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I hope you’ve enjoyed a beautiful summer in your garden. It’s been a great season – unless you’re still waiting for those tomatoes to turn red!

Fall Fest planning is in high gear. We have the brochures and press releases out, and the committee is working on final details for this great event. If you would like to volunteer for one of our many activities, please contact Alyce Zellers or Diana Breen. We will be collecting and grooming plants from Master Gardeners’ gardens and preparing our donated items for the Frugal Gardener table during the week prior to the Fall Fest. On the day of the event, we need volunteers to staff the Plant Sale and Frugal Gardner tables, donate to and staff the Bake Sale, assist with lunches, parking and registration. We will also need crews to set up beginning at 7 am and clean up in the afternoon. See Marion Nelson’s note in this newsletter specifying plant contribution guidelines. Donations of tools, books and garden art can be brought to Smedley Park where they will be stored in the shed. If you haven’t sent your registration yet, don’t hesitate. The press release is out and registrations are coming in daily.

Thanks to June Wojtowicz and the Garden Contest Committee we had a terrific response to the Garden Contest. Four teams of judges worked very hard for two days in August visiting 44 gardens in the county. Certificates and ribbons will be presented to the winners at the Fall Fest.

We will be represented by Marion Yaglinski and members of the Environmental Stewardship Committee at the Fair Trade Live Concert in Media on September 14th from noon until 8 pm. Master Gardeners will answer questions and distribute literature about composting, reducing energy usage, native plants, and resource conservation. Call Marion if you are able to help.

Check out the photos that Bridgette Anderson has put on the Flickr site. County Press requested photos of our four presenters for their local issues. This is a great resource for us, especially when we need photos to accompany press notices.

I hope to see you at the September 16th meeting.

Fall Fest Plant sale –
Plants AND Volunteers Needed

The Plant Sale is an important part of the Fall Fest and requires lots of help! Four volunteers are needed during the week before the Fest (flexible time schedule), to groom and label the plants. At least six volunteer Master Gardeners will be needed Saturday, September 27, 2008 – from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm to set up and handle sales. Please call Marion Nelson to volunteer your help. Also call Marion when you plan to drop off your plant donations – so they can be taken promptly into the Environmental Center for care and safekeeping. You may begin bringing your plants Tuesday, September 16th (the monthly MG meeting) through Thursday, September 25th. Boxes and plant carriers are also needed.
Please have your plants in suitable containers and properly labeled with the botanical name. If you need help with correct identification, consultants will be on hand to help.

NO PLANT DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY OF THE SALE – NO EXCEPTIONS!!

Your help will be greatly appreciated in making the Plant Sale successful!

Anyone who has been to the last several MG meetings, Board or Fall Fest, has heard me enthusiastically exclaim: “There was a Great Spangled Fritillary in my garden today!” For those of you familiar with this creature, forgive my childish glee. For those of you who have never heard of such a thing, let me explain.

The Great Spangled Fritillary is a very attractive, rusty orange-colored and black-patterned butterfly with a 2-1/2 to 4 inch wingspan (less orange in color and slightly smaller than a Monarch). The black pattern consists of both lines and numerous spots. On the underside of the hind wings, the spots are metallic silver.

It is the largest fritillary in the eastern US and can be found along roadsides or in fields or open woodlands from June through September feasting on the nectar of bee balm, black-eyed susan, butterfly-weed, milkweed, joe-pye-weed, purple coneflower, and knapweed, just to name a few species. I grow all of these plants in my yard except for the last (it is non-native).

Caterpillars (larvae) will emerge in late summer on or near leaves of violets. The larvae are black in color with orange-based spines arising from the surface, presumably as a protective device against predatory birds. The larvae will not feed until after winter is over and young violet leaves emerge. So, for all those fastidious gardeners out there, please don’t remove any clumps of ragged-looking violet leaves because they may be harboring the eggs and larvae of this butterfly species.

My garden has become a habitat for this showy, swiftly flying invertebrate. And, I currently have at least TWO DOZEN Black Swallowtail caterpillars munching away on dill and bronze fennel and at least that many Monarch larvae on the milkweeds!

Please consider including host plants in your yard to help sustain populations of these beautiful creatures from the Order Lepidoptera.

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Medicinal Power of Plants
by Joe Daniels

We've all heard about the pharmacological implications of plants from tropical rain forests, but did you know that many modern day medicines are derived from plants in more temperate climates as well. Some are well known, others are relatively new, and some have been around since ancient times and their use has persisted into the present day leading to the creation of modern medicines.
 
1. Madagascar Periwinkle
The Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharantus roseus), native to the island of Madagascar, but also grown here in the US is the source of vincristine, a chemotherapy agent used to fight certain cancers including childhood leukemia. Amazing to think how many of us grow this annual in our gardens every year.

2. Snowdrops
Galanthamine is a chemical that was isolated in the bulbs of snowdrops (Galanthus woronowii), a plant native to the Caucasian Mountains. It is one of the medicines that help slow down the effects of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease by increasing Acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain whose levels are significantly decreased in people with this disease. To think how many of these bulbs we have planted.

3. Foxglove
Although it is no longer used, digitoxin, derived from the dried or fresh leaves and ripe dried seeds foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), was used for many years to treat heart conditions by strengthening the heart muscle.
Foxglove is actually a very poisonous plant and was discontinued because the therapeutic dose and lethal doses were too similar.

4. European Yew
Taxotere is derived from the European yew ( Taxus baqccata) and is used in treating breast and other cancer tumors. Yew trees in general have yielded several powerful cancer therapies. Taxol, another anti-cancer therapy is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia).

5. Willow
Aspirin is derived from salicylic acid, a substance found in willow (Salix spp.) bark as the source of aspirin. It is said the ancient Egyptians chewed willow bark to relieve fever and headaches and Greeks used it to combat rheumatic aches and pains....weren't those ancients ahead of there times, and we are trying to catch up.

 
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WANTED

If you have gently used garden tools or decorations that we can use for the Frugal Gardener table at the Fall Festival please either drop off at the office or call Lisa Augustine.

We also accept books, magazines and fun gadgets.  Please clean and spruce up anything that you donate.  Thank you ahead of time for your donation!

Its bulb planting time, so to prevent rodents from digging up the bulbs, spray a hot mix into the soil around them.  The mix: one teaspoon chili powder, three teaspoons hot pepper sauce, and one half teaspoon dishwashing liquid in two cups water in a spray bottle.  This recipe will also keep cats and dogs away from your garden or compost pile.

If you have cabbages, broccoli, or cauliflower growing as your fall crop, dust them with non-self rising flour while dew is still on the plants.  Old hosiery makes a good sifter. The flour expands in the caterpillar’s digestive system killing them.  Another way to keep various worms and larva off the plants is to mix one tablespoon ground red pepper and six drops of liquid in two cups water and let it stand over night.  Pour it into a spray bottle and mist the plants weekly.  When using the flour method, rinse the flour off the plants after two days.

If you get your shoes wet in the garden, and they are not washable, Stuff them with black and white newspaper and dry them away from heat overnight.  The newspaper absorbs the moisture and deodorizes the shoes. 

Baby wipes remove mud stains from shoes.  To remove stains from garden or other clothes dampen the fabric and sprinkle on dishwashing powder or baking soda.  Then scrub the spot with an old toothbrush.  Rinse off the goop before washing the garment.  On shirt collars, use shampoo.  Lestoil works well, especially on grease stains.

White vinegar, one cup per washer load, deodorizes perspiration in clothing.  Be sure to rinse thoroughly, though.  A friend who tried this may have used too much vinegar. Her husband said, “Honey, when I sweat I smell like a tossed salad!”

Brewed tea and coffee and Coca Cola added to the compost accelerates decomposition and creates acid rich compost.

Shredded newspaper adds nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to the compost.  Use only ten percent of any kind of paper to the compost pile.  Do not add magazines, dog or cat waste or barbeque ashes to the pile. 

Keep composting! Leaves and lawn clippings make up eighteen per cent of solid waste in landfills. 

Delilah Foldes

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Earth Notes
by Marion Yaglinski

Slow Food, Kitchen Gardens and the Locavore Phenomenon

Tired of fast food, unripe fruit and foods that come to market with little or no taste, while creating a heavy carbon footprint from being trucked across the country? Did you know that our traditional tasty foods are at risk of succumbing to the effects of industrialization, the standardization of our food supply and the degradation of our farmland?

Slow Food USA*, a non-profit educational organization, is dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through educational programs and activities. SF envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality, good taste, environmental sustainability and preservation of biodiversity. Their intention is to encourage a cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system (read Kingsolver’s book for clarification) and fast life toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life. Slower and more harmonious…sounds good, doesn’t it?

The SF Movement was founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, who recognized that the industrialization of food was standardizing taste and leading to the loss of many food varieties and flavors. He wanted to let consumers know that there are choices other than fast food and supermarket blandness.
Petrini realized that in order to keep alternative food choices available, it was essential to be ecologically minded and concerned with sustainability. He supported and protected small growers and producers, the physical environment and bio diversity. The organization that Petrini founded is currently active in over 100 countries and has a worldwide membership of over 80,000.

Locavores fit into this picture by growing organic veggies in their own kitchen gardens, buying what they can’t grow from local Farmers’ Markets and shopping as locally as possible for all their other food needs. As a result, their carbon footprint on the earth is reduced and their eating pleasure is increased.
I first became aware of the locavore phenomenon when I read Barbara Kingsolver’s delightfully funny, informative and inspiring book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” Go ahead, start reading and get turned on to life in the slow lane! And start dreaming about the possibility of your own kitchen garden.

*Check out Slow Food USA at http://slowfoodusa.org/about/index.html

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Fair Trade Live Concert
Save the Date

Media, PA--America’s first Fair Trade town--will hold its first Fair Trade Live Concert on Sunday, September 14, 2008, from 12 NOON to 8 PM. Delaware County Master Gardeners will participate with a booth on composting and environmentally friendly gardening. Please come out and join us in supporting this event. Admission to the event is free.

Multicultural artists from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe will perform on three different stages to create a musical celebration of diversity. Other festivities will offer an in-depth experience of global cultures with streetscape artists, Fair Trade vendors offering tasty food and handcrafted items for purchase, and many hands-on, fun and educational activities for children and parents.

“This event will give people an opportunity to learn more about how even small purchasing decisions can have a dramatic, economic impact on farmers and workers around the world and hopefully inspire others to learn more about how they can join this growing movement,” said Elizabeth Killough, chair of America’s First Fair Trade Committee.

Fair Trade is a business practice that guarantees family farmers and workers will receive fair wages for their harvest. It is a comprehensive social-economic tool strong enough to raise the standard of living for millions of people. The Fair Trade movement began in Europe and has spread throughout the world. It is now gaining greater recognition for what it offers--environmental sustainability, economic development and social equality for small-scale farmers and workers around the world.

For more information about Fair Trade Live Concert go to www.visitmediapa.com/fairtrade.

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NEWSLETTER STAFF:

Editor: Barbara Smith

Committee: Linda Barry, Tracey Carson, Joe Daniels, Carolyn DiPaulo, Marianne Martin, Elsie Mueller, Marion Nelson, Cynthia Sabatini, Mary Sambor, Carl Pfeiffer & Arlene Pugh

Cooperative extension e-mail: DelawareExt@psu.edu
Blog Address: http://go.philly.com/gardenerjournal