Garden Clippings December 2005
DECEMBER 19th
Christmas Around the World Luncheon
Kim Jongedyk’s home at
Reservations are required. PLEASE mail
the reservation form on the last page with your check for $20 to VP Sandy Ford by December
11.
Seminars will be presented between
Using herbs in cooking with Brad Howard
Brad of Willamette Valley Catering
will demonstrate how to use herbs in the holiday dishes featured at our Around
the World luncheon.
Growing herbs for culinary use with Kate
Parker
Kate will discuss how to grow and
preserve the culinary herbs featured in our menu.
Herb
baskets and planters will be for sale.
Member’s Heritages
Table Displays
Club members will be sharing their Christmas heritages
by decorating tables in cultural themes from
Presenters’ Information:
Brad
and Sue Howard owners of Willamette Valley Catering for more than 20 years will
demonstrate herbs used in the figure foods offered in our Christmas lunch
menu. Willamette Valley Catering
specializes in customized menus using local and seasonal ingredients for
special events. We are excited about
sharing the art of cooking with Brad and Sue.
For more information about their services please check out their website
at www.wvcatering.com.
Kate
Parker of Katula Herbs will give a presentation on
the uses of culinary herbs featured in our Christmas lunch menu. Kate will talk about how to grow herbs in
your garden, harvesting and preserving them for future use. Kate started her herb business 5 years ago
from a desire to combine a passion for growing plants with a long-time interest
in culinary, homeopathy and natural healing.
Kate purchased some land between Sheridan and McMinnville, planted her
first seedlings in 2004 on a south-facing terraces with a view of the coastal
range. With hot dry summers and limited
water supply Kate specializes in Mediterranean-type herbs. Kate’s herbs are grown without the use of
chemicals or pesticides instead the use of companion planting and creating a
diverse, sustainable environment that encourages natural predators and
beneficial forms of life. You can
contact Kate by e-mail at katelaherbs@msn.com
or locally at the McMinnville Farmers Market every Thursday afternoon in the
summer months.
White Elephant Gift Exchange
Bring a fun, weird or just plain ugly gift to
exchange.
Don’t forget to bring canned food to contribute to our annual food drive for the Salvation Army.
Sleighbells – A Barn Full of Christmas
Car pool from Bethel
Baptist Church 10:30 AM sharp
Sleighbells’
address:
Optional:
Lunch available in the English Tea Room
Sleighbells has been in business at the same location
for 20 years. In 1978 the original owners first planted Christmas trees on the
property then remodeled their home into a gift store that is why there are so
many nooks and crannies for exploring. The property was sold to Ken and Darleen
McCoy in 2000 and they have committed to carrying on the holiday traditions
year round.
A creative touch is the Old English-style
teahouse. Owner Lesa
Bailes has a collection of bone China teacups and
pots. Her teahouse business started one year ago when she fell in love with the
ambience and creative variety of the foods. Lesa has
worked as a caterer for 25 years, holds an Economics
degree and operates a catering service on location. Lesa offers one,
two or three-tiered platter of finger food with tea starting at
$10.00
to $ 25.00.
For more information go to Sleighbells website at:
www.sleighbells.biz
President’s Corner
I am sure looking forward to a great Christmas party this year. I hope to see everyone on the 19th of December. Please be sure to get your reservation in by the 12th to Sandy Ford so you won’t miss the “Christmas Around the World” luncheon.
Thank you Gaye, for such a wonderful hands on project “Christmas Dazzle II” it was a great success and to see all the talent that we ladies have is a wonderful thing. All the wreaths turned out beautiful and all so different from each other.
With the Lamp Post for downtown and the hanging basket post at the Cozen House bought and on order, we can finally say we spent some money!! I know that we can all be very proud of what we are adding to the city beautification project. They will always be there and will again represent the McMinnville Garden Club’s donation to our beautiful community. Well done! Without all of our hard work and donated time, this would not be possible, Bravo!!
With the
Christmas season upon us, I hope each and every one of us has a safe and
peaceful holiday. Sincerely, Kim Jongedyk
Backyard Habitat
Decorate a Tree for Wildlife
Winter is a tough time of the year for many wildlife, they
have less food and fewer daylight hours to look. Why not make it easier
for the wildlife in your backyard? A
few helpful and fun ideas :
Using twine
and a tapestry needle, alternate popped popcorn, raw peanuts, cranberries, grapes
and apple chunks. Tie a knot on both ends and hang near the feeders or
near by trees.
Orange segments and Nandina berries can be strung on a bright red ribbon.
Seed cakes shaped like
bells, hung with brightly colored yarn.
Dried Sunflower heads ( found at your local farm stores, or from your own
garden ) stake them out near the feeders.
Stuff suet and peanut butter
mixed with bird seed into pinecones and hang them up with a pretty ribbon or
colorful yarn.. (Come next spring Mrs. Bird
will gather up those
colorful bits and babbles and add them to
her nest.)
Bagel feeders - split
each bagel in half and allow to dry overnight. Spread each side with
peanut butter and sprinkle with bird seed. String a
piece of yarn through each hole and hang up near the feeders.
Many species of birds can be attracted by
a variety of feed. Some birds readily eat right off the ground.
Sunflower seed appeals to many birds as well as small mammals.
Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Chickadees
are especially attracted to suet.
Citrus fruit, chopped apples, bananas,
and raisins will be eaten by numerous species
including Robins, Titmouse, and Woodpeckers.
While we enjoy the upcoming Holiday
Season with family and friends, let’s always
remember the little ones as well. Happy Holidays to everyone Julie Maahs
Hort. Beat
Christmas Plant Legends
It is fascinating to unravel some of the strands which link our customs to the distant past. It was not until the fourth century that the date of Christ’s birth was fixed on December 25, taking over elements of the Saturnalia festival which the Romans had introduced. Particular plants figure strongly in Christmas traditions. The most well-known plants are Christmas trees, mistletoe and holly.
Evergreen boughs have been used throughout history. The Druids treated them as sacred. ‘The plants that do not die’ were brought into the house as a sign that the house needed to make it through the winter too. Primitive Europeans offered woodland spirits shelter in their homes, hoping for good fortune and health by hanging evergreens above their doors.
Different legends
surround the Christmas tree itself. Some
believe that it began in the
16th century with Martin Luther, the German Protestant leader. He was inspired by the beauty of the tall evergreens against a starry sky and so cut a fir tree to bring home to his family.
In Norse mythology, Baldur, the God of Light, was killed with a mistletoe dart. Baldur’s life was restored but mistletoe took the blame and hides in the top of trees instead of growing on the ground. Since then, it is said to bring happiness and peace as long as it doesn’t touch the ground – the reason it continues to be hung in the air in doorways. The kissing ball (aka kissing bough or kissing bunch) predates the Christmas tree and was the central decoration in many English and German homes.
Holly is known as
‘Christ thorn’ in
As we fashioned
our wreaths last week, we were continuing a custom that has been used for
centuries. In ancient
Every gardener knows under the cloak of winter lies a
miracle – a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to light, a bud straining to
unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures
our dream. Barbara Winkler
Organized in 1926
McMinnville OR 97128 http://mcminnvillegardenclub.org Information: 503 434 4344 Meeting Information Meeting Day: Third Monday September through
June Optional Brown Bag Lunch 2155 West 2nd,
Meetings are open
to the public. Executive
Board
President Kim Jongedyk Vice President Sandy Ford Secretary Judy Eggers Treasurer Marilyn Coats Conservation
Pledge
I pledge to
protect and conserve the natural
resources of the planet Earth, and promise
to promote education, so we may be
caretakers to our air, water, forests, land, and
wildlife. Ongoing Projects The Scholarships for
Horticulture Garden of the
Month Blue Star Memorial
Marker City Beautification “Garden Clippings” is a monthly publication of the Contact Kim Jongedyk, (503-434-9130), or 503-434-4344 for info.
|
Committee Chairs Backyard Habitat Julie Maahs Garden Tour 2006 Judy
Eggers Patty Sorensen Garden Faire 2006 Gaye
Stewart Historian Dorothy Mathiesen Horticulture Eveyln Mundinger Hospitality Rosemary Vertregt Membership Sandy Bolmer Newsletter Patty Sorensen Anne Silverthorne Parliamentarian
Gaye Stewart Publicity/PR Sandy
Ford Scholarship Cindi Miller Sunshine Joan
Friese Telephone Mary Whinery Yard of Month 2006
Lynda Coburn Yearbook Kim Jongedyk Sandy Ford The newsletter deadline for submission of
articles for our
monthly newsletter is the
last day of the previous month. Please send them to Patty Sorensen.
Do you know of any
prospective Garden Club members? Be sure to let Sandy Bolmer know
names and addresses. We would
love to send them our
newsletter for three months. |
Club History
Garden Club met at the home of Mrs. Cook, with 14 members, 1 guest present. A bill for $1.80 - flower show expenses; and a bill for $2.50 for Wayside planting were allowed and paid.
Motion was
made and seconded to instruct secretary to write a note of congratulations to
Portland Garden Club on their admittance to the Federation of Garden Clubs of
America. Miss Hawley told of the
A number of clippings from Better Homes and Gardens were passed around and read aloud, and proved interesting. Club adjourned. Balance in Treasury: $10.40
Dorothy
Mathiesen
Garden
Tour 2006
As the New Year
approaches and we begin our 2006 calendars, don’t forget to mark the date for
our Garden Tour, Sunday, June 25. It is also time for us to start gearing up
the activities needed to support the tour.
Committee Chairs will gather at
the home of Patty Sorensen immediately following our December 19 meeting for a
short organizational meeting.
Websites to
Check Out
Al’s Garden Center’s
Tips for December Gardens
http://www.als-gardencenter.com/AGC-final-files/HTML/microsite-2005GardeningHints_Dec.html
National Gardening
Association’s Pacific NW Report http://www.garden.org/regional/report/current/1
Looking ahead:
2/22-26/06 Portland Home and Garden Show:
http://oloughlintradeshows.com/ots-shows-hg-pdx.html
Cut here for mailing of reservation form.
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12/19 Christmas Around
the World Menu and Reservation Form
French Quiche Loraine
French Cheese Quiche with Fresh Herbs
Salad of Baby Greens with
with Sherry
Vinaigrette
Provincial Orzo Salad with Toasted
Hazelnuts, Dried Apricots, Green Onions and
Ginger Orange Vinaigrette
Assorted Rustic Breads and Sweet Cream
Butter
Irish Bannoffee
Tarts
Premium Kobos
Regular and Decaffeinated Coffee
NAME:
_________________________________________ Enclosed: $________
Mail this by
December 11 with your check for $20 payable to the Garden Club for the
Dec. 19 luncheon to Sandy Ford,