 Bradford Pear trees Photo and article by Donna Iverson A Facebook post appeared recently on my news feed that said Ohio had banned the Bradford pear tree. In case you are unfamiliar with this ornamental pear tree, it blooms in the spring with lots of white flowers. It has an attractive oval shape and is popular as both a landscape tree and a street tree. At least it has been for the last few decades. But now scientists are taking another look. While the tree is attractive, disease resistant, and grows fast, there is a downside. Seeds from the Bradford pear are spread by bird droppings and the offspring revert to the wild variety, called a callery pear. The wild pear is invasive, displacing native trees. So far it has been banned in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York and Ohio. In Kentucky, if you cut down a Bradford pear tree, they will give you a free native tree to replace it. The timber can be used for firewood or donated to woodworkers with whom it is popular. The story of how the Bradford pear came to America is a fascinating one. A native of China, the tree's seeds were first brought to America in 1908. They were collected by an Dutch emigrant named Frank Meyer. Meyer died at sea possibly by suicide, but his seed collection ended up in a test orchard in Oregon. In the 1950s, the Bradford pear became popular as a street tree and was prized for growing in the poorest soil, with few pests or diseases and needing little care or watering. By the 1980s, scientists were warning of the Branford pear’s invasive nature but the warnings appeared in scientific journals that were not widely read. It wasn’t until the last decade, that the tide turned against the Bradford pear and states, one by one, began banning its sale. Although sales of the Bradford pear have not been banned in Michigan, it might be wise to invest in native flowering spring trees like the dogwood, magnolia, cherry tree or redbud.
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 Collard Greens Photo and article by Donna Iverson Lettuce, crucifers, and oriental greens are the basic plants in a salad garden. Also some edible flowers like nasturtiums, violets, and pansies for garnishing the salad bowl, When it comes to leafy salad plants, choose from leaf and head lettuces, or other greens such as chicory, radicchio, endive, spinach, arugula and chard. Crucifers include kale and cabbage. Some orientalist salad greens to try include pak choi and muzuna. Early spring lettuce is the staple of my salad garden, mostly leaf lettuce and arugula. But each year, I like to try something new. So recently, I ordered collard green seeds from my favorite garden catalog. Directions said to plant any time after the last heavy frost until midsummer by pressing seeds into the ground to the depth of a fingernail. Then thin to about six inches apart once they sprout. Collard greens will tolerate both heat and cold, prefer full sun, and need regular watering. Plants emerge in about five to ten days. A member of the beet family, collards are grown for their leaves while beets are grown for their roots. Collards go by many names including Swiss chard, Chilean beet, perpetual spinach, and Roman kale. Leaf and stem colors include white, red and purple. In the kitchen, collard greens can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. Mature leaves can be tough so remove outer young leaves early if you plan to add to your salad. You can remove ribs from the leaves by folding the leaf in half and then cutting away the ribs. The ribs can then be cooked like asparagus. When cooking, add to stews and store fries. Collards keep about a week in the refrigerator. Collard greens are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and will continue producing all summer. Favorite varieties include Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant, and Lucullus. Try the variety Barese Chard for baby greens and harvest when they are about seven inches tall. The variety called Fordhook is an heirloom plant, dating back to the early twentieth century.
The Fremont Area District Library is planning to host several fun and educational events in May for the whole family. These events are FREE, as always. We’re excited to announce that we are hosting some fitness classes at the library on Mondays and Wednesdays until May 25th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Fit for Life is a functional movement class designed to move the whole body through a series of seated and standing exercises that will increase strength, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility. Class is low impact and great for ALL levels of fitness who are interested in working on their overall health. This class will be instructed by ACSM- certified personal trainer Megan Dickinson. Megan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with minors in psychology and nutrition from Central Michigan University. She has been working in the fitness industry for 9 years and enjoys working with all fitness levels. Please note that class will be held May 12th instead of the 11th. Lego Saturday will be in the Children’s Department on Saturday, May 14th from 11:00-3:00 p.m. We supply the Legos, you build them! Make some fun Lego creations and we'll display them in the library! We’ll also be showing an Afternoon Movie for kids on Thursday, May 26th at 3:30 p.m. The movie title is to be determined, and will be announced at a later date. Snacks will be served, and all are welcome. Junk Journaling for ages 10 and up will take place on May 19th anytime between 3:00-5:00. This is a scrapbooking and journal hybrid. Use up what you have and supplement with found, recycled, repurposed and thrifted items. Materials provided. The Wednesday Readers Book Group will meet on Monday, May 9th at 7:00 p.m. to discuss Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell, and the Daytime Book Group will meet on Thursday, May 26th at 12:30 p.m. (title TBD). Anyone is welcome to join these book groups. Books for these groups are available at the library’s front desk ahead of the meeting if you’d like to check out a copy and join the group. Other dates to note: Beginning Sunday, May 29th our summer hours will resume and we will be closed on Sundays. Also, Summer Reading kicks off on Friday, June 3rd! There will be a kickoff party for children in the Children’s Department from 1:00-3:00 p.m. All ages can sign up for Summer Reading and earn prizes. More info to come soon! For more information about any of these events, please contact the library at 231-924-3480 or visit www.fremontlibrary.net.  Photo by Frederic Reinecke who will be the juror for this year's NCCA-Artsplace annual statewide competition The NCCA-Artsplace Statewide Photography Competition is an annual event with the goal of exhibiting and acknowledging some of the finest photographers in Michigan while encouraging greater growth and achievement in the photographic community. With an entry deadline of June 10, photographers across the state are shooting and printing their favorite subjects for their entries in this year’s competition. Michigan photographers, 18 years or older, are encouraged to take part in this juried competition. All photographic processes are accepted and each photographer may submit up to two pieces of work for the entry fee of $30. Members of NCCA-Artsplace may submit two pieces for a reduced entry fee of $25. All entries must be framed and ready to display. Selected works submitted to the competition will be exhibited in the NCCA-Artsplace Ray and Phyllis Jansma Exhibition Gallery June 17 through July 23. The award announcements will be held on June 18 at 10:00 a.m. Photographers awarded first, second or third place will be provided a cash prize. Honorable mention pieces will also be selected. The juror for 2022 is West Michigan photographer, Frederic Reinecke. Competition guidelines and entry forms are available at NCCA – Artsplace, 13 East Main Street, downtown Fremont or by calling 231.924.4022. The guidelines and forms may also be viewed by clicking here or go to www.ncca-artsplace.org under the "Competitions" tab.   Dead Nettle Photo and article by Donna Iverson Early spring is the time to prepare garden beds, and the first order of business is pulling weeds. After a half hour pulling quack grass, I noticed there were two other weeds in the garden bed: dead nettle and chickweed. Both are edible, nutritious, and can be used medicinally. I decided to leave them where they were growing. Both qualify as wild greens, or Horta, as the Greeks call them. They are wild herbs that grow naturally along with other edible weeds like chicory, dandelions, lambs quarters, ramps, plantain, and purslane to name a few. Dead Nettle Actually there are two kinds of nettles and both are edible: stinging nettle and dead nettle. Both names are a little off putting so I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat something called Dead Nettle. But after a little research, I decided to give it a try. A member of the mint family, dead nettle has fuzzy leaves and a square stem. Plus the purple flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. To be sure I wasn’t allergic, I touched a leaf to my lips to see if there was a tingle. Nothing, Then I put a leaf on my tongue with good results. As I didn’t like the fuzzy texture, I next chopped up a couple of leaves and sprinkled them inside a cheese quesadilla. It was an easy way to add wild greens to my diet. Use them like cilantro in any recipe, especially Mexican ones. As well as being edible, dead nettle is medicinal. A tea made from the leaves can help with spring allergies. To soothe bug bites, chew on a leaf and then press on the sore area. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. And if you don’t like it, feed it to the chickens. Chickweed Other than dead nettle, the other edible wild green growing in my garden bed was chickweed. Barely two inches high with tiny white flowers, it was hardly noticeable. A native of Europe, but naturalized in the US, chickweed grows year round and is one of the first wild greens to flower in the spring. A member of the carnation family, chickweed leaves and flowers can be eaten like sprouts. Add to soup, salad and stir fries, or toss it on pizza. Chickweed is easy for beginners to identify and it’s everywhere, probably in your backyard. In addition to being low to the ground, it has what looks like 10 tiny white petals. There are really only five as each one is double lobed. Chickweed doesn’t keep well, so plan to eat it the same day. And when it goes to seed, consider planting it in your kitchen herb garden. Arriving soon will be other wild greens like purslane and dandelions. Purslane is often available at farmers markets and dandelions are as close as your back door. Surprisingly, dandelion greens were recently for sale in the local supermarket.   Program features info and action
I've always thought fairies are like mushrooms, you trip over them when you’re not thinking about them but they’re hard to spot when you’re searching for them- Jo Walton, Among Others For a number of reasons we at N3 World Headquarters & Pontoon Pier simply adore Howard Christensen Nature Center. Beyond their wonderful trails that serve to celebrate this appealing slice of Michigan flora and fauna, the organization provides an array of activities for families. Next on the HCNC docket is a Morel Mushroom Hunt. Yes those delectable little morsels that drive even the most sedentary of foodies out into the woods to hunt for the often elusive and frequently furtive fungi. On Saturday April 30 at 1pm the program begins with a bit of a presentation on the ins and outs of mushroom hunting to assist both beginners and those who may have already been introduced into the most popular weaponless hunting season in the state. Then it is off to the woods where participants can use their new found knowledge to stalk the mighty morel. Price? A mere fin for non members and just 3 bucks for members. Which brings us to the relative advantages of becoming a member-particularly if you have a family who love the kind of activities HCNC puts out there. To register for the Morel hunt please go to http://www.howardchristensen.org/product/morel-hunt/ The Nature Center is located at 16190 Red Pine Drive  Susan Zerlaut King to provide insight into her latest offering
Live @ the Library, a series of events including author visits and writing workshops is welcoming Susan Zerlaut King to the Fremont Area District Library to present her new book, Crabtree. The author of Out of the Wilderness, a History of Sitka, Michigan, will speak about what led her to write her newest novel, Crabtree. Susan will also have books available to purchase and will be signing. In Crabtree, Patrick Crabtree and his sister Janet are faced with the task of going through their father's belongings and preparing the family farm for sale after his death. The difficult relationship they had with their father, especially after the loss of their mother, was always going to make this a painful task. What they discover in the process, however, changes everything they thought they knew about their family. The question for Patrick and Janet is whether these revelations will further drive their own lives into dysfunctionality, or whether, just perhaps, they might provide the impetus for healing. This free program will begin in the library’s Community Room on Thursday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m.  Photo and article by Donna Iverson Pantone’s color of the year for 2022 is “Very Peri,” i.e. periwinkle, or lavender blue. When it comes to flowers, blue is very rare and native blue flowers even rarer. Only about 10 percent of flowers are blue. That may be part of the reason why blue is the favorite color of so many people. According to botanists, it is also the favorite color of bees. As a blue flower enthusiast, I am more and more interested in incorporating native plants into the environment. So what flowers are both blue and also native to North America? Turns out, the list of native blue flowers includes clematis (shown above), indigo, liatris, iris, aster, blue flax, lavender, salvia, columbine, lupine, bluebells, first-me-nots, lobelia, morning glory, purple coneflower and violets. The list of non-native blue flowers includes crocus, dayflower, lilacs, creeping bellflower, chicory, grape hyacinths, and ironically, periwinkle. Many of these plants are invasive, although I have always welcomed them into my garden and would not try to eradicate them. But future plantings will be native varieties. Historically, the native blue-flowered indigo plant was especially prized by ancient peoples. It was grown and traded in Asia, West Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. A history of the color blue and the importance of the indigo plant in world history is richly explained and illustrated in a recently-published children’s book titled “Blue” by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and illustrated by Daniel Minter, a Caldecott honor winning artist. And finally, to pretty much negate everything you’ve just read, scientists insist that there are no such things as blue-flowered plants. They claim that blue colored flowers are the combination of the nature of our visual photoreceptors and wavelengths of light. They insist there are no true blue pigments in plants. If you want to try to unravel this mystery, read David Lee’s book “Nature’s Palette, the Science of Plant Color.” Quoting Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street, Lee says “It’s not that easy being green.” “ It’s even harder to be blue.”  Photo and article by Donna Iverson One of the earliest arrivals in the spring, even before last frost, are spring greens. After a Michigan winter, planting and eating spring greens is, for me, as exciting as seeing the first crocus, snowdrop or daffodil. When the first spring flowers sprout in late March, I know it is time to plant seeds of spring greens. Gardening friends tell me April 1 is the traditional first date to plant greens but I like going by Mother Nature’s calendar. Often I refer to a study called Phenology. Spring phenology recommendations include planting radishes and spinach when the crocus bloom, peas and onions when you see forsythia’s yellow flowers, and chard and carrots when daffodils open. Lettuce When it comes to growing lettuce, you have four choices: leaf, romaine, butterhead and head lettuce. Leaf lettuces are my favorite as they are the quickest to mature. Lettuces prefer cool temperatures and start to bolt as soon as the weather warms. So an early start is essential. Also succession planting every few weeks is recommended to provide a fresh supply of lettuce during the spring and early summer. Lettuce is susceptible to aphids and slugs but I’ve never had a problem. Cruciferous greens An assorted variety of cruciferous leafy veggies are available in a seed mixture called mesclun. Mesclun can include kale, chervil, arugula, cress, baby spinach, chard, collards, and mustard greens. Mesclun originated in Provence, France. In the US, it is often referred to as spring mix. Kale is a special favorite as it grows right through the winter months. Fresh greens can be found in your garden when snow covers the ground. When eaten raw, it can be a little tough but if you massage it, it breaks down the fibers and makes it easier to digest. Yes, massage your kale, says my gardening cousin who loves to cook. Oriental greens Bok choy and Muzuna are probably the two most popular spring greens in this category, both in the Brassica or cruciferous family. Mizuna hails from Japan and looks like kale and can survive to -10 degrees. Young leaves are sweet with a mild mustard flavor. Full disclosure: I have never planted mizuna but am on the lookout for a seed packet. It is definitely a trendy spring green mentioned in many a recent gardening article. Wild greens In this category, lambs quarters, dandelion, and mustard greens come first to mind. These greens you don’t have to plant as they often appear on their own. Every spring, lambs quarters appear like magic in my community garden bed providing greens before any planted seed has matured. And in gathering lambs quarters, I join the bees getting my earliest taste of nature’s bounty.  Photo and article by Donna Iverson Astrological spring is here ..March 1. And it’s not too early to plant cold hardy vegetables and herbs. Many of these are salad ingredients like lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, radishes, carrots, and peas. Cold weather herbs include chives, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme. In fact, by late February, parsley was growing in my community garden bed. Its arrival says spring is here. As I am eager to get my salad garden underway, I’ll start with peas. They don’t take up a lot of space as I plant them on a trellis made with bamboo sticks and twine. My trellis is in a straight line, although some of my fellow community gardeners use a teepee arrangement. Planted in early spring, peas will be ready for harvest by June. Most of them won’t make it home, as I tend to munch on them right off the vine. As well as a gardener, I’m a forager at heart. For beginning gardeners, peas come in three types: snow peas, snap peas and shelling peas. Snow peas, also known as Chinese peas, have edible pods and seeds. They are excellent raw, off the vine, in a salad or stir fried. The leaves and tendrils are also edible. Planting peas is easy. They are fairly large seeds that can be pushed into the ground about an inch apart and one inch deep. As for companion planting, peas like carrots as their neighbors but are tolerant of almost any other vegetable or herb growing nearby. Although rumor has it they aren't especially fond of onions, They are somewhat susceptible to mildew, so provide a place where there is good air circulation, and don’t water from the top. Peas will grow in full sun or partial shade. Historically, peas are one of the oldest cultivated crops, dating back to the Neolithic period and likely eaten by both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, nearly 46,000 years ago. Jumping ahead to the modern period, in the 1920s, Clarence Birdseye first froze peas and began selling them in grocery stores. He made a fortune. Today, frozen peas sell better than fresh ones, which are seldom available even at farmers markets as a result. But gardener know that fresh peas off the vine are way better than the frozen variety. |
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