Skip to main content
0

The Dirt

[social_buttons facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”true” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”true”]
Dec 31

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements – January 2025

By Beet 2025 01 January

JCMGA Membership Renewal for 2025 is now open.

  • Remember to be included in the JCMGA Chapter Directory, you need to renew your membership by January 31, 2025.

 

JCMGA Chapter Directory Photo Contest

  • We will again have a Photo Contest in January 2025. The photo chosen will be used for the front cover of the 2024 JCMGA Chapter Directory.

  • For more details, see the enclosed article.

JCMGA Board Meeting

  • Friday, January 10th, in the SOREC Auditorium from 9-11:30 a.m.

  • Winter Board Retreat, Friday, January 24th, in the SOREC Auditorium from 9-11:30 a.m.

Dec 31

President’s Corner

By Beet 2025 01 January

It is a new year with many opportunities and new beginnings for all of us.  I hope that you had a relaxing time with family and friends over the holidays.  It is always good to take time to rejuvenate and enjoy the company of loved ones.

JCMGA has had a successful 2024! In the December Garden Beet I talked about some of our accomplishments during this past year.  Below are a few more JCMGA accomplishments:

  • The Fundraising Working Group was busy with many projects including selling our Garden Guides at community events.

  • As a way of getting JCMGA and gardening topics out to the public, we were part of many community events this year. At these events we had an information table/booth with several of volunteers to answer questions and provide gardening information.  These events included: Josephine County Home Builder Show; Blue Heron Park Event; JCMGA Spring Garden Fair; Medford Open Streets Project; Fall Festival; and One Sanctuary Event.

  • The Community Outreach Working Group has also been actively working on getting more community gardens involved with JCMGA. They also provide school grants for gardening projects.  What a great resource!

  • We started a new project – the Friends of the Gardens. “Friends” are interested in working in our gardens and learning more about gardening without becoming Master Gardeners.

  • The Class of 2024 Clothing Committee developed a gardening shirt logo – created by Adrienne Cheng.

  • The JCMGA Native Plant Nursery is booming! A big thank you to Lynn Kunstman and all the volunteers for their hard work in making it a success. Cody Maple, a Class of 2024 student, created the new Native Plant Nursery logo and Nicole Smith created a new Native Plant page on our website.

  • The Marketing & Technology Working Group worked on publicity for JCMGA and kept our technology up to date.

  • The Member Services Working Group distributed the JCMGA Chapter (Membership) 2024 Directory to our members. They also planned and implemented the following events: Class of 2024 Master Gardener First Day Lunch; JCMGA Annual Picnic; and Class of 2024 Master Gardener Graduation Celebration.

  • Plans are being developed for the 2025 JCMGA vision and what we want for our new tool shed, lathe house, and practicum classroom.

People in our working groups are committed to working together to accomplish their goals.  I encourage you to join us.  Contact the chair of a working group that you are interested in to find out more about what they accomplish.

Our working groups and their chairs are:

Community Outreach                            Michael Hornbeek

Fundraising                                               Jane Moyer

Gardens                                                      Janine Slavatti

Marketing & Technology                     Keltie Nelson and Lucy Pylkki

Member Services                                    Barbara Low and Linda Millus

Program Support                                   Grace Florjancic

Spring Garden Fair                                Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki

Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens     Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low

This year is full of new beginnings and continuing what we started in 2024!  We are a very active organization which provides gardening expertise – whether hands-on or via classes – to our members and community.

It takes all of us working together to accomplish our goals. Thank you to all those who have helped with our projects in 2024.  Everyone should be proud of what we have accomplished as we move forward in 2025.

 

 

 

 

Dec 31

Coordinator’s Column 

By Beet 2025 01 January

Hello Gardeners!

As we enter 2025, it’s a good time to celebrate the successes of the past year and focus on the goals for the upcoming year. We have awesome highlights from the Jackson County MG Program of 2024. Thank you all for making this great work happen!

In 2024 the Master Gardener Volunteers….

  • have a total of 9,300.1 volunteer hours!

  • have 1,009.75 hours of learning for Continuing Education Credits!

  • have donated 1,082 pounds of produce from the Plant a Row Campaign and MGs bringing produce to their local pantries!

  • have 39 graduates from the 2024 MG Volunteer Training Class!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year a success. I am proud and amazed at all the hard work you have done for each other and the community.

Some other successes I want to highlight from the past year include, but by no means are limited to….

Cultivating Companions: Growing Together Through Plants

This program was a 7 week series we ran in some of the rural libraries around the county. Participants and instructors learned a lot and we had fun bringing people together. We reached 6 libraries and 48 program participants. The librarians were very helpful and enjoyed hosting us in their libraries. We are looking forward to running this program again in the libraries next year. I have reached out to their lead programming coordinator to get us set for a few more libraries. I have also reached out to the Jackson County Disability Services to set up a series with their audiences. Stay tuned for more information as we work out dates!

 

Jackson County Community Garden Network

One of the MG Programing priorities is local foods. In addition to financially supporting community gardens, we have meetups with community garden leaders around the county. Now we even have a Facebook group for keeping our gardens connected and easily sharing information. Check out what’s happening by searching “Jackson County Community Garden Network” on Facebook!

Demonstration Garden Events

Our demonstration gardens may not be in a busy public park, but that doesn’t stop us from spreading education with them! There have been many garden groups from across the valley who have toured our gardens. This has been a great opportunity for us to connect with more gardeners in our area as well as share what we each know. In the summer we invited artists to a plein air to paint, draw, and take photos of the flowers. Many artists were happy to read the informational signs scattered through the gardens to learn more about their muses. More formal educational opportunities like pruning classes continue to be a popular way for education to be shared in our demonstration gardens.

I cannot say it enough. Thank you to all you wonderful volunteers for making these things happen. As an organization we have our fingers dipped into many different pies and do a wide variety of education outreach. From the seemingly small jobs to the more dauntingly large tasks, it all helps and makes a difference. I can’t wait to have a great 2025 with you all!

Dec 31

A Venerable Tree, Oregon White Oak

By Beet 2025 01 January

Oaks, including Oregon white oaks/Garry oaks (Quercus garryana), are science’s superstar trees. They are often described as one of the best lifestyle trees on the planet for the number of species that live on, in, or interact with them. Figures differ, but more than 200 caterpillar species use oaks as a host plant. More than 345 animals, reptiles, birds, insects, plants, fungi including truffles, a mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) that grows only on Oregon white oak, and even algae interact specifically with Oregon white oaks.

Doug Tallamy, professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, is a fierce advocate for native plants of all kinds. His book, The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees, traces oaks month-by-month through the year. Oaks do a lot of growing underground while producing a rich environment for the creatures dependent upon them, he says, and aren’t overly noticed by humans. Tallamy lauds oaks as a powerful keystone species. These are “native plants critical to the food web and necessary for many species to complete their life cycle,” as noted by the National Wildlife Federation.

Constance A. Harrington, a US Forest Service researcher at the Pacific Northwest Research Station in Olympia, Washington, is an Oregon white oak expert. Her research has confirmed that white oak, a long-lived species, is not shade tolerant and needs sun and space. When free to grow, they can grow from 50–90 feet tall. Drought tolerant white oaks, she says, can live in either cool, humid or hot, dry conditions such as we have in the Rogue Valley (-30° to 116° F.). They have a deep taproot, roots flexible enough to grow around rocks and are wind resistant. The greater the branch spread that results in a large, wide crown, the more acorns will be produced, Harrington notes.

Many white oaks are old and established. The heartwood is hard to core with a tool that removes a wood sample to count the number of tree rings and age a tree. The height of a white oak or the density of its branches do not tell its age. In the Rogue Valley, it’s assumed that mature trees may be up to a couple of centuries old or more.

As the tree bark ages, it gets rougher and from a distance can look like lizard skin with chalky hieroglyphics! Oregon white oaks, as opposed to California black oaks (Quercus kelloggii) that are at the northern edge of their range here, tend to have whitish bark. Leaves are an easy way to determine white versus black oak: white oak leaves are lobed (rounded) where the leaf juts out; black oaks have pointed tips.

But why get excited? Traveling around the Rogue Valley, there are groups or swaths of oaks, often enough appearing mixed in with other trees or shading cows in a pasture. Why are Professor Tallamy in the East and Connie Harrington in the Pacific Northwest sounding a loud alarm?

It’s a crisis. The Oregon white oak/Garry oak has been a disappearing act since non-Indigenous settlement began in the Pacific Northwest more than 200 years ago. Estimates for the somewhat scraggly-limbed but lush, leafy trees are that less than 10% (6% in the Willamette Valley) of the Quercus garryana species survives two centuries on, mostly in sparse fragments on the landscape.

What happened? A Washington state guidance paper published in 2024 identifies “agricultural expansion, suburban and urban development, fire suppression, and conversion to more commercial Douglas fir” (that overgrow oaks with a higher canopy) as reasons for declining survival. Invasive species such as Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry and English hawthorn and others have severely encroached on oak stands.

Documented Indigenous use included frequent, non-severe burning to improve oaks’ acorn crops and perhaps to gather prey animals for hunts. The Willamette Valley has 6% of the pre-settlement oaks and their successors left. The drier Rogue Valley, slower to remove oaks from traditional stands, has more remnants although no one is sure what percentage of Oregon white oak remains here.  Most Oregon white oaks are on private property in this state.

Protection of existing oaks and encouragement of seedings are a dual strategy to save the species:

Existing Trees

Don’t remove a live oak tree (if possible). If a tree has to be removed in an open area and there’s a choice, try to preserve the oak. When you “release” an oak or small stand of oaks this way, the oaks have a chance to thrive.

Don’t overwater! Oregon white oaks are heat and drought adapted, expecting toasty temperatures when they have transitioned from spring growth to summertime acorn grow-out. Watering will depend somewhat on the oak’s location and your landscaping.

Oregon white oak roots extend beyond the drip line (the edge of the leaf canopy). Any machinery driven across the roots may damage or eventually kill the tree. So might damage to the trunk base by a mower or weed trimmer.

Harrington’s research indicates that the instinct to prune Oregon white oak so that no dead-looking or bare-seeming branches remain works against white oak survival. Sideways epicormic or “pin” branches rise from buds underneath the bark and directly help the oak build its crown.

Don’t worry if your Oregon white oaks produce wildly different numbers of acorns per year. A year of heavy production – filling the ground below and around the trees – is called a mast year. There are many theories why production varies, but it’s assumed that this survivor species of oak has a strategy.

Oregon white oak, a hardwood, tolerates lack of water, and its drought resistance means that it can withstand wildfire better than many conifers, for example. If its landscape is prepared for a wildfire, chances are that the oak will experience a less severe fire (as Indigenous peoples did by burning small areas quickly and less severely).

New Oregon White Oaks:

Many people struggle to get new Oregon white oaks to survive. The acorns are beloved as food by deer, squirrels, Steller’s jays, acorn woodpeckers, and any creature that can crunch open the acorn shell. Squirrels cache acorns in the fall to dig up later. Whether dug in by squirrels or finding ideal soil conditions to nestle in unmolested by critters, the “naturals,” – seedlings that grow without human intervention – are considered by foresters to be the hardiest and probably healthiest of white oak seedlings.

As gardeners, it can be fun and challenging to gather intact (no holes drilled through the shell) acorns and plant them. The long taproot establishes quickly so digging up seedlings, whether naturals or planted by you, may not work. Harrington’s advice is if you want to seed, do so in the fall when the acorns are ripe because oak plant roots get established in the fall. Plant the acorn deeply (4–6 inches) and/or use a metal mesh cage to reduce animal theft.

Soils should be appropriate (Oregon white oak grows mostly in clay soils in the Rogue Valley). Water seedlings but don’t overwater (as with any dry-loving native plants).  Squirrels or birds dropping acorns may decide to replant for you! Lastly, oaks are slow growers. Planting an acorn now is a gift to your grandkids.

A Word about Oak Diseases:

What are the round, yellow, red, sometimes green apple-sized things growing on or fallen under the oaks? These galls, also called oak apple galls, are caused by Cynipid gall wasp larvae that create the enlarged, swollen plant tissue. The expert consensus seems to be that this Oregon white oak gall wasp species is benign, another lifestyle-dependent species.

Oregon white oak is resilient, despite Tent caterpillars, stem and branch cankers, powdery mildew, anthracnose, and chronic, slow mortality from Armillaria root disease (that’s already in Rogue Valley soils).

So far, Quercus garryana is resistant to Sudden Oak Death (SOD).

The Mediterranean Oak Borer (Xyleborus monographus), detected in California and in Oregon in 2018, targets many types of oak, including Oregon white oak. Harrington notes that “it’s a borer, but larvae eat fungi the adults bring with them that causes a wilting disease which can kill branches and eventually whole trees.” Clues include a tiny bark entrance hole and pale boring dust at the tree base.

References

Nolan, M. P., and J. M. Azerrad. 2024. Management recommendations for Washington’s priority habitats: Best management practices for mitigating impacts to Oregon white oak priority habitat. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, Washington. https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02465

Doug Tallamy, YouTube, “Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour”

Margaret Roach, New York Times garden columnist, interviews Doug Tallamy on her awaytogarden.com blog. He lays out oak acorn “mast year” theories. https://awaytogarden.com/oaks-the-most-powerful-plant-of-all-with-doug-tallamy/

“A Landowner’s Guide for Restoring and Managing Oregon White Oak Habitats,” by David Vesely and Gabe Tucker, 2004, Bureau of Land Management and others.

Klamath Bird Observatory and Lomakatsi Restoration Project. 2023. Restoring oak habitats in southwest Oregon and northern California: a guide for private landowners. Version 3.0. Rep. No. KBO-2023-0002. Klamath Bird Observatory, Ashland, OR.

Oregon Conservation Strategy for Oak Woodlands. Official analysis and current policy strategy.

“Biology and Management of Oregon White Oak,” Lecture, Connie Harrington, Clackamas Tree School, Oregon City, 3/23/24. Similar to Feb. 2021 video. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/video/biology-management-oregon-white-oak

Devine, Warren D.; Harrington, Constance A. 2010.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr804.pdf

Harrington, Constance A.; Devine, Warren D. 2006. A practical guide to oak release. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-666. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 24 p

Swiecki, Tedmund J.; Bernhardt, Elizabeth. 2006. A field guide to insects and diseases of California oaks. Gen. Tech Rep. PSW-GTR-197. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 151 p.

“Garry oaks, also called Oregon white oaks, enjoy protected status,” The News Tribune, 9/9/2017

Photos by Maxine Cass

 

Dec 31

Creepy Old House – Phase Two

By Beet 2025 01 January

She’s Gone, Gone, Gone!

It’s a clean sweep! The Creepy Old House (COH) no longer stands as a sentinel when we pull into the SOREC driveway. The old tool shed went with her, and the infirmary greenhouse is now located in the propagation area. Having this area open and clean looking is a welcome sight!

The next steps are still pending.  In the meantime, the 2025 practicum classes will be conducted in Greenhouse 1. Stay tuned for updates!

 

Photo:  Janine Salvatti

Dec 31

JCMGA Membership Renewal for 2025

By Beet 2025 01 January

It’s that time of year when we open our Membership Renewal process.  We are asking each renewing member to complete the 2025 Membership form.  This can be done online or via paper form.

This form serves two vital purposes.  First, it assures the Membership Secretary has your most current information regarding your address, phone number, email and year you completed your education.  The second purpose is for you to identify where you want to share your knowledge, skills and abilities in 2025.  There are so many opportunities for you to assist the organization with projects and/or committees.  A project leader will know to contact you when your area of interest is meeting or working on a project.

We have added a box that allows you to limit how much of your contact information is listed in the directory, but we do need some contact information – preferably emails. If you choose not to have your street address listed you will have to pick up your directory at the Extension office because it will not be mailed out.

The yearly renewal fee is still $25.00 and a real bargain.  We ask that all renewal forms be returned by January 31st to be included in the directory which will come out in the Spring of 2025.  Thank you for supporting the process and we look forward to seeing you renew your membership.

You can renew your membership at https://jacksoncountymga.org/membership-renewal/

Dec 31

Announcing the Annual Jackson County Master Gardener™ Association  Photo Contest

By Beet 2025 01 January

The Jackson County Master Gardener™ Association Member Services Working Group (MSWG) announces its annual photo contest.

✦The 2025 JCMGA Photo Contest is open to all current Jackson County Master Gardener™ Association members.

✦Photos may be submitted from January 1st  until February 1st, 2025.  We can accept two (2) photos from each member, although there will be only one winning photo per person.

✦Photographs are limited to those taken in gardens of the Rogue Valley and the focus must be on a plant or flower – no people (for privacy issues), or garden animals or insects.

✦Please submit your photograph in portrait format, rather than landscape format to jcmgaphoto1@gmail.com.

✦All photographs must be at least 1500 x 1575 pixels (5”x5-1/2” at 300 dpi) and all submitted photos become the property of JCMGA.

In addition, since the photograph on the cover of the directory is longer from top-to-bottom than from side-to-side, photos submitted must be in portrait format rather than landscape.

Please submit your picture to jcmgaphoto1@gmail.com and include your name, phone number, email address and a short description of the flora pictured. If you have any questions, please contact Sandy Hansen, sandyhansen08@gmail.com.    All identifying information will be removed and the contest will be judged by members of the Member Services Working Group and the editor of the Garden Beet.

The winning photograph will appear on the cover of the 2025 JCMGA Chapter Directory, and four runners-up will have their photographs featured in the Garden Beet. Winners will be announced in the April Garden Beet. Four runners-up will have their photographs featured in the Garden Beet. Winners will be announced in the April Garden Beet.

Whether your garden consists of several acres or a single plant in a hanging basket, we would love the opportunity to honor the beauty you have created and nurtured.

  • All submitted photos become the property of JCMGA.

Dec 31

The Book Nook – “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren

By Beet 2025 01 January

Do you think you have an obsession with plants?  Wait until you read about Hope Jahren! In her incredibly well-written memoir “Lab Girl”, Dr. Jahren affords us front-row seats into her fascinating personal and professional journey as a paleobiologist.

Hope has expertly crafted her book so that each chapter on the growth and development of plants, trees in particular, corresponds with another chapter on her own development.  For instance, she details the incredible odds every seed meets in developing into an adult tree, and then describes the immense obstacles she overcame to secure the grant funding she needed to grow as a scientist.

In one chapter, Jahren tells of a 1977 attack of Tent caterpillars that was killing a research forest of Sitka willow in King County, Washington.  In defense, the willows loaded their leaves with caterpillar poison, along with a secondary airborne compound that signaled to other Sitka willows that the trees were being wounded.  Healthy Sitka willows over a mile away sensed this signal and also began to produce the caterpillar poison, thus saving the forest from ruin!

In the following chapter, Hope’s lab partner reads the signals she is transmitting and convinces her to seek proper medication for the Bipolar Disorder that was ravaging her life, essentially saving her from ruin.

From Roots and Leaves, to Wood and Knots, to Flowers and Fruits, Hope Jahren fills each chapter with fascinating stories of strength and survival; both her own and that of the plant kingdom.  Her boundless passion for understanding and protecting our natural environment is commendable.  Here is an excerpt from the book to whet your appetite:

The leaves of the world comprise countless billion elaborations of a single, simple machine designed for one job only – a job upon which hinges humankind.  Leaves make sugar.  Plants are the only things in the universe that can make sugar out of nonliving inorganic matter. All the sugar that you have ever eaten was first made within a leaf.  Without a constant supply of glucose to your brain, you will die.  Period.

I hope you will enjoy reading “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren.  Let me know if you want to borrow my copy.

 

 

 

 

Dec 31

Got Those Winter Blues

By Beet 2025 01 January

Here we are not referring to the way everyone feels from the frequent foggy-filled days, nor about your favorite band at the local winery.  No, this is about another kind of “blues” that you do want to have.

Vaccinium Corymbosum, the blueberry, is on the list of what’s recently been deemed a “super fruit”.  This is given to their being nutritionally very (or should we say “berry”) beneficial.  Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, making them one of the superfoods that support overall health. They were certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association in 2019.

Did you know blueberries are native to North America?  The Native Americans sure did. Consuming what was known as Star berries, (due to their tops’ 5-pointed star shape) for thousands of years, they incorporated them fresh and dried in their daily diets and used them medicinally.

Botanists estimate that the blueberry’s history goes back more than 13,000 years.  While cousins of our native berries grow in Asia, Europe and South America, our blueberries have always been here.  Early explorer Samuel de Champlain observed their consumption by natives in 1615, and Lewis and Clark witnessed natives smoking berries for winter preservation.  They were recognized by Virgil and Pliny, who recorded them as ‘Vaccinium”, from the Latin root “vaccines” meaning cow.  It’s an obscure term, but possibly ancient cows consumed blueberries like bears who will travel ten to fifteen miles sniffing out a blueberry patch.  Dried blueberries even became a staple food for Union soldiers during the Civil War.  Their high vitamin C content helped prevent scurvy.

While the remarkably tasty wild berry has been cherished for centuries by indigenous peoples, it continues captivating taste buds today as a cultivated crop and remains a cherished part of our culinary heritage. Transitioning from wild to cultivated began early in the 20th century when the blueberry’s commercial potential was recognized by scientists.  In 1893, Elizabeth White (daughter of a NJ cranberry farmer) first recognized blueberries as a potential crop.  Botanist Frederick Coville’s blueberry experiments began in 1908, and he partnered with White in 1911 for the first harvestable crop in 1916.

As cultivated plants underwent significant flavor, size and yield improvements, breeding programs expanded the variety of cultivars.  The three main types: highbush, lowbush and rabbiteye, all have different characteristics and climate adaptability, allowing for cultivation in not only the USA but also in Canada, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.

Highbush blueberries are the most adaptable cultivars and are doing well in Western Oregon.  These woody shrubs with a crown plant base have shallow root systems and they drop leaves in autumn. They can fruit for 50 years if well cared for.  Like azaleas and rhododendrons, they prefer acidic soil.  Amending/mulching soil with sawdust/bark from fir, pine and most hardwood (excluding redwood and cedar) will supply the best acidic conditions.

Fruiting usually occurs on 1-year-old wood.  Although self fruitful, planting several varieties heightens production from cross pollination.  Plant it in a sunny area with some afternoon filtered light so plants/fruits don’t burn from hot summers.  For full details on cultivating blueberries, go to the following OSU Extension Service link:  Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden.

In 1974, the USDA proclaimed July as National Blueberry Month.  Why not get some of your own “winter blues” so you can enjoy them fresh, dried, frozen, or, of course, right off the bush to pop in your mouth.  Put a “bluesy boost” to your favorite culinary creations!

Resources:

OSU Extension Services  Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden

Florida Plants Nursery.  Floridaplantsnursery.com  The Fascinating History of Blueberries: From Wild Fruit to cultivated crop …

James Bay Wild Fruit     History of Wild Blueberries

Blueberry.org     History of Blueberries

Plant Sources:

One Green World   http://www.onegreenworld.com

Raintree Nursery    http://www.raintreenursery.com

Both nurseries have a multitude of blueberry varieties with detailed info on where they’re best suited and best varieties to pair for cross pollination.  Early to mid-season fruiting varieties are best for our area.

Recipe:   Spiced Blueberry Scones

Preheat oven to 375°

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and oil paper’s surface

1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen unthawed

2 ½ cups flour (white whole wheat or regular whole wheat or oat flour)

¾ cup regular rolled oats (not quick type)

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1/8th teaspoon sea salt

1/ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8th teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3rd cup extra virgin olive oil

1½ cups buttermilk

Milk or alternative soy, almond

Coarse turbinado sugar

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl with wooden spoon until combined.  Work in olive oil until mixture is crumbly.  Gently stir in blueberries.

Pour buttermilk over dry mix and work in only until all is moistened and you can gather dough in a ball.

Flatten ball of dough to about a 10” round.  Use long Chef’s knife to cut through dough making 8 wedges.

Dip pastry brush in milk and gently coat dough surface.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for about 16-18 minutes until lightly brown and the dough in middle doesn’t stick to a toothpick when inserted.  Serves 8.

Dec 31

JCMGA Board Meeting Minutes – November 8, 2024

By Beet 2025 01 January

Board Members Present:

Barbara Low, President, Co-Chair, Winter Dreams Summer Gardens WG, Co-Chair Marketing &      Technology WG, Chair Member Services WG

Marcie Katz, Past President, Co-Chair Spring Garden Fair WG

Keltie Nelson, Treasurer, Co-Chair Marketing & Technology WG

Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary

Colet Allen, OMGA Representative & Co-Chair, Winter Dreams Summer Gardens WG

Lucy Pylkki, Member-at-Large & Co-Chair, Spring Garden Fair WG

Janine Salvatti, Chair, Gardens WG

Jane Moyer, Chair, Fundraising WG

Michael Hornbeek, Student Representative

Sandy Hammond, Member-at-Large

Regula Pepi, Assistant Treasurer

Pam Hillers, Archivist

Cassandra Toews, Member-at-Large

Ronnie Budge, Chair, Community Outreach WG

Kaleen Reilly, Member-at-Large

Ann Ackles, Membership Secretary

Grace Florjancic, OSU MG Program Coordinator

Board Members Absent:

Rebecca Cohn, Member-at-Large

Guests:

Lynn Kunstman

Kristina LeFever

Patricia Burnham

Arti Kirch

 

Call to Order:  President Barbara Low called the Board meeting to order at 9:00am.

Additions to the Agenda:  There were no additions to the agenda.

Approval of the Consent Agenda:   All filed, written reports under the Consent Agenda were accepted.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to accept the Consent Agenda as amended.  Motion passed.

Approval of the Agenda:

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda as presented. Motion passed.

Approval of the Board Meeting Minutes from October 11, 2024:

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the October 11, 2024 Board Meeting Minutes as written.  Motion passed.

Finance Report:  Treasurer Keltie Nelson presented the October financial statements, the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, and the current status of Certificates of Deposit (CD’s) for the Board’s review and discussion.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the financial statements for October 2024.  Motion passed.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to roll two CD’s that are maturing soon for another six months.  Motion passed.

In review of the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, the Board requested an increase in outreach expenditure for JCMGA Booths.

MG Program Coordinator Report:  OSU MG Program Coordinator Grace Florjancic provided an update on community education classes, the Master Gardener Training program, the Plant Clinic, the Seed to Supper program, and the proposed Junior Master Gardener program.  President Low reported on the Practicum program noting the seed team, the curriculum team, the native plants team, and the greenhouse maintenance team have been meeting in preparation for the upcoming Master Gardener education program.

OMGA Representative Update:  Colet Allen, OMGA Representative provided an update on current OMGA business.   The 2024 Joy of Gardening conference was very successful so the OMGA Board is dedicating some of that revenue to lower the 2025 association membership fee from $7.00 to $5.00 per member. Colet noted that the current statewide Master Gardener coordinator is working on a way for Josephine County Master Gardeners to recertify for next year.  At the past OMGA Board meeting, the OSU Director of Development, Andrew Norwood informed OMGA that he would like to reach out to all county chapters to support associations and assist, for example, with fundraising ideas and strategies.  On March 5, 2025, the OMGA Advocacy Group is meeting with state representatives at the state legislature.

President’s Report:   President Barbara Low shared the following information with the Board:

  1. President Low reported that the monthly meeting with MG Program Coordinator Grace Florjancic and Farm Manager Jake Hoyman was cancelled this month as Grace and Jake were both out of town.
  2. The Creepy Old House, the tool shed, and Peggy’s propagation greenhouse have all been removed from the SOREC property.
  3. SOREC has a new office manager who is requesting assistance with reorganizing the office space.
  4. The new Board orientation will be held on December 6th. All Board Members are required to attend in person.
  5. Michael Hornbeek has agreed to be the new Community Outreach Working Group Chair for 2025.
  6. The Marketing & Technology Working Group will still need a new chair for 2025.

Membership Secretary Report:   Membership Secretary Ann Ackles reported that the new online membership renewals have gone out.  Ann also expressed gratitude for support from the Board.

Discussion & Business:

  1. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JCMGA & SOREC: President Low presented the revised MOU for the joint purchase and use of the SOREC utility trailer for the Board’s review and discussion.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to accept the revised MOU based on the Board’s discussion and input. Motion passed.

  1. Practicum Design Ad Hoc Committee Update: Jane Moyer reported that not much has happened while waiting for the Creepy Old House to be demolished and the driveway expanded per SOREC plans.  Jane will be meeting with a contractor next week for input.  The Board discussed the need to have the design created by the committee drafted by a qualified drafting service.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to obtain drafted building plans based on the Board’s vision for a new tool shed, classroom, lathe house, and greenhouse with a cost up to $3,000.  Motion passed.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to authorize $8,000 from donations and $4,500 from savings for building a tool shed after design plans have been drafted.  Motion passed.

  1. Kristina LeFever, President/Secretary of the Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, along with Treasurer Patricia Burnham and Vice President Arti Kirch, shared with the Board their process and funding for employing full time and part time employees. The Board is exploring possible part time employment for support of the Native Plant Nursery and demonstration gardens.
  2. JCMGA 2025 Tellers Report: Nominations Chair, Marcie Katz reported on the results of the 2025 Board of Directors election.   The 2025 Board of Directors include:

Barbara Low, President

Linda Millus, President-Elect

Marcie Katz, Past President

Keltie Nelson, Treasurer

Regula Pepi, Assistant Treasurer

Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary

Colet Allen, OMGA Representative

Teresa Jarrett, Co-Archivist

Carrie Holmes-Stanton, Co-Archivist

Kaleen Reilly, Member-at-Large

Joanne Daane, Member-at-Large

Rebecca Cohn, Member-at-Large

Mary Schrouder, Member-at-Large

Jory Kaplan, Member-at-Large

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to accept the election results for the 2025 Board of Directors.   Motion passed.

Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at 11:25am.

Next Meeting:

  1. The new Board of Directors orientation will be held December 6, 2024 from 9:00am to 11:30am.
  2. The next Board meeting will be held December 13, 2024 from 9:00am to 11:30am.
Close Menu