Extension and fair news, tasty recipes

Kevin Green, Greensburg Daily News, Ind.
·5 min read

May 5—GREENSBURG — Can you imagine this is the month of May? I sure can't. 2021 is marching right along. The flowers that the Aprilsdhowers brought are benefiting from this rain. I finally got some for my front porch. I can't do a lot, but my daughter helped me get some into containers. I think I can keep them growing throughout the summer. The garden looks good out my window. It surely won't be long until there is something to eat there.

Mark May 7 on your calendar. That is the first sewing day for the year to make the shorts for Operation Christmas Child boxes. It will be in the large meeting room at the Extension Office beginning at 9 a.m. Most of the supplies needed will be available, but if you have a machine available bring it. If you don't sew, you can cut, iron, insert elastic, or do other tasks that are available. I haven't been available to work on many of these days in the past, but hope to get there this week.

One month from today we will be knee deep into the annual Home and Family Conference. It will be good to see everyone, since it has been two years since we had a conference. This is a different location and there are some things added and some things left off this year. I'm sure there will be a lot of information gleaned from going.

The Fair Book is now available. You can pick one up at the Extension Office. There are a lot of different classes that have been added; some of the old favorites will not be available this year. There will be no Baked Foods exhibits with the exception of Canning and Jelly. Be sure to get your book to know what is going on with the classes and get started making yours. Let's have a bigger exhibit than ever since we've had two years to work on them. Everything needs to have been made in the last two years except antiques. Also, the schedule to work with entering and displaying everything is available. If you are able to work, be sure to see where you can add your assistance.

The registration form for the Madison District Retreat is available. It will be Sept. 22 and 23 at Camp Higher Ground. This is another activity that was the victim of COVID last year so be sure to get your registration made. The theme is Footloose and Fancy Free. I can only imagine what that will entail. I'm sure going to be there to see what the committee has come up with. If you've never been to this retreat you don't know what you've been missing. This the 22nd year for the retreat and I think I've been to every one of them except one. The location is great, the food is out of this world, the accommodations are wonderful, the friends you meet are so nice.

I haven't heard yet, but I hope the quilters are there at the same time we are. There is a quilt guild that has had their retreat at the same time and we take a little time off to go over to see what they are working on and even get patterns and ideas we can use.

BROCCOLI SALAD

1 cup light mayonnaise

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

2 heads broccoli broken into small florets

12 ounces bacon fried and chopped into small pieces

1/2 cups slivered almonds, toasted

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and celery seed and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a large serving dish. Toss the dressing with the rest of the ingredients and stir. It is better to add the dressing at the last minute.

CORNBREAD SALAD

1 small box cornbread mix, baked according to directions on the box. Set aside.

4 medium tomatoes

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup sweet pickles, chopped

9 slices bacon

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet pickle juice

Cook, drain, and crumble bacon. Peel and chop tomatoes. Combine tomatoes, pepper, pickles, onion and bacon. Toss lightly. Combine mayonnaise and pickle juice. Crumble cornbread. Layer one half each of cornbread, tomato mixture and mayonnaise mixture into a glass serving bowl. Repeat layers. Cover and chill for two hours.

SPINACH SALAD

1 pound spinach

1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts

1 14-ounce can bean sprouts

1 small onion

4 hard boiled eggs

8 slices bacon

DRESSING:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup salad oil

1/4cup vinegar

1/4 cup catsup

Boil eggs and remove shells. Cook bacon and crumble into small pieces. Wash and tear spinach into pieces. Drain bean sprouts and water chestnuts. Slice eggs into bite-size pieces. Slice onions into rings. Combine spinach, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and onion. Mix well and top with eggs and bacon pieces. Place all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for two minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir dressing well and let cool. Add dressing just before serving.

RHUBARB SALAD

3 cups diced rhubarb

2 cups water

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 6-ounce package strawberry gelatin

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Cook rhubarb in water over medium heat until tender, about five minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and gelatin until dissolved. Add pineapple and nuts, if desired, Pour into 6-cup dish. Chill until set.

Decatur County resident Alice Woodhull may be contacted via this publication at news@greensburgdailynews.com