MAY MEETING

Date: Saturday May 27, 2006
Time: 10 am
Place: Sepulveda Garden Center
Program: Cancel any other weekend plans and join us for a really “MEMORIAL”
presentation.   Tony Kienitz, master vegetablarian , who confesses to have “eaten his yard” will be our speaker. If you subscribe to the Los Angeles Times you have probably read some of his articles (latest one on cherimoyas appeared on Thursday, May 4) in the Home section. He has also been a frequent guest on HGTV; written a very entertaining and informative book, “The Year I ate My Garden”; published articles in various magazines such as Sunset, Garden Design and Daily Variety and been a guest speaker at various universities, garden clubs and public gardens (e.g. Descanso Gardens). Don’t miss this!

JUNE MEETING

Date:      Saturday, June 24, 2006
Time:     10 am     
Place:    Conejo Valley Botanical Gardens
Directions:  Exit the 101 Freeway at Lynn Rd. and go north 0.7 miles to Gainsborough Road. Turn right and continue for 0.5 miles to the entrance on the right. Program:  Dr. Ed. Hager, will lead us on a tour of the rare fruit orchard.  The Rare Fruit Orchard exhibits 130 trees including 40 varieties from 35 countries in an attempt to demonstrate to the community the tremendous versatility of our Southern California growing environment which enables us to grow a huge variety of unusual temperate, subtropical and tropical edibles. More details will be discussed at the May meeting.

WONDERFUL DAY TO BE OUTDOORS!

The Sepulveda Garden Center at 16633 Magnolia Blvd (our LA Chapter meeting place) will be hosting their annual Country Garden Fair on May 20th and 21st from 9 am to 5pm. Not only will our LA Chapter be providing a plant sale, there will be other garden clubs and plant societies, a bonsai show, arts and crafts for sale, food and much much more.  ADMISSION IS FREE!  Contact Dick Watts at 805 484-3584 if you would like to help out or have plants to sell. Dick would really appreciate the help and support. You can also enjoy the beautiful rose garden, walk around the plots of many different gardeners, and see the desert area. A great way to spend a Sunday!

SUGARCANE – Saccharum officinarum – Poaceae

Donated by: CRFG/ Sven Meirten and planted in 1999 (r.f.-09)
 by Alfredo Chiri
Common names: Sugarcane, Caña de azucar, Caña dulce, Tubo, Tiwu, Noble cane, Kaneh, Tebu.
Sugarcane originated in the South Pacific Islands and New Guinea, and nowadays it is found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Sugarcane is cultivated as far north as Spain and as far south as South Africa. In the Americas the sugarcane is cultivated from Florida to Texas and California in the north and as far south as Perú and Brazil.
The sugarcane stem or stalk varies from 9 to 15 feet tall and 1 to 2 inches thick. It is fibrous and juicy. The internodes are short and swollen. The sheaths (blades), overlap with their lower portions falling from the sheath. The blades are elongated with a very thick midrib.
Sugarcane plants are planted in zones that are warm with high tropical humidity, from the rain forests of North and Central America to the very dry coastal zones in Perú and Ecuador. Sugarcane grows in sunny areas on soils that are unsuitable to trees preferring soils that are sandy but not loam. The plant requires a hot humid climate with alternating dry periods and thrives best on low elevations on flat or slightly sloping land. However, it flourishes in any ordinary good soil.
Standing stalks of sugarcane freeze at 25 to 22ºF, but the plant can endure a maximum of 130ºF and a minimum of 10ºF. Lower temperatures will reduce the sugarcane stem length, which happens to grow at nighttime.  The plant will tolerate occasional flooding.
Sugarcane harvesting starts 12-16 months from the time of planting when the canes become tough and start to turn pale yellow. The cutting of the canes should be as close to the ground as possible. The root end of the cane is the part that is the richest in sugar. The rhizomes left in the ground will continue to give crops for 3-4 years, sometimes up to 10 or more years.
Sugarcane plants are propagated by cutting sections from the stalks and placing them in shallow ditches made in the soil. The young plants will grow from the internodes of the cuttings. In some tropical areas there are sugarcanes that produce seeds, but they are primarily used to develop new hybrids to produce better cultivars that are stronger and resistant to pests and soil viruses.

Julie Frink demonstrating a grafting technique

AN ‘ADVOCAT(e)’ FOR AVOCADOS   
Big “thanks” to Julie Frink, curator of the Avocado Variety Collection at the South Coast Research Center, for her great talk on avocados at the March 25th meeting!  People came early and filled the seats, eager to hear her.  She’s a delightful speaker and uncommonly informative.  Further, she very generously brought boxes of avocados so that everyone at the meeting took home several different delicious types of avocados.

Julie distinguished three races of avocados: Mexican, which are small, smooth-skinned and can tolerate more cold; Guatemalan, whose leaves are toxic; and West Indian, which are grown in tropical areas and are large, watery, and can’t tolerate cold.  All the races come in black and green and some of the West Indian fruits are even a little red in color.  We also learned that unripe avocados can be refrigerated and later brought to room temperature for ripening.  Julie recommended planting avocados on a mound for maximum drainage.  Their root system is very close to the surface and it is best to allow leaves and mulch to remain under the tree. 

Julie described grafting techniques, advised us which are good avocado choices for our climates, and discussed individual attributes of different types of avocados.  Those interested in the details can read more in her article, “Grafting Avocado Trees,” in the May/June 2006 issue of FRUIT GARDENER.

We all were so interested in what she said that we eagerly remained seated, listening and asking questions, well after the time our thoughts usually turn to refreshments. We will certainly remember this as an outstanding meeting.  Again, much gratitude to Julie! 
(Submitted by Karen Payton)

(From CNN.com posted on 01/27/2006)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- That ice cream you're eating or the lipstick you're wearing just might contain extract from crushed bugs. On purpose!
The Food and Drug Administration proposed Friday to require food and cosmetic labels to list cochineal extract or carmine if a product's ingredients include either of the two red colorings that have been extracted from the ground bodies of an insect known since the time of the Aztecs.(the cochineal is a white insect found in the opuntias)
The widespread use of the dyes in everything from yogurt to lipstick hasn't exactly been well-disclosed: The ingredients typically are listed as "color added" or "E120," the FDA said.
Carmine puts the red in ice cream, strawberry milk, fake crab and lobster, fruit cocktail cherries, port wine cheese, lumpfish eggs and liqueurs like Campari, according to the FDA. Carmine is also used in lipstick, makeup base, eye shadow, eyeliners, nail polishes and baby products, the agency said. Meanwhile, cochineal extract shows up in fruit drinks, candy, yogurt and some processed foods.
Not that the stuff hasn't been around long: Indians living in pre-Columbian Mexico were the first to recognize a cactus-sucking insect called the Dactylopius coccus costa was a good source of dye.

In the last couple of months we’ve gained several spirited new members who share our fruit excitement and interest.  In alphabetical order our new members are Ray Bourguignon, Aura Carmi (who hosted our April meeting), Patricia Cooper, Tim Getchius, Roy Imazu, Richard & Kenne Kennedy, David Lang, Debi Markley, Lloyd Niven, Susan Peterson, Judith Richmond, Vida Slawson, John Stanwick, and Jill Swift.  Additionally, we are delighted to welcome back members Gene DiNovo, John LaRocca, and Walter Zmed. 
Special thanks to our members (Lydia Hernandez, Eric Tennyson, Eric Mattar, and several others) who are bringing in new rare fruit enthusiasts to visit and join our chapter!

CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
One of the Premier Outdoor Festivals in the Nation
The California Strawberry Festival kicks off summer fun
Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21
10:00 am to 6:30 pm each day
Strawberry Meadows of College Park
3250 South Rose Avenue
Oxnard, California
Admission                            
$12 Adults
$5 Youth (5-12),
$8 Seniors (63+)
$8 Active Military and Dependents with ID
Children 4 and under are free.

Rolling Hills Estates  Mother’s Day Concert at South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula, Rolling Hills Estates, CA90274.
 May 14, 2006.
 Make Mother's Day really special this year. There will be a thrilling concert performed by the renowned Palos Verdes Symphonic Band. The concert is free with admission to the garden and will play in the Frances Young Hall for Horticulture. A stroll down to the formal rose gardens before or after the concert or perhaps a picnic lunch in the picnic area located outside the main gate would be a wonderful way to spend a special day. Time: 1-4pm. Cost: $7/adults; $5/students with school identification and all students age 13 to 17; $5/62 & older; $2.50/age 5 to 12; Free - for children under age 5.  Telephone: 310 544 1948 www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org 

Jorge Pelaez, Pat & Ed Valdivia at Pierce College

As always, the Pierce College Farm Walk is a fun event.
Sunday, April 23rd turned out to be no different. And as always, everyone seems to be attracted by the unusual fruits the Los Angeles Chapter had on display. “Oh, what’s that? Can I try that fruit? Does this grow around here?” These were the typical questions that were heard all day, as Bob Goldsmith, Edgar, Jorge and Pat invited the visitors to taste tamarind, ice cream bean, blood oranges, kei apple and cherimoya. Of course, without missing a beat it was quickly pointed out that by joining CRFG they too can one day have these and other fruits growing in their own backyards.
 A big thank you to Bob, Jorge, Edgar & Pat for giving up their Sunday. Thanks also to Samuel Grossberger for donating a huge box of cherimoyas to share with the crowd.

: The annual Festival of Fruit will be held this year in San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly. The dates are September 3rd through the 9th. Start making your plans now. It promises to be an outstanding event.

Dick Watts , Aura Carmi and Judy Webber

 Aura  Carmi might be new to CRFG, but those of us who were at  her orchard can attest to the fact that Aura is not new to gardening. She has managed to combat her clay soil by adding tons and tons of mulch, has taken advantage of the different climates within her yard and planted accordingly, and is learning to deal with the powerful winds that often rage through her property. Her beautiful orchard is located in a perfect spot and with a wonderful view. It was also a chance for Ed Valdivia to speak about cherimoyas. In addition Ed brought sweet tamarind and delicious mangos for everyone to taste.
 Thank you Aura for so generously opening up your garden to our members.

Recognition

Thanks go to Kenneth and Patricia Burton who have so diligently been taking care of the many plants that the Los Angeles Chapter members grafted back in March. Kenneth has been keeping very thorough records of the progress on those grafts.

For those of you who would like to join up with others and car pool to our meetings and field trips, give your name to K. Payton by calling her at 818 222-7756.
She is compiling a list so that members can contact one another. What a great way to share the ride with those who have compatible interests.  Imagine the stimulating conversations as you travel to the meetings together!