Newsletter 24 – August 28, 2008  Events  Kitchen

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill

except for learning how to grow in rows. Doug Larson.joke 1

Come on Out & Join the Fun

Labor Day weekend kicks off September, and many gardeners take this opportunity to accomplish fall chores.  It’s the perfect time to give your gardens a fresh look by doing a thorough deadheading of all plants, trimming away dead foliage and pulling weeds as you go.  Finish the job by adding a fresh layer of mulch, which will protect your plants from drought and temperature extremes.  For the tastiest crop of the year, plant your fall lettuce, spinach, and radishes now. Cool fall temperatures provide ideal growing conditions for these salad favorites.3

Saturday, September 6, our fall Dollar Days begins, offering everyone an opportunity to cash in their orange dollars for up to 50% off their total purchase.  Dollar Days will run through Sunday, September 14.

At 10:00 on Saturday, September 6, we will have a workshop on dividing perennials.  Different division techniques and the proper time to divide will be discussed.  Bring your questions.

Plan to attend one of our Fall Container Workshops, which will be from 10-4 on September 6^th, 7^th, 13^th, and 14^th.  As with all our container workshops, we will provide FREE soil and assistance to help you create beautiful fall containers. You can choose from our beautiful mums, asters, flowering kale, bright swiss chard, pansies, and more to create gorgeous containers.

Also, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13^th & 14th we invite you to bring in a picture of your entryway between 10 and 4 to our container planting area in the back of the main greenhouse.  As a part of our DECORATE YOUR DOORSTEP program, our creative staff will give you ideas for making your entryway the envy of your neighborhood using mums, asters, straw bales, cornstalks, pumpkins, and more!

How do you lead a horse to water?  With lots of carrots. joke 2

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 6   –   How to Divide Perennials 10AM Learn how and when to divide your favorite perennials.  Live demonstrations.  Bev Wilson

September 6 & 7 – Fall Container Workshop FREE soil & assistance 10-4pm

September 6-14  – ABF Dollar Days Use your ABF orange bucks.

September 13-14 -Fall Container Workshop FREE soil & assistance 10-4pm

September 13-14 –Decorate Your Doorstep 10-4 pm Bring in a photo of your entryway, and we’ll help you decorate for fall.

September 15-28 -Scarecrow Days Make your own scarecrow. Free popcorn on the weekends. Fun for the entire family. $12.99 includes scarecrow kit. Bring your own clothes, or purchase ours.  An ABF favorite!

September 20 – How to Winterize Roses 10 am Roses are perennials!  Learn how to protect them against harsh Wisconsin winters.  Sharon Stickford

The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.joke 3

BONNIE’S KITCHEN

Your tomatoes are coming in, right? And just like zucchini, you may have lots and lots. My all time favorite way to serve those “oh-so-delicious, straight-from-the-garden tomatoes” is to thinly slice fresh mozzarella, and arrange it on a large platter of salt and peppered sliced tomatoes topped with fresh basil. Finally, just drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. IT’S THE BEST and during tomato season, I make it almost every day!  Here are some other recipes you might enjoy.

Pomodoro Fresco Sourdough Bruschetta

1 (12 to 16-inch) sourdough baguette

2 garlic cloves, halved, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish

2 cups diced Roma tomatoes

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven until lightly brown. Rub with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 ounces of the olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Return to oven to melt cheese. In a medium mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Remove baguette from oven and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Recipe from Guy Fieri of the Food Network

Linguine with Fresh Tomato Sauce

The beauty of this recipe is the sweetness of the fresh, uncooked tomatoes. They aren’t as acidic as when cooked. I always pass additional Parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers.

Tomato Sauce

2 cups seeded and coarsely chopped tomato

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, minced

1 cup firmly packed fresh parsley leaves, minced

3 T freshly grated Parmesan

3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced

2 t salt

1 pound linguine

fresh parsley to garnish

Make tomato sauce:

In a bowl, combine well all the sauce ingredients and let the sauce stand at room temperature, covered, for at least one hour.

In a large pot, bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and stir to prevent sticking. Return water to boil and cook until pasta is firm but cooked, approximately 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta well. Serve with tomato sauce and garnish with fresh parsley. Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine.

As a young minister, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a grave-side service for a homeless man.  The funeral was to be held at a cemetery way out in the country in an area unfamiliar to me. On the way, I became lost.  Being the typical man, I did not stop for directions so I arrived an hour late.

I finally saw the backhoe and the crew, who were eating lunch, but the hearse was nowhere in sight.  I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and stepped to the side of the open grave, where I saw the vault lid already in place.  I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, but that this was the proper thing to do.

The workers gathered around, still eating their lunches, while I poured my heart and soul into the message.  As I preached, they began to say ‘Amen,’ ‘Praise the Lord,’ and ‘Glory’!  I preached, and I preached, like I’d never preached before from Genesis all the way to Revelation.

I closed the lengthy service with a prayer and walked to my car.  As I was opening the door, I overheard one of the workers say to another, “I ain’t never seen nothin’ like that before, and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years! author unknown  joke 4

SEE YOU SOON!!!