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New tool helps strengthen local food systems

August 15, 2022
Effective food systems– which include the people, processes and places involved with moving food from local farm to plates – provide equity, sustainability, profitability and resiliency to communities. UF/IFAS researchers conducted a study to define key elements of community food system models and how to overcome the obstacles they face. Researchers used their findings to…

Cane Toads: A Toxic Threat to Family Pets

August 15, 2022
About this cane toad webinar Invasive species, like cane toads, are species that (a) are nonnative to a specified geographic area, (b) were introduced by humans (intentionally or unintentionally), and (c) does or can cause environmental or economic harm or harm to humans. Cane toads, also known as bufo toads, can: cause illness or death if…

Getting your money’s worth in flowers this year – Ixora in the landscape

August 14, 2022
Ixora – a superhighway of blooms!What plant does just about every landscape in Charlotte County have that provides colorful flowers, tropical foliage and variety of size that makes this shrub so popular?  This shrub is the ixora of course!  However, with our predominately alkaline soils, growing acid-loving plants like ixora can be difficult.  With proper…

Farmer’s Market Tips

August 14, 2022
Market Joy Oh the joys of a local Farmer’s Market. I’ve been a farmer’s market attendee since I can remember.  I spent many Saturday mornings strolling down a blocked off street, going from vendor to vendor spending the $10 or so my mom gave me. My go-to purchases as a kid usually raisin bread, goat…

Find Your Frugal: Save on school lunches

August 14, 2022
About this series Rising costs have brought on rising concerns. The ripple effects of the years-long COVID pandemic continue to surface in economies worldwide, from grocery shelves to gas pumps. In an ongoing effort to help people – from producers to consumers – weather the storm, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences…

Can You Find a Coral Snake?

August 13, 2022
Most of you – okay… ALL of you who read this column like the outdoors.  Some like it for its peace and beauty, some for recreation opportunities, some like it for both.  One activity I have found many enjoy is seeking creatures from a list.  A sort of “bingo” approach to observing nature.   For…

UF researchers find genes responsible for several flavor compounds in strawberries

August 13, 2022
In their quest to improve strawberry flavor, University of Florida scientists have found the genes behind several aromatic chemicals that enhance the fruit’s taste. These findings will help UF/IFAS researchers Vance Whitaker and Seonghee Lee as they study the sources of the unique aroma in strawberries. As with many fruits, the genes that control aroma and flavor are connected.…

Build Your Own Rain Barrel

August 12, 2022
A rain barrel is an easy way to save water from a rainfall event to water your garden later.  You may choose to buy one ready made, or you can make it yourself. Finding a Barrel The first step of making a rain barrel is finding the barrel.  Some food processing plants will  sell them…

Houseplants for Health and Wellbeing

August 12, 2022
It is well known that plants and gardening can promote wellbeing. Most of you reading this are likely gardeners or plant enthusiasts who have first hand experience with the myriad benefits caring for our green friends can impart. Caring for plants can improve our wellbeing by reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The presence of…

Nocturnal Superheros of the Garden

August 12, 2022
Often underrecognized for their contributions to our environment, bats play a pivotal role in keeping insect populations under control while also providing fertilization and pollination services. Pest Control Emerging from their roosts at dusk, a single insectivorous bat can consume thousands of insects per night, reducing pest populations around gardens, agricultural lands, wetlands, forests, and…

Don’t Worry, Bee Happy

August 11, 2022
The European honey bee A European honey bee collects nectar and pollen from the purple flower of Indigo Spires Salvia. Photo by David Austin The European honey bee has been in the United States for a long time. Brought here in the early 1600s by, you guessed it, Europeans.  The Honey bee may as well be…

In the Garden, We Grow: A Garden’s Pest

August 11, 2022
The Inevitable Pests It is inevitable – any gardener can attest. Look closely and you will see a garden and its pest. But what is a pest? Usually when we think of the term “pest,” we may think of insect pests. Pests also include pathogens, microbes, nematodes, or weeds. A reality in every garden and…
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