Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 14, 2015 9A
The hows and whys of saving seeds
CORVALLIS — As fall gets
under way, many vegetables
wrap up their season-long
lifecycle and set the seeds
that lead to next year’s
bounty.
“Saving seeds is a great
way to perpetuate your fa-
vorite heirloom varieties
and save a bit of money,
too,” said Ross Penhallegon,
a horticulturist with Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service.
Not all vegetables grow
true to type the next year,
however, so save seeds only
from open- and self-polli-
nated varieties, not those la-
beled hybrids. Collect seeds
from fully mature, ripe fruit
of superior plants. Seeds
should be completely dry
before storing.
Bean, pea and other
legume seeds are among the
easiest to collect, Penhalle-
gon said. Leave the pods on
the plant until they are “rat-
tle dry.” Keep an eye on the
pods, as some varieties split
and scatter the seeds when
dry. Pick the dried pods and
place them in a well-venti-
lated area at room tempera-
ture. When the pods are
completely dry, remove the
seeds. Look out for pea wee-
vils, which eat out the cen-
ter of the seeds.
Lettuce seeds usually
save well, but next year’s
crop may vary a bit from the
original. Many herbs dry on
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
the stalk. Stems of dill, anise
and other herbs can be cut
and hung upside down
wrapped in a paper bag or
nylon to catch the falling
seed.
Cross-pollination can
happen with peppers, Pen-
hallegon said, so make sure
the hot and sweet varieties
are grown well apart if you
are saving seeds. Scrape the
seeds from a mature, ripe
pepper and allow them to
dry on a tray at room tem-
perature.
Tomatoes should be fer-
mented prior to removing
seeds to destroy canker dis-
ease organisms, he said.
Squeeze the seeds and sur-
rounding gel from several
ripe tomatoes into a clear
glass jar and add two to
three inches of water. Make
sure you label the jar with
the name of the tomato va-
riety. Set it on a sunny win-
dowsill and stir daily. As the
mixture ferments, the de-
bris and gel will float to the
top and the viable seeds will
sink to the bottom. After
several days, scoop or pour
out the debris and gel and
then drain and rinse the re-
OSU EXTENSION/for the Itemizer-Observer
Saving seeds helps perpetuate favorite heirloom varieties
and can save money, too.
maining mixture in a fine
sieve. Spread the seeds on a
paper plate to dry for four to
five days.
It is more difficult to save
seeds from vine crops such
as cucumbers, squash and
pumpkins. Without con-
trolled pollination, these
crops cross with other vari-
eties with unexpected re-
sults. The crosses, Penhalle-
gon said, can be unusual
and even unique.
Biennials, such as carrots,
beets, and most of the cab-
bage family, present other
problems to the seed saver.
It takes space and planning
to keep the plant going from
one year until it goes to seed
the second year.
Once completely dry,
your seeds are ready to store
in a cool, dry, dark place. Put
each seed type in a labeled,
dated envelope and store
the seed envelopes in a
sealed jar. Moisture can
cause the seeds to deterio-
rate more quickly, he said.
To ensure the seeds stay dry
and increase seed viability,
place a small amount of
freshly opened powdered
milk or silica gel in the jar
beneath the seed packets.
Close the jar tightly and
store on the kitchen counter
until no moisture condenses
inside the jar. Then place the
jar in the refrigerator until
planting time.
For more information,
refer to OSU Extension’s
publication “Collecting and
Storing Seeds from Your
Garden.”
MI TOWN
Where are all those leaves
coming from? It seems like
every day more and more
leaves of many colors are
falling from our neighbor-
hood trees, and that means
it’s time to get out the lawn
rakes and those big, brown
containers (which fill up all
too quickly in our house).
Unless it’s raining, my secret
pleasure is to kick through
the leaves on the sidewalks
around MI Town, and espe-
cially on the WOU campus,
while out on a walk. Autumn
is such a beautiful time of
year and so far this season,
we are making a gentle tran-
sition from summer. Miss
October can be a very fickle
month, however, so it’s good
to prepare for just about
anything.
—
In probably the most excit-
ing football game we’ve seen
in the 15 years at McArthur
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Stadium, our WOU Wolves
won over previously unbeat-
en North Alabama 24-22 on
Saturday. WOU meets Central
Washington University this
Saturday, at McArthur Stadi-
um at 1 p.m. On Oct. 31, we’ll
celebrate Halloween on cam-
pus, and hope for more treats
instead of tricks, when our
Wolves will play Azusa State.
Our local high school and
college football games are
wonderful events for family
fun. We’ve so enjoyed watch-
ing the games over the years
we have lived here.
—
The apple trees are abun-
dant this year, and this
means some of the best pie
bakers in MI Town have
been busy in their kitchens,
as well as getting things or-
ganized at the senior center
kitchen to put together some
awesome soups. Tomorrow
is the soup and pie sale at
the Monmouth Senior Cen-
ter. If you haven’t attended
this semi-annual occasion,
you’ve missed out on the
best homemade soups and
pies in our neck of the
woods. Hours are from 11
a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Crafter’s
Corner features interesting
and unique items so you can
shop before or after lunch.
—
With the chilly and some-
times rainy weather upon
us, now is a great time to
look through your book-
shelves — and yes, see
what’s hiding in those clos-
ets and cabinets in the guest
room — because the Friends
of the Monmouth Library
are looking for clean and
gently used books for the
ongoing book sale. Chil-
dren’s books are especially
needed at this time. The Hol-
iday Book Sale is scheduled
for Dec. 1-22, during regular
library hours. More informa-
tion on the sale will follow
during the next several
weeks.
—
Ma n y t h a n k s t o t h e
Friends of the Monmouth
and Independence libraries
and the Independence and
Monmouth Business associ-
ations for again sponsoring
the upcoming Halloween
Spooktacular on Oct. 30.
This is a wonderful opportu-
nity for all the local kids and
families to celebrate — there
will be cookies and candies
and all kinds of treats for
everyone.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
TUESDAY, OCT. 20
• Family Building Blocks Dallas play group — 10 a.m., Academy
Building, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. Suite 216. Play group for children
and families. Activities and snacks provided. Free. RSVP, 503-877-8473.
• Take Of Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) Club — 6 to 7 p.m. weigh-in,
7 to 8 p.m. meeting, First Christian Church basement, 1079 SE Jefer-
son St., Dallas. Meetings ofer programs and activities aimed at losing
weight. Open to anyone. First meeting is free.
—
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank —
1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutof Road, Building E, Dallas.
Weekly distribution for eligible community members. 503-831-5634.
Harleigh Antoinette Reyes was born to
C.J. & Sara Reyes of Salem at 12:49 a.m. on
Oct. 3rd. She weighed 5 lbs., 14 oz. and was
19 in. long. She is their first child.
Grandparents are Bill & Lacy Kelly of
Sandy, OR; Janice Kelly of Anza, CA; and
Clifford & Mary Reyes of Corvallis, OR.
Great-grandparents are John & Vivian
Wilder, of Corvallis, OR; Shirley Reyes, of
Forest Grove, OR; Reba Daubert, of
Palm Desert, CA; Jeanette
Kahl, of Ontario, CA;
and Edward Reyes of
Lebanon, OR.
• Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., West Valley
Hospital (main conference room inside main entrance), 525 SE Wash-
ington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323
• Bingo at the Farm — 6:30 p.m., Rogue Farms Hopyard, 3590
Wigrich Road, Independence. All ages welcome. Free; food and bev-
erages available for purchase. 503-838-9813.
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth. For eligi-
ble community members; available every Wednesday. 541-404-6517.
• Brew and BS — 7 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1486 SW
Levens St., Dallas. Free. Bring your own brew – beer, cofee, tea, cider,
wine. Moderated discussions on topics of religion and science. 503-
831-5593.
Call us.
The Itemizer Observer can help
you expand your market share
and make your business more
profitable. Call us at
503-623-2373 and make an
I would like to take the time to thank everyone that
helped me and my family during the recent loss of my
husband David Hunter. The American Legion did such
a nice job to be there for us and actually perform the
service. Bollman’s helped make all the hard choices and
sorrowful times easier. Hospice and Dallas Retirement
Village worked hard to make things comfortable for
both David and myself.
Also thanks to the many “friends from the pool” for
their love and support. I cannot finish without thanking
our lifelong friend Linda Meyers & her son Jason for
all of their long trips over, hugs, and “great stories” to
keep me going. Plus my sisters that just came in and
surrounded me with constant love and practical help.
I couldn’t have made it without you!
— Sincere Thanks, Michelle Hunter
appointment with one of our
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ANNIVERSARIES
Culley — 60th
Keith and Verna Culley
of Dallas will celebrate
their 60th wedding an-
niversary on Oct. 9, 2015
with family. Keith Culley
and Verna Abshier were
married Oct. 9, 1955, at
Presbyterian Church in
Lake Tahoe, Calif. Pastor
James F. Scott performed
the ceremony and the
couple was attended by
Glenna Culley and Gary
Culley.
The couple has lived in
Coos Bay and Woodland,
Calif. previously and Polk County the past 17 years.
Keith retired in 1997 as a deputy sheriff with the Yolo
County Sheriff’s Office in Woodland. Verna retired in 1997
from Woodland, Calif. City Hall as a secretary.
Keith and Verna enjoy going to their son’s and daugh-
ter-in-law’s ranch near Sweet Home on top of a mountain
and staying in the travel trailer. They are also members of
the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Their family is their
whole life.
Their family includes Richard and Teresa Culley of
Sweethome; Susan and Scott Wenger of Billings, Mont.;
and Nancy and Dean Rech of Monmouth. The couple has
seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
WEDDINGS
Villwock — Bringhurst
Kim Villwock of Dallas
and Jody Bringhurst of
Tigard Dallas were mar-
ried Aug. 29 at Salt Creek
Baptist Church in Dallas.
Reverend David Curtis
officiated the ceremony.
The bride is the daugh-
ter of Paul and Sandi Vill-
wock of Dallas. The groom
is the son of Larry and
Susie Bringhurst of Tigard.
Matron of honor was
Heidi Knapp. Bridesmaids
were Sheila Havig, Berina
Tuttle and Paige Villwock.
Liviana Tuttle.
Best man was Daniel Bringhurst. Groomsmen were
Mark Villwock and Corban Villwock.
Kim Villwock is a 1998 graduate of Dallas High School.
A 2002 graduate of Corban University in Salem with a
Bachelor of science degree in elementary education and
in 2011 she graduated from Western Oregon University
with a Master’s of science in education. She had taught in
the Dallas School District for 8 years.
Jody is a 2001 graduate of Southwest Christian School
in Tigard. A 2006 graduate from Azusa Pacific University
in Azusa, Calif., with a Bachelors of Arts in theology and in
2012 he graduated from University of Oklahoma with a
Bachelor of Science in engineering physics. He is a sys-
tems engineer at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson,
Ariz.
The couple will honeymoon on the Oregon Coast. They
will make their home in Tucson.
ENGAGEMENTS
Pederson — Rudd
Rebecca and Pederson
and Bradley Rudd of
Tillamook are planning
an October wedding.
The bride-to-be is the
daughter of Arnold and
Linda Pederson of Dal-
las. Her fiancé is the son
of Jelly and Jodi Rudd of
Homedale, Idaho.
Rebecca a 2008 gradu-
ate of Dallas High School
and a 2011 graduate of
Oregon State University
in Corvallis earned a
Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Sciences. She is em-
ployed at United States Department of Agriculture’s Natu-
ral Resources Conservation Service as a soil conservation-
ist.
Bradley a 2007 graduate of Homedale High School in
Homedale and a 2011 graduate of Universal Technical In-
stitute earned a program degree in Diesel Mechanics. He
is employed at Tillamook Hampton Lumber Mills as a
planer operator.
The wedding is set for Saturday at The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in Dallas.
BIRTHS
Roop
Allison James Roop was born to James and Rose Roop
of Monmouth at 10:17 a.m. on Sept. 30 at Salem Hospital
Family Birth Center.
She weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 20.75 inches
long.
Allison joins Madalyn, 3.
Grandparents are Lloyd and Judy Spradling of Stayton;
and Julie Roop of Monmouth.
Barba-Perrp
Aaliyah Miah Barba-Perry was born to Jake Perry and
Aracelia Barba of Independence at 3:50 a.m. on Sept. 30 at
Salem Hospital Family Birth Center.
She weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 19.75 inches
long.
Aaliyah joins Lexy, 15; and Ashley, 9.
Grandparents are Silvano and Maria Barba of Inde-
pendence; and Jeremiah and Patty Perry of Pendleton.
Great-grandparents are Elfreda Tucker of Pendleton.
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