Check out what’s blooming at the Greenville State Farmers Market

GREENVILLE, SC – April 28 through May 1, 2011 –  Gardeners, and other yard enthusiasts, lookingfor a wide variety of plants to spruce up their yards this spring should head straight to Greenville State Farmers Market for the Piedmont Plant and Flower Festival.

This annual event, held at the Greenville State Farmers Market locatedat 1354 Rutherford Road in Greenville, is the place for anyone lookingfor a wide variety of horticultural and agricultural products for theirhome gardens. This year’s festival is April 28 through May 1. Admissionand parking are always free, and the hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

This four-day festival offers a wide variety of plants, lawn and gardendécor for sale. Visitors are encouraged to bring along a wagon or cartto carry their purchases and to wear comfortable shoes. The festivalwill be held rain or shine.

Hugh Weathers, South Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture, said spring is always a great time to get out into the yard and garden.

“There isn’t any other better way to kick off the spring than workingoutdoors,” Weathers said. “And you’ll find just what you need for youryard and garden at the Piedmont Plant and Flower Festival.”

Exhibitors will be on hand selling a wide variety of plants and flowersneeded to make any yard the envy of the neighborhood. There will also be a booth for Clemson Extension’s Master Gardeners to answer gardeningquestions. The Piedmont Plant and Flower Festival is always a greatplace for the novice or experienced gardener.

For more information, please call the Greenville State Farmers Market at 864-244-4023.

Clemson Extension offers canning and food preservation workshops

– learn how to enjoy Certified SC Grown all year long

CLEMSON, S.C. – What was old school is now cool. Home canning isenjoying a revival. Clemson University Extension agents are offeringhome canning workshops for first-timers and long-timers, teaching thebasics and updated techniques. On campus courses start May 7.
“More and more people are canning and freezing food,” said SusanBarefoot, who leads the Extension food safety and nutrition program.“Whether it is to save money in a tight economy, eat more homegrown andlocally produced fruits and vegetables, or to be environmentallyconscious by eating regional foods that aren’t trucked across thecountry, there’s a resurgence of interest in food preservation. Canningis not hard to do, but it requires that you follow the directions andrecipes to avoid winding up with a batch of dangerous, spoiled food.”

Barefoot will teach a series of canning workshops at Clemson Universityin May and June. At the Greenville Extension Office classes will be held in June and July. Other classes will be scheduled if there issufficient demand. Food safety and nutrition Extension agents in othercounties will be holding workshops, too. The fee for each workshop is$30 and registration is limited to 15 per class. For details, contactSusan Barefoot at 864-656-5682 or [email protected].

We are excited to bring back this heritage skill, one that not onlybenefits families but also growers,” said Barefoot. “It’s a great way to enjoy Certified SC Grown local fruits and vegetables all year long.”

Each workshop deals with one topic – water bath canning (tomatoes andother high acid foods), pressure canning (beans and other low acidfoods), jams and jellies, and pickles. Classes include demonstrations of equipment and supplies, how-to techniques, safety do’s and don’ts andhands-on practice working in teams. Everyone should get to go home with a jar of preserved food.

“Canning goes back centuries, but research provides new information that makes canning safer and healthier,” said Barefoot. “What your mother or grandmother taught you is probably out of date. The National Center for Food Preservation and Safety at the University of Georgia in Athensroutinely updates recipes and processing information. If you have oldfamily canning recipes from before 1998, they are probably not as safeas newer versions. It pays to take a refresher course to make sure youare using the best practices.”

Old information is one problem. Old equipment is another, especiallyolder pressure canners. Many Extension offices have pressure canninggauge testers. It’s vital to know that you’re maintaining the correctpressure along with proper time and temperature. Food in jars must beheated sufficiently to kill microbes that can make you seriously sick.

“Come winter, it’s a wonderful treat to open a jar of tomatoes orpickles or jam that you put up yourself. We want to help you make sureyou do it safely and successfully,” said Barefoot.

Contact: Peter Kent, Clemson Public Service Activities, [email protected], 864-656-4355.

May 1 Sales Closing Date For Nursery Crop Insurance in SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. – USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA)  reminds SouthCarolina nursery growers of the May 1, 2011, sales closing date fornursery crop insurance (for carry over insureds only; new producers canpurchase nursery insurance year round).  The sales closing date is thelast date to purchase a new policy or to change the level of coveragefor an existing policy.  

Prices may have changed for some nursery plants, which could affectpremiums for policies insuring those plants.  Local crop insuranceagents are the best source for coverage and premium information for your area.         

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private cropinsurance agents.  A list of crop insurance agents is available at allUSDA Service Centers or on the RMA website at http://www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/.

Help Bring a Fruit Tree Orchard to Three Deserving SC Neighborhoods!!!

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Three deserving neighborhoods in Beaufort, Columbia,and Summerville are in the running to receive a community fruit treeorchard from the Communities Take Root program. Neighborhoods across the United States are ripe for renewal, ready to receive a fruit orchardprovided by the Edy’s Fruit Bars brand and the Fruit Tree PlantingFoundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to planting fruit treesto support healthy nutrition worldwide. For the three South Carolinacommunities to win, more votes are needed.

“It is especially appropriate to make this environmentally positive andhealth conscious announcement on Earth Day,” said Joe James, presidentof the Corporation for Economic Opportunity who is leading the Columbiaeffort.

The voting process for “Communities Take Root” runs through August 31,2011. Supporters may cast a vote a day for each of South Carolina’sthree communities in the running.  The top five, vote-gettingcommunities will be announced as winners and will receive a fruit treeorchard, each month from June through September, 2011, with a total of20 new orchards to be planted this year.

To cast a vote, visit http://www.communitiestakeroot.com/.