaps,
gardening tools). As a sponsor of the event, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange had a large display of
their seeds and garlic & onion bulbs for sale. To ensure no one gets “hangry,” there is an area with food
trucks, too, even some adult beverages are offered.
Lecturers are nationwide gurus and Monticello staff experts. You can
decide from a large slate of free lectures & demos or an even larger slate
of programs for fees (in the $10-20 range). Dave & I lean toward the
“freebies” and have not yet sat in on a paid program, although they do
look very interesting. This year, we heard presentations about tomatoes,
composting, fermentation, and preserving the harvest. Other topics
included year-round harvests, growing truffles, high tunnel pest
management, dairy farming, soils and various cooking demos. Some of
the paid programs which are offered on Friday as well as Saturday, were
about medicine making, propagating and grafting fruit trees, making
cheese, raising chickens, permaculture, and walkabout tours with
Monticello staff.
It's a bit of a drive, but well worth the effort to attend this event. I hope
you include it in your plans for next year's field trips!
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
QAC MGs Report! Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello by Denise Malueg
P A G E 6
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
QAC MGs Report! Fall Container Gardens
by
Cathy
Tengwall
by
Nick
Stoer
by Molly Garrett
P A G E 7
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
Beekeeping Association Meeting (UESBA)
UESBA October Meeting Minutes, October 14, 2015
BUSINESS MEETING: The committee proposed and the association accepted the following
points:
NAME: Upper Eastern Shore Beekeepers Association
DUES: $10 per person and $15 for a family
OFFICERS President: Don Sparks
Vice President: Dick Crane
Secretary: Erin Morton
Treasurer: Mike Wham
Webmaster/Publicity Director: Libbie Kinne
Liaison with Wye River Beekeepers: Frank Gerber
MEETING FORMAT Brief Business Meeting
The Buzz (This is a 5 to 10 minute talk by a member of the Assn.)
Open Discussion
Break for refreshments
Guest Speaker
BUZZ: Theresa Mycek shared her beekeeping experience over the past 4 years. She suggested
keeping a beekeeping journal to track the progress of hives and early detection of any potential
problems. Beekeeping classes, like Mike Embrey’s Beekeeping 101 course, are a good way to
learn more tricks of the trade and meet other beekeepers. She told us about her managed splits
and her successful honey harvest of 90 lbs!
GUEST SPEAKER: Master Beekeeper Dave Smith brought in some commonly used bee
equipment and went over the use of each piece of equipment. Beekeeping equipment comes in
different sizes and it is important to pick a size that works for you as the beekeeper. He
explained that the hive management practices one should use depend on the outcome they want,
whether that be honey, pollination, or just keeping bees. Brood inspection is important to
determine the health of a hive: concaved capped cells are an indication of diseases, Shot Brood
(many empty cells) shows poor queen quality. He presented to us this timeline: Jan.-Mar.: brood
rearing, Apr.- May to middle of June: Foraging, Jun-Jul.: Swarming, Aug.-Sept.: Winter prep.
Recommendations: Space hives at least 3ft apart and paint hives different colors with patterns to
prevent drifting and the possible spread of varroa mites, and any diseases.
BOOKS: Honey Bee Democracy by Thomas Seeley, Honey Bee Pests, Predators, Diseases by
Rodger Morris, ABC & XYZ of Honey Bee Culture
ANNOUNCEMENTS: The next meeting will be Nov. 11th, 6:30pm, yellow building at the library in Chestertown. The
guest speaker will be Mike Embrey: Pollen and It’s Uses
We are currently accepting dues, all dues paid in 2015 will roll over to cover 2016
Special thanks to Dr. Susan Ross who made a $200 donation to the Association after two
members conducted a Honey Bee removal and placed the bees in a new location.
P A G E 8
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
How to Dispose of Leaves the Bay-Friendly Way
When autumn arrives, hikers and bikers go the extra mile to find fall foliage. But it can be hard
for homeowners to love fall leaves when they drop off of tree limbs and onto green lawns. And
in a number of communities, the once-accepted methods of getting rid of leaves—chucking
them into the trash can or lighting large piles on fire—are no longer allowed, due to limits on
landfill space and concerns over human health.
So what is a watershed resident to do with autumn’s fallen leaves? Here are four tips to help
you get rid of your leaves while reducing your impact on the Chesapeake Bay.
Mulch them Leave the rake in the shed and the leaf-blower at the hardware store—mulching allows you to get rid of
leaves without having to wrestle them into precarious piles first! Just run over fallen leaves with a lawn
mower, mulching blade attached. The blade will cut the leaves into small pieces, which will settle unde-
tected beneath the green canopy of your lawn. A long-term study of leaf-mulching confirmed the practice
even benefits your backyard, as the leaves feed the underground microbes that benefit soil health.
Compost them Fallen leaves are critical to composting. Leaves, twigs and other carbon-rich “brown” plant ma-
terial can be added to existing compost piles to bring balance to nitrogen-rich lawn clippings,
fruit and vegetable waste and other “green” plant material. Or, large piles of leaves can be com-
posted on their own. If kept moist and periodically turned, the leaves will decompose and cre-
ate a dark, crumbly compost that can enrich the soil in your garden.
Paper bag them If putting fallen leaves to use in your lawn or garden just isn’t an option, then consider curbside
collection. A number of local governments collect leaves each fall, whether they are raked in
piles to the curb or placed in paper bags. Even garbage-collection services often offer yard
waste pick-up, transporting leaves to municipal composting facilities to keep them out of land-
fills.
Don’t burn them A lit match is a tempting solution to the leaf pile problem, but burning leaves can pollute the air
and harm our health. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the open burning
of leaves puts particulate matter and hydrocarbons into the air. The former can increase your
chances of respiratory infection, while the latter contains toxic and cancer-causing compounds.
T H E
P A G E 9
QAC MG Volunteer Opportunities Fal l Kent I s land P lant Cl inic The Farmers Market is at Christ Church, 830 Romancoke Road (aka Route 8). We set the
booth tables up at 3 to 3:15 pm to be ready for bugs, citizens, and damaged plants by 3:30
pm. We start knocking down the booth around 6 pm. Bring a beverage bottle to stay
hydrated.
Next Plant Clinic: Thursday, December 10th
Please consider volunteering at YOUR MG table ONE day this year!
Nick Stoer 301- 219-9098 [email protected]
Cathy Tengwall 443-994-2523 [email protected]
Community Gardening + GIEI
NEXT MEETING: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH 10:00AM This winter we will be working to put together a tool kit/resource applicable for our local
community members ready to dig in their community garden come Spring 2016. This toolkit
will offer guidance in size/type, building costs, recommended plants and varieties, planting
schedules, maintenance plans + compositing, weed + pest ID, as well as the roles and number
of people needed to keep it going! We have three locations in which our guidance and
knowledge is needed Denton, Grasonville, and Stevensville so please consider being a part of
this planning committee.
Host + Learn Consider being a host or hostess for this years upcoming MG Basic Training. It’s a great way
to obtain educational hours listening to the speaker and gain volunteer time by offering to
bring drinks and yummy goodies! Contact Molly at [email protected] if there is a specific
date or topic you would be interested in attending and helping!
Demonstration Gardens Thank you to Cheryl Huyck, Jackie Kelly and Cindy Riegel for helping with the Centreville
Library Rain Garden in October. Fortunately, the weeds were minimal as they have been
most of the growing season. Which causes me to wonder if we have a phantom helper
somewhere who is helping in that regard. Whatever the reason for the lack of weeds along
the edges of the beds, we appreciate that they are not there! We were able to get most of
the perennials that have finished blooming cut back so that spring should find the garden in
reasonable shape. Except for the dogbane. We have dug up and cut as much back as possible
every month and been able to keep it under control. We’ll see what happens over the next
few months. If the weather is reasonable in November we may take a look at the garden in
the 4-H Park to see what we can do there. It’s a much smaller garden, but cutting it back this
season will help us for next spring. Stay tuned for further notice around the middle of
November.
Thank you to all of the many Master Gardeners who have come out in various months to help
maintain both the Centreville Library rain garden and the 4-H Park garden. I try to recognize
and thank everyone each month, but if I’ve missed anyone over the past year, please know
that your help is invaluable and most welcome. Enjoy the off season and the holidays and have
fun planning your own gardens for the coming year. Debbie Pusey
BAY-WISE ADVANCED TRAINING —Wye Research & Education Center
Wednesdays, November 4, 11 & 18, 2015 (9:30am—3:30pm)
All Master Gardeners are welcome, including those already certified (but would like to
attend for a refresher). Previously certified Bay-Wise Master Gardeners do not have to pay the registration fee but must register.
To register contact: Molly Garrett [email protected] Cost: $50.00
TREES MATTER SYMPOSIUM 2015 The fourth annual Trees Matter Symposium focuses on the
health and welfare of trees in our increasingly developed
landscapes. Learn from some of the country’s leading experts
about innovative efforts to plant, protect and preserve trees in
urban and suburban settings.
Featured speakers: Dr. Michael Dirr, Dr. Kelby Fite, Dr. Chris Luley, Holly Shimizu
Wednesday, November 4th, 7:30am– 4pm (Silver Spring, MD)
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/activities/things_to_do/fall/trees_matter.shtm
TURNING A NEW LEAF CONFERENCE 2015 The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council annual
conference will feature some outstanding up speakers this
year. This keynote speaker Larry Weaner, is the founder of
New Directions in the American Landscape. He'll discuss how to use ecological restoration techniques in home landscape
design. The plenary speaker, Lauren Wheeler, is a professor with George Washington
University's Sustainable Landscaping Program. She'll discuss rating systems for residential
landscapes - and what can go wrong. With four tracks, there are twelve other great talks
to choose from. The conference will be November 13th in Towson Maryland.
Visit: http://www.chesapeakelandscape.org/our-programs/turning-a-new-leaf-conference/
ONLINE WORKSHOPS 2016 Horticulture Magazine Garden How-To University http://www.hortmag.com/smart-gardening-workshops
MASTER GARDENER TRAINING 2016 February 11th—April 9th
Thursday evenings 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Saturday mornings 9:00am to 12:00pm
Eastern Shore Higher Education Center, Wye Mills (Chesapeake College Campus)
If you know of anyone interested in becoming a Master Gardener please encourage them to sign-up!
Contact: [email protected] or call 410-758-0166
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
P A G E
1 0
Educational Opportunities
T H E W A T E R I N G C A N
Outside the Garden Gate...
ADKINS ARBORETUM PROGRAMS & EVENTS CALENDAR Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop
Saturday, November 21st
https://adkinsarboretumorg.presencehost.net/programs_events/
LADEW TOPIARY GARDENS FALL SERIES Christmas Open House + Greens Sale
Friday, December 11th to Sunday, December 13th
http://www.ladewgardens.com/EVENT-CALENDAR
For more information, call (410) 557-9570
LONGWOOD GARDENS CHRYSANTHEMUM FESTIVAL Open until November 22nd
http://longwoodgardens.org/gardens
For more information, call (610) 388-1000
MT. CUBA CENTER CLASSES & LECTURES http://www.mtcubacenter.org/education/continuing-education/ Winter + Spring 2016 Course Listings: http://issuu.com/mtcubacenter/docs/fawi15_program_guide?e=14731861/14447371
P A G E 1 1
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
The 2016 Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) will be at the Baltimore Convention
Center on January 6-8, 2016. If there is enough interest, we could arrange to carpool.
2016 Show Hours:
January 6 & 7 (9am-5pm) January 8 (9am-2pm)
For more information visit: www.mants.com
P A G E 1 2
NOVEMBER 2015
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 Bay-Wise
Training #1 +
Trees Matter
Symposium
5 Beginning Na-
tive Tree ID
6 7
8 9 10 11 Bay-Wise
Training #2
12
KI Plant Clinic,
3:30-6:30pm
13 Turning a
New Leaf Con-
ference, Towson
14
15 16 17 18 Bay-Wise #3
Monthly MG
Meeting, 9:30
19 20 Community
Gardens Meet-
ing 10am
21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30
DECEMBER 2015
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 KI Plant Clin-
ic, 3:30-6:30pm
11 12
13 14 15 16 Holiday
Luncheon
17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
University of Maryland Extension
Queen Anne’s County
505 Railroad Ave.
Suite 4
Centreville, MD 21617
Vision Statement: A healthier world through environmental stewardship
QACMG Website:
http://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-
county/home-gardening
University of Maryland Extension
505 Rai l road Avenue , Su i te 4
Centrev i l le MD, 21617
Phone: (410) 758-0166
Fax: (410) 758-3687
http://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-
county/about
December Newsletter Deadline:
November 23, 2015
The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of
race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic
information, political affiliation, and gender identity and expression. Equal opportunity employers and equal access programs.
Master Gardener Coordinator,
Queen Anne’s County
Top Related