Photo by Polly Nelson

Plumeria 

By Polly Nelson  UCCE Master Gardener

Common Name: Plumeria (Frangipani)

Scientific Name: Apocynaceae

Planting area: Depends on species, generally USDA zones 8-11

Size: Depends on species and if grown in ground or container.

Bloom Season: Spring-Fall

Exposure: Minimum 6 hours of full sun

Pruning needs: Minimal; to remove dead branches, maintain desired size and shape

Water needs: Moderate

Snapshot: Did you receive a lei in Hawaii and savor the scent? Plumerias may have been part of the lei, exuding a combination of jasmine, citrus and gardenia fragrance. Native to tropical America, the Plumeria genus is comprised of 11 species of shrubs and small trees. Branches are widely spaced, with thin, grey bark and milky sap when cut. They can be upright and compact, or open and sprawling.  Fleshy leaves have an alternate pattern; shapes vary from round to pointed, glossy or smooth; positioned on the tips of the branches. Flowers are 2-4 inches in diameter and have five rounded, overlapping petals, in pink, red, white, and yellow color palettes. Fragrance may be strongest in the evening, to attract night-flying sphinx moth pollinators.

Plant in slightly acidic, well-drained soil, as Plumeria do not like “wet feet”. Container plantings should be placed in cactus mix.  Water deeply and allow plant to dry out some before watering again. Stop watering once plants enter dormancy (winter); resume when new growth appears in spring. Fertilize with high phosphorus (10-30-10) solution every 1-2 weeks Spring through Fall. Too much nitrogen will result in more foliage and decreased blooms.

Propagate by seeds or cutting but know that cuttings are the easiest and most successful. Take 12-18 inch hardwood cuttings when dormant, allow the milky sap to dry 2-3 days, then place deeply in free draining soil mix with 1-1.5 inch tip above the soil line. Keep at approximately 70 degrees F.

Pests include: 1) Plumeria Rust, which affects foliage. Airborne spores spread by splashing rain or irrigation, appear as yellow specks on upper and undersides of leaves. Leaves can curl or otherwise distort. Treat by removing afflicted leaves, pick up dropped leaves, increase airflow around plants, and keep area weed free.  2) Spider mites may be treated with Neem oil.

Photo by Tami Reece

Pepper Jelly 

By Carol Michael   UCCE Master Food Preserver

What are ways to use some of my jams and jellies during the holidays?  David C.-Paso Robles

Sparkling colorful pepper jelly with cream cheese and crackers has been a favorite holiday appetizer. It is traditionally made with sweet green and hot peppers. By following a similar procedure, you can make Red Pepper or Golden Pepper Jelly. Get the recipe here:  https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE07_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf

This traditional Pepper Jelly from So Easy to Preserve, by Cooperative Extension, The University of Georgia makes 5 half pint jars.

4-5 hot peppers, cored and cut in pieces

4 sweet green peppers, cored and cut in pieces

1 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)

5 cups sugar

1 pouch liquid pectin; green food coloring (optional)

Sterilize canning jars. (Sterilize jars by placing right side up on rack of boiling water canner. Fill with hot water to 1” above jar tops.  Boil 10 minutes at altitudes less than 1000ft.  Add one minute for each additional 1,000ft. of elevation.)

Wear rubber gloves when working with hotpeppers. Put half the peppers and half the vinegar in a blender, cover, and process until peppers are finely liquified. Repeat with remaining peppers and vinegar. Combine liquefied peppers and vinegar with sugar in large saucepot & boil slowly for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add liquid pectin, return to heat and boil hard for 1 minute. Skim and add few drops of green food coloring, if desired. Pour jelly immediately into hot canning jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.  Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath at altitudes less than 1,000ft.  For high altitude canning adjustments: https://www.freshpreserving.com/adjust-high-altitude-canning.html

It is easy to make for gifting and a handy ingredient in other dishes. Try one of these as a creative recipe twist:

Spicy PB & J sandwich: Substitute pepper jelly for a fruit version.

Stir- Fry: Sauté chicken slices in vegetable oil, add fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies, season with teriyaki sauce and red pepper flakes, finish by swirling in pepper jelly until melted.

Glazed Salmon: Mix bourbon liquor, melted butter and pepper jelly until smooth. Spread over salmon and cook until done.

Sweet & Sour Pork: Cube pork into ½” pieces, brown in a skillet. Meanwhile, mix small amount pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and pepper jelly until smooth. Add to browned pork, stir, simmer, and serve.

We are still here!!!

No in-person workshops for now, but you can

visit our website at : http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/email us at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or  call our helpline at: 805-781-1429.

We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost. Contact us for more information!

Photo by Becky Zelinski

Becky's Garden Gives!

By Becky Zelinksi   UCCE Master Gardener

I made a recent connection with Paso Cares, an organization that feeds the homeless here in Paso. I have about a 1-acre vegetable garden. I expanded it this year because I had leftover seedlings from last year. I can't ever throw a plant away so I decided to just plant them out in an empty pasture area.

I added a couple of drip lines, added a little bit of soil amendments (not much) and plopped the plants in the ground. Both the original and new vegetable garden areas were going great guns. I always give away and share my produce but I still had more to spare. I contacted Paso Cares to see if they would like the produce. They said they'd never done it before so we figured out a plan.

I gave them more than 50 lbs of produce including corn, melons, cucumbers and squash. They serve dinner each night. The meals are prepared by local chefs and/or businesses who donate their time. They were so excited to have the produce and I'm so excited that I am able to help this organization fulfill their worthy cause. I plan to continue to give produce to them as long as my garden is producing.

I'll be planting fall and winter vegetables soon so hopefully I can continue doing this for a while. My garden has always been my fun, happy, peaceful, plentiful place. It's a lot of hard work but a labor of love. I love sharing it and everything that it gives with others. Now it's given me a way to give back to my community.

The worker at Paso Cares said that because of Covid, they have so many more families coming to eat dinner just so they can save some grocery money to use for other things. So right now, they're not just helping homeless people but people financially suffering from Covid.

This year, gardening has also kept me safe, sane and busy. The perfect respite in this crazy year. All-in-all, I produced more than 1,000 seedlings. I've sold some, donated some and gave many away to friends and other Master Gardeners. I'm an avid food preserver, too, so when I'm not in the garden, I've been in the kitchen cooking and canning. People are always amazed by my garden and what it gives. Every day it amazes me too.

For more information about Paso Cares, visit their website: https://www.pasocares.org/

Photo by Alissa Bright

Paperwhites

By Alissa Bright   UCCE Master Gardener

Narcissus Papyraceus

Planting Area: Indoors in any zone

Size: 12” tall when mature

Bloom Season: Indoors in any season 

Exposure: Full to partial sunlight

Pruning needs: No pruning required

Water Needs: Fill your vase with water up to the basal root.  Roots of the bulbs should be in water, but not the bulbs themselves.  Keep an eye on your vase/container to avoid drowning your bulbs.

Snapshot:  Spring doesn't get the fun of freshly bloomed flowers all to herself.  Even in the dead of Winter, anyone in any climate can conjure a bit of Spring by “forcing” paperwhite bulbs indoors in a vase. (In gardener-speak, to "force" is to coax a plant to bloom out of season.)  Sweet-smelling paperwhites, the bulb cousin of daffodils, do not require a cold period to grow.

Let your kitchen windowsill serve as your Winter greenhouse.  All you need is 3-5+ paperwhite bulbs (the more, the merrier), a glass vase, a handful of gravelly pebbles to nestle your bulbs in (root-down, tips up), and water.  The pebbles elevate your bulbs, allowing just the tail-like basal roots to sit in water.  The transparency of the glass allows easy vigilance of the water level.  The bulbs awaken once nestled near a water source, and shoots soon begin to grow from the tips.  Tiny, star-shaped flowers will appear in 2 to 4 weeks.  Move to indirect light once flowers appear to prolong the blooming period, and enjoy the fragrance for 1-2 weeks before the blooms wither.

Unfortunately, when forced indoors, paperwhite bulbs are single-use only, and can be tossed into your green waste once they are spent.