FALL 2017 in this issue Exploring Flowers & Plants p. 2-3 Pumpkin & Squash p.4-5 Gifts & Events p. 6-7 Recipes p. 8 Ask Professor Pansy p. 9 Riddles & Jokes p. 10 Some parts of this leaf are green, but other parts are turning red. The green comes from chlorophyll, which plants use to make food. In the fall, they don t make as much, so the other leaf colors show through.
Study a flower like a scientist or an artist Have you ever looked closely at a flower or plant? When I look closely at fall leaves, like the one on the cover, I think they look like maps. Maybe maps to the secrets of the universe. Some people draw the parts of the flower, including leaves and seeds. You can take a flower apart and label the different parts in your unique style. Many artists study plants to create new designs for fashion to furniture. Rose bud A lily with the flower parts labeled. This set of photographs shows a persimmon fruit as it grows from a flower bud to a fruit. Can you see the seeds inside the rose, below the petals? After the rose blooms, the petals fall off and the rose hip and the seeds grow larger. Birds and other animls eat the rose hips. They have lots of vitamin C. Many people make tea using rose hips. Rose in bloom Rose hip
Before the invention of photography, drawings and pressed plants were the best ways to learn and share information about plants. Scientist still keep pressed plants to study them. A pressed dandelion used for study from the University of Washington collection. A botanical drawing of a dandelion. You can press flowers too! Put flowers between two pieces of paper or waxed paper, then put the flower and paper in between pages of a book, and stack more books on top to press the flower flat. (Find an old book to use as a press. The pages may get damp or discolored.) A pressed flower greeting card by Bainbridge Island artist Norimi Kusanagi. Read about her and see more of her artwork at norimispressedflowers.com 3
Fall is Pumpkin Time! What is the difference between a pumpkin, a squash, and a gourd? When someone talks about a pumpkin, you might think about an orange, round pumpkin right away. But did you know that a pumpkin is related to acorn squash, zucchini, and some gourds? Here are the differences between each one. What is a pumpkin? All pumpkins are squash, but we call some squash pumpkins because of their shape, color, and because we use them for jack-o-lanterns and halloween decorations. Large orange pumpkins are great for carving into jack-o -lanterns, white pumpkins are great for painting. Some pumpkins are warty and make spooky decorations. Pie pumpkins can be smal and orange, or large like cinderella pumpkins and come in colors like red, pink, and green. jarrahdale cinderella 4
What is a squash? Squashes come in many shapes and sizes. They may look very different from each other. There are two main types of squash, summer and winter. Summer squash have tender skin and are picked in the summer. zucchini patty pan Winter squash have hard skin and are picked late in the fall. They can be stored to eat during the winter when not many vegetables are growing. butternut acorn What is a gourd? Soft shelled gourds are colorful and warty, and come in different shapes. They are great for painting and decorating. They are related to pumpkins and squash. Hard shelled gourds are only a distant cousin of pumpkins, squash, and soft shelled gourds. They can be used to make ladles, birdhouses, and music instruments. They are good for painting. Some are even shaped like a swan.
GIFTS Show your Junior Gardeners Club Membership card to get your free gift. September September Your choice of 4 inch sedum or sempervivum $ 499 value Choose from a hardy sedum or sempervivum in our greenhouses. These cool-looking plants don t mind hot dry weather. October October 4 inch pansy or viola $ 219 value Choose a cheerful pansy or viola to take home and enjoy this fall. The perfect flower for fall gardens and containers. November November 2 inch indoor foliage plant $ 179 value Indoor plants can make the grey winter days a little brighter. Pick out a petite pot of lush leaves from our indoor gardening department. 6
Talk to a cashier to get your free Junior Gardeners Club Membership card. EVENTS Meet the Bees! Sunday, September 24th at 2pm Have you ever wondered where honey comes from? Bees of course, but exactly how do they make it? Come learn how and why bees make honey and honeycomb. There will be real bee keeping supplies to touch and honey to taste! Harvest Fest Sunday, October 21st 11am - 4pm Join us for Sky Nursery s annual fall festival! We ll have games, animals, a straw bale maze, and other fun stuff. Come make some great fall memories with your friends and family in the Sky Nursery greenhouse. Rain or shine, Harvest Fest is always a great day. Don t forget to bring something to donate to our HopeLink food drive if you can. Make an indoor / outdoor herb pot Sunday, November 12th at 2pm Time to get cooking! As the days cool down the warmth of the kitchen and hearth welcome us back inside. Adding fresh herbs to recipes can remind us of the good tastes and smells of the summer garden. Come make a small pot of three hardy herbs to brighten up your favorite recipes. Cost for this activity is $22.00. Reserve your spot in person or over the phone. 7
Fun Recipes for Fall Make your own Pumpkin Puree Pumpkin doesn t come from cans, of course! It comes from pumpkin plants. You and a grown-up helper can work together to make your own pumpkin puree. Use any kind of pie pumpkin or winter squash. Turn the oven on to Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Have an adult slice the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Use a big metal spoon to scrape out all the pumpkin guts the seeds and stringy fibers. (Save the seeds to make a tasty snack!) Put a quarter-inch of water in the bottom of a baking pan, then lay the pumpkin halves in with the skin side up. Put it in the oven and let it cook for 30-45 minutes. Poke the cooked pumpkin with a wooden spoon to see if it s done. It should squish easily, like play dough. Pull it out of the oven and let it cool for one hour. Once the pumpkin is cool enough, use a big spoon to scrape the squishy flesh out of the skin. Mash or blend until the flesh is smooth. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Recipes using Pumpkin Puree Pumpkin Parfait Stir 1 cup pumpkin puree into vanilla yogurt. Layer with granola for a parfait. Pumpkin Snowballs Combine 1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice, 3 Tbsp pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup raisins in a bowl. Form into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Quite a Spread Stir pumpkin puree and pumpkin-pie spice into cream cheese. Spread on toast or bagels. Pumpkin Hummus Combine 2 cups pumpkin puree, 2 Tbsp tahini, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp each ground cumin and salt in a food processor. Serve with toasted pita bread. from -http://www.parenting.com/article/pumpkin-recipes Zucchini Pancakes INGREDIENTS 2 medium zucchini 2 eggs 1/2 c. flour parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS mozzarella cheese oil salt If you like, try adding other herbs like basil, onions, garlic or hot peppers. Use a cheese grater to grate the zucchini and cheese. You need 2 cups of grated zucchini and 1/2 cup each of parmesan and mozzarella. put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. Have an adult help you heat up a skillet to medium heat and add some oil. Drop large spoonfuls of mixture into the pan. Cook a few minutes on each side until golden. from -allrecipes.com
Ask Professor Pansy Moxie - age 8 asks How did lavender get its name? Lavender has been popular in gardens for many hundreds of years, (lots of grandparents of grandparents ago). Our English word might come from the older French word, lavendre, and that word comes from the even older medieval Latin word lavendula. People think this word is linked to the older Latin word lividus which meant something blue-ish or livid in color. This could be because the flowers are considered blue by garden standards; though I think they are a nice shade of purple or light violet. Another possible way lavender came by its name is because the plant oils have mild antibacterial properties. This means it can be used as a very mild disinfectant and was very often used for laundry washing and bathing. The Latin word lavare means to wash. This could be our source for lavender. The idea of washing and the plant were so strongly linked by early English people that washer-women were also called lavenders and laundresses. Miranda - age 11 asks Can you plant an apple tree by putting a seed in the ground? Yes you can! But, I can almost promise you it won t grow very delicious apples, even if the seed you plant came from a delicious apple. The seed will not grow into the same type of apple tree as it s parent. You can go on the internet and check out a fascinating history of apples in the documentary, Botany of Desire, based on the book by journalist Michael Pollan. The whole documentary is available here: naturedocumentaries. org/126/the-botany-of-desire/. 9
Riddles & Jokes 1 What s worse than a worm in your apple? 2 How do you mend a broken pumpkin? 3 What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? 4 What do you call a badly behaved pumpkin? 4. A Jerk-o-lantern 3. A squash 2. With a pumpin patch 1. Half a worm Make sure to check our website and the newsletter to find out what s coming up! 10