November 2005

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Assemble Essential Documents From University of Idaho's HomeWise If you had to gather your important papers at a moment's notice because of an impending flood, wildfire or other emergency, would you know where to find them? Would it take you several hours to assemble them, ensuring for all practical matters that they would be left behind? Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist, lists the following documents as essentials for your financial emergency kit. Unless they're already in your safe deposit box, she recommends storing them in a plastic bag in your home safe or in a portable, fire-resistant, waterproof box that you can quickly grab if you need to leave in a hurry. These documents include: • Copies of drivers' licenses • Estate documents • Insurance policies • Social Security card • Home inventory record • Car titles • Checkbooks • Safe deposit box location and key • Retirement account information • Family cell-phone numbers and e-mail addresses • Investment account numbers, passwords and your financial advisers' contact information • Such medical records as your health insurance card, doctors' names and phone numbers, immunization records, and prescriptions for drugs and vision correction • Copies of powers of attorney, living wills and related documents • Backups of critical digital information, such as accounting files • Cash or traveler's checks to cover one week of emergency expenses "Don't count on using your credit or ATM cards during a widespread disaster," cautions Bischoff. "Their processing depends on telephone lines or Internet connections, which may not be operating." How To Help Oregon's Native Western Gray Squirrel By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Autumn is a great time to watch and learn about Oregon's native western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus), known also by the name "silver-gray." Because these squirrels don't hibernate, they spend much of the fall gathering and storing food for the coming cold months. In Oregon, the western gray squirrel is declining in numbers and is listed as a sensitive species. In Washington, the species is listed as threatened &endash; biologists are concerned with its possible extinction there. Competition with other species and loss of oak woodlands and older trees may be contributing to their decline. The Oregon State University Extension 4-H Wildlife Stewardship Program is encouraging people to learn about, appreciate and help create habitat for these increasingly scarce native backyard acrobats. The western gray squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in Oregon. They are silvery gray, with a white belly. White tips on their gray hairs give them a silvery appearance. They have a bushy, silvery gray tail with black hairs. Adults weigh between 18 to 33 ounces. They can be as long as two feet, including their tail. They have tough, curved claws and strong legs for tree climbing and leaping. The eastern gray squirrel, introduced in 1919 to Oregon's state capitol, looks a lot like the western gray squirrel, except it is slightly smaller and has a reddish tinge to its fur in the summer. Both species of squirrels are ecologically similar and use the same resources for food and nesting. Eastern gray squirrels can be found in most urban areas in Oregon and in areas with nut orchards. They are known to be more aggressive than the native western gray squirrels. Eastern squirrels are fond of birdseed and often raid feeders. They can be troublesome for homeowners by getting into attics and digging up flowerbeds. Western gray squirrels need all the help they can get. Here's some advice from the OSU Extension 4-H Wildlife Stewardship Program about how to maintain and create habitat for them. If you have oak trees in your habitat area, that's a good start. If not, other trees that produce seeds or nuts, such as maple, walnut, hazelnut, spruce, sugar pine, ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine are also suitable. Provide shelter for western gray squirrels by leaving large trees and dead or dying trees, as long as they do not pose a safety hazard. If woodpeckers make cavities in these trees, squirrels can nest in them after the woodpeckers leave. It is best not to feed squirrels. Feeding squirrels can attract the nonnative eastern gray squirrel rather than the more shy native western gray squirrel. Too many squirrels in one area can drive away birds and other desirable wildlife. Oregon's western gray squirrels are often heard before they are seen. Chewed nutshells and pinecone scales scattered beneath a tree is a likely sign that squirrels may reside up above in the canopy or in a hollow trunk. Active in the daytime, western gray squirrels sleep at night. The best time to watch these native squirrels is an hour or two after sunrise. As the day warms up, squirrels spend more time resting. They may sprawl on their belly on tree limbs with their legs and tail dangling. Or they might sit on a limb with their tail curled over their back. Western gray squirrels leave inch-long round tracks with four toe prints. The back feet leave 21?4-inch tracks with five toe prints. When a squirrel runs or hops, its trail has the hind prints in front of the fore prints. Preferring wooded areas with lots of oak trees, western grays may also be found near streams and in forests where there are maples, tanoak, madrone, Douglas-fir, white fir, and pines. They also live in urban parks and orchards near forested areas. Squirrels eat a variety of foods. They prefer fungi, acorns, and seeds from trees such as Douglas-fir, true firs, spruce, and pines. On a quiet day, you may hear a nibbling noise coming from high in a tree. If you look closely, you might find a squirrel holding a pine cone in his hands like a corn cob and chewing on it. In the summer, squirrels also eat green vegetation, berries, and insects. Squirrels help new trees grow by storing nuts and seeds in the ground, hoping to eat them later. If they forget where they hid them, the seeds can sprout into new trees. Squirrels also help plants by eating aphids, a type of insect that can attack Oregon ash trees and cause a disease called leaf roll. Squirrels can damage trees by chewing the bark when food is scarce. The OSU Extension 4-H Wildlife Stewardship Program trains adult volunteers to promote science learning among youth and create sustainable wildlife habitat education sites on school grounds around the state. During the 2004-05 school year, 13,441 students participated in the program in 54 of Oregon's schools. To learn more about an OSU Extension Service wildlife stewardship program nearest you, visit: http://wildlifestewards.4h.oregonstate.edu/ Horses Need To Be Conditioned, Prepared For Pack Trips By Evelyn Boswell, Montana State University News Service Preparing for a pack trip in the mountains involves more than loading a horse into a trailer and driving to a trail head, says Sandy Gagnon of Montana State University. Riders need to condition their horses, understand how much food they need in a day and find out forest regulations ahead of time. They have to be able to recognize a good camp site. They need to know their horses. "Understanding your livestock can really make a difference in your trip. They need to be properly trained to do a number of things," Gagnon said during the second annual equine conference held recently at MSU. An MSU Extension Equine Specialist, Gagnon teaches packing courses and a wilderness ecology course at MSU. He has researched the impacts of horses on wilderness areas and high-mountain meadows. Aiming his talk toward recreational riders, Gagnon said riders need to think about a horse's behavior before deciding to take it into the mountains. Is it gentle and reliable under a variety of conditions? Will it try to run home? Is it overly afraid of downed trees or wet, swampy land? Will it follow other horses or leave the group? Is it good about its feet, allowing itself to be shoed if necessary? Is it a gelding or mare? Some pack groups prefer geldings, but many groups contain both geldings and mares, Gagnon said. Mares can be a problem when they're in estrous, he noted. They're also more likely to run home. Gagnon suggested using gentle horses that have been trained to accept being hobbled or tied. They should be able to stand quietly while tied. They might be introduced before the trip to non-traditional animals like llamas so they won't be surprised if they encounter them on the trail. If horses are new to each other, they should also be introduced before going into the mountains, Gagnon said. That can be done by placing the horses in wooden corrals across from each other. Horses should be conditioned ahead of time, too, to prevent things like fatigue, stiff muscles and cinch sores. Riders should select camp sites that have enough feed for the horses and are away from other groups with horses, Gagnon said. Camps and horses need to stay at least 200 feet from water and trails. Riders should find out in advance if grazing is permitted or they need to bring in feed. They should inquire about the numbers of animals and people allowed in a group. "You need to plan on stopping sooner in the day unless you know the area where you are headed," Gagnon said. He advised setting up camp between the grazing area and trail head to make it easier to detect horses trying to go home. Horses, however, should stay far enough away from camp so flies won't be a problem. Gagnon reminded his listeners that, "Any time stock is restrained, they can cause considerable damage to trees, plants and soil by pawing and trampling." If horses are tied to trees, the trees should be living and about eight inches in diameter, Gagnon said. Horses should only be tied for a short time. Horses that are tied for several hours or overnight should be tied to a highline between trees, he said. Horses that tend to paw should be hobbled, as well, to protect the area. If other horses are grazing, at least two horses should be tied instead of just one so they will stand more quietly. Portable electrical fences work well and prevent overgrazing and damage to the environment better than tying a horse to a stake, Gagnon said. He doesn't trust the fences for overnight use, however, because animals may run over it. "I'm actually there for pleasure," Gagnon said. "I don't want to walk." Ernie Barker, owner of the JJJ Wilderness Ranch at Augusta and an outfitter who attended Gagnon's talk, said he'd like to see packers go deeper into the timber instead of tying their horses on highlines next to the closest trees facing a trail or meadow. "They should think about making the campsite a little nicer for the next person who comes along," Barker said. "They are destroying some campsites," he added. "Pretty soon, the Forest Service will put up a sign saying, 'No camping' because of it." How To Collect, Dry And Roast Squash And Sunflower Seeds By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University If you grow sunflowers, pumpkins or squash in your garden, harvest time is here. If you'd like to try gleaning out the seeds from these plants, you'll have a nutritious snack. It is easy to dry and roast these high protein seeds. Here's how to clean, dry and roast your seeds from food preservation expert Nellie Oehler, family and community development faculty with the Oregon State University Extension Service. For sunflower seeds, cut the spent flower heads, leaving a stem about one foot long. Hang each of these upside down in a dry location with good air circulation. Tie a cloth bag or a worn out, clean pair of panty hose around each head to catch the seeds, which might drop during drying. For pumpkin and other winter squash seeds, wash and remove all clinging fiber from the seeds. Pumpkin and winter squash seeds can be dried in a dehydrator at 115 to 120 degrees until crisp or in a warm oven for an hour or two. Stir the seeds frequently until they are crisp. For seasoned roasted seeds, try mixing two cups of the dry seeds in a bowl with a half-teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, 11/2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine and a teaspoon of salt. Place the coated seeds in a shallow baking pan and roast in a hot oven 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Stir the seeds frequently, assuring that all are dry. Cool the seeds after roasting in a plastic bag or container, removing as much air as possible. For long-term storage, store them in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent rancidity. Order Your Free Credit Reports From This Authorized Service From University of Idaho's HomeWise Since Sept. 1, all Americans have been entitled to receive a free credit report. When they've used the Internet to do that, however, too many of them have gotten a whole lot more, and not for free. "There are some scams going on," says Beverly Healy, University of Idaho Extension educator in Ada County. Some Web sites will lure in customers with the promise of a free credit report but will refuse to send it unless the users provide their credit card numbers to purchase other services. "They tell you that you're going to get a free report&emdash;and you will&emdash;but you get hooked into signing up for some other things and getting charged for them," she says. Other offers come in the form of unsolicited e-mail, which Healy cautions consumers against responding to. "Never give out your credit card number or any personal information if you're not sure that you're on a valid site," she says. For absolutely free, no-strings-attached credit reports, Healy advises consumers to go to www.annualcreditreport.com, a centralized service created and authorized by the three nationwide consumer credit-reporting companies&emdash;Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Once on the site, you can read your credit report online or have it sent to you by U.S. mail. You can also request your report from the same service by calling toll-free at 1-877-322-8228 and never going online at all. Federal law allows each consumer a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit-reporting companies. Some consumers may want to order all three at once, so that they can compare them, or they may prefer to stagger their requests at four-month intervals. To uncover evidence of identity theft, Healy says consumer advocates encourage all Americans to check their credit reports once a year. Credit reports include all of the information about your financial activities that a consumer-reporting company could provide to a lender or other third party&emdash;such as your payment history, credit limits, account balances, collection-agency actions, liens, bankruptcies and so forth. Although credit reports are free, credit scores are currently available only for a fee. Use Caution With Fresh Apple Juice Or Cider By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Apples are ripe and falling off the trees. With Halloween almost upon us, fresh apple juice or cider is popular. But take care &endash; if you plan to make your own or purchase your fresh juice or raw cider from a local fruit stand, special precautions may be in order, says Nellie Oehler, food safety expert with the Oregon State University Extension Service's Family and Community Development program. "Raw apple cider has been linked with E.coli 0157:H7 outbreaks," said Oehler. These outbreaks usually come about when tree fruit comes in contact with domestic and wild animals that might frequent an orchard, explained Oehler. "Windfall apples are very likely to be contaminated," she warned. Pasteurizing raw apple juice before drinking it can minimize the risk of illness. This can be done at home, by heating the juice to a safe 160 degrees. "People who don't have an appropriate thermometer should heat the juice to simmering &endash; just below the boiling point," she advised. "Pasteurization of juice is particularly important if pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with cancer, AIDS and other illnesses that affect the immune system are going to consume apple juice or cider," warned Oehler. For long-term storage, apple juice may be canned in a boiling water canner. Heat the juice to boiling, put into jars and process in a boiling water canner for five minutes. The juice can also be frozen. Be sure to leave adequate headspace if the juice is frozen in jars. The Lane County office of the OSU Extension Service offers guidance for producing safe fruit juices and apple cider. To obtain a printed copy of "Preserving Foods: Fruit Juices and Apple Cider" (SP 50-455), contact their office at 541-682-4243 or 800-872-8980 if outside the local Eugene/Springfield calling area. Or download a copy at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fcd/foodsp/pdf/50-455.pdf. For more information about safe canning and preserving other foods from apples, such as applesauce, dried apples, pie filling or apple butter, download OSU Extension's fact sheet on preserving apple products at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fcd/foodsp/pdf/SP50-446.pdf. The Science Of Autumn Colors By Peg Herring, Oregon State University Autumn leaves are the grand finale of the growing season. What creates all that color? It's all about photosynthesis, according to Pat Breen, Oregon State University professor emeritus of horticulture. The word "photosynthesis" means "to transform with light." That is just what happens inside leaf cells as chlorophyll uses the sun's light to transform water and carbon dioxide into food for the growing plant. Throughout the summer, green plants produce a continual supply of chlorophyll to keep the transformation going. But when days get shorter and nights get cooler, plants slow their production of chlorophyll. As the amount of chlorophyll declines, the green color of plant leaves starts to fade and other pigments begin to shine through. Carotenoids, for example, are found in most green plants, and are necessary for capturing sunlight. When chlorophyll fades, the carotenoids that are left create yellow and sometimes brilliant gold color. We see carotenoids at work in big-leaf maples this time of year. A second pigment, anthocyanin, is produced in the leaves of only a few kinds of trees. It creates shades ranging from pink to red to purple, as in our native vine maples. When the colorful pigments finally fade, leaves turn brown from the remaining tannin. Tannins are found in almost all trees, and are especially abundant in Oregon white oak, which keeps its autumn color to a conservative brown. Weather plays a part in the show of autumn leaves. The most vivid color tends to unfold when autumn days are sunny and nights are cool but above freezing. The red-color anthocyanins are produced in strong light when sugars are trapped in the leaf as stems begin to shut off in preparation to drop. If the weather holds, enough sugars are produced to create brilliant red and orange color in the leaf. Rainy weather blocks warmth and sunshine, and so inhibits sugar production. Leaves fade without much color change. Likewise, early frost can kill leaves, turning them brown. You can orchestrate your own grand finale by planting trees that promise autumn color. Many kinds of native trees and shrubs are already brightening the woods this time of year. A trip to the local nursery will reveal an even larger selection. Consider Norway maple or tulip tree for yellow and gold color; sugar maple and sweet gum for bright orange and red; and scarlet oak for deep red. All these should do well throughout most of Oregon.

Calcium: Eating Isn't Absorbing From University of Idaho's HomeWise If you're relying on calcium-fortified products to meet your daily calcium requirements, a recent study indicates that you may not be getting as much calcium into your body as you think. When Creighton University researcher Robert Heaney examined how much calcium women actually absorbed from orange juice fortified with 500 milligrams of different calcium forms, he learned that: • they only absorbed 100 milligrams of calcium from orange juice fortified with a combination of tricalcium phosphate and calcium lactate • they absorbed 48 percent more&emdash;148 milligrams&emdash;from orange juice fortified with calcium citrate malate For reasons that scientists don't fully understand, most of the calcium the women drank was simply unabsorbed. Martha Raidl, University of Idaho Extension nutrition specialist, agrees with Heaney that the best way to ensure that your body absorbs the calcium you consume is to get that calcium from natural sources. She suggests dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt and green vegetables like kale and turnip greens. The National Academy of Sciences recommends 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day for adults 19-50, 1,200 milligrams for adults over 50 and 1,500 milligrams for post-menopausal women who are not using hormone-replacement therapy. Children should get 500 milligrams at ages 1-3, 800 milligrams at ages 4-8 and 1,300 milligrams at ages 9-18. Who Says Small Is Better? By Susan Allen, Food Forethought Foundation When I clicked on the ice cream maker, Ben & Jerry's web site it was not the selection of sweets that made me a bit nauseous, rather it was the anti-"anything but small" farming rhetoric that made my stomach turn. You see, Ben & Jerry's demonize corporate and industrial farming, which under their flawed characterization equates to any type of farming that is not small sustainable and organic. Of course, the Brothers Grim is entitled to post their opinions, but they should expect backlash from the agriculture community for being two-faced. It is beyond my comprehension why Ben & Jerry's continues to attack large farming operations when they sold-out their company for millions in 2000 to the multi-national corporation, Unilever. Ben & Jerry's anti-production agriculture tirades are tiresome especially considering that they are the low man on Unilevers 900-plus brand totem pole that includes signature companies, like Bestfoods, Slim Fast, Wish Bone, Birds Eye, Knorr and Dove (to name a few of their many holdings) all dependant on production agriculture. On Ben & Jerry's web site, I learned that "industrial agriculture may be extremely efficient at delivering cheap food to supermarket shelves, but it can be pretty inefficient at lots of other things." (citing synthetic fertilizers and pesticides among their list of evils) Well, conveniently for Ben and Jerry industrial agriculture has been efficient at making Unilever universal. I find it fascinating that the popular "sustainable small farm movement" intent on gaining local control of agriculture and fueled by groups like Farm Aide and Iowa's Citizens for Community Improvement, has made great inroads with corporate America.   Dovetailing with sustainability has become the mantra of corporate PR campaigns thus, these farm activist groups receive financial support from organizations as diverse as the Ford Foundation, Standard Oil and EBay. Starbucks recently ran a full-page ad in the New York Times promoting the fact that "small coffee farms don't grow small coffee"; (of course, this begs the question of what large coffee plantations don't grow, large coffee?) The copy concluded that many (not all) of Starbucks  high quality beans come from small farmer co-ops and insinuated that by purchasing "big coffee" from small farms Starbucks is fostering sustainable practices.  This could very well be true, yet I wonder if I am the only one who sees the hypocrisy of this huge corporation tooting their horn over the cause of the small farmer while showing no mercy for the thousands of small coffee shop or bakery owners who have been putout of business by Starbucks.  Yes, farming is a life style, but for many of us so is entrepreneurship. Where are the safety nets or corporate donations for the small business owners that lack the competence, skill, vitality or luck to stay afloat? Apparently remaining "small and local" was not an attractive option for either Ben and Jerry's or Starbuck stockholders so why vilify the aggressive farmer who is blessed with the marketing and agronomy skills to grow his /her operation.   In the end, while these new small sustainable farms have become the darling of Madison Avenue and the culturally elite, they lack a track record. Sustainability by definition means to carry on, maintain, and keep going. What then of third and fourth generation farming families, many now corporations, have proven that they can "sustain" the populace by abundantly producing more than we consume decade after decade.  I believe that regardless of whether the farming operation is large, small, organic or traditional, each contributes immensely to the health and welfare of our citizens. In a nation that prides itself on diversity, it is time that agricultural elitist's (and you know who you are) get off your high horse!   OSU Researchers Strive To Harness Microbes For Hydrogen By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Researchers in Oregon State University's Department of Bioengineering are spearheading efforts to develop sustained production of hydrogen fuel by harnessing photosynthetic microbes that use solar energy to split water molecules and make hydrogen. OSU professors Roger Ely and Frank Chaplen were notified this week that they are receiving $900,000 over the next three years from a U.S. Department of Energy grant to bolster their efforts. Hydrogen as a fuel source is a hot topic &endash; hydrogen fuel is clean and energy-rich. Fossil fuels such as gasoline or coal generate greenhouse gasses, but burning hydrogen as fuel produces only water. To make hydrogen fuel takes energy, and current methods typically manufacture hydrogen from fossil fuels. To produce hydrogen fuel without emitting greenhouse gasses, a renewable form of energy would need to be used &endash; from the sun, wind or from a biological process. The technology to do this is not yet fully developed, but Ely and Chaplen hope to change this. The two bioengineering researchers &endash; who are faculty in both the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Engineering &endash; are especially interested in the hydrogen-generating potential of a large group of photosynthetic microorganisms called cyanobacteria. These bacteria, formerly known as blue-green algae, naturally generate energy from sunlight and, under certain conditions, can make hydrogen rather than sugars. Ely says cyanobacteria may be a perfect living source for a safe, efficient, and economical production of hydrogen for fuel. "Imagine an ideal energy device," said Ely. "It wouldn't burn fossil fuels, and it wouldn't pollute. It would be made of low-cost, non-toxic materials, would run on the power of the sun, and would be safe, clean and economical. "Nature has been conducting research and development on solar energy capture for about 31Ú2 billion years and can teach us much," he said. "From looking to nature, we already know three key things: visible light constitutes most of the energy reaching the Earth; we know how organisms capture it; and we know how they convert it into chemical energy." But the researchers must overcome a major hurdle: In natural systems, during photosynthesis, cyanobacteria stop making hydrogen when oxygen is present. "In the organism we are studying, oxygen interferes with the production of hydrogen by 'gumming up the works,' so to speak," explained Ely. With the grant, Ely and Chaplen hope to develop, via "metabolic engineering," oxygen-tolerant strains of cyanobacteria that can produce hydrogen continuously in the light. After developing sun-harnessing, hydrogen-producing strains, the plan is to grow them by the millions in systems that could also store the generated hydrogen and, using fuel cells, convert it into electricity on demand. They call these proposed systems "solar biohydrogen energy systems." "These systems can be designed to be relatively simple and economical, and could serve as decentralized sources of clean electrical energy," said Ely. "The process will have one input, sunlight, and two outputs, electricity and heat," he said. "It will be safe, will operate at relatively low temperatures, and could be made in a range of sizes &endash; from home to industry scale &endash; from abundant, inexpensive materials, mostly from carbon and silica." "I want to make oil obsolete," said Ely. "As I like to say, the Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of rocks. We can do better." Ely and Chaplen's efforts are in step with OSU's role as a Sun Grant University. As one of the country's five initial Sun Grant centers of excellence, OSU is a regional hub for evolving research, education and outreach programs largely focused on bioproducts and bioenergy. How To Dry Your Home Grown Tomatoes By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Sun-dried tomatoes are not just an exotic import from the Mediterranean. It is easy to create the flavor and aroma of dried tomatoes at home at a fraction of the cost of the imports. All you need is access to a food dehydrator, your oven or even a sunny day. Nellie Oehler, Oregon State University Extension Family Food Program educator, recommends the following simple and safe method for drying your garden-grown tomatoes at home. Select ripe tomatoes of good color. Meaty "plum" varieties such as Roma, Oroma, or Saucy work the best. Remove the skins, if you wish, by dipping the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Chill immediately in cold water then peel. Cut the tomatoes into 1Ú4-inch to 1/3-inch slices. Place them on food dehydrator trays. For seasoned dried tomatoes, sprinkle fresh tomato slices with herbs or garlic powder. Dry them until leathery, with no moisture pockets. Store them in a cool, dry and dark place in plastic or glass containers. If you have trouble with tomatoes darkening or turning black during the drying process, heat the fresh slices before drying. Steaming, blanching or heating in a microwave oven until the slices are heated throughout but not cooked, will reduce the enzymatic reaction that causes the blackening. When you want to use the dried tomatoes, soak them in hot water until softened. They make great pizza or pasta sauce and liven up creamy dips. Want to make dried tomato-flavored oil? Dried tomatoes can be packed safely in vegetable oil and stored at room temperature, as long as you added no fresh herbs or vegetables to the tomatoes while you were drying them. You can dry fresh herbs along with the tomatoes, however, said Oehler. To soften "crunchy" dried tomatoes before putting them into oil, dip them in bottled lemon or lime juice first. Add only dried herbs or garlic to your tomatoes in oil &endash; do not use fresh garlic or herbs as they can introduce potentially harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning. The flavored oil can be used on pizza, pasta salads, appetizers, Italian dishes, in vinaigrette dressing or in a marinade sauce. It is also wonderful as a dip for crusty French bread. The OSU Extension Service offers a publication to help you learn more about drying fruits and vegetables. To order "Drying Fruits and Vegetables" (PNW 397), send a request with a check or money order payable to OSU for $2.50 plus $3 for shipping and handling to: Publication Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. And remember, you can get answers to food preserving questions by calling the OSU Extension Food Safety/Preservation Hotline until Oct. 14 at 1-800-354-7319, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. OSU Extension Family Food Education volunteers and Extension staff operate the hotline. Nematodes Beneficial To Combat Root Weevils By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Are root weevils notching the leaves of your woody ornamentals? Help your shrubs by applying insect-killing, "beneficial nematodes," available for purchase at local nurseries. Root weevils are a type of beetle with root-feeding larvae and leaf-eating adults. They are the most serious insect pests of woody ornamentals in the Pacific Northwest, according to Robin Rosetta, integrated pest management expert at Oregon State University's North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora. The first autumn rain is a great time to start controlling root weevils with beneficial nematodes, especially if you saw lots of weevil damage last year. The best way to check for root weevils is to look for their damage. Examine your woody plants for fresh notches on leaf edges, evidence of adult feeding damage, especially on new growth. Weevil notching is quite distinctive and easy to identify. Although the notched leaves that the adult root weevils create are most visible, it is the root-feeding larvae that do most of the damage. Living in the soil around plant roots on which they feed, root weevil larvae feed on roots from late summer's hatching through the following late spring. They are somewhat dormant during winter months. The older larvae do the most damage. The adults feed on leaves of woody ornamentals for four to six weeks, and then lay eggs in the soil near woody plants through September. After the eggs hatch, the larvae enter the soil where they develop, feeding on plant roots. They spend winter months in the soil around roots and continue to develop in the spring as the soil warms. Pupation (change from larvae to adults) occurs in late spring. There is only one generation per year. Adult weevil beetles move onto the plant after sundown and feed on leaf margins sometimes throughout the night. During daylight hours they seek a moist, shady spot to rest. Nematodes are microscopic, eel-like roundworms, explained Rosetta. They are ubiquitous parasites, some friend and some foe. Many kinds of insect-killing ("entomopathogenic") nematodes prey on a variety of soil pests, including root weevil, black vine weevil, strawberry root weevil and European crane fly. Native populations of these nematodes are often too low to effectively control pest infestations. So, certain nematode species are mass-produced for use by gardeners. Beneficial nematodes are added to water, and then applied according to package instructions. Timing is of utmost importance - apply nematodes when the soil temperature is above 55 degrees and the soil is moist. Too little soil moisture will dry up nematodes; too much will drown them. When the autumn rains come, it is an optimal time to apply beneficial nematodes to your garden. Insect-killing nematodes will not harm plants, other animals or people. They are so safe, in fact, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has exempted them from its usual pesticide registration process. It helps to pull back the mulch and plant debris around your plants, apply the nematodes and then cover the treated areas again with mulch to retain heat and moisture, advised Rosetta. The nematodes move through the moist soil and enter the larva of a host insect. Once inside, the nematode releases bacteria, which kills the host within a few days. The nematodes continue to live in the dead larval tissue for several generations until they are ready to leave, attack new larvae and begin the cycle again. Beneficial nematodes may be found at larger garden stores and retail nursery outlets. Because they are living organisms, be very sure the supplies are fresh. The packages should have an expiration date and also be kept in a cool place. If the nematode packages are out on a sunny shelf, they may not be fresh. Mushrooms In Lawns May Mean You Have Healthy Soil By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Fall rains often bring mushrooms to lawns and gardens, but don't become alarmed. Mushrooms are actually the reproductive structures of fungi. If your property has mushrooms, it may indicate that your soil is healthy and a good place for trees and other plants to grow, according to Susie Dunham, post-doctoral research mycologist in the Oregon State University Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Fungi and bacteria play an integral role on earth &endash; they break down complex organic compounds including proteins, carbohydrates and fats into their most basic elements, explained Dunham. Then these basic compounds of life can be used by other generations of organisms. "Plants don't have mouths or stomachs," Dunham said, "so they rely on soil fungi and bacteria to digest these nutrients for them. In return, they feed the soil organisms with the sugars they make via photosynthesis." Underground, below the mushrooms popping up on your lawn, are thread-like networks, called hyphae. Some of these hyphae attach to plant roots, creating thread-like extensions that reach far into the soil, increasing the surface area of the plant roots up to 1,000 times. The fungal hyphae and the plant roots working together are called mycorrhizae. These intricate webs of hyphal filaments capture water and minerals and deliver them to plant roots via the mycorrhizae. Oregon's forest trees and many of our native and landscape plants depend on fungi and mycorrhizal relationships for optimal health and growth. The extended reach of these fungal threads is astonishing. A thimbleful of soil can contain miles of mycorrhizal filaments. Fungi and mycorrhizal filaments produce organic compounds that glue soils together to improve soil structure and porosity to enhance root growth. In addition, the presence of mycorrhizae in the soil has been found to suppress soil-born pathogens, protecting plants from root diseases. It all adds up to a fundamental relationship between fungi and green plants, one that has been evolving for millions of years. Most plants &endash; from orchids, rhododendrons and madrone trees to most fruit and nut trees, turf grasses, annuals and perennials &endash; depend on some type of fungal activity. A few kinds of plants don't have beneficial relationships with fungus, including plants that grow quickly following disturbance and plants that grow in saturated soils, such as cattails. Mycorrhizal fungi are not fertilizers, although inoculating roots with the fungi can improve a plant's growth rate and tolerance to drought and disease. Landscapes that have been stripped of topsoil or otherwise degraded can be improved with the addition of mycorrhizae to the soil. Over-watering, over-fertilization and the use of fungicides can eliminate the usefulness of mycorrhizae or even kill the fungal portion. As more is learned about these underground powerhouses, more suppliers are providing mycorrhizae to nurseries and landscapers. Mycorrhizal fungi can be purchased, and is often mixed with other beneficial organic matter. If mushrooms and toadstools offend you, remove them with a rake and bury them in your compost pile. But be ready to see a new crop spring up, as they can sprout new fruiting bodies in a day or so. After a while, the mushrooms will stop forming, and the mycelia will live unobtrusively in the soil for another year. Using fungicide chemicals to get rid of mushrooms is wasteful and ineffective because the fungus plant may be several feet below the soil surface. While you don't want to let your children or pets eat the mushrooms, as some could be poisonous, the best way is to just rake them off and compost them. To learn more about mushrooms, edible or not, there are good field guides available and several mushroom fairs held in the fall around the Portland, Yachats and Eugene areas. Local mycological societies often offer field trips in the spring and fall to help folks learn to appreciate and identify these fascinating organisms. The Willamette Valley Mushroom Society in Salem (http://www.geocities.com/oregonfungi/wvms.htm), the Oregon Mycological Society in Portland (http://www.wildmushrooms.org/) and the Cascade Mycological Society in Eugene (http://cascademyco.org/) have informative and fun websites with plenty of good links and calendars with local field trips and mushroom events. Dunham and other OSU mycologists and soil scientists are studying the relationships between fungus, microbes, soil and forests as part of the OSU Microbial Observatory in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Cascade Mountains. To learn more about their work, visit the summer 2005 issue of OSU's "Oregon's Agricultural Progress," magazine and scroll down to the article, "The Universe Beneath Our Feet," at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/oap/sum05/index.php. Or request a subscription (no charge) by calling 1-800-561-6719.

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