Page 10 Portland Observer, November 10, 1982
House plants need special winter care
W inters can be hard on house-
plants. In d o o r tem peratures are
usually too high, h u m id ity is too
low and the light is inadequate for
best possible growth.
“ It takes a little care to bring
houseplants through the winter
months in good shape," says Ray
McNeilan, Oregon State University
Extension home gardening agent.
“ Where possible, conditions around
the plant should be adjusted to pro
vide a healthy environment.”
Houseplants respond best to tem
peratures from 60-74 °F. Also, just
as occurs in nature, plants need a
d efin ite change in tem perature at
night. A five to ten degree drop is
usually enough to allow the plants
to build new tissues from the food
supply they m anufactured during
the day.
Houseplants in rooms that are too
Pasteurization
essential
hot tend to become spindly and less
resistant to disease and insect a t
tack, McNeilan says. They also pro
duce poor quality flowers.
W ith the sun at a lower angle in
the sky and the days getting shorter,
a check o f light levels on in d o o r
plants is necessary. The best posi
tion fo r most plants, p articu larly
flowering ones, is in a large window
that is facing south.
Foliage plants usually need less
Fertilizer needs are also reduced
during the winter months for indoor
plants. M c N e ila n suggests giving
houseplants food once a month only
watering again. Then be sure any ex if new growth is being made.
cess water drains out the bottom ol
For plants that become spindly
the p ot. The soil should be moist and weak-looking during the winter,
after watering, not saturated.
M c N e ila n recommends pruning
I f the pot sits in a dish or other back long, straggly stems to within
type o f receptacle, don’t allow water one-eight inch o f a leaf joint. In ad
that drains from the plant to remain dition, seed pods and wilted flowers
in it.
and leaves should be removed.
exposure. I f possible, consider
building a shelf in fron o f a south
facing window to accomodate your
houseplants.
W indow light may be supple
mented with electric light, McNeilan
notes. Fluorescent lighting provides
the most light fo r the energy used
and doesn’ t add much heat to the
room.
Prices Good Wed., Nov. 10 thru Tues., Nov. 16, 1982
VN E STOP SHOPPINGICENTER,
John Morrell
10 lb. Bag
Sliced
Bacon
Potatoes
U.S. »1 Russet
12 oz. pkg. • Reg. $1.99
4L»
. I* »
each
First Two
M Y -T E -F IN E
Margarine
*o *lM a rg > f'n*
.
MY-TE-FINE
Vienna Bread
Florida • 12 oz. can • Reg. $1.09
MY-TE-FINE
2 L iter Pop
First two - Additional at 89*
MY-TE-FINE
v ' ^ / E n g l i s h Muffins
2 2 ’A oz. loaf • Reg. 65*
Fresh
Oregon Grown
Cut-Up Fryers
M Y -T E -F IN E
Orange Juice
1 lb. tub
First two - Additional at regular price
R E F R IG E R A T O R
• Wash interior walls and
all removable parts with
warm water and mild soap
or detergent, or a solution
of two tablespoons of
baking soda to one quart of
water
• Put baking soda onto
jelly roll pans and place on
refrigerator shelves for sev
eral days
• Spread activated char
coal onto jelly roll pans and
place on shelves inside
refrigerator.
• Place fresh ground cof
fee in cereal bowls inside
refrigerator for several days.
Slight coffee odor can
remain but will soon dis
appear after washing
• Pack each refrigerator
shelf with crumpled news
paper Sprinkle newspaper
lightly with water
This
method
takes
approxi
mately 5-6 days, but helped
eliminate strong odors
The water needs o f houseplants
are low during the winter. McNeilan
states. W ith most plants, you can let
the potting soil dry slightly before
Fred Meyer
Consumers trying to save a few
cents by purchasing raw m ilk in
stead o f pasteurized m ilk , o r by
drinking raw cow ’s or goat’s milk
fro m their own cow or goat or
neighbor’s animal, could be taking a
health risk, warns N ellie O eh ler,
home economist w ith the Oregon
State University Extension Service.
M ilk contains bacteria, most o f
which are b en eficial, but O eh ler
warns that there may be bacteria
present that can cause m ilkb o rn e
diseases.
M ilk is an ideal medium for the
growth of bacteria. Even when pro
duced and handled under sanitary
conditions, it could contain bacteria
that cause flu-like illnesses, she said.
The Campylobacter jejuni bacte
ria cause an illness with symptoms
o f high fever, headache and d ia r
rhea. These illnesses have been on
an increase in areas where raw milk
is readily available.
M ilk is also an ideal place for the
growth o f the Salmonella bacteria,
which is sometimes transmitted to
the milk by the cow or contaminated
during handling. Septic sore throat
is also sometimes linked to raw
m ilk.
The pasteurization process kills
the disease-producing bacteria and
makes the milk safe to drink, Oehler
explains. Pasteurization destroys
the harmful bacteria and reduces the
number o f other bacteria that cause
m ilk to sour, thus increasing the
storage life.
I f raw milk is used, home pasteur
ization is highly recommended, says
Oehler. The easiest way to pasteur
ize milk at home is to use a double
boiler. Place the milk in a pan over
b o ilin g water and heat to 165 °F .
stirring while the milk is heating. As
soon as the m ilk reaches $65 ° F .,
place the pan into cold water w ith
ice and cool as rapidly as possible.
Rapid cooling helps to m aintain
the flavor o f the m ilk. When s u ffi
ciently cooled, store the milk in the
refrigerator.
Some n atu ral food enthusiasts
m ain tain that p asteurization de
stroys the vitam ins in m ilk and
much o f the food value. O f the vita
mins present in m ilk , only two are
reduced, says Oehler. They are thia
min and Vitamin C. These vitamins
are abundantly supplied in other
foods such as bread and citrus
fruits, she explained.
Most pasteurized and homogen
ized milk on the market is fortified
with vitamin D. Raw milk is not fo r
tified. I f drinking raw m ilk, Oehler
advises that you supplement your
diet with vitamin D rich foods.
There is nothing worse
than a strong odor in the
refrigerator/freezer
from
spoiled food resulting from
a power outage of a few
days.
These
odors
are
extremely difficult to re
move.
light than flowering types and will
grow well in just about any window
Pkg. of 8 • Regular • Sourdough
Reg. 65'
Fresh Broccoli
F ru it Rolls
Dark graan bunt has, sarva
with your favorite sauce
O ro ter'a Choice • • variadas
1 oz. pkg.
3
$
T
for
A
Fred Meyer
Hostess Pride
Pan Ready
Reg. $1.19 lb.
W h ole Fryers
Pag »1 09 lb
Thanksgiving T u rk e y
Ham o r C offee Free
W ith D o lla r
Stretchers®
‘ Between November 17th and
November 24th you can redeem
12 filled Dollar Stretcher Saver
Certificates for a Free 10-12 lb.
avg. Armour Star Turkey, or a Free
3 lb. Armour Star Canned Ham or
a Free 3 lb. can of Yuban Coffee
consumer Warehouse