One to grow on

Resources for better gardening practices

Betty Jane Mincemoyer started at the beginning,

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. Penn State Master Gardeners Program is offered through Centre County Cooperative Extension. Call 355-4897 to find out how to apply for the next session that starts in the fall. . The Home-grown Living School at Fiedler Farm in Aaronsburg is offering a series of workshops that foster a back-to-the-roots approach. “Food from the Back Yard — Container Gardening and Building a Raised Bed” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 30 costs $40 and includes a home-grown lunch. . “Family Farm Visit” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 27 offers a chance to help prepare a healthy lunch with farm fresh foods. The cost is $20 for each parent, $12 for each child. Two workshops feature food preservation. “Lactofermentation” from 1 to 4 p.m. July 25th and “Canning, Freezing, Drying” from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15. The fee for each session is $30. . Tait Farm offers free workshops from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturdays each spring that cover different aspects of gardening, cooking and composting. Check out the Web site, www.taitfarmfoods.com, for more information about upcoming fall workshops or call the Harvest Shop at 466-3411. A-B-C Chopped Salad Here’s a salad to make with vegetables now ready from your own garden or available at the farmers markets. If you are making it with or for a child, allow them to help and follow the recipe and be sure to cut everything up in small, non-intimidating pieces. Makes six 1 cup servings 1 apple, peeled and chopped 2 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked on paper towels in the microwave 3 ounces cheddar cheese, chopped into tiny cubes or shredded 4 scallions, shopped 5 radishes, chopped 6 cups of mixed salad greens such as leaf lettuce, watercress, spinach, torn into small pieces Dressing 1/3 cup light olive oil or other mild oil 2 tablespoons fruity vinegar, berry or apple cider 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs — parsley, chive, par-cel Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Prepare the apple and put a little of the dressing on it (2 teaspoons) so that the apple doesn’t discolor while you prepare the rest of the salad. Chop and cook the bacon and cube or shred the cheese. Mince the scallions and slice the radishes into paper thin slices. Wash and dry the salad greens and place in a large salad bowl. Top the greens with the apple, cooked bacon, cheese, scallions and radishes. Pour the dressing on the top and toss to lightly coat the lettuce with the dressing.

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explaining the fundamentals of gardening to the kindergarten class at Panorama Elementary.

“First, you put on your hat. Second, you put on clothes to protect yourself from the sun.”

The 80-plus-year-old grandmother in overalls and gardening clogs held the attention of the class as she went through each of her props.

She showed a weathered trowel and pointed weed digger.

“Why is my trowel handle painted yellow?” she asked.

“Because yellow is your

favorite color!” volunteered one student.

She shook her head and called on another boy. “So you can find it easier in the grass,” he ventured.

“Right — so I can find it after I put it down,” she said.

She explained how she keeps up with gardening info: by reading Garden Gate magazine to know when to plant, so she can make up a gardening timetable. She passed out a copy of her timetable to the class with vegetables listed under certain key dates.

She talked about seed catalogs and looking at pictures of different varieties of vegetables and about what is on each seed packet; about why it is important to open the seed packets from the bottom, so you don’t tear off any valuable information. Seeds need to go into the ground in different ways; some on top of the soil, some need to soak overnight in water. Some, like carrot, are so tiny that it is best to use a salt shaker to sprinkle them on the dirt.

She very slowly and clearly drew the three things seeds need from the eager class: soil, water and light.

The class was still giving their undivided attention when Mincemoyer caused a collective gasp when she showed a 6 pack of marigolds in bloom — and then snapped off the blossom.

“The first thing you do when you plant flowers is take off the bloom so the plant’s energy can go into the roots to make it strong.”

She passed around a tomato plant in a clear plastic cup so the children could see the tangled root mass.

“You want to plant tomatoes sideways so the roots go all the way down. Any sort of cup can be used. Egg cartons are especially good because they can fit easily on a windowsill,” she said.

She pulled a nail out of her pocket and showed how to pierce the bottom of an egg carton to provide drainage.

Reaching into a canvas grocery bag, she pulled out a pepper and talked about how one plant will yield many seeds and one seed can yield many vegetables.

Next, the tables were covered with newspaper and aluminum trays filled with potting soil mix. Five groups of four children carefully patted soil into four-pack trays, adults wet the soil, then they filled up the tray and carefully planted their seeds in each compartment.

Clam shell takeout containers — the type used at salad bars — neatly held two four packs and became miniature greenhouses to trap heat and moisture for the seeds when set along the window sill in the bright classroom.

Mincemoyer finished the garden primer lesson just in time for recess. The children burst out of the room and Mincemoyer gathered up her bag of tricks, her potting soil bucket, four packs, clam shells and seed packets and went next door and delivered the exact same program to the other kindergarten class.

An hour later she packed up her wheelbarrow and rolled it all back to her garage, past her pet project, the now-dormant Panorama school garden. She had planted more than just vegetable seeds this day.

Anne Quinn Corr is an instructor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State and frequently writes about food and cooking for the Centre Daily Times.