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Extension Office offers lengthy list of classes |
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April 20, 2018 |
 Looking
to pick up some expertise from the experts? Our
local Boundary County office of the University
of Idaho Extension has announced a series of
instructive and fun courses. With a wide variety
of topics to help us do even better in
gardening, landscaping, forest skills, cooking,
and much more, just about anyone will find a
course that interests them. Look over the list
below, and see what interests you.
To sign up, stop by the Extension Office at 6447
Kootenai Street in Bonners Ferry (right behind
the Courthouse), or call the office at
208-267-3235.
CLASS LIST:
Edible Landscaping Class $3
Wednesday, April 25, 2-4pm
Edible landscaping uses traditional landscaping
design but substitutes edible plants such as
lettuces, blueberries, vegetables and fruit
trees for traditional plants. This fun class
will inspire you to transform your landscape or
regular garden area into a more productive but
still very pleasing landscape. Bring your ideas
to share!
Hands-On Organic Gardening $10
First class meets at 5:30pm on Monday, April 30
at the Boundary County Extension Office.
Grow your own vegetables this summer in this
hands-on season-long class at the organic
community garden.
Better Safe than Sorry: Learn to
Identify Wild Mushrooms $3
Monday, May 7, 7-9pm
In this class we will discuss techniques for
identifying wild mushrooms, and safety tips for
those who wish to eat them. You will learn to
use online reference guides to mushroom
identification, and how to use keys to identify
an unknown specimen. A guide to local mushrooms
by time of year will also be distributed.
Cooking Gluten Free $3
Tuesday, May 8, 1-3pm
Do you or someone in your family have an allergy
or sensitivity to gluten? Come join us and learn
how you can prepare gluten free meals for your
family while skipping the stress and
frustration. This class will help you navigate
the world of gluten free cooking by providing
you with helpful tips as well as give you
strategies to avoid the common mistakes many
beginners make when switching to gluten free
cooking.
Integrating Fungus in Your Garden $5
Wednesday, May 9, 1-4pm
Learn how Boundary County resident Tony
Klinkhammer has integrated mushroom production
into his garden. This class will focus on
planting King Straphoria (Stropharia
rugosoannulata) mushrooms around your fruit
trees and vegetable plants. Students will
receive mushroom spawn to start a small bed in
their garden.
Identifying Idaho’s Trees $10
Thursday, May 10, 6-8pm
Because we have such a varied range of
geography, soils, and precipitation patterns,
Idaho has a wider variety of native trees than
most other Rocky Mountain States. The first step
in caring for these trees, whether they be in a
landscape or in a forest, is correct species
identification.
Cooking Under Pressure $10
Wednesday, May 23, 4-6pm
Have an electric pressure cooker or thinking
about buying one? Come join us to learn how to
make quick and easy meals for your family. Don’t
forget your apron because in this hands-on class
we will make lemon butter chicken, brown rice,
and New York cheesecake. We will also be
comparing various brands of electric pressure
cookers and seeing how each one operates in
order to help you decide which type of electric
pressure cooker best meets your needs.
Cost-share & Value Added Producer Grants
Workshop $3
Thursday, May 31, 7-9pm
There are a number of USDA grant opportunities
for producers but they can be confusing! Learn
about value-added producer grants for business
planning and working capital from the North
Idaho Rural Development representative. Our
local NRCS representative will also speak on the
cost-share programs they have for landowners,
including the popular High Tunnel grants.
Thinning & Pruning Field Day $20
Saturday, June 2, 9am-5pm
Trees killed by by bark beetles or root diseases
often make forest owners ask: “What can we do
about it?” Whether you have problems with
insects or disease, concerns about fire, or just
want to improve forest health and growth, the
response from foresters is nearly universal:
thin your stand. This is especially true in
northern Idaho, where forests commonly become
overstocked with an unsustainable species mix.
Water Bath Canning Basics $10
Thursday, June 7, 1-4pm
Learn how to safely make and preserve your own
high-acid foods including jams, jellies, tomato
products, pickled vegetables, and fruits. This
hands-on class will also teach participants
about canning basics and proper care for your
canner. Each participant will make their own jar
of Balsamic-Onion Jam which they can pick up the
day after the class.
Protecting our Pollinators FREE
Thursday, June 7, 7-9pm
You can do a lot to help bees and other
pollinators through a combination of plant
choices and careful management of pesticide
usage. Commercial beekeepers are losing a large
percentage of their bees each year due to
diseases, pests, pesticide exposure, and loss of
habitat. Learn what others around the country
are doing to protect the pollinators that are so
important to our food supply.
Techniques for Successful Composting $3
Thursday, June 14, 5-7pm
In this class, you will learn many tricks for
speeding up the composting process for your
garden waste. Proper moisture levels, proper
heap size, and checking the composition of the
pile are all important to speeding up the
process of converting organic waste to valuable
finished compost.
Boundary County UI Extension Field Day
FREE
Thursday, June 28, 10am-2:30pm
Please join us at the University of Idaho
Variety Trials Field Day on Thursday, June 28,
at 10am at Houck Farms on Farm to Market Road,
Bonners Ferry. Researchers will describe results
of their wheat, barley, canola, and mustard
trials, comparing new releases to tried and true
varieties. A sponsored lunch will be provided
for preregistered participants. Speakers will
discuss herbicide resistance packages and
plantback restrictions, a blackleg update, and
other current topics. Pesticide recertification
credits will be available. Please call
208-267-3235 to reserve your spot.
Healthy Diabetes Plate FREE
July 2nd, July 9th, July 16th, and July 23rd,
10am – 11:30am
This 4-session class is designed for individuals
with type 2 diabetes and the people who plan
their meals. This class will use various methods
to teach the types and amounts of foods that
should be consumed using the diabetes meal plan.
Although this class is geared primarily for
individuals with type 2 diabetes, it’s a healthy
way for all family members to eat. You don’t
have to be a certain age or be diagnosed with
diabetes to benefit from the Healthy Diabetes
Plate approach to meal planning.
And one final note: Would you like to receive
the UI Extension newsletter and class list
updates via email? Use the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/UIExtSignup
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