Monthly Archives: March 2016

Grafting workshop in Fairbanks

Posted on March 30, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Join Steve Mastermind for a grand time grafting apple trees. There is a charge as well as two sessions, one for beginners and one for people who have done it before. RSVP as must.   Grafting Workshop 2016

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Posted in Uncategorized

Aronia Cultivation and Research

Posted on March 29, 2016 by | Leave a comment

This article summarizes current research at Iowa State on Aronia cultivation.  It includes short summaries on field cultivation all the way to health benefits.

Aronia Berries

And these researchers in Wisconsin are honing in on the antioxidant components of Aronia and whether they can be absorbed by animal systems. Lots of berries have many chemicals labeled as antioxidants, but many of them never make it out of the intestines or into the brain, so their value may not be what is claimed.

Aronia berries and antioxidants

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Posted in Chokeberry (Aronia), Health

Blueberries and health

Posted on March 29, 2016 by | Leave a comment

This summary of ongoing research shows some of the health benefits of blueberries from brain health to slowing down the process of graying hair. Interesting tidbits throughout, although they are mostly talking about “lower 48” species of blueberries. (Ours are probably better! Ha!)

Blueberry research for your health

 

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Posted in Blueberries (Vaccinium), Health

Soils Webinars

Posted on March 29, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Here is a link to a wealth of information on soils and soil conservation. This site is full of webinars on all kinds of topics sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

NRCS webinars

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Posted in Soils and Plant Nutrition

The benefits of bear scat!

Posted on March 5, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Did you know Pyrenees brown bears travel between 0.5 and 0.8 miles after they have gorged themselves on berries before they have to leave a deposit somewhere? That’s how far bears can transport seeds such as wild blueberry and raspberry from their favorite berry harvesting sites. Now think about it from the plant standpoint. That’s not a bad way to get your genes transported all over the landscape rather quickly!

bear dispersal

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Posted in Blueberries (Vaccinium), Propagation, Raspberries (Rubus idaeus)