Late Blight was confirmed on both tomatoes and potatoes on July 27, 2010. Grown in a home garden in the city, the sample was collected on July 25 after the entire crop of tomatoes died almost overnight. Nearby potatoes are also infected.

In an effort to avoid the catastrophe that happened last year, gardeners are asked to please monitor tomatoes and potatoes in earnest. Look for dark watery lesions on the leaves, stems and fruit. Late blight spreads quickly. Cornell recommends “If late blight becomes severe, remove diseased plants by digging them up. Destroy these plants immediately by one of the following: burying them deeply in an area away from the garden, burning them, or by bagging them in a plastic bag and discarding the bag. These steps will help avoid production of a larger number of spores. Harvest all potato tubers in the garden. If late blight occurs when the tubers have already 'sized up', harvest the crop as soon as possible to avoid post-harvest tuber rot. Again, destroy diseased foliage and stems.”

There are fungicides that can be sprayed to prevent infection, but once severe infection has taken hold, chemical controls will not work. Commercial growers should check http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/recommends/ for the latest pesticide recommendations.

Whether mom's golden child or her black sheep, siblings who sense that their mother consistently favors or rejects one child over others are more likely to show depressive symptoms as middle-aged adults, finds a new study by Cornell gerontologist Karl Pillemer.

Prior research has shown that parental favoritism among siblings negatively affects mental health and often triggers behavioral problems in children, teens and young adults, but the survey of 275 Boston-area families, co-directed by Purdue sociologist Jill Suitor, is the first to show that such harmful effects persist long into adulthood.

"Perceived favoritism from one's mother still matters to a child's psychological well-being, even if they have been living for years outside the parental home and have started families of their own," said Pillemer, the Hazel E. Reed Professor in the Department of Human Development and associate dean for extension and outreach in the College of Human Ecology, about his paper in the Journal of Marriage and Family (April 2010).

In an effort to protect the state’s one billion ash trees, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis is reminding summer campers and others not to move firewood. On his blog, The State of Green, Grannis reminds people that an invasive wood-boring beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), is threatening ash trees in 14 states, including New York, and two Canadian provinces.

Currently restrictions are in place in New York prohibiting the transportation of untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source.  

EABs are not great flyers. According to the New York Invasive Species Information website, the natural spread of EABs “in North America is assumed to be 5 miles or less per year.” As the beetle can’t cover much ground on its own, the massive spread of the EAB has been linked to the transportation of infested logs and firewood by humans.

EABs were first discovered in New York in Cattaraugus County in June 2009. Following the discovery, Grannis says, DEC placed 7,500 sticky, purple, triangular traps in Ash trees across the state.

Where does your food come from and how does it get to your plate?  For many Americans this is a question that is becoming more and more difficult to answer as they become further removed from the farm and less connected to agriculture.  The hard work that goes into producing our nation’s food supply is being taken for granted.

We cannot let our children grow up thinking that food comes from a grocery store.  That’s why I started the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative last year.  As outlined in USDA’s new strategic plan, the initiative offers an innovative environment for us all to learn, share, and problem solve together.  Washington doesn’t have all the answers, so I want to invite you to join us in a national conversation.

Know Your Farmer not only focuses on connecting consumers to producers, it also focuses on local and regional food systems, as they represent a new and rapidly growing market for many producers.  While only 4% of farmers sell through direct-marketing channels, that number is growing and direct to consumer sales have more than doubled in recent years, from $551 million in 1997 to $1.2 billion in 2007.

This hot summer weather means that many people will be swimming, boating and participating in other water-related recreational activities.  We all may have misconceptions about what a drowning person looks like and does. Below is a link to an article that has important information to share with family, friends and colleagues.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning by Mario Vittone  (June 16, 2010):  http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/drowning/?10981

Cool and tart or crisp and sweet – you can find pickled vegetables, fruits, or even meats on almost every dinner table. Pickling is the oldest way to preserve the local harvest.

The Nutrition and Health Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Fulton and Montgomery Counties will present “Pickling” on Tuesday, July 20^th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Nutrition Program Educators and Master Food Preservers Eileen Lang and Norma Maring will teach the class in the Extension Teaching Kitchen, 55 East Main Street, Lower Level,  Johnstown.

This class will focus on the pickling and boiling water canning process for pickled vegetables, relishes and chutneys. The basics of selecting and using proper food preservation supplies and equipment will be covered as well. This is the last time this class will be offered this year. 

Canning Tomatoes using Water Bath Method class coming next Tuesday, July 13th. 6-8 p.m. Sign up on Facebook event RSVP or call 518-762-3909 x 101. $15 per person. Learn the current USDA recommendations to avoid spoilage. Take this class before tomatoes become plentiful so you will be ready to can some of that great taste!

Here's some good information from the Center of Disease Control:

Elderly people (that is, people aged 65 years and older) are more prone to heat stress than younger people for several reasons:

• Elderly people do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature.
• They are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat.
• They are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body's ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

Listen to local news or NOAA Weather Radio for emergency updates.Watch for signs of a storm, like darkening skies, lightning flashes or increasing wind. Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are likely to occur. Many people struck by lightning are not in the area where rain is occurring. If a severe thunderstormwarning is issued, take shelter in a substantial building or in a vehicle with the windows closed. Get out of mobile homes that can blowover in highwinds.

If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be in danger from lightening. If thunder roars, go indoors! The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.

Avoid electrical equipment and telephones. Use batter-powered TVs and radios instead.

Shutter windowsa and close outside dorrs securely. Keep away from windows.

Do not take a bath, shower or use plumbing.

If you are driving, try to safely exit the roadway and park. Stay in the vehicle and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rain ends. Avoid touching metal or other surfaces that conduct electricity in and outside the vehicle. If you are outside and connot reach a safe building, svoid high groung, water, tall, isolated trees, and metal objects such as fences or bleachers. Picnic shelters, dugouts, and sheds are NOT safe.

http://emergencypreparedness.cce.cornell.edu

Marybeth Allen totes a log back to her dorm room at Cornell University Tuesday. Allen along with two other local teens are participating in 4-H Career Exploration. During Marybeth's program, Exploring the Small Farm Dream, teens planted mushrooms inside log sections. If properly cared for these logs next year will sprout edible mushrooms. “I'm sure the mushrooms will be worth it”, she said.