1) Don’t Forget to Thaw Holiday Turkey

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Buying a turkey early can offer savings, but make a note to allow enough time to thaw a frozen turkey before the holiday, said Karen Blakeslee, Kansas State University Research and Extension food scientist.

Blakeslee suggests placing the frozen turkey (in its store wrap) in a shallow pan or on a baking sheet (with a lip to catch drips) in the refrigerator. Allow one day of thawing time for each 4-5 pounds of turkey.

Cooks who forget to transfer the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator early, can use a cold-water method: Submerge the turkey (in its store wrap) in cold water in a clean, large sink or bathtub. Allow 30 minutes of thawing time per pound. Drain and replace cold water every 30 minutes during the thawing process.

A small frozen turkey or turkey breast also can be thawed in a microwave oven. Thawing via this method will, however, start the cooking process that will then need to be continued immediately.

Microwave ovens vary, so checking the manufacturer’s directions is recommended.

More information on planning and preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is available at K-State Research and Extension offices and on Extension Web sites: www.oznet.ksu.edu and www.oznet.ksu.edu/foodsafety.

           

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2) Energy Answers: Learn About Options Before Insulating

Q: I’m trying to winterize my house. Which is better for insulating attics – fiberglass or cellulose?

A: Both are excellent materials for insulating an attic.

But the cellulose is generally easier to install and less expensive. Cellulose has a slightly higher R-value per inch of thickness, and it’s more effective at reducing air leakage. Studies have shown that, compared to fiberglass, cellulose also retains its insulating value at lower temperatures. Based on these points, cellulose is the preferred insulation for most attic arrangements.

Regardless of which material you use, be sure to seal all holes in the attic floor before beginning to insulate.

More information about saving energy is available on Kansas State University’s Energy Extension Service Web site: http://www.engext.ksu.edu/ees/ .

- Source: Bruce Snead, Kansas State University Energy Extension Service


 

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3)  Fall May Be Best Time for Gardeners to Test Soil

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For gardeners, soil testing often comes to mind when they’re planting in spring or when plants aren’t performing well during spring or summer. By that time, however, they’re too late to get test results back in time to help.

Soil testing in fall can be a much better idea, said a Kansas State University horticulturist.

“If nothing else, soil-testing laboratories tend to be very busy in spring. As a result, you get a longer turn-around from your sample submission to the lab’s fertility recommendations,” said Ward Upham, Master Gardener program coordinator for K-State Research and Extension.

Due to seasonal weather differences, soils are more likely to be waterlogged in the spring, which can make sample-taking difficult, he said. Plus, the “window” for sampling is smaller. Fall’s deadline is whenever the soil finally freezes. Spring’s most useful deadline can be the weeks before potato, pea and lettuce planting time arrives in March.

“Besides, if your results suggest your soil needs organic matter, fall is the better season for incorporating it,” he said. “In fall, you usually can recycle, rather than buy organic materials. So long as they’re small pieces, you also can use fresher materials and not harm tender plants.”

Upham recommends that gardeners contact their county or district K-State Research and Extension office to learn how to take a representative soil sample. For a small lab fee, the offices can forward samples to K-State for testing. Many also have samplers available for checkout.

“Of course, test results only tell you about the various aspects of your soil’s fertility,” he said. “Soil tests don’t evaluate other factors that can reduce performance, including soil-borne insects or diseases, poor drainage, excess shade, compacted soil, shallow tree roots, and the like.

“But, your county Extension office has information about those kinds of problems, too.”


 

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4) Weather Omens: Whether or Not?

MANHATTAN, Kan. – As the old saying goes: “Whether it’s cold or whether it’s hot, we shall have weather, whether or not!”

Even so, weather has been a leading topic for human conversation since time immemorial, said State of Kansas Climatologist Mary Knapp. It also has inspired more superstitions, folklore, beliefs and proverbs than many a subject.

“Until we humans get a lot better at long-term forecasting, we’ll probably continue to look for signs and portents of what the next season’s weather will be like,” said Knapp, who heads Kansas’ Weather Data Library, based with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Some of the old-time omens of a harsh winter are: Onion skins are thick and tough. Wooly bears’ central brown stripe is so narrow that the caterpillars almost look black. Hornets (or bees) build their nests high in the trees. Furred animals get their winter coat early. Or, the fur’s really, really thick and/or bushy. Flowers bloom in late autumn. The tree leaves are late in falling. Plus, “Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry will cause snow to gather in a hurry.”

Knapp said one problem with such weather-related folklore is that it may reflect what’s happened in the past. Or, it may reflect what is happening now, not in the upcoming season. For example, when squirrels are unusually busy burying nuts, they’re just cashing in on the fact that the nut trees have produced an unusually good crop.

An even bigger problem with folklore, however, is that “it’s not necessarily on-target all of the time for every place in the world. It may not ‘move’ well,” she said. “Added to that, we’re mostly a nation of movers – immigrants.”

Over time, folklore can lose important parts, too. For instance, long ago the English recited a charm to make the rain stop: “Raine, raine, goe to Spain. Faire weather come againe."

“American children still say ‘Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.’ But, they don’t know the charm works best if you chant it while also staring at a rainbow – which, of course, often appears at the end of a storm,” Knapp said.


 

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5) Science Backs Up Some Weather Lore

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Folklore doesn’t always bring its historic and geographic origins along, as it passes from generation to generation by word of mouth.

As a result, scientists often have had little way of assessing whether such lore was or still is accurate, even if just for a particular time or place.

Some folklore that has survived into modern times, however, has proven to be accurate more often than not – and in a rather broad array of geographic locations, said Mary Knapp, State of Kansas climatologist. These more dependable bits of folk wisdom include:

* Red sky at night: sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning: sailor, take warning.

* Ring around the moon, rain by noon. Ring around the sun, rain before night’s done.

* When dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.

* If insects are flying low, wet weather will follow.

* When leaves fold and flowers close, you’ll soon have a wet nose.

Knapp said the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has a Web site it calls the SciJinks Weather Library (http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/weather/). It offers activities, weather film clips, videogames and a section on folklore from around the world.

Knapp is in charge of the Kansas Weather Data Library in Kansas State University Research and Extension. She also maintains its Web site at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl/.