The Agrarian's Alcove

The holiday season brings about some of the prettiest winter decor. Poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, evergreen boughs and berries deck our halls and doors. Old traditions have led us to associate these interesting plants with Christmas-time, but farmers and horticulturists work hard throughout the year to have these plants ready just in time to bring you holiday cheer! Holly Holly is a popular plant that we use little sprigs of to decorate wreaths, centerpieces, and garlands. It’s mentioned in several holiday songs including “The Holly and the Ivy” and “It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.” The Holly Association of America is a great website for people who grow holly all year long. Holly growers actually have to start planting their trees (if they are already matured) in the spring, so that their berries are ready in winter. There are different varieties of holly, but the type most associated with Christmas is English holly. It’s beautiful solid green leaves and red ber...

It’s that time of year: Christmas trees, candy canes, bright lights. Christmas tree farmers work hard all year long to produce the most beautiful trees. It’s an unusual kind of agriculture compared to what we see on a daily basis. For instance, you can’t find Christmas tree farms all over the world. It is a very western tradition. Let’s look at some fun facts involving this special type of ag! You can find Christmas tree farms in North America, the UK, and Australia Christmas trees are often exported to China, Japan, the Phillipines, and Mexico Live Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since the 1850’s! There is a National Christmas Tree Association that, along with the USDA keeps records of Christmas tree sales, production, and recycling President Theodore Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons Speaking of environment...are Christmas trees really bad for the environment? For those of you who are concerned (an...

Monday, August 14, 2017 6:58 PM Lately, I have been really kicking myself for the amount of food I have let go bad. I know there ways to avoid it; I know the impact it has on our environment. I also know that we are really blessed in America to have access to and availability of all this food, and yet I am taking it for granted.  I'm sure you have all heard that you can freeze almost anything, so that it doesn't go to waste. This usually is the first thing I see when I read about "how to make food last longer", or "how to save money on groceries." Today I'm going to discuss 5 ways to prevent food waste, that aren't just about using your freezer.     "Repurpose" bread, and other food We all think about upcycling and reusing material items, but how often do you think about using your food that is about to go bad in a different way than normal? When I was a kid, we would wait until we had a couple of heels of bread, or any...