Summer is a time of fun and rejuvenation for kids. It also gives space for them to discover new interests and hone established skills. To encourage this inquisitiveness, Fairfield 4-H curated a Bucket List series of weekly activities that could be done at home with simple household supplies. From money management to cooking challenges, the themed activities encourage engagement with life skills in entertaining ways. Even though school is back in session, your family can continue to use the Summer Bucket List Series as boredom busters. Access them on the Fairfield Co SC 4-H Facebook page or the PDF downloads.
Take-home kits were also assembled for six activities: Marshmallow Towers, Pinecone Birdfeeders, Shadows and Sundials, Binary Code Bracelets, Herb Garden in a Glove, and Optical Illusions. These kits were given to children at Winnfield West Apartments and at community events throughout the summer. The kit model will be extended into the upcoming school year as the Take-Out 4-H Club. Sign up to receive one free activity kit per month until May!
Upstate Food Systems and Safety Agent Alex Thompson, Clemson Extension Associate Chad Carter, Horticulture Agent Zack Snipes, and Dr. Julie Northcutt are working to develop and implement a brewing program to serve the South Carolina brewing industry and the public through Clemson Cooperative Extension.
According to the South Carolina Brewers Guild, 95 craft breweries in South Carolina produce 105,620 brewery barrels (3,274,220 gallons) of beer annually, with a yearly economic impact of $905 million on the South Carolina economy. The South Carolina brewing industry is a major driving force of economic development across the state. Clemson Cooperative Extension is looking to improve the lives and livelihood of South Carolinians by offering research-based solutions, workforce development programs, and product testing related to brewing science.
Clemson Cooperative Extension funds the development of the Clemson Cooperative Extension Brewing Program through the 2022 Innovation Awards. This award funds the purchase of brewing equipment, lab devices, and the creation of course materials to develop brewing science training for South Carolinians. This program will provide services for stakeholders who own and operate breweries, who currently work at breweries, hope to work in the brewing industry or are just curious about brewing and want to learn more.
Over the coming months, progress will be made towards the first offering in the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service Brewing Program for South Carolina, a “Learn to Brew” workshop that will be open to the public. This workshop will be offered both in-person and online and will teach participants the entirety of the brewing process from grain to glass. Furthermore, an optional program day will be hosted on the Clemson University campus, where participants will get a brewing experience. This workshop portion will allow students to interact with brewing equipment and learn about the brewing process in real-time as they produce beer from raw materials.
Craft beer is a major part of the South Carolina economy, and Clemson Cooperative Extension is poised to assist South Carolina brewers and consumers as the industry continues to grow.
Food Systems and Safety Agent Alex Thompson (center) speaks with Shayna Ferguson (right) and Rebeca Ortega (left) of Shoeless Brewing Co. in Greenville, SC . Photo Credit: Everett Weaver
Canning is an important and safe method of food preservation if practiced properly. The canning process involves placing foods in jars and heating to a temperature that destroys organisms that could be a health hazard or cause the food to spoil. Attend a workshop and learn how to safely preserve foods for your family.
Participants will be engaged in hands-on activities utilizing current USDA recommended techniques for preserving foods for home use. They will receive a Resource Guide, handouts and printed materials, knowledge of home canning materials, and the item prepared in class. Anyone with or without experience are encouraged to attend a workshop.
Classes will be held in the FCL Homemaker’s Building at 634 W Dekalb St. Camden, SC from 10:00AM – 2:00PM with a $35 fee. Registration is required.
Registration Required to attend Workshops
Class Dates and Topics:
Friday, September 23rd – Principles of Pickling
Saturday, September 24th – Principles of Pickling
Thursday, October 27th – Pressure Canning
Friday, October 28th – Pressure Canning
Friday, November 11th – Jams, Jellies & Soft Spreads
Saturday, November 12th – Jams, Jellies & Soft Spreads
Throughout the Summer of 2022, the Spartanburg County Nutrition Educator worked tirelessly to deliver EFNEP curricula to youth and adults. We had the opportunity to deliver Nutrition Education lessons at different locations, following brand new partnerships created throughout our county. Amongst the youth audience, we had the privilege to teach the “Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness” (CHFFF) curriculum to the Spartanburg County Public Library, Sparty’s Kids Camp (at USC Upstate), and the Spartanburg Northside Development Group, etc.
As for Adults, various homemakers throughout Spartanburg County. Locations such as Lyman, Cowpens, Wellford, and Spartanburg have participated in the Eating Smart ~ Being Active (ESBA) classes. Although out of Spartanburg County, we were invited by The Carolina Community Action Inc. in Union County and Birth Matters.
What are our participants saying about EFNEP classes?
“Thank you, Ms. Santana; my seven years old daughter had never tried sweet peas before; today, she did! (Participant at SCPL)
“Thank you, Ms. Santana, for introducing me to my new favorite food.” (Sparty Kid’s Summer Camp)
“I love this salad. I will ask my mom to prepare it for our party next week.”
“It was a lot of fun playing Snowball Fight in the middle of summer.” (SCPL, playing with crumpled scrap paper).
Sparty Kids Camp measuring out sugar content in favorite drinks.A group of children and their parents at the SCPL Headquarters.ESBA participants at the Community Action of the Piedmont in Union SC.CHFFF learners at the Spartanburg Northside Development Group.
Questions about pond weeds are common throughout the summer. As water temperatures warm, cyanobacteria blooms can occur more frequently. While there are many cyanobacteria species that can look different in a pond – all are capable of producing toxins, so care should be taken to avoid or limit contact with these blooms as much as possible. The Land Grant Press (LGP) article Introduction to Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in South Carolina Freshwater Systems provides more detailed information.
Water planning efforts continue throughout the state to ensure plentiful, clean water for future generations. The recently published LGP article Water Withdrawal Regulations in South Carolina provides an overview to increase understanding of the current rules. The SC Department of Natural Resources is leading creation of River Basin Councils in each of SC’s eight major river basins; these Councils will work over a two-year period to draft a River Basin Plan. The Edisto RBC is nearing completion of the first draft of the Edisto River Basin Plan. The Broad River Basin Council started meeting earlier this year and is currently accepting applications for representatives from Local Government, Industry, or Economic Development.
An On-Farm planting located at a cooperating farm has established new experimental grape varieties and new muscadine cultivars. Fruit harvest began two weeks ago with ‘Rhazzmatazz,’ a novel seedless hybrid muscadine-vinifera hybrid grape developed by Gardens Alive plant breeder Jeff Bloodworth.
The next grape I just started harvesting is ‘Oh My,’ another seedless cultivar from the same company. Muscadine plants we are evaluating but have not started picking are ‘Paulk’ and ‘Ruby Crisp.’ These are University of Georgia cultivars donated by Dr. Patrick Conner. Other experimental varieties will not begin fruiting till next year as plants were planted one year after initial planting. Yield and quality data on these varieties are being collected for direct farm application. Information from this planting and the demonstration grape farm at Clemson’s Musser Farm assists several new muscadine farmers in the upstate.
Five farmers from several counties toured the Musser Farm to observe small fruit production. More recently, three farmers accompanied me to Gardens Alive Farm in Kings Mountain to consider newer varieties.
Grapes fit well into fall production programs, especially for anyone growing pumpkins and doing Fall field days. We know what works now, but many new varieties are being cultivated. With the information we gather from these trials. We will be ready for what is coming next.
Finding a facility to harvest and process your livestock is a challenge for producers of any scale. This challenge has been exasperated by labor shortages and increased local meat demand. Fortunately, an exemption for small-scale poultry producers allows them to harvest and sell their meat.
Many South Carolinians bought poultry during the pandemic as a hobby and our call volume regarding poultry harvest and processing has certainly increased. To safely and humanely process chicken requires hands-on training. This can be a complex skill and is certainly not something you’d try to handle “virtually”.
Through an extension innovation grant, we have secured funding to put together a mobile processing unit. This consists of an enclosed trailer that houses the necessary equipment to teach producers on-farm the proper practices of processing. We are still outfitting the trailer but have planned its first two outings. We will use the mobile processing unit at a “train the trainer” meeting and then will offer a poultry processing workshop to the public on November 11th. The goal of the mobile processing unit is to educate producers of any size on humane harvest, efficient processing, safe food handling, good marketing practices, and even some good cooking recipes.
I anticipate a busy fall with livestock shows, cattlemen meetings, and our extension workshops. Thank you for your support of Clemson Extension.
Small scale poultry producers will get hands-on experience in processing their birds for meat.
Our Master Gardener Volunteer training course is off to an excellent start. The Master Gardener program trains citizens who want to give back to their community by delivering horticultural education outreach and service to residents through various locally-offered programs. There are approximately 284,307 residents in Spartanburg County spread across 819 square miles in the Upstate of South Carolina. Due to county size and population, Clemson University Cooperative Extension in Spartanburg County relies on knowledgeable Master Gardeners to help meet the consumer horticulture needs of our residents. Students learn about soil conditioning, soil fertility, plant identification, weed management, stormwater runoff pollution, drainage mitigation, integrated pest management, and pesticide safety.
The Spartanburg Master Gardeners are involved in multiple projects around the county. Some include work with habitat for humanity, Hatcher Gardens, Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg Farmers Market, The Landrum Farmers Market, and many others. The Spartanburg Master Gardener association, known as the Master Gardener Association of the Piedmont (MGAP), also runs a one-acre Plant-A-Row Garden, which provides over 15,000 lbs of quality produce to local soup kitchens and food pantries annually. To learn more about SC Master Gardeners, visit https://www.clemson.edu/extension/mg/. To learn more about the local association activities, please visit https://www.facebook.com/MstrGrdnr.
Master Gardener Students learning about soil conditioning and soil texture.Master Gardener Students at the Spartanburg Community College Horticulture Pavilion learning about plant physiology and botany.Master Gardener Students at the Spartanburg Community College Horticulture Pavilion learning about weed identification and management.
Spartanburg County 4-H’ers and brothers, Jackson and Neyland Brockman, participated in the South Carolina 4-H Small Garden Project this summer. This is the brothers’ second time participating in the project and they have learned a lot!
This year, instead of planting a traditional garden, they opted for something a little different. The brothers researched “sister gardens” and decided to plant corn, peas, and melons together. The corn was planted in a circle, the peas were planted a little bit later and climbed the corn, and the melons were trained to grow around the base of the circle of corn. The brothers also grew vegetables in raised beds and discovered that mint kept the farm cats from tearing up the garden. The loofah gourd is their favorite plant and they enjoyed giving bouquets of zinnias they grew to friends and family.
Both boys completed 4-H Project Record Books where they kept track of their income and expenses for the garden, set goals for the project, and analyzed their successes and failures. Small Gardens were judged, and record books submitted to the State 4-H Small Garden Project Committee this month to be considered for prizes.
Spartanburg County was well represented by the Brockman brothers!
Do you have 1 to 10 acres of woods in your backyard? Would you like to reduce your lawn, plant trees, and invite wildlife to your suburban lot, all while becoming a better steward of your small parcel of land?
The Woods In Your Backyard workshop is designed with the small landowner in mind. It will help you to effectively care for forests and wildlife and increase your enjoyment of the land. You will learn to recognize and manage invasive plants & pests. It will identify potential income sources and help you understand how your land relates to the land around you.
Owners of even just a few acres can make a positive difference in their environment through planning and implementing the simple stewardship practices you will learn at The Woods In Your Backyard Workshop. Participants who own forested land, have natural areas, or are interested in turning mowed lawns into natural areas, are invited to attend! This workshop is designed specifically (but not exclusively) for smaller landowners, those with 1-10 acres.
Please contact Carolyn Dawson, Clemson Extension Forestry agent, at Dawson4@clemson.edu for more information. Date: October 15th, Hayden Conference Center, Clemson, SC
