Holiday Lights and a Dog Parade - Perfect for 4-H Families

If you are looking for an inexpensive, relaxing way to spend an evening, make plans to come out to the Holiday Lights at the Florida Botanical Gardens (Extension Office address). The garden areas are filled with beautiful lighted decorations. Check out the pink flamingos!
An evening stroll is just what you need to ease away the stress of mall shopping.
You can avoid mall shopping by visiting the Gift and Plant Sale December 11 from 10a.m. until 4 p.m. A variety of items will be for sale, including jewelry, candies, outdoor items, and clothing. Plants for sale include bromeliads, orchids, native plants, and citrus.
Add a new family tradition to your holidays by entering the Dog Parade December 31. The parade will take place at 2 p.m. that Saturday. Registration is $5 per dog per category, with six categories: best costumed, sit and stay on command, best trick, best smile, most handsome boys and prettiest girls.
Registration for the parade will take place that day.
The lights, sale and parade are sponsored by the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation. For more information go to:http://www.flbg.org/foundation.htm

Congratulations to 4-H Cook-Off Winners

On November 5, the Pinellas County Extension Office was filled with the delightful aroma of 20 plus apple and pecan dished prepared by 4-H members and volunteers. Awards were given to the highest scoring adult and youth as well as top winners in each category. Ribbons were awarded to all competitors. The winners are:

Top Adult
Heather Schoeppner – Caramel Pecan Crusted Apple Bake
Top Youth
Emily Vines – Fudge Brownies with Pecans
Category Winners
Youth Apple – Rebekah Briggs - Hare Raisin Homesteaders
Adult Apple – Cindy Peacock – Booker Creek Explorers
Youth Pecan -Amoni Green – JD Cooking Club
Adult Pecan- Heather Schoeppner –Hare Raisin Homesteaders
Family Pecan – Fahy Family – Ochs Garden

The recipes from all the entries will be available soon via e-mail and the 4-H web site.
The cook-off was part of the 4-H Open House and is open to the public as well as 4-H families.

4-H Open House This Saturday 10:00 - 2:00

This Saturday, November 5, is the 4-H Open House. The weather should be perfect for this annual event at the Pinellas County Extension Office. The purpose of this event is to highlight the achievements and opportunities of the local 4-H program.
Throughout the day four 4-H members will teach participants icebreakers, the difference between a visual aid and an exhibit, and how to use powerpoint in a presentation. The animal sciences will be represented in person by dairy goats and poultry courtesy of Conservatives 4-H and 4-H2O. The Hare Raisin' Homesteaders will also have information on horses and rabbits. Average Joe's 4-H will focus on technology in 4-H projects.
Along with the club exhibits led by 4-H members and leaders, partners and supporters of 4-H will also be there. The Pinellas County 4-H Foundation will be selling all the varieties of pecans at $10 a bag. The chocolate covered and glazed pecans make great gifts for the holidays. The Pinellas County Farm Bureau will have fun educational materials and information on the benefits of belonging to the Farm Bureau.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. the awards will be announced for the Apple/Pecan Cook-Off. After that, Open House attendees may sample the delicious entries. You don't want to miss this!
The final activity of the Open House is the launching of the "Rockets Away" rockets. Rocketeers bringing an empty 2-liter bottle will create a rocket and then take part in the air powered launching.
Come by the 4-H Open House and experience a little bit of everything the 4-H program has to offer.
The Pinellas County Extension Office is located at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo.

Enter the 4-H Apple/Pecan Cook-Off Now!

The cook-off is open to all, so don't delay testing an old favorite recipe or trying something completely new. Think outside the apple pie box and share a unique (but tasty) way to use apples or pecans. There are categories for adults, youth, and families. By entering the Family category younger chefs are able to enter their creations with a little help from an adult.

Have a gluten free recipe? Try entering that recipe in the often neglected Healthy category.

4-H prizes will be awarded in each category.

The Apple/Pecan Cook-Off takes place November 5 as part of the 4-H Open House. The event takes place at the Pinellas County Extension Service at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, 33774. All entries (the finished product) should be delivered by 10:00 a.m. Please include a copy of the recipe and a separate card with your name, phone number, recipe name, and category. Please see below for a link to the registration form:

http://pinellas.ifa.ufl.edu/blog_4H/halfsheetAppleCookOffPre-registration2011.pdf

Any questions? Contact cook-off coordinator Betty Lipe at blipe@tampabay.rr.com.

Good luck!

4-H Open House and Apple/Pecan Cook-Off November 5

Fall is officially here and 4-H'ers are beginning to think about their club booths for the 4-H Open House November 5. Every 4-H club is invited to set up a display to show off their club projects. Most clubs also have an activity to share or have items to sell to boost their club treasuries. So far we will have goats, chickens, Xtreme gingerhouse building, and the rocket creation and launch. The second half of the event is the Apple/Pecan Cook-Off. Bring in your finished product of a recipe that contains at least one apple or one cup of pecans. This event celebrates the success of the apple/pecan sale held each year by the Pinellas County 4-H Foundation.
Here is what you need to know:
To participate with a club display, leaders should contact Jean Rogalsky at jrogalsk@pinellascounty.org to register.
To hold a fundraiser, the club must submit a fundraising application. Sales need to be approved before the event.
To enter the cook-off, everyone must pre-register with Betty Lipe at blipe@tampabay.rr.com.
Forms and instructions will be e-mailed to club leaders or can be obtained from Betty Lipe.
The 4-H Open House and Apple/Pecan Cook-Off is open to the public. It takes place at the Pinellas County Extension Office at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo. Come and see what 4-H has to offer. Doors open at 10:00 a.m.

Last Two Weeks to Order 4-H Apples and Pecans and Support 4-H

Time is running out to order your apples and pecans. This fund raiser of the Pinellas County 4-H Foundation is a win-win business arrangement. The buyers of the delicious apples receive a nutritious product fresh from the tree. The pecan buyers receive a versatile nutritious product guaranteed to be this year's crop. Did you know that store pecans are sometimes stored from the year before?
Benefiting from the purchase of the apples and pecans are the 4-H members. Each year $6,000.00 is allocated to assist 4-H members to attend Camp Ocala, 4-H Congress, weekend leadership workshops, compete at regional and national level, and other educational opportunities. As one 4-H member wrote, "At camp I made the best new friends and learned how important communication and respect is. Without the scholarship, my parents couldn't afford to send me and I wouldn't have had these great friends or learned so much!"

There are two kinds of apples offered in full or half bushels. A bushel of apples, in case you've forgotten, is approximately 40-42 pounds.
EMPIRE - This is a cross between a Red Delicious and McIntosh. They are medium sized fruit with dark red skin with a sweet tangy flavor that resembles McIntosh though with better color, flavor and keeping ability.
CRISPIN/MUTSU- This apple is a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo made in 1930 in Japan and introduced in 1948. It was renamed Crispin in England, a name that still persists in the US. The large to extra-large fruit has a yellow green skin with flesh similar to Golden Delicious though, slightly coarser in texture and tarter in flavor. Excellent all-purpose apple (baking, freezing, making apple jelly/apple butter, fresh eating) that keeps well.
A full bushel of apples sells for $34.00 and half bushel for $20.00.

The plain Georgia pecans are sold in 16 ounce bags in halves or pieces. They sell for $10.00 a bag.
The chocolate covered, cinnamon glazed, and cluster pecans come in a decorative 12 ounce bag. They also sell for $10.00.
What better way to start your holiday shopping than to order plain pecans for holiday recipes and beautiful bags of covered pecans for gifts?

For more information on the apples and pecans, and to order, go to: http://www.pc4hfoundation.org/applepecan.html

4-H Ends the Year and Begins the New (with Apples)

September 1 is the official start of the new 4-H year - 2011/12. Before anymore time passes, we must recognize the two Clubs of the Year. Why two clubs? 4-H clubs come in all shapes and sizes, so we recognize the large and small clubs that have excelled.
The Crazy 4 Canines 4-H Club is the large Club of the Year. With over 20 members, they do everything in a big way. Individual members have excelled with their individual project work. As a club, they complete many community service hours and are terrific 4-H ambassadors at public events. They also conduct our only county 4-H dog show. The Crazy 4 Canines 4-H Club is led by Organizational Leader Liz Piquet.
The Hare Raisin' Homesteaders have the distinction of being a first year club and of winning small Club of the Year. They have all jumped into the 4-H program by completing multiple projects, attending 4-H Camp Ocala, Congress, and 4-H Legislature. The members compete at county, district, and state levels and have a terrific time with everything they do. This club is led by Organizational Leader Betty McNelis.

If it is September, it must be apple time. Once again the Pinellas County 4-H Foundation is holding its apple and pecan sale.

There are two kinds of apples that are sold in full or half bushels. A bushel is approximately 40-42 pounds).

EMPIRE - This apple is a cross between a Red Delicious and McIntosh made in 1945 by the New York Agriculture Experiment Station and named and introduced in 1966. They are medium sized fruit with dark red skin with a sweet tangy flavor that resembles McIntosh though with better color, flavor and keeping ability.

CRISPIN/MUTSU- This apple is a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo made in 1930 in Japan and introduced in 1948. It was renamed Crispin in England, a name that still persists in the US. The large to extra-large fruit has a yellow green skin with flesh similar to Golden Delicious though, slightly coarser in texture and tarter in flavor. Excellent all-purpose apple (baking, freezing, making apple jelly/apple butter, fresh eating) that keeps well.

Full bushel of either kind of apples sells for $34.00 and half bushel of either kind sells for $20.00.
This sale is the major fundraiser of the year. Much of the money raised goes to 4-H trip scholarships, such as to 4-H Camp Ocala, Congress.
For more information on the apples and pecans, and to order, go to: http://www.pc4hfoundation.org/applepecan.html