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Tuesday, July 12, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
WENDY
SCHMIDT
Make the
best of
BETWEEN THE ROWS
blueberry
123RF
season
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
B
lueberry season is upon us, which means ber-
ry-studded muffi ns, pancakes, salads and smoothies.
The plump and juicy berry — thought to have one of
the highest antioxidant levels of all everyday fruits —
also makes a great base for a summer pie that’s both
sweet and jammy, with just a touch of tang for balance.
This super-easy recipe from Cook’s Country magazine pairs
the sweet-sour pop of fresh blueberries with a cooked berry
puree in a simple (but oh-so-good) graham cracker crust.
It’s topped with a cheesecake-like, no-bake whipped topping
Easy-to-make
pie pairs
fresh berries and
cooked puree
Keeping
bouquets
beautiful
W
hen you fi nd a fl ower out
in a hidden corner of your
yard, it’s nice to bring it to
the house or give it to a friend. That
way, the beauty can be appreciated
rather than lost.
The beauty of cut fl owers doesn’t
last forever, we know it will wither and
die. But, it can last longer if you meet
its nutritional needs.
Food
Flowers are living things and need
food in order to live longer. You can
provide what they need with one of the
following vase solutions:
• Mix one part of the common
lemon-lime sodas with three parts
of water. Do not use diet drinks or
colas. (Diet drinks have no sugar and
the colas contain too much acid for
fl owers). Add 1/4 teaspoon bleach per
quart to keep the solution clear and
bacteria-free.
• Put two tablespoons lemon juice
or bottled “ReaLemon,” one table-
spoon of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of
bleach in a quart of warm water. Add
another 1/4 teaspoon bleach every
fourth day.
To do list
• Use a clean vase (bacteria
clog water tubes inside the stems,
and starve the fl ower for water and
nutrients).
• Prepare the fl owers properly. Cut
just-opening fl owers early in the day
when the fl ower’s carbohydrate con-
centration is highest. Put in water
immediately.
• Immerse milky-sap fl owers like
poppies (bottom two inches of stem)
in boiling water for 10 seconds just
before using them in an arrangement.
• Gently remove lower leaves so no
leaves will be under water. Recut the
stems at an angle under water. This
assures the fl ower a water supply,
because then the water tubes aren’t
See, Bouquets/Page B2
JENNIE
HAGEN
GARDENING WITH GRANDMA
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
that whisks together in a stand mixer in around 5 minutes. No
bothering with dough means the whole process is no big deal,
making this a perfect pie for novice bakers and cooks for their
summer cookout.
The original recipe in the June/July magazine featured piped
rosettes of topping on the pie, but I’m pretty clumsy with a
pastry bag. So I chose the easier option of spreading the topping
across the top of the pie with an off set spatula, and then swirling
in the puree in a marble pattern with a butter knife. I also added
a strawberry fl ower in the center.
Be sure to chill the pie after it’s prepared for the recom-
mended 4 hours or it will fall apart when you slice it.
M
This easy-to-make blueberry pie
highlights the fl avors and textures
of fresh blueberries, with a crisp
and nutty graham cracker crust.
See, Blueberries/Page B2
From horses to cars, the history of Adams Avenue
By GINNY MAMMEN
W
ith the coming of the
railroad the west end
of Adams Avenue in
downtown La Grande developed
at a faster rate than the east end.
The 1889 Sanborn map identi-
fi ed a few wooden dwellings and
even fewer wooden buildings
designated as businesses in the
1400 block. Nearly half of the
south side of the street showed
no buildings at all.
By 1903 a few more build-
ings, both dwellings and com-
mercial, began to appear. Seven
years later, in 1910, it was fi lling
up, but not with the larger more
Small businesses came and went in this area.
Wooden buildings were constructed and
destroyed. Addresses seemed to change as some
buildings became larger making it diffi cult to
trace just what was where and when.
permanent brick construction
that was being used on the west
end of Adams.
This being said there was one
business, located at 1424 Adams,
that was going strong. This was
the Farmers Feed Barn.
In August 1903, W.H. Buz-
zard was advertising his new
barn that covered the entire lot.
’Tis the season
to rescue plants
For only 15 cents and a supply
of feed, one could bring a horse
to have it in a shaded area,
watered, and a rig watched. Feed
was also available for purchase.
For those who were spending
the day doing the town, Buzzard
off ered two toilet rooms with
water and combs, and a place to
spread lunches. One could also
board horses here by the day,
week or month.
By September of that same
year, Buzzard sold the very
profi table Farmers Feed Barn
to Allan J. Webb, and in April
1904 F.P. Childers took over
the barn management. At some
point Webb took in a partner,
E.B. Johnson, but soon the part-
nership of Johnson & Webb dis-
solved. Webb went to Portland
and Johnson continued in the
business.
Edward Johnson was born in
Iowa in 1885 and had come to
La Grande in the early 1900s.
See, Adams/Page B6
any area retailers that sell
plants are having sea-
son-ending sales right now
and it can be a good time to bring
home an “orphan” or two and try
to bring them back to life. No, the
growing season certainly isn’t over, but
up to 70% of retail plant sales are from
the months of April to June and con-
sist of the smaller four or six pack veg-
etable, herb, and fl owering annuals or
perennials. So it still isn’t too late to
plant these.
If your selections have dead or dam-
aged side stems, cut them off , water
thoroughly, then place your plants in
full shade for at least two or three days.
You’ll be amazed at their recovery.
The older the plant the greater like-
lihood that the roots will be wound
around inside the pot. This is where
the best thing you can do is to sacri-
fi ce a large, and very sharp, kitchen
knife. I’ve read some recommenda-
tions to “untangle the roots” prior to
planting. Please don’t! By the time
you have fi nished untangling the roots
the plant will, no doubt, have suc-
cumbed to dehydration. Just use that
very sharp kitchen knife, hopefully
serrated, to make the slices, yes, right
through the roots, before you plop it
into the pre-dug hole. The cuts through
the existing roots will stimulate new
growth and remember, you can always
buy a new knife for your kitchen!
I noticed an article the other day
that stated gardens, whether fl owering
landscapes or vegetable plots, should
be watered only in the morning.
See, Rescue/Page B2