December 2022/January 2023

Distilleries Finding “Bourbon Shrooms” Profitablefor Spent Grains

Mushrooms and distilleries have quite a bit in common thanks to students at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Distilleries' spent grains have turned out to be a great way to raise fungi. Photo provided by Zachary Byrd.

By Jordan Strickler
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Mushrooms and distilleries have quite a bit in common thanks to students at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. With funding from the UK Office of Sustainability, a group in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and the Department of Horticulture, is looking for ways to raise fungi using spent grains from local distilleries. Click the link below to continue reading:

https://news.ca.uky.edu/article/distilleries-finding-%E2%80%9Cbourbon-shrooms%E2%80%9D-profitable-spent-grains

Upcoming Events

Garden Tool Maintenance and Repair Workshop
Tues Jan 17, 6:00pm
Sat Jan 21, 10:00am

Bring your shovels and pruners as we cover how to care for and repair your garden hand tools. Franklin Co Extension Agent, Adam Leonberger, will be discussing and demonstrating how to care for, maintain, and repair your garden hand tools. He'll cover how to remove and prevent rust, sharpen pruners and loppers, and re-handle a broken shovel handle. Bring a few of your tools and we'll help get your tools back on the right track. Click the link below to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/garden-tool-maintenance-and-repair-workshop-tickets-490627047707

Make Winter Green-Thumb Friendly With an Indoor Garden

Source: Rick Durham, UK extension horticulture professor  

Gardening is often thought of as a spring and summer pastime, but you don’t have to give up your gardening hobby just because winter is approaching. Continue working your green thumb this winter with an indoor container garden.  Click the link below to continue reading.

https://franklin.ca.uky.edu/program-areas/horticulture/make-winter-green-thumb-friendly-indoor-garden

Frankincense and Myrrh: Ancient Scents of the Season

By Michele Warmund

Aromas of pine, cinnamon, and clove commonly waft through the air during the holiday season. However, the woodsy, earthy fragrance of frankincense and warm, spicy aromas of myrrh are ancient scents used in religious rites for 5,000 years. In Christian tradition, they are known as two of the three gifts of the Wise Men. In ancient Egypt, myrrh and other oils were used for embalming corpses. Myrrh was also burned as a type of incense long ago by the Romans at funeral pyres. Because ancient societies of Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans burned frankincense or myrrh incense during rituals, these resins were in high demand and expensive due to the tolls, taxes, and labor expenses incurred when transporting them across treacherous routes to markets. These resins were so valuable that laborers who processed frankincense were strip-searched daily to prevent looting. Today, resins and oils from frankincense and myrrh trees are used in perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and medicines, especially in China. The demand for frankincense oil remains high, making it a $7 billion industry.. Click the link below to continue reading.
https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2022/12/FrankincenseMyrrh-MW/

If you have any gardening questions, contact Adam Leonberger, Franklin Co Horticulture Agent.
Adam.leonberger@uky.edu
502-695-9035