Classic rock and the aroma of hamburgers hung in the air, welcoming farmers and gardening enthusiasts to the EARTH Center for a Garden Field Day gathering… The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County was the host to the celebration at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park in South Brunswick on Aug. 15. The event featured environmental and agricultural organizations, a lush butterfly garden and, of course, the new Rutgers Scarlet strawberry… “We’ve been working on this project for two years… working with local growers to get the plants for various trials,” said Stephen Jakubiec, an incoming Rutgers senior who worked on the Scarlet strawberry… Researchers utilized more than a dozen partner farms to grow the different generations of the strawberry, capitalizing on the differing soil types in order to emphasize different traits in the plants. According to Jakubiec, the goal was three-fold… Vivian Morris, a master gardener with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, was explaining the how-to’s of building a residential rain garden to passersby. Sitting beside a larger rain garden that she tends at the EARTH Center, Morris listed the benefits they convey.
Archives for August 2015
A Melting Arctic Demands More – Not Less – Research on Earth Science
This article was written by Jennifer Francis, research professor at Rutgers University… The Arctic is melting rapidly. Who cares? Anyone who is concerned about the rising price of food, lives near the coast, shoveled snow all winter, can’t water thei…
Healthier Cold Cuts: Does ‘Low-Fat, Low-Sodium’ Make A Difference?
No matter how you slice it, one thing seems clear when taking a number at today’s supermarket deli counter. A half a pound of turkey is no longer just a half a pound of turkey. It’s a half a pound of Boar’s Head Hickory Smoked Black Forest Turkey Breast – 40 Percent Lower Sodium, cut thin but not too thin, please… But in the end, what is this stuff, really? If you blindfolded someone, could they really tell which ham was the Maple Glazed and which one was the Virginia Smoked variety? Are we really doing ourselves any favors by ordering the low-fat liverwurst, and the low-sodium bologna? Or are we fools being seduced by the ever-smiling deli man or woman in their white butcher’s coat and name badge, and terms like “hand crafted,” “classic cut,” “premium” or “46 percent sodium free?”… “Just like with all foods, there are some deli meats that are better for you than others,” says Peggy Policastro, nutrition specialist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “An oven-roasted turkey breast will be on the healthier side, versus something like salami, which contains byproducts of different foods, higher sodium, etc.,” she says.
Oldwick Resident Given Citation For Doing Plant Therapy
After her daughter died, 89-year-old Lorraine Galbraith of Oldwick, was left alone. Gradually, her life, and her connections to others, grew smaller. She put herself in a wheelchair and lived in social isolation and in poor health. Over the years, she soldiered through Hurricane Sandy and numerous medical issues, including a stroke, by herself… Eventually, Right at Home Care, Galbraith’s caregivers, suggested horticultural therapy, which uses gardening and planting related activities to help better the lives of patients. Whittlesey contacted Laura DePrado, president of Final Touch Landscaping and a registered horticultural therapist with the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), to work with Galbraith… “It couldn’t be more appropriate and beautiful to hold this event,” added DePrado, who studied horticultural therapy at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences… According to Professor Joel Flagler, who teaches horticultural studies at Rutgers University, the therapy works because everyone can relate to plants in one way or another – we eat them, build with them and wear them on a daily basis.
El Niño May Return With A Vengeance This Winter
The basic definition of El Nino is this: Trade winds that blow from east to west in the tropical Pacific Ocean tend to weaken every two to seven years. That change sets off a whole raft of weather changes that can make some areas wetter, others drier and cause major storms in some places… This past year was a good example. But for the season ahead, what may be the biggest El Nino ever could spell out some winter trouble… “We can generally rule out an extended period of very cold weather,” said Dave Robinson, state climatologist at Rutgers University. “El Nino is a mixed bag here in New Jersey. It can either be rather wet, or rather dry, rather warm, sometimes on the cold side.”… When there is a strong to very strong El Nino, Robinson said New Jersey has a number of coastal storms, but not a lot of snow. Two of the state’s least snowy winters in over a century, 1972-73 and 1997-98, were both strong to very strong El Niño winters. But once again, underscoring the system’s volatility, there was one major snowstorm during 1982-83 – another very strong El Nino.
Did Climate Change, El Nino Make Texas Floods Worse?
When massive floods hit Texas and Oklahoma in May, the disaster sparked a debate on what role, if any, climate change played… It found global warming along with El Nino likely played a role in worsening the floods. El Nino weather patterns occur when the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean warm significantly, causing increased rain in some parts of the world and drought in others… David A. Robinson, the New Jersey State Climatologist and a professor at Rutgers University who did not take part on the study, said he found the findings of the AGU paper “plausible.”… “To me, it emphasizes the fact that at present and for decades to come we must factor in some underlying influence of our changing climate – the baseline climate if you will – to any sort of meteorological or climatological events,” Robinson said in an email interview.
Pearls of Wisdom: VIMS Scientists Occupy Top Tier of Global Oyster Research
A global analysis of the scientific literature shows that four of the 20 most prolific authors of oyster-related research articles are professors at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. As an institution, VIMS ranks eighth in the …
Agritourism Growth Sparks Concerns Over Safety, Liability
As more farms open themselves up to visitors for apple picking, hay rides and some extra income, experts are advising owners to take steps to prevent accidents – be they small or fatal… Farming is one of the more dangerous occupations in the U.S. mostly due to the machinery and equipment, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But a growing interest in local food has led to agritourism becoming a big business, with the number of U.S. farms reporting income from such activities rising 42 percent between 2007 and 2012, according to the latest Census of Agriculture… The first key is assessing the risks, said Brian Schilling of Rutgers’ Cooperative Extension in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “If you’ve grown up on a farm you’re sort of blind to a lot of these things,” he said, advising owners to have an extension agent, emergency official or insurance agent walk the farm to identify hazards.”
Boonton Resident is Among Winners at County Fair
Local residents received high honors at the Morris County 4-H Fair, held on July 15-19 at Chubb Park in Chester. Youth and 4-Hers from Morris County were welcome to compete in divisions such as photography, woodworking, fine art and crafts with projects completed prior to the fair. Projects were judge based on the Danish system; awarded excellent, very good, good or fair ribbons. These judged projects were on display during the fair… Also winning big in the foods division was Boonton native Arianne Grevesen, a member of the Buckanears 4-H Small Animal Club. She received a best in show for her cannoli cupcakes in the Backed Goods Unit Grades four-eight… The Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program uses a “learn by doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of the world.”
Is Climate Change Creating a Health Hazard?
A White House report listed deepening risks: Asthma will worsen, heat-related deaths will rise and the number and traveling range of insects carrying diseases once confined to the tropics will increase. But the bullet points convey a certainty that man…