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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2012)
8 in other words october23 2012 Diggin’ in the Dirt: The Demise of the Yellow Jackets By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service - Columbia County For last minute food preservation ques- tions, you can call our local OSU Ex- tension office at 503-397-3462 to get answers and to get your pressure canner tested. In addition, there are a number of great OSU publications on food pres- ervation free for the download at http:// extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ and then click on “nutrition and foods.” Fall Topics: Demise of the yellow jackets Fall is not a good time to be a yellow jacket worker. The colony is in transition and will soon collapse. A protected class of females (“queens to be”) is fattened up since they alone will carry the colo- nial genes through the winter. They emerge from the colony, mate in air with the males, and then seek a pro- tected place to winter over. It isn’t uncom- mon to find these fat queens in stacks of firewood or under boards in an open garage. Next year, they start a new nest by themselves, tending the larval brood until enough workers are present to take over. The males, after the reproduc- tive dance is done, quickly fall to earth and perish. The worker caste goes through a slow decline. Early in the year, they fed the new yellow jacket larva pro- tein from caterpillar juicy bits and the larva, in return, made them sugary treats. But the queen produces fewer larvae to- wards the end and the workers turn to sugar-rich fruits outside. The colony is in a death spiral. The workers eventu- ally start departing the nest one by one, never to return. The queen for this year also departs to die alone and untended. The remaining larva die as the nest is de- stroyed by rain and wind and sometimes, skunks who relish brood. Storing garden produce The wonderful sunny days in September gave a great boost to our gar- dens. Now the weather has turned. Many vegetables will last for some months if stored properly. Advice common to all fruits and vegetables is to only store produce that is in good con- dition (“one rotten apple can spoil the box”). In addition, check periodically to see if sprouting or rot has developed after initial stor- age. Finally, freeze or can produce where that makes sense. I covered potatoes in detail in the last column. Here are some tips on other storable vegetables: Onions and garlic: Hard, pungent on- ions store the best. If they are still in the ground, dig them now and bring them under cover to cure. Remove the roots. Some gardeners keep the tops on for a while as the onions dry. The onion tops should be removed when the bulbs are bagged for final storage unless you are braiding them. Onions and garlic both need to be stored in dry conditions. Some out- buildings are too moist in the fall/win- ter and in those conditions, onions and garlic will start to sprout. You will have better luck storing them in a warm, dry room inside. If your garage or outbuild- ing is dry, that area will be fine. Onions last nicely in paper bags. Some air circu- lation is important, as is darkness. Sweet onions (Walla Walla types and others) should be eaten right away as they have very poor storage ability. Look through your onions and garlic often to remove bulbs that start to sprout or decay. A well-cured pungent onion should last at least four months in a proper storage. Garlic can last until late spring or even longer. Winter squash: Winter squashes are also easy to store. Harvest them before a frost. When rainy weather sets in, squash are done growing and will only rot if left outside. Butternut and Hubbard squash store for six months or more if well- cured. Acorn squash are best used within four months of harvest. Clip the squash from the vine leaving a stem end. Wash the dirt from the squash and let them cure in a warm room on a counter or table for a week. Check for any signs of rot. Then put them into a dry room on a shelf or a shallow box. Best storage temperature is about sixty degrees. Check periodically for decay. Other root crops: Carrots, parsnips, and beets develop better flavor if left in the ground until a frost. However, if the meadow mice find them, all you will have are carrot/parsnip/beet stubs with cute little teeth marks. In addition, if you had problems with the carrot rust fly (also a problem on parsnips but not beets), their tunnels will decay faster if the carrots are left in the ground. The roots are best stored like potatoes in sawdust in the dark. Horseradish can be left in the ground to be dug and grated later. The roots develop greater pungen- cy when it gets colder. Mice don’t seem to like them. Share your extra fruit and vegetables with the Food Bank. What you can of- fer is really important. The Extension Service offers its pro- grams and materials equally to all peo- ple. Free newsletter The Oregon State University Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics (called County Liv- ing) written/edited by yours truly. All you need to do is ask for it and it will be mailed to you. Call 503 397-3462 to be put on the list. Alternatively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum- bia/ and click on newsletters. Contact information for the Extension office Oregon State University Extension Ser- vice – Columbia County 505 N. Columbia River Highway (across from the Legacy clinic) St. Helens, OR 97051 503 397-3462 Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu Hunting Season is here! Archery Equipment - Sporting Goods Calls - Cammo - Boots - Accessories Binoculars - Scent Killers - Targets Family owned & operated for over 40 years 834 Bridge St, Vernonia FOR TOWING EMERGENCIES IN AND AROUND THE VERNONIA AREA 503-429-6364 Vernonia Veterinary Clinic Small and Large Animals Polife and County personnel are required to use a rotation of available provfiders, UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY ASK for a servife by name. REQUEST TOWING SERVICE FROM Now Open Mon, Wed & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call for Appointments (503) 429-1612 Shop Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 - 6:00 Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470 700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR
