Flag from last fling til spring

Flag at last fling til spring. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

Last fling til spring

We went to West Point to attend the 24th annual last fling til spring. I thought I would share the pictures I took with my readers.

Storing vegetables

News Column

John Wilson

Extension Educator

September 13, 2013

Storing Vegetables

We enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer, but with proper care, we can still have fresh vegetables later this fall or even on into the winter.

Let’s start with tomatoes. They can be left on the plant until the threat of a frost. At that time, cover the plants to protect them from a light frost or harvest all tomatoes that are mature or have started to turn color. If you have some large green tomatoes, they can be harvested, too, and brought inside to store or mature. Wrap green or pink, not-quite-mature, tomatoes individually in newspaper and store them in a single layer in boxes or trays. If you want them to ripen right away, store them at normal room temperature and humidity.

If you want to store them, place the wrapped tomatoes in an area with a temperature around 45-50 degrees and relative humidity 80% or higher. Green tomatoes can be stored up to 6 weeks and pink tomatoes about 10 days before you need to bring them to normal room temperatures to finish maturing. Take a peak every few days to see if they are mature and ready to eat or can. If any tomatoes start to spoil, remove and discard them.

Next let’s consider potatoes. Late season varieties of potatoes generally store longer than early season varieties. These are best harvested after the vines die completely and when the soil is dry. Dig and handle the tubers carefully to avoid bruising. Place the tubers in a cool, dark location for 10 to 14 days to cure them; then store potatoes in a dark, humid area with temperatures around 40 degrees. Brush off excess dirt, but do not wash potatoes as this will shorten their storage life.

Winter squash, pumpkins and gourds are ready to harvest when you can no longer easily puncture the skin with your thumbnail. These fruits must remain on the plant until they are mature or their eating and storage quality is greatly reduced. Now is a good time to pinch off smaller fruits that won’t have time to mature before frost. The plants energy can then go into maturing larger fruits.

When harvesting vine crops, avoid scratching or bruising the fruit and leave one inch of the stem attached. Mechanical wounds increase the chance of storage decay. After harvest, cure the fruit in a warm dry place for 10 days and then store them in a dry location at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Onions are harvested after their tops die down. If the tops have not died down by late fall, harvest them before the ground freezes; taking care not to bruise the bulbs. Bruised onions and onions with thick necks should be used promptly rather than stored.

Onions must be cured and allowed to dry until the outer skins are papery and the roots are dried to reduce storage rot. Hold them in a warm, dry location spread out on newspaper or an old screen up off the ground to dry. Once dry, the tops can be cut off and the bulbs stored in mesh bags; or, the tops can be braided together and the onions hung and stored at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Root crops, like carrots and beets, can be left in the garden until just before the soil freezes; or even into winter. A few good frosts will improve their flavor, as long as they are not over mature. Planting later in the season helps avoid over maturity or when the root becomes large and woody.

When you do harvest, cut the tops to one inch above the root and dig carefully to avoid damage. Pack the roots in sawdust or other packing material and store them at 32 degrees Fahrenheit in a humid location. If you wish to leave root crops in the ground into winter, place a one foot layer of mulch over the rows to keep the soil from freezing. Pull the mulch back and dig as needed.

For more information on vegetable harvest and storage, contact your local UNL Extension office.

John Wilson

Health insurance

News Release

Mary Loftis

UNL Extension and SHIIP Volunteer

September 12, 2013

STATE OF NEBRASKA

Dave Heineman Governor

Mary Loftis

DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE

Bruce R. Ramge Director 941

Health Insurance Marketplace Is Not for People with Medicare

If you have Medicare, the new Health Insurance Marketplace doesn’t affect your Medicare coverage. The Health Insurance Marketplace is designed to help people who do not have health insurance. You don’t have to replace your Medicare coverage with Marketplace coverage. No matter how you get Medicare, whether through Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll still have the same benefits and security you have now.

Medicare’s Open Enrollment is not part of the new Health Insurance Marketplace. Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15 – December 7, 2013) is the time when all people with Medicare are encouraged to review their current health and prescription drug coverage, including any changes in costs, coverage and benefits that will take effect next year.

The Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment period (October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014) overlaps with the Medicare Open Enrollment period (October 15 – December 7, 2013). Therefore, people with Medicare who are looking to make Medicare coverage changes should make sure that they are reviewing Medicare plans and not Marketplace options.

It is against the law to knowingly sell a Marketplace health plan to someone with Medicare. A Medicare beneficiary who is contacted by a representative of a Marketplace health insurance plan should not reveal any personal information, such as their Medicare claim number.

People with Medicare who have questions about their coverage or who want to compare prescription drug plans for next year should contact the Nebraska Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for free, unbiased information. SHIIP can be reached at their toll-free hotline at 800-234-7119 or at the UNL Extension Office in Burt County at: 402-374-2929.

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The Nebraska Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is part of a national network, funded by a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, that offers unbiased counseling and educational services designed to help senior citizens and those with disabilities make informed decisions on topics related to health insurance. With over 300 volunteers across the state, the Nebraska SHIIP is coordinated within the Nebraska Department of Insurance.

Mary Loftis,

Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929

Fax: (402) 374-2930

Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu