Herb
Appeal, an annual luncheon
and lecture hosted and prepared by Extension
Master Gardeners (EMGs), is scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 11:45
a.m. at the McCracken County Cooperative
Extension Service at 2705 Olivet
Church Road. This year’s version
features a healthy combination of familiar foods complimented by a quintet of
herbs—rosemary, savory (2015’s herb of the year), thyme, dill and mint. “Beyond
the Plate” refers to the non-culinary
use of herbs for crafts, medicine, cleaning and more.
Lunch
service begins promptly at 12:00 p.m. Only 60
tickets at $20.00 apiece are
being sold. They may be purchased by
check at the McCracken County Cooperative Extension Service. Call 270-554-9520 for details.
This is the third time EMGs have partnered with Laura Duff of A Pampered Palate Catering to develop the luncheon menu. Under Duff’s direction, EMGs will prepare the
bulk of the meal with each dish featuring one or more herbs. According to Duff, there’s no downside to
adding fresh herbs to a meal—you stimulate and satiate your palate
simultaneously without adding extra salt, sugar or fat.
Midtown
Market will again provide fresh ingredients for the
luncheon. Since launching his urban food
store at 3000 Broadway, Andy Carloss has made great strides in
providing organic, locally grown produce to area shoppers. Initially, he sought local growers to develop
his inventory; now local farmers seek to do business with him.
Herb
Specialist Linda Caviness is this year’s featured speaker. She will highlight the lesser-known medicinal
properties of culinary herbs—qualities that bring “healing to the mind, body or
spirit; hopefully all three.” Gardening
has been a serious passion for Caviness since the early seventies when she came
to Kentucky from Los Angeles. Newly
retired from the Marshall County Library in Hardin, Kentucky, she has big plans
for the future. One of her first
priorities is building a greenhouse
so she can propagate her own herbs.
While already growing most of her own herbs in raised beds and
containers, she occasionally must buy harder to find herbs from other
sources.
While herbs
benefit from frequent pruning, Caviness snips only when the plants need it
or she needs what the plants are producing.
She uses her harvest for cooking and medicinal concoctions she prepares
herself. Lavender, lemon balm, mint and chamomile are constants in her
garden. Deeming herself a self-taught
gardener, Caviness gathered her knowledge of growing herbs from several
sources—her grandmother, mother, older friends, neighbors, books, classes, and
lots of trial and error.
 |
| Mason Bee House |
Caviness
will
be followed by Brenda Johnson, an EMG, who will share facts about the cultivation of Orchard and Mason
bees to improve pollination of early spring fruit flowers in the wake of a
decrease in honeybees. Oblivious to
their existence a few months ago, Johnson
is now fascinated by them.
 |
| Herb Topiary |
Handmade
Mason bee houses will be available for purchase in the boutique that will open after the meal. Other items available in the boutique include
herbs, bird feeders and bird houses, jewelry, topiaries, glass totem poles, and
small wheelbarrows planted with herbs.
New Name; Same
Mission
Preparing
to move to a new campus that is currently under construction, the Purchase Area Master Gardener Association
(PAMGA), has recently changed its name to McCracken
County Extension Master Gardeners. Herb Appeal III-Beyond the Plate is a
fundraiser for the University of Kentucky
Demonstration & Trial Garden on Coleman
Road in Paducah. The garden is an
outdoor classroom featuring trial beds, a vegetable garden, a small orchard,
vineyard and greenhouse.
EMGs
have
more than just green thumbs – they are trained in all phases of horticulture by
the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University through the Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service. Upon
completing formal training and passing a written exam, they volunteer their
time to assist the McCracken County Horticulture Extension Agent in advising
home gardeners.
Educating
the gardening public—both adults and children—is the primary
focus of EMGs. The mission is
accomplished by staffing a booth at the local Farmer’s Market; sponsoring a standard
flower show at the McCracken County Fair each June; operating a telephone
hotline for gardening questions during the growing season; offering a free
monthly toolbox series on a vast array of gardening topics the first Tuesday of
each month; and, maintaining a Speaker’s Bureau. The local centerpiece of their work is the
Demo & Trial Garden for which Herb
Appeal III-Beyond the Plate is the sole fundraiser.
