Blackberry and Blueberry Care Among the Topics at 16th Annual Event

SPRING HILL, Tenn. – Homegrown blackberries and blueberries pair perfectly for summertime in Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture would like to help bring them to your backyard. This year marks the 16th annual Fruits of the Backyard Field Day where attendees can receive valuable information, products and techniques that will help backyard fruits and other plants flourish.

Most people’s approach to health care is a preventive one. They visit their medical doctor regularly to check for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other issues. They see the dentist regularly to prevent development of cavities, gum disease and other problems with the mouth. The idea is to not wait until a problem becomes evident.

Have you ever felt like you have been hit in the chest? I am not talking literally. That being said, I think I have been hit over the years by any kind of ball you can think of: softball, football, basketball, volleyball and or any other plastic ball. In this article, I am talking about something touching your heart and memories.

I once went to visit an elderly friend who was near death. She occasionally lapsed into sleep. As she came closer to the end, she woke from one of these small naps, looked at those of us surrounding her, and said, “I’m still here.”

Grape Salad recipes are few and far between. Try this one, You'll like it. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until bubbly, but not browned. Add milk and heat until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Add marshmallows and continue heating, and stirring until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in grapes, pineapple and pecans. Chill several hours before serving. Grapes may be cut in half if you prefer.

Right now if you’re outside much you are liable to catch a whiff of an almost overpowering flower smell, and if you investigate, you will likely find a bush loaded with small white flowers. This is Privet, a foreign shrub brought in as a landscape plant as early as the late 1700s. It has unfortunately gone Frankenstein and naturalized into the wild, where it is now very common to see along roadsides, woodland edges, and fencerows. It is bad news and a serious threat to our mountain farms and forests.

Sure, I knew that the American Legion New Liberty Post 212 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8682 shared a building up at the end of Veterans St. And I knew that it had something to do with military veterans. But I am not a veteran, nor do I come from a military family. So they really had nothing to do with me, did they? Well, I was wrong. As a community, we need to support these folks who train, work and fight to protect us. What they did was not easy and often left physical, mental and emotional scars. And we need to recognize their dedication to us and our community.

Union County Business & Professional Association presented scholarship awards to eight graduating seniors at the Union County High School Senior Awards and College Signing Day on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Receiving the Jeffreys Memorial Academic Scholarship was Rileigh Collins. Rileigh will attend East Tennessee State University to pursue a dual major in physical therapy and business.

Union County elementary schools’ 4-H Clubs just wrapped up their annual pop top tab collection drive to benefit Ronald McDonald House, and students at Maynardville Elementary enjoyed an ice cream party to celebrate collecting more tabs than any other school. They combined their favorite choice of ice cream flavor and topping and enjoyed the sweet rewards of their success during the last in-school 4-H meeting of the year. What a great way to finish an exciting year of learning about community service and volunteerism.

Join us this Saturday, May 20, as the Union County Farmers Market kicks off our 2023 Nourish Kids program. This program has been designed to get children excited about local food and healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables. Once again, our market has partnered with Nourish Knoxville to present this program. Through a grant, Nourish Knoxville has been able to assist markets like ours throughout East Tennessee, providing materials and Produce Bucks making this program possible.