Chatham County Summer Fun 2021 is Here!

4-H Embryology and Butterfly Programs

The 4-H Embryology and Butterfly Programs were huge successes this year! We thank the Livestock Conservancy for their kind partnership on this project by donating dozens of heritage breed eggs that found their way into classrooms all across Chatham County. We extend our sincere thanks to the local United Way of Chatham County for their generous support of these programs and for the dozens of teachers who brought these opportunities to their students this spring. Thank you all!

NC Tomato Club History and Transcribathon

The NC State University Libraries Special Collections Research Center is pleased to announce the upcoming webinar, NC Tomato Club History and Transcribathon program.

Join us to learn about the history of Jane McKimmon's Tomato Clubs, Cooperative Extension, and 4-H programs in North Carolina during a lunch panel discussion, and stick around to help transcribe the Tomato Club girls' historic materials.

Thursday, June 3, 12:00 -3:00 pm

NCA&T and the Youth Stepping FOURWARD – 4-H Food Drive Event

COVID-19 has resulted in more food insecurity throughout the state, and Extension at A&T and the Youth Stepping FOURWARD Program with Chatham County 4-H want to share with those in need. In celebration of the Youth Stepping FOURWARD service event we encourage the general public, 4-H Clubs and volunteers to collect non-perishable food items for their community. Items will be collected from June 1st to June 25th, 2021.

What's the Matter With My Mater?

Access to fresh tomatoes is among the most rewarding aspects of home vegetable gardening, and at time the most challenging. Warm nights, high rain and humidity, and resulting pest and disease pressure can frustrate even experienced gardeners. Join Matt Jones (Extension Horticulture Agent) and the Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Chatham County for a workshop on identifying and managing the most common pests, diseases, and physiological disorders of home-grown tomatoes. When feasible, organic management options will be emphasized.

July 1, 2021

READINESS: GETTING YOUR TREES READY FOR THE STORM (WEBINAR)

June 08, 2021

7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

In partnership with the North Carolina Forest Service's Urban & Community Forestry Program (U&CF), we introduce a two-part NC Trees & Storms webinar series for homeowners.

The first webinar in the series will detail what to do long before the storm hits. We will share tips for proper tree selection and placement. You will learn how to hire an arborist and what to expect when they visit. Experienced arborists typically prune young trees to allow them to better withstand the storm, as well as prune the big trees to minimize damage. Finally, you will learn what makes a particular tree or portion of a tree more prone to failure during the storm and how you can prevent substantial losses to keep your landscape safe and your trees healthy.

RESPONSE AND RECOVERY: NOW THAT THE STORM HAS PASSED, PLAN FOR THE FUTURE (WEBINAR)

June 17, 2021

7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

In partnership with the North Carolina Forest Service's Urban & Community Forestry Program (U&CF), we introduce a two-part NC Trees & Storms webinar series for homeowners.

In this session you will be guided through a typical clean-up response once the storm has passed. What damage might you encounter? What kind of assistance can you expect from your arborist? We will share insights into what trees can be readily saved and what trees may require removal. Finally, we will help you think about future planting projects, and how to work with your arborist to develop a long-term plan for proper tree management that will keep your landscape healthy and beautiful for years to come, no matter what the storms may bring.

Annual Report Features Stories of Resilience

The most recent Extension Master Gardener℠ program annual report celebrates Master Gardener℠ volunteers for their efforts to educate and connect individuals, families, and youth during the pandemic. Discover how Master Gardener volunteers responded in communities across North Carolina through stories of resilience

Butternut Squash

Historically, breeders focused on the needs of commercial farmers to maximize the number of squash per plant, the size of the fruit, ability to ship, and shelf life. Their goal was to maximize production. Gardeners can prioritize other features like the fruit quality, nutrient value, flavor, plant size, etc. Travis Birdsell, County Director in Ashe County and an expert on Butternut Squash, shared suggestions for home and community gardeners interested in growing Butternut Squash.

What Is Wrong With My Basil Plant?

If you’re planning to make pesto from your summer basil crop, do it sooner rather than later. This is because basil downy mildew, a fungal disease that attacks basil leaves, is now active in North Carolina.

YIKES! It's Snake Season!

Imagine you have stepped outside and suddenly you are startled. You realize there is a snake in front of you. It looks like a copperhead or is it? NC State Extension has created a publication about snakes that include photos of harmless snakes and poisonous snakes. Click on the link below to open this publication to learn more about the snakes in our area.

View the Newest Virtual Tour of the Pollinator Paradise Garden!

This virtual tour includes video and photos that Debbie took in April from the garden. She highlighted some of her favorite plants and tried to show different parts of the garden.

Pollinator Paradise is a Demonstration Garden created by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center. Agriculture Agent Debbie Roos designed the garden to provide forage from early spring to late fall for pollinators such as native bees, honey bees, butterflies, flower flies, hummingbirds, beetles, and other beneficial insects. The garden features over 225 unique species of perennials, 85% of which are native to North Carolina.

The garden is a great teaching tool and is used to conduct workshops and tours for hundreds of folks each year. When tours and workshops were suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Debbie started creating virtual garden tour videos so folks could continue enjoying and learning from the garden.

In-Person Tours Have Returned

Debbie has resumed in-person tours of the pollinator garden in mid-May. You can view a list of the tours and register for future tours. The five spring tours filled quickly, but Debbie will be adding additional tour dates, so keep your eyes opened for those updates.

Pollinator Resources and Photos

See a list of plants blooming in the pollinator garden. The list is updated bi-weekly. Currently, there are over 45 species in bloom! Visit the Pollinator Paradise Garden website for lots of photos and plant lists and other resources.

View Webinar Recording: A Homeowner’s Guide to Pollinator Friendly Mosquito Management

The North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance conducted a webinar on May 25, 2021, entitled “A Homeowner’s Guide to Pollinator Friendly Mosquito Management.” The webinar presenters discussed the basics of native bee biology, mosquito biology, and mosquito management. Topics included common practices used by homeowners, commercial applicators, and public health departments. The presentation also covered ecologically sound alternatives for managing mosquitoes in your backyard.

Register now for June 10 ForestHer Webinar

Visit our Chatham County Farmers’ Markets!

Now is a wonderful time to visit one or all of our Chatham County farmers' markets! You'll find amazing flowers and foods like strawberries, green garlic, cheese curds, and greenhouse tomatoes, plus gorgeous greens, meats, eggs, plants, and so many other wonderful locally grown products.

Chatham Mills Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8 am until noon

Fearrington Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm

Pittsboro Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 3-6 pm

North Carolina Small Ruminant Summit

Join us at the E. Carroll Joyner Beef Education Unit (Raleigh, NC) for the North Carolina Small Ruminant Summit! This will be a FREE hybrid (in-person and online) event. Discussion will focus on new marketing opportunities for small ruminants in North Carolina and ways to improve small ruminant production, sustainability, and profitability moving forward.

Saturday, July 24, 2021

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT

New Online Weed Identification Guide Through University of Missouri

The University of Missouri has created a new online Weed Identification Guide. Click on the link below to access it.

Input for Programming Needs

Have you ever scratched your head trying to find an answer relating to livestock? Forages? Equine? or Field crops? Do you have some topic ideas that you'd like to see covered by Extension? If so, Kristina wants to hear from you! She has created a survey to discuss any needs or interests that you may have related to animal agriculture, equine, and forages so that she can develop programming that fits those needs! There is also an opportunity to update contact information in this form as well. Click on the link below to access the survey.

Despite Record High Lumber Prices, Pine Sawtimber Prices in North Carolina Dropped in the First Quarter, 2021

Amid the looming COVID-19 global Pandemic, both housing and lumber markets continued to surge in the first quarter of 2021. In March 2021, US housing stats were up about 19% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 1.74 million units, the highest point since late 2006. The lumber markets also continued to soar up throughout the U.S. regions. Some of the Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) lumber grades were reportedly over $1,100 per thousand board feet in recent weeks.

Prescribed Fire & Climate Change – Are We Prepared?

Anthropogenic climate change, including connections to wildland fire, is an increasingly prominent topic nationally and in the Southeast. Rising global surface temperatures are already impacting wildfire risk, prescribed fire implementation, hurricane intensity, and many other issues facing natural resource managers in the South. Research shows that these trends are projected to continue. However, many resources and news stories related to wildland fire and climate change are focused on how those issues manifest in the Western United States. Two recently released resources focus specifically on understanding climate change, resiliency, and wildland fire in the Southeast.

Ethics and Professional Forestry

SPONSORED BY: NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION FOR FORESTERS

June 17, 2021

1:00 pm

Foresters have an ethical responsibility to those they serve. However, sometimes it is hard to determine where the line is between what is ethical and what may be construed as unethical. This course serves as a reminder of our ethical duties and gives examples of situations where ethics come into play.

Sustainable Land Retention Project Webinar - Taking Action to Manage Your Land

June 23, 2021

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern

Join woodland owners in learning how to develop a woodland management plan and implement that plan to achieve one's objectives. Presenters will provide insight into management planning, resources available to facilitate on-the-ground action in implementing a management plan, and things to consider in managing for the future.

Broadband Resources for Cooperative Extension

On May 12, 2021, eligible households started accessing the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit funds to offset the cost of Broadband Service to their home and could receive money for a device. The North Carolina Broadband Office has information with details about the EBB program eligibility and the benefits. Please help promote this program to help bridge the digital divide in your community.

A Deep Look Into Broadband in Rural America

The Foundation for Rural Service has provided a white paper on the importance of connectivity in rural America. It is a go-to resource to understand the issues shaping broadband access, adoption, and utilization.

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

2 Cups of strawberries

Graham Cracker Crust

8oz Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 Lemon

10 oz. container or 3 cups of Whipped Topping

Directions:

Wash strawberries off to remove residue. Then cut strawberries to desire size. Place strawberries into a bowl. With your lemon, squeeze lemon juice over the strawberries to keep them fresh and bright.

With your mixer, mix your cream cheese to soften a bit more. Once the cream cheese has softened, add your strawberries and mix the cream cheese and strawberries together. Reserve some strawberries if you would like to garnish your pie.

Turn your mixer to the lowest speed and gradually add the whipped cream. Having the mixer running at a higher speed will cause over-beating of the whipped cream. You don’t want to beat the air out of the whipped cream.

Once the pie mixture is mixed all together, it is ready to pour into the graham cracker crust.

Refrigerate for a few hours so that the pie can firm up. Once it’s firm, the pie is ready to serve! Decorate with remaining strawberries and a sprig of mint if you desire.

Can Your Kid’s Summer Camps be Deducted?

Kids are finishing out the school year and summer will be here. For some, that will mean time to relax; for others, that will be rushing around getting their kids to all the camps they have signed them up for to keep them active while parents/guardian’s work. We all know that camps can be expensive, but did you know that some of those expenses can be considered a tax deduction? Here are a few tips to see if you qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit on next year’s taxes:

• Summer day camps qualify for those children ages 13 and under (no age limit if disabled) if those camps are happening while you are working. If you are sending your child to an overnight camp, you will get some extra relaxation, but no tax deduction because they do not qualify.

• To fill out the form 2441 for the Child and Dependent Care Credit, you will have to make sure you are sending them to an official camp. The form will ask for the address and some of the camps’ tax info, so sending them to the backyard will not qualify.

• If you are working or attending school and your spouse is home caring for the children, you cannot use summer camp as a deduction. Single parents or both parents (if filling jointly) must be working or actively looking for work to use summer camps as a deduction.

Taking the time to save all your summer camp receipts and talking over your options to see if you qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit with your tax advisor might just save you a little money on next year’s taxes. It is definitely worth the time and effort. We wish you all a safe summer!

What in the World is This?

As I was walking down our hall at the office the other day, I noticed this box sitting in the hall. As I walked pass by the box the words imprinted on it grabbed my attention, "Ball Home Canning Demonstration Kit." I took a few steps backwards, looked at it and then I had to open it because there was no way this old box was going to have anything in it. To my surprise, it had like-new canning supplies neatly packed, in an organized manner. I could not let this box go out to the dumpster, so I took it home to show my husband. Only one jar was missing from the box. My husband, Bill, was as intrigued with this box and its contents as I was. He set out on a mission to find that particular missing jar. My husband likes to can vegetables, so we have a variety of jars at home. It did not take him long to find that particular jar on a shelf at our house. We added the jar to the box and the set was complete again.

What's the Story Behind the Box?

While Bill was searching for the jar, I began searching on the internet to find out more about this Ball Home Demonstration Kit. It took a little bit of detective work, but I finally found some information about the kit. This was a salesman sample Ball Home Demonstration kit. The Ball Brothers/Corporation also sponsored 4-H canning events. The Ball Brothers/Corporation distributed these kits to 4-H programs throughout the United States.

According to the Worthpoint website, these Salesman Samples are rare and hard to come by. The last documented Home Demonstration Kit that sold was in 2019 for $39.00 on eBay.

Celebrate Chatham County's Milestone 250th Anniversary

Celebrate Chatham County's milestone 250th anniversary with the #Chatham250 Passport Experience! Chatham 250 Passports - Creative Arts, Growth and Change, Community and Diversity, Agriculture and Natural Environment - offer safe, accessible, and fun activities designed to explore and celebrate Chatham County. Complete at least 10 passport activities on a single passport to win a Chatham 250 Swag Bag.