CG's August 2009 'Click It'

The Carolinas' Great Photographers

The winners of this year's photo contest are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the great photos we received. See more views of gardens in the Carolinas at our Web site.

Be Kind to Bees!

Next time you're out in the garden and start to take a swipe at that bee buzzing around your head, think again. These little creatures are not just the makers of honey that sits on our tables, they're also responsible for pollinating about a third of the world's food supply. As the only pollinator for crops including blueberries, apples, cherries, peaches and soybeans, they play an important role in our state and national agricultural welfare. In fact, more than $14 billion in farm revenue is attributed to crops pollinated by honeybees.

As important as they are, the honeybees are suffering a population decline that could become a threat to our food supply and national economy if left unchecked. Since the end of 2006 bee colonies have been in sharp decline national, with as much as 30 to 90 percent loss of hives due to a variety of factors, including pesticide exposure, environmental and nutritional stresses, mites or parasites, new viruses and new or re-emerging pathogens.

Scientists recently learned that some bees are dying from exposure to an Asian parasite called the vampire mite. The infected worker bee will knowingly flee the nest, somehow knowing how to save its fellow bees from this disease. But the cause for colony collapse disorder is still a mystery.

Luckily, North and South Carolina haven't seen as much of a decline in honeybee numbers as the rest of the country. And thanks to two strong state beekeepers associations, there are large numbers of bees and bee colonies dotting both states. Both the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association and the South Carolina Beekeepers Association report at least 2,000 members each, with each member having an average of 10 colonies or hives.

Scientists, members of the associations and people from extension agencies across the southeast are working to help stop the honeybee decline. In an effort to help further study the problem and control the damage, the University of Georgia was given $1.4 million to help find solutions and restore large and diverse populations of managed bee pollinators.

While keeping a few hives can be a great hobby, you don't have to invest in beekeeping to help encourage bee populations and help provide food and nutrition for honeybees. In fact, creating a honeybee garden can be just as fun and rewarding as a butterfly garden, as well as beneficial to the animal kingdom.

Find out more at your state associations:

Cooking With Chestnuts

Oven-Roasted Chestnuts

To roast chestnuts, first cut an "X" on the flat part of the nut with a knife. Place the nuts on a pan in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes. The shell will split open so the nut can be picked out. ---Jack Horan

Chestnut Stuffing

This heirloom recipe takes stuffing back to the basics adding chestnuts to stale bread and savory vegetables.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shelled chestnuts (see below), chopped
• 10 slices stale white bread
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Preparation:

Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

Saute onion and celery in the butter until soft. Add salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, and chicken broth. Add bread chunks and chopped chestnuts. Lightly toss to combine.

Stuff loosely into chicken.

The stuffing may be cooked separately in an uncovered casserole dish at 350 F. for 30 minutes.

Yield: enough for 4-pound chicken or double ingredients for 12-pound turkey.

To Prepare Nuts:

Make a slit on each side of the chestnuts with a sharp-pointed paring knife and boil gently 20 minutes. Strip off shell and thin brown skin. Dip chestnuts in cold water to remove shell and skin more easily.

Chestnut and Kale Soup

• 1/2 pound dried white beans such as cannellini, Great Northern, or navy (about 1 1/4 cups), picked over and rinsed
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (28 fluid ounces)
• 2 cups water
• 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (roughly 3 by 2 by 1/2 inch)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups bottled peeled cooked whole chestnuts (8 ounces), halved
• 1/2 pound cavolo nero or regular green kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Accompaniment: grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings; extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling; black pepper; fresh thyme sprigs; whole chestnuts

Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches in a bowl at room temperature at least 8 hours, or quick-soak (see cooks' note, below). Drain well in a colander.

Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, broth, water, cheese rind, salt, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Discard cheese rind and stir in chestnuts.

Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender and purŽe until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to pot. Stir in kale and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in thyme.

Source: epicurius.com

Chestnut and Spinach Dip

• 1 1/2 cups shelled raw chestnut meats
• 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 1 or 2 packages of dried vegetable soup mix
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Prepare fresh chestnuts according to the instructions for "Removing Chestnut Meat from the Shell".

Boil shelled chestnut meats in chicken broth or water about 9 minutes or until slightly crunchy, drain. Let meats cool and then coarsely chop the meats. Rinse thawed spinach in water and drain thoroughly in a small strainer.

Combine meats and other ingredients in a bowl. Two packages of the vegetable soup mix will make a more seasoned and thicker dip if desired. Refrigerate mixture at least 6 hours to soften the dried vegetables and combine flavors. Serve with crackers and/or pour into a bread bowl.

Recipe developed by Julie Rhoads, UMCA, www.centerofagraforestry.org

Chestnut Brownies

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup sifted chestnut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted chestnuts or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9x12 inch baking pan. Microwave chocolate and butter in microwavable bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. When melted, set aside to cool. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon colored; add vanilla. Fold chocolate mixture into eggs and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Sift in chestnut flour and baking powder and fold gently into batter, mixing until just blended. Fold in chestnuts or walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Allow brownies to cool in pan for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Source: www.chestnutgrowersinc.com

Making the Transition from Deck to Yard