Extension News June 2025

The Benefits of Zucchini and Peanut Butter

Zucchini offers a range of benefits for the body, including improved digestion, weight management, heart health, and eye health. It's also a good source of vitamins and minerals, and its antioxidants can help protect against chronic diseases.

1. Zucchini is low in calories but rich in essential nutrients, such as manganese, potassium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K.
2. Including it in a well-balanced diet may offer many health benefits, including support for digestion, weight management, heart health, and immune function.

Peanut butter is good for heart health, diabetes management, and digestion due to its protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It also provides essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium, and may contribute to improved blood cholesterol and reduced inflammation. Additionally, peanut butter can help you feel full, potentially aiding in weight management. Try this delicious recipe using both zucchini and peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ cups zucchini, grated
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
3. Pour into a greased 9×9 pan.
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes (or until baked throughout).

Recipe from The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina: http://foodbankcenc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Nutrition-Education-Recipes-Desserts-PB-Zucchini-Brownies-PDF.pdf

Dobson Square Park StoryWalk® - A Story that Moves Us!

Take advantage of these pretty warm days with a trip to the new StoryWalk® at Dobson Square Park. A StoryWalk® is an innovative and delightful way for children — and adults— to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. This story, Hana Jumps Over the Moon, is about a little cow and is just in time for June Dairy Month. Hana wants to jump over the moon. She learns that with lots of practice, fueling her body with good foods, and persistence, her dream can come true. Try this summertime smoothie with a meal or for a snack to increase your daily dairy consumption.

Orange Dream Smoothie

This cool, refreshing smoothie tastes like sunshine in a glass! The citrus and vanilla flavors combine with creamy yogurt to mimic that of the classic orange creamsicle frozen pops making it a fun and nutritious treat for the whole family.

Ingredients:

• 1 large orange, peeled
• 1 medium ripe banana, frozen
• 1 cup reduced-fat milk
• ½ cup Greek Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cooked or canned carrots (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. honey (optional for sweetness)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender (including honey if desired for extra sweetness); blend on high for 30-45 seconds or until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately. Makes 2 10-ounce smoothies.

Source: The Dairy Alliance

Summer

Now that school is out, you may be looking for things to keep the kids occupied this summer. You want them to have fun but also avoid the “summer slide” of losing academic skills they have worked hard on during the school year. There are lots of fun and educational activities to keep them learning! Surry County 4-H has some great Summer Fun Day camps for ages 5 to 18. Topics include beginner sewing, a teen cooking class, learning the art of crocheting, and learning about electricity. These programs will be going on through the month of July; however, spaces are limited.

Our local public libraries are another great place to look for programs taking place this summer! Each library plans activities and special guests to come and share the art of literacy at their weekly programs. Students who read and fill in their reading logs can turn them in at the end of the summer for a prize, and they can be entered in the drawing for a grand prize! When you need a break from the heat, the air-conditioned libraries make a great place to spend some time. Check out books to read during the week, play educational computer games designed for kids, or play board games and puzzles. The libraries are a wealth of resources at no cost!

When you’re at home this summer, there are some great activities that you can do together as a family! Let the kids practice reading a recipe, measuring ingredients, and following directions to make some simple recipes. Write letters and numbers on the driveway or sidewalk with chalk. If they can identify them, they can throw a water balloon or wet sponge on it to “erase” it. Go for a walk in the woods and try to identify the animal tracks or plants and trees that you see along the way. You can also try some fun and tasty science experiments, such as making ice cream in a bag! There’s a whole summer full of low-cost activities available to you this summer!

4-H at the Market

We are excited to be offering 4-H at the Market as a new program this summer! We will be at the Dobson Farmers Market each Friday in June and July from 3:00-4:00 pm to offer a fun and educational program to encourage youth to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet, as well as learn how they grow. Participants will be able to taste test a recipe using our featured fruit or vegetable of the week. We will also learn about the health benefits it has for our bodies. We will discuss how each featured fruit or vegetable grows, and participants will have the opportunity to take a plant or seeds home to plant in their own garden. We also encourage parents and grandparents to shop at the Farmers Market with their children in support of our local farmers and vendors. Prior registration is not necessary to participate in 4-H at the Market. Come out and see us and take part in the fun this summer!

Pond Management 101

Ponds are a very unique system, which requires some sort of management to keep the system healthy and to preserve the aesthesis as well. One of the best management tactics is to ultimately prevent things from getting into your pond. Barriers along the edge, such as grass strips, rock formations, or even burlap, can act as a filtration system to only allow water to pass through into the pond. Another task, which may be easier said than done, is to try and keep animals out of the pond. Livestock can trample and erode pond banks, and even waterfowl can carry weed seeds lodged within their feathers.

If any unwanted weed growth starts to develop in your pond, the simplest method of control is to hand-remove as much growth as possible before the problem spreads throughout the whole pond. Another good management tactic is to use a pond dye either in February or March to prevent any sunlight from reaching the bottom of your pond, that can help prevent any weed growth from starting to occur. A more natural way to control weed growth in ponds is to stock some Triploid Grass Carp. The size of the fish does matter when it comes to controlling weed growth; the smaller fish will target the smaller sized weeds, whereas the larger fish will target larger sized weeds. Stocking Triploid Grass Carp in your pond is always a great option to prevent any weed growth from getting out of control, but since they are a living species, they are susceptible to diseases or even being eaten by predators.

Herbicide use in ponds should be considered as a last-ditch effort. Herbicide use in ponds can not only get expensive, but it can also become tricky when determining application rates, along with only treating certain sections of a pond to prevent fish kills. In the state of North Carolina, the label on a pesticide product is the law; therefore, it is ILLEGAL to use any herbicide product that is NOT registered for use in aquatic situations. So, before applying anything, you must know what kind of pond weed you're dealing with.

If you have any questions on anything pond-related feel free to reach out to the Extension Office, we will try our best to assist you. If you are interested in completing a water test or, believe it or not, a soil sample for your pond, we have the corresponding forms to complete in the Extension Office as well. A simple water test will cost $5 year-round; soil testing is free from April through November but will cost $4 from December through March due to the peak season of samples going through the lab.

Rain’s Impact on Hay Quality

We all love to see rain in the forecast when it comes to forage growth and production, but what happens if the rain comes when we have hay down in the field? There are several things to consider, but one of the main concerns is the loss of nutrients. Nutrients can be lost through respiration, which is the breakdown of carbohydrates by plant enzymes. This occurs whether the hay has been rained on or not; however, each following rain will prolong or start respiration, resulting in added loss. Water-soluble nutrients like carbohydrates (energy), along with lipids, minerals, and soluble nitrogen, can be lost through leaching too. Given the same amount of total rainfall, a low intensity rain will result in more leaching of soluble compounds than a high intensity rain. The rain can cause loss of leaf matter, which is where lots of nutrients are stored, causing a decrease in quality but also quantity. Dry matter losses can range from 5-20% depending on the severity of the rain. Another area of concern is the potential for mold growth. Wet hay is an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria, which can lessen the nutritional quality of the hay. They also could produce mycotoxins, which cause health risks to livestock. Moldy hay can lead to respiratory issues and other health problems in animals.

Some good news is that forage quality tends to be retained if:

• The rain occurs soon after cutting when the forage has had little time to dry.
• The rainfall was a single, short event.
• The rainfall intensity was higher versus a longer, lower intensity event.
• The forage wasn’t re-wetted many times.

The severity and duration of the rain, along with the type of forage, all contribute to how much loss is observed in the hay crop. The best way to check the quality of hay that has been rained on is to have it tested!

Sources: https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/rained-hay#leaf-loss-1166212 https://u.osu.edu/beef/2024/06/19/the-impact-of-rain-on-hay-quality/#more-16507

Donation Station at Local Farmers Market

N.C. Cooperative Extension, Surry County Center is launching a “Donation Station” program at the Elkin Farmers Market as a way for the community to engage in supporting local food and food security efforts. According to the USDA, in 2023, North Carolina's food insecurity rate was 10.9%, slightly lower than the national average of 13.5%. For Surry, the rate is 17.5%, meaning that 12,510 people in our county do not have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living. The Donation Station program seeks to improve access to fresh, locally grown food while supporting the farmers who grow it.

The Donation Station will begin at the Elkin Farmers Market on Saturday, June 7, 2025, and continue each week through October. Farmers market shoppers will be able to purchase fresh produce from farmers and vendors and then donate it at an NC State Master Gardener℠ volunteer-run Donation Station table. Vendors and farmers will also have the opportunity to donate fresh produce they have in excess. No monetary donations will be accepted. At the end of each market, the donated produce will be given to The ARK to serve their clients.

Ornamental Growers: Interested in an Educational Conference in NC?

Ornamental Extension Specialists and Area Agents are gauging growers’ interest in an education conference in North Carolina. The conference would be in central NC, one day with brief presentations focused on nursery production (1/2 day) and greenhouse production (1/2 day). Lunch provided.

PLEASE fill out this brief survey to help us plan!

2025 Southeastern Vegetable Crop Handbook

Vegetable growers rely on the Southeastern Vegetable Crop Handbook throughout the growing season to provide current crop information to help them grow productive vegetables. This resource contains information needed to manage vegetable crops, including planting dates, fertilizer recommendations, pesticide selection, fertigation, alternative pest management tools, and many other topics. The 2025 Southeastern Vegetable Crop Handbook can be purchased through UNC Press, Amazon, OR in open access format here.

2025 North Carolina Fungicide Guides for Tomato and Pepper

The fungicide spray guides for tomato and pepper are intended for commercial growers and are suggested products or programs that have been evaluated for efficacy against the disease listed. There are a number of programs that will work apart from those listed here. With any program, it is the grower's responsibility to make sure all label restrictions are followed. Click on the links below to access the pepper or tomato guides.

For organic growers, see the bottom chart for chemical alternatives.

2025 Fungicide Guide for Herbaceous Ornamentals in the Greenhouse, Nursery, & Landscape

Fungicide use to manage diseases in ornamental crops is a part of an effective integrated pest management program. The efficacy of many products available can vary widely and can be complex. This guide aims to provide growers and landscapers with the efficacy of various products available, which sites the products may be used on, and relative efficacy for a variety of diseases.

NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual Table 10-11B. Go to 2025-guide-to-ornamental-fungicides_FINAL.pdf to view the full guide.