EXTENSION E-NEWSLETTER -
May 2020
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To
NC Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center is not accepting walk-in customers during the COVID-19 response. This response is to protect our customers, volunteers, and 4-H families. Plans and protocols will soon be in place to allow walk-ins but programs and group gatherings will be occurring virtually through. Farm visits are continuing while practicing best practices provided by the CDC.
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Enjoy this educational video:
Growing the Economy
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Every month, "Homegrown" shares new videos featuring tips and tools from our Extension experts in three categories: In The Garden, In The Kitchen and On The Farm. This featured video is
"
Feeding Families, Growing the Economy
".
We'll introduce you to what's raised and grown in North Carolina, and the farmers that help feed us. We'll show you what plants are in season and how to get a bumper crop from your home garden. We'll take you into the kitchen to learn how to safely prepare nutritious meals.
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Video Conferencing with Zoom
What is Zoom?
Zoom is a video and web conferencing service that can be used to host small meetings, large meetings, and webinars. It works with Macs, Windows, and mobile devices. Anyone can join a meeting. Some features of Zoom can be used directly in a Web browser, but for the best experience using Zoom, it is recommended to download and use the
Zoom client application.
For more information about Zoom in general, see
Zoom’s website
. For mobile devices (iOS and Android), visit your platform’s app store and search for “zoom” to find the Zoom mobile app.
How to Participate in a Zoom Meeting How do I join a meeting?
To join a meeting, you will need either the
Meeting ID
or the link that you receive after registering for or being invited to join. If you have the
Meeting ID
, go to
https://join.zoom.us
and enter it in the Meeting ID or Personal Link Name field – this will need to be provided to you by the meeting host. If you registered or were invited, just click on the link included in the registration/invitation email. Joining a Zoom meeting with the Meeting ID Example registration email.
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Learning to Ace the Job Interview!
Do you want to ace a job interview or college interview and you are not sure what to do? How is your resume writing skills? What about that video you have to submit, are you ready for it or have no clue? Do job applications leave you wondering if you have what it takes to get the job? And what in the world do I wear to an interview?
We hope you will join us as 4-H walks you through those questions and provides you with the skills to ACE that AIRE(Application, Interview, Resume, and Electronic Video).
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Food Preservation Made Easy
Learn more about food preservation by virtually attending Food Preservation Made Easy! This will be an online series of classes.
Classes are free and will meet via Zoom from 11am to noon on Tuesdays, from April 21–May 19, 2020.
You can sign up for one or all of the sessions – Take Your Pick
Live participation is encouraged.
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The Science House Express
The Science House is offering some great STEM activities at home. Since The Science House was founded in 1991, the organization has remained committed to bridging the resources of North Carolina’s largest research institution to K-12 students and educators across the state. Providing resources, programs and teaching materials, The Science House empowers scientific literacy and hands-on discovery.
Join the Science House for their new K-12 series: The Science House Express. Each Science House Express week will have a theme. New content will be released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
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Options for Residents to Purchase Fresh Produce and Local Food:
Please visit each link for more details.
Johnny's Produce Stand
(offering curbside pickup)
Please let us know of other options that we have not listed and we will promote in our next newsletter.
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Cherokee County Master Gardeners Have a New Website!
The Cherokee County Master Gardeners have a new website! You don't have to be a Master Gardener to enjoy it and benefit from the information included. If you love gardening, you will enjoy this website. Go check it out for yourself at
www.ccmastergardeners.com
.
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Ongoing Vegetable Gardening
Classes
Starting in April, Keith Wood has been offering an online series titled Coffee and Conservation vegetable garden series. These sessions will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through May. The Zoom sessions last from 30 minutes to no more than an hour.
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Online Classes Offered by Clay County Extension:
Small Fruit and Tree Fruit Webinar -
May 6, 2020, from 2-5 p.m.
Craig Mauney
, Area Specialized Agent for Commercial Vegetables and Fruits and
Lisa Gonzalez
,
Area Specialized Agent in Local Foods, will be leading the workshop on how to properly plant and maintain your small fruit plants and fruit trees.
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4-H Membership Re-Enrolling or Enrolling for 2020
If you enrolled in NC 4-H in 2019 you will have to re-enroll in 2020 to remain active. Each year on January 1, 4-H begins a new program year which means our 4HOnline system must be updated for our 4-H members and volunteers to remain active. If you did not create your membership family profile in 2019 you will need to go onto 4HOnline and create your account. Follow the links below to re-enroll to remain active or to create your new enrollment. Remember this is for members and volunteers.
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Beginner Farmer Online Series
If This four-part series will cover topics on what can be grown, where’s the money, where and how to sell your product, and who can help. The purpose of this workshop is to help those interested in beginning a small farm who have little to no experience and would like a general overview of how to get started.
Sessions will be held weekly at 10 a.m. beginning May 13, 2020. There is no registration fee, but registration is required. You can register for one or all of the workshops.
Topics:
May 13 – What Can I Grow?
May 20 – Where’s the Money?
May 27 – Where & How am I Going to Sell It?
June 3 – Who Can Help Me?
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Appalachian Beekeepers Club
The Appalachian Beekeepers Club has developed a nice website. You can enjoy this website that is pack with helpful information at:
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Increasing Honey Production Using Queen Castles
The Watauga County Beekeepers Association and Watauga Cooperative Extension invite you to join George McAlister of the Mecklenburg Beekeepers Association, for an informative online presentation on working with queen castles for your own queen rearing. The meeting will be hosted via the Zoom conferencing app on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30pm.
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Pests, Diseases, and Hive Inspection
Join Lewis Cauble, NC Apiary Inspector, May 5 @ 6pm for a live online seminar on hive inspections, pests, and disease issues
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Resources for Farmers COVID 19 (Updated Daily)
Every sector of the area has been affected by the
COVID 19
including farmers. Here are some resources to answer some of the concerns farmers may have during these uncertain times. Farmers are urged to go to the following link to use it for a "One-Stop Shop" for resources about the COVID-19 Virus and how it is affecting our area. Our Ag Agent, Keith Wood has done a nice job of gathering information and updating it daily.
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NCDA Now Accepting Routine Client Samples
Until further notice, NCDA labs will be operating under reduced staffing. Although longer than normal sample turnaround times may be expected, we are accepting all routine client samples (soil, nematode, plant, waste, solution and soilless media) except waste samples covered by the NCDEQ waiver on liquid animal waste .
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4-H Daily Spark Is Great Fun!!
North Carolina 4-H wanted to find a way to keep youth engaged with fun learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week North Carolina 4-H professionals bring some great activities that are hands on and fun. These activities vary from dissecting owl pellets to showing rabbits to basic photography.
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Troubleshooting General Canning Problems
During this time of following a "Stay at Home" order, it is a good time to share some of our more popular publications. This publication, "Troubleshooting General Canning Problems" is an excellent publication that could save you a lot of work and help keep you and your family safe from foodborne illnesses.
Other Helpful Links Related to Home Canning and Food Preservation:
(Please always make sure you are following researched based resources!)
National Center for Home Food Preservation
an online resource for safe home food preservation information that includes the recipes below, recipes from the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning and other recipes that have been research-tested by the University of Georgia
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NC 4-H
Virtual Summer Camp
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Food Safety Guidance for Bulk Purchases of Frozen Poultry, Meats
Due to changes in the supply chain, some meat and poultry manufacturers are selling large amounts of product directly to consumers. Pop-up drive-thru sales of bulk bargain chicken direct from North Carolina farmers have been shutting down traffic in some locations as people race to take advantage of deals and stock up on meats during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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MORE POPULAR EXTENSION YOUTUBE CHANNELS
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