Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, good evening, and welcome to Making It Grow's Holiday Show.

This is a busy time of year, and we're sure glad that you could fit us into your schedule.

And, we wish you all the happiest of holidays.

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a Clemson Extension Agent, and I get to come over here every week and be with my co-host Terasa Lott.

And Terasa you are the Midlands Director of the extension offices in that area, and I think there's a big retirement coming up.

Terasa> There sure is.

Terri Sumpter has been a loyal, dedicated 4-H agent for 30 years.

Amanda> 30 years!

Terasa> Yes, that, that's a pretty remarkable milestone.

Amanda> Yeah.

And, she, when I was over there, and not here full time... Oh, I just loved to go and she had cooking classes and, and etiquette classes and, I mean, she just did a wonderful, wonderful job, getting these youngsters prepared to, have a lot of skills and also to present themselves when they went on job interviews and things, which is, is a big, important thing to know.

Terasa> It sure is.

And I've benefited a little bit as well since I've moved my office to Sumter.

She was doing some jam, jam making, and they shared those with me.

And so I got to bring those home, and Eddie enjoyed that as well.

Amanda> Oh, good.

Good.

Do you know how to make biscuits?

Terasa> I do, I don't know if I make them the same way that you do, because I like- Amanda> -there's lots of ways.

Terasa> large, I guess, what do you call them?

Cat head biscuits.

Amanda> Cat head biscuits.

Terasa> Some people like very small dainty biscuits.

Amanda> We make little biscuits, but, there's not much dainty about me.

And there's a lot that's dainty about you, so that's kind of funny isn't it?

(laughter) But biscuits are a real treat.

<Mhm> And that's why in the South we used to say "best thing since sliced bread."

Because Christopher Burtt from Carnes Crossroads, we'll come back and introduce you more.

It used to be that we could only grow soft wheat, I think, down here.

And, you can't make, kneaded bread out of soft wheat.

Isn't that interesting?

Anyway, back to Christopher Burtt, who's the Farm Director at Carnes Crossroads.

No longer an extension agent, but thank goodness you can still find time to slip us in.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

So tell us a little about what's going on at Carnes Crossroads.

Christopher> Yes.

So Carnes Crossroads, it's a neighborhood in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

Summerville really, kind of in between the two.

And of course, the neighborhood is built around a central amenity system, in which that amenity system has, you know, a fitness center.

It has a really nice pool with a nice slide to it.

And of course, one of the key attractions is a farm.

And so a lot of neighborhoods are built around things like golf courses.

<Yeah> And so instead of a golf course, we're built around a local farm.

And so the idea is you have kind of the ultimate farm to table because your farm is in your backyard.

Amanda> Wow.

And, they'll be opportunities for people to volunteer not only to go and take advantage of the produce, that y'all are raising there.

But I think, if they want to come out and garden, they don't have to do it in their, in their own yard, they can come out there and help you.

Christopher> Yeah, absolutely.

It's, it's kind of the idea is, is, you know, you have your, your local baker, you have your local barber now you have your local farmer.

Amanda> That's cool.

Well, anyway, and we'll look forward to coming and visiting with you one day.

That'll be a lot of fun.

Carmen Ketron, Horticulture Agent for Darlington and Florence.

And Carmen, you have a precious, I can't remember her name though tell me again.

Carmen> Junabelle.

Amanda> Junabelle.

And I asked you if your Christmas tree was on the table or what?

Where is the Christmas tree?

Carmen> We put it inside her little playpen.

(laughter) Just keep her outside of it.

(laughter) She's grabbing everything.

So this is the best way to do it.

And it's one of 12 trees, so she'll get to something.

Amanda> One of 12?

<mhm> Do you know anything about not doing things to excess?

<No> I mean, because she weighed how much when she was born?

Carmen> She was almost 11 pounds when she born.

Amanda> That's pretty excessive for some- Carmen> 99th percentile.

Still is.

(laughter) Amanda> So you've got trees all over.

Carmen> I got trees all over.

Six on the porch and one in every room.

But the one with all the the heirloom ornaments that I don't want to see... smashed.

Amanda> Oh the heirloom ornaments.

Carmen> Those are inside of a playpen where all the presents will be, too, so, she'll have to, she'll have to, careen up the playpen if she wants to get in it.

Amanda> Okay, well, I wouldn't put it past her.

Well, thank you for being with us today.

And I think you brought this beautiful Pyracantha.

Carmen> I did, I did, I, there are a couple abandoned houses that have some of the most gorgeous shrubs, and I just scurry on over there during the holidays and get all of, my ornaments or all my decorations for those trees on the porch.

Amanda> Well, anyway, that was sweet of you to bring it, and it looks so pretty.

And Craig Ness, our Station Manager, got the garland up and went and got some nice clips so... Everything is a team effort, isn't it?

Yeah.

Glen Payne, we're so thrilled to have you come.

You made a long drive.

Glen> Yes ma'am, I came all the way from Beaufort County down in the Lowcountry.

So it's nice to be here with you.

Amanda> We're delighted to have you.

And, we were talking about holidays, and you've got, a lot of people coming to your house, and your wife has gotten all the china and stuff out.

Is that right?

Glen> Yes.

Christmas is the time of year for the China and the silver to come out and, to actually use the dining room, remember what it's for in the house.

Amanda> Yeah, that's fun, so how many people y'all have?

Glen> We'll probably have about 10 to 12 family members that will be at our house for the holiday.

Amanda> Oh, that's fun.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, we're, so glad that y'all, that they could spare you to come up here and be with us today.

And I like that red plaid shirt.

That's cute.

Glen> Thank you.

It's always a pleasure.

And just to, try and be in the spirit.

Amanda> We're gonna have a fun segment for you to watch in a little bit.

Holiday canning gift giving safety, which sounds very complex and, convoluted, but, it's really a lot of fun.

And that's with Samantha Houston one of the Food Systems and Safety Agents with, Clemson Extension.

So, look forward to that.

Well Terasa, I guess we're going to start off with some "Gardens of the Week."

Are people now sending in pictures of their Christmas trees?

Terasa> "Gardens of the Week," this is your time to shine.

It's when you can submit photos of what's growing in your yard, your garden, maybe indoor houseplants, or perhaps you've captured the beauty that surrounds all of us in the natural world.

I hope you enjoy these submissions.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ That was so much fun.

I'm always inspired.

And you know I have a passion for holiday cactus.

We look forward to seeing more of your submissions when we start filming again in the spring.

Amanda> Well, if I can take a moment, I'll show you what, we do at our house at Christmas.

Which is, you know, out there, all artist and, so they love to, you know, do everything up.

And so this is an example of the way we would wrap gifts, and I have to iron the paper from year to year.

Terasa> I don't even like to iron my clothes.

I can't imagine- Amanda> I don't like to iron clothes either.

(laughter) So we have some, I have papers that are like five and six years old, so it's kind of fun.

Yeah.

Anyway, whoa, well, let's see if we can help somebody.

Terasa> That would be fantastic.

Let's see what sort of questions have rolled in recently.

This one comes to us from William in Summerville, who said, "I see lots of bananas growing around my neighborhood and was planning to plant some in my yard.

Will they produce fruit and what would I need to do to take care of them?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Well, Christopher, I don't know about, I mean, we can have oranges now, satsumas and things like that.

But I don't know about bananas.

Christopher> So this is actually a question I've gotten fairly recently.

So, we actually have a sister farm in Florida that has, southern Florida.

They have lots of bananas.

They have lots of tropical fruit.

And one of the things I have to kind of caution about is, is bananas are one of those plants that grow really well, kind of no matter where you're at, <Oh> but getting them to flower and fruit can be a little bit of a challenge.

And so bananas for the most part, generally need about nine to ten months of above 70 degree weather before they flower.

Amanda> Before they even flower?

Christopher> Before they even flower.

So this is a perennial herb, so it does not have any woody tissue.

So if it dies from the frost, you're starting over.

So that's ten months just to get it to flower.

Then after it flowers, you then have to have at least two to three months before it'll even produce.

Amanda> That doesn't sound like something that's feasible for us.

Christopher> In reality, no.

So if you are able to build a nice big greenhouse, have lots of it, warm open area for it, where it's getting just the right amount of sun, not too much, not too little, of course you can protect it from the heavy winds.

If say we have a hurricane, there's a whole bunch of things you'd have to do in order for it to produce consistently.

And so generally, I always say, if you're going to grow bananas, use them as ornamentals.

They're very attractive, tropical looking plants.

They come back every year pretty much no matter what you do.

But getting them to produce is very unlikely.

So I would say every 10 to 15 years you might have a bundle of bananas to enjoy.

But other than that, just let them be as kind of a nice ornamental.

Amanda> Yeah.

And they're, you know, awfully easy to get at the store Christopher> They really are.

Amanda> They're available.

Christopher> For now, hopefully.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

Well there's nothing, there's no citrus greening in the banana industry is there?

Christopher> No.

Well they have what's known as Panamas disease.

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

Christopher> It's a type of Fusarium.

Unfortunately, there used to be lots of other different types of bananas.

It's one specifically, the Gros Michel- Amanda> That we, tasted one.

Christopher> We did, yes.

And, it's much stronger flavor to it.

So the Cavendish is what's the primary one now which is resistant, for now.

And so, unfortunately, Gros Michel disappeared because of Panamas disease.

Now we're seeing it kind of creep up in Cavendish and hopefully it doesn't overtake them.

But unfortunately with bananas, they're all the same types.

So if one gets it they're going to all start getting it eventually.

So it's one of those to kind of watch for.

Amanda> Well I bet somebody's doing some research on something new.

Christopher> I would suspect.

Amanda> A banana that will be resistant to it because, I mean, I don't know how are we going to get by without banana pudding.

(laughter) Well, okay.

Well, thank you so much, I guess.

Yeah.

Terasa?

Terasa> Well, we are going to move from plant to insect.

This question comes in from Betty in Lake View.

She said "there are hordes of lady beetles taking over my rooms.

I don't know where they came from, but there are at least 50 that just showed up in my guest bedroom ceiling.

What do I need to do to get rid of them?"

Amanda> Well, I think you need electricity and an electric appliance.

(laughter) Carmen> Exactly.

Those Asian multi-colored lady beetles.

It's getting cold now, and so I know I have all manner of insects just making their way- Amanda> I've had some kudzu bugs this year.

Carmen> There you go.

Amanda> Weird enough.

Carmen> Yeah, just coming in through the crevices.

Especially if you have, maybe, there's fields on both sides of my house and a lot of properties in Pee Dee are kind of in rural areas where you clear the field, all sorts of things come out.

Trying to get in and they get into cracks.

They love light-colored houses.

They love anything south facing, and they're just going to get in there and- Amanda> And they really I mean, you can read about trying to exclude them, but honest to Pete, I mean, you wouldn't be able to do it at my house because it's from 1870, and there's not a right angle on the whole house.

But even a new house like you have.

Carmen> Yeah.

Even my, even my brand new house they're getting in, they're getting in through wherever they can.

And a lot of the times they give off some type of a scent, where they can either come back year after year or it, gives a nice little, flag to other bugs, come on, in.

Yeah.

Amanda> Yeah.

Carmen> And, a lot of the times the the easiest way to do it is some type of a vacuum.

But they have that smell that if, that they can give off.

One of the big problems is if you vacuum those up a lot of people ruin their whole vacuum because if they leave it too long, that scent will never get out of the vacuum.

A lot of people that I know, the old trick is taking a nylon stocking and putting it down into, the vacuum pipe.

Amanda> So cut the leg off your pantyhose and- Carmen> Exactly, yeah and take a little rubber band to keep it in there, put the stocking down and then vacuum it up, <okay> and then tie it off.

Put the bugs in the freezer to either kill them or put them in to, a diapause that you can put out later.

But if you just, like, let them go or you can crush them.

I mean, if you're... if you're vicious like that, if that gives you some kind of pleasure, you go for it.

But that's the easiest way to do it.

We were going back and forth.

There really aren't insecticides that you need to be spraying in the house to do this.

They don't cause a lot of problems unless you really mess with them.

Sometimes they'll, bite you a little bit Amanda> And aren't they reflex bleeders or something weird like that.

Carmen> Ooo, I don't know.

Amanda> Is that right?

I thought if you had it on your pillowcase and you picked one off, they could give off some kind of... Carmen> Yeah.

Amanda> Stain or liquid.

Carmen> They will stain a lot of your fabrics.

Yes, that is true.

And that can, that's like the extent of how bad they are.

But, for a lot of people, we just let them have a warm spot.

But a lot of the time, if you got that nice white, walls you can definitely see where they've been.

(laughter) Amanda> Well, maybe we have more this year because we finally painted our house after 40 years.

Carmen> Just to say that people with dark houses and brick houses- Amanda> They still suffer too.

Carmen> Yeah, they're still getting in.

Amanda> Okay.

Oh, mercy me.

Well, Terasa, whom else can we help?

Terasa> We are- Amanda> -or just tell them... (laughter) to suck it up.

Carmen> Good luck.

Godspeed.

Terasa> I think we'll have some good advice.

We're going to go back to fruit.

This comes in from Julie in Hilton Head, who said, "Our Meyer Lemon trees are covered in fruit that started splitting open recently.

<Oh> What is wrong and what do I need to do?"

That's very sad.

Amanda> So they got lemons on it but they're splitting open.

Ah, well that sounds like a real bummer, what's going on?

Glen> Well, it sounds like Julie has gotten to the point where, her citrus skin splitting, probably is going to need to be addressed with a soil sample.

We're going to have to see what she's deficient in.

And a lot of folks don't know it, but your citrus splitting can be a result of low potassium, not the banana type with Chris, and also low calcium.

So once you get done with your harvest this, this winter, after Christmas you want to do a soil sample, get that sent in to the Clemson AG lab.

And then your local extension agent can help you interpret that.

And we can get some lime added, because it's going to take about two to three months for that calcium to work its way into the soil.

And the most important time to have that calcium in there is when you're going from flower to fruit in April and May.

And that's when we're getting normal rainfall in the Lowcountry.

And it will help with, the elasticity of the rind.

And it'll help it be real supple so that it can stretch out when you're, when you're getting normal rainfall.

The other thing on it- Amanda> And also so, if they have them in pots, you really need your agent to help you because it's going to they're not going to give you... you know, the results and what to do on a 15 inch pot or a 20 inch pot or something.

So, yeah, you'll need some help, I think.

Glen> Right and your pots require a little more management on the irrigation side, because that regular watering is really going to cause your fruit to size up, with your lemons, your tangerines, your oranges, any of your citrus fruit like that.

Amanda> Okay.

Well thank you.

Fascinating.

Christopher> Now is, can you just add egg shells to add the calcium to these plants?

Glen> Egg shells will definitely help if you want to add some calcium and you're going through the composting process.

Probably highly recommended that with that soil sample, you're adding pelletized lime, or maybe even foliar lime that you're going to be treating about a month before harvest will really help, with the fruit splitting.

Especially, like back in November, a few weeks ago, we had ten inches of rain in one day.

So that's a lot of growing citrus that are swelling up all at one time.

Amanda> Oh, of course.

Oh, so it's really noticeable this year if you're deficient.

Glen> Right.

And then the other thing you want to do is just manage your pots or manage your orange or citrus grove that you have and keep it clean.

You want to look out for things like blue and green mold or black spot that can start to appear on your lemons and limes.

<Oh> That's if, if you're not doing the proper management and keeping it clean and disposing of those old fruit as they split.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Okay.

Huh, the people in your area, is it usually warm enough that they have some success, just maybe with covering them at certain times?

Glen> Yes, definitely success.

And that's a great thing, with the cooling down period, just a temperature drop of like four to five degrees in the last couple of days we had will cause those citrus trees to actually release sugar and sweeten up the fruit.

So they may have been tart two or three days ago as it went down to 30 degrees.

If you harvest them now, they're probably going to be pretty sweet.

And the longer they stay on the tree, the sweeter they'll be.

Amanda> Oh, that's just fascinating.

So, "brrr" it was worth getting the sweater out, wasn't it?

Terasa> Makes the collards taste better, and apparently the citrus fruit as well.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

That's fun.

They do say that collards are better after the first frost.

I love collards any time.

Yeah.

Yeah okay.

Terasa> I'm glad you mentioned the composting process because I think that's been one of the "plant hacks."

The so-called "plant hacks," is you just throw in some, some eggshells.

But you've got to remember that they need, they need to become available.

And so the large hunks of eggshells aren't really going to add right away.

So just put them in your compost bucket and make that great soil amendment that then you can use in your pot or put out in your raised bed.

Amanda> Good point.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Okay.

Terasa?

Terasa> Let's see this one's kind of in the holiday spirit.

Jim in Charleston said "We received a Norfolk Island Pine as a gift.

How do I care for it?

And is it something we can plant or do we keep it as a house plant?

Amanda> Hmm... Well, Christopher, you've told us some interesting things about avocados.

I'm wondering what you gonna say about these Norfolk Island Pines.

Christopher> So I brought one that I recently had received as well.

So Norfolk Island Pines are a really cool plant.

I think they're fascinating because they're not technically a pine.

They're actually, they're related to a monkey puzzle tree.

Araucaria is the genus the Araucariaceae is the family.

This family is mostly found in Southeast Asia.

In the South Pacific.

It is a subtropical to tropical plant.

<Oh> The interesting thing about this is these are actually much, much older.

These were around or at least not the species, but that family got to see when the dinosaurs went extinct.

And so this is one of the early, early conifers, and of course- Amanda> Oh, before pine trees?

Christopher> Oh yeah.

Often, oftentimes these are found a little bit earlier than that.

And so they're very fascinating, very interesting trees for the most part, are going to do very well in kind of low light areas in your home.

So they're perfect for indoor plants.

The main issue with them is they can get big.

And so there's kind of two things there.

One, these can grow in their native habitats up to 200 feet.

So keep that in mind.

(laughter) As an indoor plant we'll probably see eight to ten, if we keep them in small enough containers.

Amanda> Oh, that will... restrict their growth.

Christopher> Help restrict it, yes.

The other thing is, is they really like high humidity.

And so while it's perfect for our summers because it's nice and humid in the Lowcountry.

In the winter when we're bringing it indoors and we have the heat blaring, unfortunately that can dry out the plants.

And oftentimes when we see plants start to drop needles or start to wilt, we think we need to water it.

And oftentimes that can actually cause more damage.

Amanda> So you need to use the digital method.

Christopher> Not... Yeah, either the digital, but you need to create a microclimate.

<Oh> And so one of the ways I've done that with a lot of my indoor plants is I will actually take a saucer or some type of shallow dish.

<Yes> Put some rocks in it, fill those, that dish up with water, and of course stick it in between the plants and that water naturally evaporates.

And it may not necessarily create a huge, huge change in the humidity.

It is enough for those plants to not get as stressed.

Amanda> Really?

Christopher> Oh Yeah.

Amanda> Just that little bit.

Christopher> Oh yeah.

And so for something like this, while you're probably not going to keep it for years and years and years.

For a couple of years.

You can do fine.

Just pot it up every couple of years.

And of course make sure it's getting plenty of humidity.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

So how large is the largest one you have?

And are you ready to let somebody else try it's shoes on.

Christopher> Usually when I get it to about six feet, I, once it's too heavy to bring indoors because unfortunately does not like below 35 degrees.

And our winters can get that cold.

Once it's too heavy to bring indoors, I will usually either give it away or try to propagate from it.

They're not super easy to propagate.

But generally I just start to play around with it, leave it outside.

But then I'll start to look for a new one.

Amanda> Yeah, and it can go in the compost, yeah.

<Yeah> Okay.

200 feet.

Christopher> Oh, yeah.

In the native habitat they can get real big.

Amanda> That's a big, tall tree.

I wonder what the bark and all is like?

That'd be interesting to know.

Now you've got me interested, I'll have to go and look up, find out more about it.

Terasa> I think people get confused, they hear Norfolk and maybe they think like Norfolk, Virginia.

Amanda> I was thinking- Terasa> -maybe a native plant.

Amanda> Isn't that something?

Goodness gracious.

Well that was a lot of fun to learn about.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And there are lots of those and they are lovely to have in the house.

And if you a teeny, teeny little Christmas tree balls you could even put some on it.

And fit it into the playpen.

(laughter) Oh, goodness.

Samantha Houston is part of the Food Systems and Safety Program, and a lot of people these days, like to give personal gifts that they've made.

And so she's going to give us some tips on maybe if you've canned something.

Amanda> I'm talking to Samantha Houston, who's part of the Food Systems and Safety Team of Clemson Extension.

And you've got what looks like some very different Christmas gifts.

Samantha> Yes, I do.

So I am based out of Lexington County, and what I do is I teach food preservation courses.

I teach food safety courses to people in our state as part of the Food Systems and Safety Team.

And today I brought a nice selection because around this time of year, everybody's kind of got one thing on their mind.

And that is, what am I going to get that special someone for Christmas this year?

So I thought it would be a great idea to share with everybody.

Some different ideas.

Nothing is wrong with store bought ideas.

And if that's what that person wants, then that's what that person can get.

Amanda> I know I'm not going to get a diamond ring.

So let's see what the alternatives are.

Samantha> No no, no.

Hey, there's always hope.

So here's an example of, some homemade gifts that you can give.

So these are canned goods.

Some of these are dehydrated goods like this one right here is our dehydrated apple chips, right here.

This right here is an example of some parsley that has been dehydrated as well.

And then of course, you have your canned goods.

You have your jellies.

There are some peanuts right here.

And then, of course, pickles as well.

Amanda> And you said these are South Carolina grown peanuts.

Samantha> Those are South Carolina grown peanuts.

Yes.

So these are examples that were made by one of our master food preserver volunteers, which, if you've never heard of our master food preserver volunteer program, it's a program where people who, they enjoy canning, they enjoy food preservation can go out into their community with us, as, with Clemson, and teach and talk to people about food preservation.

And what I want to talk about is if you want to give these, gifts to people, there's a couple of things you need to be aware of, first off.

Because nobody wants to give in the season of giving.

Nobody wants to give some kind of...food- Amanda> Tainted food.

Samantha> Exactly.

Something that's going to make people sick.

So you want to make sure that when you're giving these food items to people, that you're giving them items that you use safe recipes for.

Now, when I say safe recipes, I'm talking about recipes that have been tested to make sure that they are safe...things.

And these recipes you can find, multiple places.

You can find them on our own home and garden information center.

You can find them on Ball.

You can find them on the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

So you can do a search on our own HGIC website.

And like if you're looking for canning tomatoes, you can do HGIC canning tomatoes.

Amanda> Oh that's easy.

Samantha> Yeah it's very super easy.

And we also have if you know, we have fact sheets on there which a lot of these fact sheets have recipes on them.

As a matter of fact, we have a fact sheet on there that talks about canning gifts, which is kind of what we're gonna be talking about today.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> So you can do a search for HGIC canning gifts, and it'll bring you right up to it with recipes including a spicy cranberry salsa recipe that you can use, that you can give as gifts.

When you receive gifts for these canned goods, it's not bad for you to ask some questions.

Amanda> Oh!

Samantha> Right.

Because, you know, we don't want to sit there and question and sound ungrateful for the gift.

Amanda> No, no.

Especially since somebody went through the trouble of making it.

Samantha> Exactly, exactly.

And as a canner myself, I can go ahead and tell you some of these items.

They take a long time.

So they can be, very much a labor of love.

So if you receive a canned gift from somebody they really like you.

(laughs) But you want to make sure that they're doing a couple things.

So, like, if you receive a canned gift from somebody, one of the things you can ask them is, oh, these look beautiful.

What are they?

What recipe did you use?

So for example, I have on here these are my pears.

And you can see right here.

I have where it's got that they are Asian pears.

Unfortunately they weren't grown in South Carolina, but I can try next year.

And they also have the date, which is 24, which was the year that they were...canned.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> So that lets you know because again, for canned goods, you really don't want to eat them longer than two years.

That's how long they can last in your, pantry.

But... so you want to make sure that you've got what they are.

You want to make sure that they look nice, that they're pretty, and that they've got the the date that they were manufactured.

So here's another example that you can see that I did this year.

This is pomegranate jelly.

Amanda> My goodness.

Samantha> That I canned this year myself.

It is the first time trying pomegranate jelly.

And you can see on here that I've got pomegranate jelly listed, what it is, as well as the date that I actually canned it.

You'll also notice that I do not have the ring around it.

So when you're storing canned goods, it's important for you not to store them with the ring.

Couple of reasons why is because you can look through here and you can see there's a gap right there.

If you see anything floating in that gap, then you know you don't want to eat it.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> Okay.

Same thing.

If you receive a gift and you take the ring off and you, look on there and there's something floating on it, you may just want to say thank you so much for thinking of me.

Amanda> And then discard it Samantha> Then discard it later.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> Same thing if you go to open it and there's some pressure behind it.

Like you can try and open that now, but it's not coming out.

If it does come off, you absolutely don't want to, don't want to try and eat it.

Again, just say thank you and maybe discard it later, because you don't want to make them feel bad.

But if you do, go to open it and you realize there's a lot of pressure behind it.

Right.

So, like, you're opening it and especially like, for some of your pickled products, there could be some pressure behind it.

You may want to just go ahead and discard it, because that pressure could be- Amanda> A sign.

Samantha> A sign that there... it's not a safe product to eat.

Amanda> How about these dehydrated items?

Does it have to be treated any other way or do you just cap it?

Samantha> Absolutely.

So anytime you're doing dehydrated items which these are dehydrated apple chips right here.

Amanda> Yes.

Samantha> You want to make sure that you're dehydrating them in accordance with a dehydration recipe.

Those same places that you can get for canning recipes.

You can also go and get dehydration recipe as well.

So you want to make sure that whenever you're storing dehydrated items, you want the best place way to store them is in a glass jar.

But you want to sterilize that jar, first.

So, you want to wash it.

You want to sterilize it.

Amanda> All right.

Samantha> Now you'll see.

We just talked about how you don't want to store your canned goods with the rings on it, but these have it on here.

That's because these are dehydrated items.

So dehydrated items, really, it's a matter of they're not processed.

So you can store them with the ring on there.

And for the gift, what we kind of did is you can just kind of do a little.

Yeah a little cloth that you can do just to kind of make it pretty.

And then you just kind of put the ring over it.

So I'm going to take this off just so that you can kind of see what we did.

The ring is right here, and you can see that the cloth is actually on top.

And then you just put the little cloth on there, and you can do, you know- Amanda>-now... would you possibly write under the cloth on the top ...when you did them?

Samantha> Yes, absolutely.

So you would want to write on the cloth, on...the lid so that they know when these were actually dehydrated and what they are.

Amanda> But you said at your house they don't last long?

Samantha> They do not last long in my house at all.

Absolutely.

Especially with a five year old.

They don't last long at all.

And then you just kind of put that on there.

You can do a little tag around it.

You could do something kind of like this one right here, where it's got a little bow.

Just anything along these lines just to kind of make it a little pretty, a little nice a little gift for anybody.

Or you could really go all out and do our gift basket, like what we did here.

Amanda> Can I bring this over?

Samantha> Of course.

Please do.

Amanda> This is...

This looks fascinating.

I can't wait to see what all is in it.

Samantha> So this was a gift, little gift basket that again, one of our master food preserver volunteers put together.

And you can see what she's done is she has actually made a basket where you can make your own homemade apple pie.

Amanda> Come on.

Samantha> So right here, she's got her apple pie filling, for you.

And it looks, it does look... Amanda> It does look wonderful.

Samantha> So she's got the apple pie filling for you right here.

You're... Oh, she's gone ahead, and she bought.

She bought this.

But it is your own little apple pie tin.

Amanda> ...a graham cracker crust.

Yeah.

Samantha> And then the caramel drizzle to go on top.

Amanda> Wow!

Isn't that fun?

Samantha> And a couple other little fun, little neat things that you can put in here.

And of course, a little serving Amanda> That is really thoughtful.

Samantha> and all this goes in here.

And then of course, this is also, for...clear gel for it.

to use with your apple pie filling.

So all that in there can make a wonderful, really personal- Amanda> I think that is just the cat's meow.

(Amanda laughs) So you don't have to go running to the store, and you've got a wonderful dessert right there.

Yeah.

Samantha> Absolutely.

Oh, what, what, what, what fun.

Now, if you were going to give this...

I've wrapped up some things, because my children love to wrap.

>> Oh!

Amanda> So I don't do as good a job as my girls do, but, I like I think it's fun.

And I thought it would be particularly fun if you were giving a homemade gift to have something really.

You know?

Samantha> Yes.

Absolutely.

Amanda> You've gone through a lot of trouble where you went through a lot of trouble, too.

Can this be stored on its side, or does it need to be stored right side up?

If you were just going to give it for a gift?

Samantha> If you were giving it for a gift, you'd want to store it right side up.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> Because you don't want there to be anything to cause the lid to come off.

Amanda> Okay.

So keep that in mind.

Samantha> You want to keep it sort of Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> Right side up.

So the basket over, excuse me, the bag over here would be a great option for storing of your canned goods.

If you're wanting to just kind of give just the canned goods itself, you can easily just take some paper.

Amanda> Yes.

That's pretty tissue paper.

Samantha> It is.

And just kind of wrap it around like this and just place it in your bag.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> So if I had several of these like this pomegranate jelly I could set several of them in a box and, Samantha> and wrap it up.

Amanda> Wrap it up.

Samantha> Absolutely.

Amanda> Okay.

My mother used to make 100 or so jars of peach chutney for the church bazaar, and that's a lot to make.

And these days, is there a way that when you're having something in that mass that you're distributing throughout the, you know, the city or town, is there a way to have it checked with a little more safety in mind?

Samantha> Absolutely.

So what we can do is we have a program called Clemson Food 2 Market program, where we will actually test recipes to make sure that they're safe.

The main things that we're looking for, especially for things like chutneys, is pH, because the pH is very important for any of your acidified foods, because pH is a safety factor.

Amanda> Yes.

Samantha> And if the pH is not correct, and that can be something that can easily be messed up, Amanda> or if you put a little too much water?

Samantha> -put a little too much water, or use a different type of ingredient, it can really affect that pH.

And once that is affected, that safety measure is gone.

So you can go to our Food 2 Market website and do a product testing.

And they will test that product for you.

And they'll look for things like pH.

If you want to look for things like gluten, they'll do a gluten test for that as well.

Yes.

Amanda> Can you send the item that you've made or do you send the recipe that you're using?

Samantha> You're going to send both, actually.

You're going to send, multiple jars of the item that you want tested because they want to take different from different batches.

Amanda> Okay.

Samantha> To make sure... because they're going to look at it.

But they're also going to look at your recipe, as well.

And they're going to want you to be as, as specific with your recipe as possible.

If you're using a certain type of vinegar, you need to make sure you're telling them that you're using a certain type of vinegar.

And I know a lot of people are like, especially because it was... >> vinegar is vinegar Samantha> Vinegar is vinegar, but a lot of people, especially businesses that use this product.

So if you're, wanting to get a peach chutney or a barbecue sauce on the grocery store shelf and want to get it tested to make sure that it's safe, which I highly, highly recommend, you can have it tested through Clemson.

And then they will tell you, yes, the pH is good, or if you're wanting to sell a gluten free product, they will test it for you and say yes.

You have a gluten free product.

They will help you.

And if, say, you know, the peach chutney comes back and it's the pH is not quite there, they can help you actually reformulate so that it does get to that safety measure.

Amanda> Okay.

Gosh.

Something that seems so simple does have a lot of research and science behind it in order to be sure that people are safe.

And then your Christmas or holiday gift is indeed a gift.

Samantha> Absolutely, but that's what the Food Systems and Safety Team is here for.

If you have any questions about any of your food products, we are here to help you in any way we can.

Amanda> Well, thank you so much, and happy holidays to you.

Samantha> Happy holidays, thank you for having me.

Amanda> We've really enjoyed, having Samantha come over and she's going to come back and tell us about some other ways of food preserving.

Like... even with meats.

And she'll do things, so she's got half of the soup ready, already done when she wants to make vegetable soup and things like that.

And I'm going to tell you, those dehydrated apples were so sweet because, you know they, all the other excess liquid was gone.

And so all the sugar that was in the apples, naturally.

Ah, they were just delicious.

She said, "they last about five minutes at her house."

She's got a kid who certainly gets his apple a day, which is kind of fun.

Anyway, so, I was thinking about hats, and there's nothing in the yard right now.

I mean, some berries, I guess.

But, anyway, so I got some, you know, tender things that were beautiful, and, it was fun going.

There's just an assortment of things in here, but, one of the things Terasa, they had what they now call holiday cactus.

And, you know, we've talked about Christmas cactus that apparently it just, kind of impossible to find.

I don't know if you could even get one on the internet if it would really be a Christmas cactus.

And it looks like you found a holiday cactus, too.

Christopher> Yeah, this was actually given to me as a cutting, several years ago.

And it's a Thanksgiving cactus, I believe.

But as you've mentioned, they're all hybridized now, and generally with these you can kind of force them to bloom.

This has been blooming since Thanksgiving and will likely bloom through Christmas.

Amanda> It's a little bit different.

It's a hybrid.

Is that Correct?

Christopher> Yeah.

So, in reality I don't think it's blooming right at Christmas or right at Thanksgiving.

I think it's just blooming throughout the holidays, which is nice.

<Okay> They're really cool plants.

Amanda> They're real pretty in the flowers.

Christopher> I love them.

Amanda> Really dramatic don't you think?

Christopher> They really are.

They're absolutely beautiful.

Amanda> Yeah.

So I don't... know how you're supposed to care for them particularly.

It's not gonna last long at my house.

I hope, because Edward has enough stuff he brings in.

Christopher> The key is don't overwater them.

<Okay> So they do like humidity.

They, they like shade, but they really don't like too much water.

So they're epiphytes, which means they're air plants.

Which is kind of interesting as far as, plants go because they're an epiphytic cacti, but do not overwater them.

That's really the key, I always tell people during the winter, I almost don't water it at all.

Amanda> Okay.

And I'm looking in it, and the soil is a very loose mixture.

Christopher> Yes, yes.

Nice and loose.

Carmen> But I'll change out the sun too...

In shade, in the off season and then move it into the full sun for bloom.

Amanda> Oh, really.

Okay.

Carmen> I just change it out as soon as I start to see it budding.

Amanda> Okay.

Carmen> That that helps with the blooming.

Terasa> The flowering is triggered by uninterrupted periods of darkness, a photo period.

And so sometimes people will have trouble because in their house they might have, say you've got it in your living room where you're up until 11:00 in the evening, you've got lights on and things and so it doesn't get, even sometimes street lights shining in from outside.

Amanda> So they're kind of like poinsettias in that aspect.

Terasa> Yeah.

I mean, I don't have to do anything special to mine, but if, if someone has trouble, you can put it in a closet or something like that- Amanda> Oh, especially since they don't need to be watered every whipstitch.

Okay, cool.

Well, anyway, Christopher... honestly, what didn't you go from the cutting?

(laughter) Now that you've got a two, almost two year old, is it?

Or maybe you're not going to be doing quite so much of that.

Christopher> I have cut back.

Amanda> You're not gonna make a cutting of him.

Christopher> No, no.

Definitely not.

But I've cut back on how much I do, but.

<Okay> I do still quite, have a lot.

It's fun.

Amanda> It must be something you enjoy.

Christopher> I do.

Amanda> Well, I'm so glad.

Anyway, but they're pretty, aren't they?

Christopher> Gorgeous.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, Carmen, you've got some interesting things.

And you really, helped make our display, the front of our desk so pretty too.

Carmen> Yeah.

We, one of the big things right now, like you said, there's not a whole lot going on in the yards, but there are just always vines.

Weedy vines, problematic vines.

I went out and, for our large wreath, went out and cut a bunch of Smilax and invasive Wisteria, to kind of make a little wreath because I was pruning them off anyway, trying to clean up all of the pecan trees.

And so we just started, I just started putting the wreaths together.

Amanda> So I hope it was the Smilax that's not quite so thorny.

There's a nice Smilax and then there are mini Smilaxes that are more treacherous.

Carmen> And even the treacherous ones, if you get the younger growth, you won't get the thorns.

So, I will end up just pulling them all down, with gloves of course, and the eyeglasses.

Very important to have the, the eye protection, because I whipped my husband in the face while he was filming us, earlier.

But, so make sure you're always wearing your eye protection, your gloves, a good pair of shears.

<Yeah> And, just go to town.

And a lot of the times I'll take it if I'm making a big one, like, down below, it's usually about one ten foot section or two six foot sections to get a nice, ten inch diameter wreath.

<Okay> I had some, I did some smaller ones for us to kind of make a cute one on the table.

So I wasn't elbowing Glen in the face.

But you just take them and you kind of just make one little wrap.

A lot of people think you need to do four or five at a time, Amanda> But don't worry about that.

Carmen> No, what I do, and I always like to do it in the field.

I don't like to drag these into the yard, into the house.

But I'll just, I'll just wrap it and kind of just weave- Amanda> -Tuck it under.

Carmen> Yeah, tuck and weave.

And I'll just put, I'll just place one down and once I get about four or five.

And you just place them on top of each other, then you got a nice big old fat wreath.

And then I take little sections that I've usually cut through, and that's when I start to weave them together.

And, you know, it's, it's a lot of fun.

Something to do outside when there's not much going on.

And this makes a wonderful wreath base even for your greenery, but also for those... silk flowers if you wanted something.

<Yeah> And I like them when they're bendy.

So make sure you don't have to get the real barky type the real thick, varieties of, your Smilax or your Wisteria, the real thick growth part.

Amanda> But don't worry about- Carmen> something little.

Amanda> You want something that's flexible.

Carmen> Flexible, yeah.

And one of the big things, coming up in January, it's muscadine pruning season.

And that's where I get most of my, any of my vining stuff.

Amanda> Do you go ahead and make some of the wreaths then before they dry out too much.

Yeah.

Carmen> Yep.

I will do it as soon, I'll do it as soon as they start to lose, their leaves, a lot of the time.

And then I'll let it dry out if it's still green.

But if, a lot of your muscadines still very bendy, even, January, February.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Carmen> So, and then you've got yourself a little wreath Amanda> And you must give these for presents and things, because, if you're making that many of them, although you've got 15 Christmas trees in your house or something crazy like that.

Carmen> I do, but make sure that you're not, you're not taking the poison ivy wreaths.

Amanda> Oh, no, no, no.

Carmen> You do that to one aunt one time and then, "Oh, I don't want any presents from you."

(laughter) Hey, this is homemade.

Amanda> And a lot of people decorate with Smilax, with green Smilax.

<Yes> And I love to pull it down, but, I mean, Smilax is hard to get out of a tree because it goes way to the top and then it starts wrapping around things.

And I have fallen on my bottom more times than I can tell you, trying to pull Smilax out of a tree.

Carmen> Yes, and then, and then it just starts getting nasty and you get all mixed up with it.

But that's what I use to wrap around the Christmas tree is, at the bottom instead of paying for those skirts.

I'll wrap them around the bottom of Christmas trees Amanda> And people, we collect Smilax and eat it too.

Do you do that?

Carmen> No.

Amanda> I can't believe you don't do that.

Yeah, when it first comes out in the spring and it's got those long stalks, you know- Carmen> Does it taste like asparagus?

Amanda> It does.

And it doesn't have the effect on, that you notice later when you go to the bathroom.

Carmen> Excellent.

You don't have to worry about, anything... Amanda> That kind of... Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

And it's delicious.

Carmen> Get your greens where you can.

It's really, really good.

And some people call it, call it wild asparagus, yeah.

But if you hadn't done that, you really should.

Carmen> I will now.

I got so much of it.

Amanda> Yeah, where you are, but I mean, you know, Smilax is everywhere.

I mean, I've just occasionally seen a place on the side of the road where I didn't feel like anybody would mind, just kind of woody and gone in and got some there.

Carmen> Please feel free to come to my house.

You can go as much as you want.

Amanda> Thank you.

Carmen> You're welcome.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

(laughter) Okay, well, I think you've got something for us.

Glen> Yes, Amanda, I do.

These are going to be great gifts for teachers.

They're going to be great gifts for your friends or anyone that has a fireplace.

Amanda> I'm a friend.

(laughter) Glen> And for my friends.

What I did was, went out and collected some things for a fragrant fire starter.

And for the fragrant fire starters, it's the holiday season and what more to remind you of the holiday season then all these great sets that we have in nature.

So what I did is took some of the oranges that we have.

We talked about citrus, your citrus is blooming.

Carmen> Are those the ones that split open.

Glen> These are not, those were lemons.

These are going to be your mandarins.

So with your mandarins, these are nice and supple.

They're ready to be cut.

They've got lots of oil in the skin.

<Ooo> So, what you can do is take a cupcake, liner, put those in your cupcake pan.

And then what I did was I just took some soy wax and put it in the oven for about three minutes at 325.

Warmed it up until it was liquid, and then I added in some pine cones.

Amanda> And it only took a few, minutes?

Glen> It only took about three minutes at 325.

Amanda> Okay, so keep your eye on it.

Glen> You do want to keep your eye on it.

Don't get too far away from the oven.

And don't get distracted in the kitchen just because it's Christmas.

Stay focused.

And add your cinnamon.

One other thing I did was I stopped at a Christmas tree farm, and when they were cutting off the bottom limbs of the Christmas trees, the gentleman asked me to "please take all I'd like," so I took those away, added those to it.

What you can do is before you start the fire, you just put it in and you light that- Amanda> -and the pine cones, that's when it, make it... really catch real easily.

Glen> Correct.

Amanda> Is that right?

Glen> Yeah.

These are all dried out.

So lots of pine, longleaf pine.

You can take those, cut those up and put them in the cups.

And that will give you all the fragrance that you can handle during the holiday season.

It really, really makes a special place for that time of year when everybody's gathering.

Amanda> And, earlier you had let me see the cinnamon stick and I mean, the fragrance from that, so much more than you get from, you know, the cinnamon that's already been ground up and you know, that you shake on things, it was stunning.

Glen> Amanda, I'd like to share the secret ingredient with you if I could... maybe some cloves.

Amanda> Oh, wouldn't that be fun?

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Carmen> Can I sniff it?

(sniffs) Oh, yeah.

Amanda> Isn't it nice?

Carmen> Ahh, holidays in a tin.

Glen> We've got plenty for everybody here.

So they make great little gifts, folks coming to visit, little party favors you want to hand out.

Amanda> So even if you have, gas logs, you could still use it Glen> You can put it in the gas log.

You can put it outside before your oyster roast.

Amanda> Ooo, yeah.

Glen> ...And you're starting the fire.

Or if you just want to, start a fire outside and and enjoy being out, in the outdoors.

(rubbing hands) Terasa> Need some hot cocoa if you're outdoors.

Amanda> Yeah, you do.

Terasa, I don't know if you remember this, your mother Nan was such a sweet, lovely lady.

And, at Christmas, when we had fires going in the houses and before women wore pants, my aunts would stand there and pull the backs of their skirts up and, get warm all the way, you know, get really, really nice and warm.

Did you ever see people do that?

Terasa> I haven't done that, but I grew up with a wood stove, and that was one of my favorite things to do, was to stand in front of it and get warm, especially after skiing.

So you'd come in, so cold and the, the, our wood stove was raised up over a slate hearth.

We had a little Dachshund, and he would always sleep underneath- Amanda> No!

Did he?

Terasa> Underneath that wood stove, yep.

I thought for sure he would burn up, but I guess the heat rises, so it's not as hot as you would imagine underneath there.

Good thing he wasn't any taller, though or he might've... (laughter) ...bumped his little back.

Amanda> Sleeping under the wood stove.

That's funny.

That's, that's funny.

Okay, well, Terasa, have we got anymore questions?

Terasa> We do- You know, we never seem to run out of questions.

Thomas in Moncks Corner, said "There are some trees by my home that still have not dropped their leaves.

Does this mean there's something wrong with the trees?"

Amanda> Okay.

Well, Christopher, what's your take on this?

Christopher> So this is known as marcescence.

It's a very fancy word for, "to fade" is basically what it means.

Unfortunately, while we have named it, we actually don't know why this happens.

It's primarily with trees that are either oaks or beeches.

In our area at least.

And it's usually young trees, newly planted trees.

Occasionally you'll see some old trees do it, but for the most part, we have no clue why it happens.

There is some belief that it's due to kind of prevent weeds in the spring, so they'll hold on to those leaves throughout the winter, drop the leaves all at once in the spring to prevent plants- Amanda> -letting sunlight... Christopher> Exactly.

Or it's to protect the buds on the plant itself in case it's going to be a hard winter.

Problem is, we really don't know for sure, but we do know it is completely harmless and is actually relatively common to see, at least occasionally.

Amanda> So, beech trees do that, I mean, that's the way they do the beech trees I think.

<Yes> Yeah, they hold their leaves until the new ones start coming out or something like that.

Christopher> In fact, certain oaks will do that as well.

Water oaks, specifically, that you see a lot will hold on to their leaves until kind of right at the very end and then all of a sudden drops everything at once.

And then you have some trees, like live oaks that drop them in the fall and then drop them in the spring and kind of feel like they're dropping them all the time.

And so oaks tend to do that.

A lot of it does have to do with just preventing competition around their roots and also adding to the soil.

Amanda> Okay.

When I was getting things for my hat, this was such a pretty thing.

And it says it's a lemon cypress.

And I think y'all looked it up and found some interesting things about it.

Christopher> Yeah.

So this is, an interesting conifer.

It's a, used to be a Cupressus, it's actually changed genus now.

But it's very interesting because it's got an actual lemon fragrance to it, which I don't usually see with conifers.

Amanda> We've got about a minute or so left.

Is it, can you put this outside or?

Christopher> I believe so.

So, Carmen, you said you... Carmen> 7 to 11... Christopher> ...the zones.

Carmen> The zones.

Amanda> Crush that foliage and smell it.

It just is wonderful.

Christopher> Interesting.

Carmen> It smells like pine... Christopher> Conifers always make me a little nervous, but I think it's always worth the try, especially with a fragrance like that.

Amanda> Wasn't that nice?

Terasa> It really does... Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Carmen> With all of those, just make sure you've got some space.

Don't put a whole bunch next to each other.

Amanda> Yeah, well, you know, it's worth a try.

Carmen> Yeah, always fun.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Terasa> It's got a really neat texture.

<It does.> Amanda> And, you know, if you are decorating, fireplace, a mantel or something, if it, if it were deep one, you could almost lay it on its side or tuck it in a different ways and keep it.

But I just thought the color and the smell was just, <beautiful> terrific.

Anyway so- Carmen> Terasa pointed out that there is a dwarf variety as well, so I wouldn't, I would probably keep that one to the, the pots.

<Okay> Terasa> There's one called Gold Crest and- Amanda> Well thanks... Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I don't want to know the new name.

I'm tired of all these new names.

(laughter) One thing that stays the same, is that we can tell everybody, we're so glad that you're with us.

And we wish you happy holidays.

♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.