Home and Garden 11/18/17

HOME & GARDEN • SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving!

YEAR ROUND GARDENING:

Winter tree and shrub care KEN MOON:

Cold-weather checklist for before you leave home

Look inside for these specials and many others.

YEAR ROUND GARDENING

Winter tree and shrub care

BY FREDRICKA BOGARDUS, COLORADO MASTER GARDENER

I

n the Pikes Peak region late autumn and winter can be dry, windy and cold. Trees and shrubs are subject to desiccation injury under those conditions. Evergreens, both conifer and broadleaf, are particularly susceptible to this injury. Because the leaves (or needles) remain on the tree through winter the tree can lose moisture through transpiration — the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers — faster than their roots can replace it from the frozen ground.

Deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves before really cold conditions arrive. Evergreen tree leaves remain active until they run out of water in winter.

While photosynthesis slows because of diminishing light in winter, it does not stop.

While all trees will benefit from winter application of moisture, it is more likely to be critical to the survival of evergreen trees.

Winter watering should be done whenever the ground is snow-free and dry.

Water during daylight, preferably on days when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Apply water slowly, a soaker hose is a good option. If you don’t want to drag hoses, purchase several buckets and drill a small hole in each. Place them around the dripline of the tree and fill them up. Then they will slowly apply water to the ground. Avoid spraying foliage.

Winter watering is your first line of defense against winter desiccation injury, but there are a few other things you can do to help trees and shrubs get through our dry winters. Late autumn is a good time to look at how well your trees and shrubs are mulched. If the mulch you applied in the spring has blown away, think about replacing it before winter. If you don’t have the time to purchase mulch, put a layer of shredded leaves and grass clippings around the tree or shrub to help retain moisture under the drip line. I would call this emergency mulch — not perfect, but it will help.

Broad leaf evergreens, like hollies (both

Ilex and Majonia sp.) can be susceptible to drought injury. On warm days the leaves lose water through transpiration. There are anti-transpirant products that can be applied to those shrubs to decrease the amount of water loss. Just spray the product on leaves — it will leave a waxy coating, translucent enough to allow photosynthesis and waxy enough to minimize moisture loss. Anti-transpirants are available at garden centers.

Newly planted shrubs may need a bit of extra protection. Because the root system may not be fully established, the plant may not get enough water even with winter watering. Consider using some burlap or frost cloth as a wind barrier. You will have to rig some kind of support to keep the

HG 2 I THE GAZETTE I SATURDAY, NOV 18, 2017

cloth around, but off the plant. This can be accomplished with wood stakes, or concrete wire mesh. This kind of wind protection can minimize dieback in the first winter.

Sun scald or southwest injury can be a problem for young, thin-bark trees. In the Pikes Peak region, we often have warm winter afternoons, followed by plunging nighttime temperatures. The layers of the trunk just under the bark will become active (transporting water and nutrients to the canopy branches) during warm afternoons. That activity leaves them vulnerable to the rapid chilling that occurs at night. In a mature thick-barked tree, the bark will protect those tissue; but in a young tree, the sudden cold may actually force that thin bark open, leaving the trunk

permanently damaged. Paper or plastic tree wraps can mitigate those temperature swings and prevent the damage. The wrap should go on by late November, and come off in spring (Thanksgiving to Easter is an easy way to remember). Do not leave the wraps on all year.

Your trees and shrubs are an investment, it is worth the effort to help them get through our fickle winter weather.

When you have questions, Colorado State University Extension has research-based answers. Get answers to your horticulture questions by visiting ask.extension.org any time day or night. Follow the El Paso County Master Gardeners on www.facebook.com/ ColoradoMasterGardeners.EPC.

AROUND THE HOUSE Checklist for before you leave home for the winter

BY KEN MOON, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

Dear Readers: Many of you will escape to warmer climates this winter.

So here’s my annual snowbird tip list to get the house ready before you leave. Two KEN MOON areas need attention: plumbing and security.

I’m not a believer in shutting off the heat entirely. You risk freeze-ups of pipes inside wall cavities, plus the super cold temperatures are brutal on woodwork, furniture, electronic devices and appliances. Here are some tips for before you leave home for the winter: • Set the thermostat at no lower than 55 degrees.

• Flush each toilet and remove the water in the bowls with a large car washing sponge. That leaves a hole that can let sewer gas into the house, so stuff a couple of plastic shopping bags in there — but not too far.

• Invert a piece of Tupperware over the shower drain and, finally, close the pop-up stoppers in each remaining sink.

• Turn the water heater off — including the pilot — and then close the main incoming water valve in the basement.

• Dribble some water out of the lowest bathroom sink to let atmospheric pressure into the system.

• To ensure that the icemaker won’t keep calling for water from a dry pipe, lift up that little lever in the freezer compartment.

• It’s also a good idea to open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls to let some warm air waft through those spaces.

• Unplug the garage door opener.

• Plug a couple of lamps into timers so they come on and off at normal times (nothing says you’re not home more than a lamp that burns all night long).

• Turn on a talk radio station set to a loud-ish volume.

• Finally, blinds should be left at least partially open to allow the police and your neighbors to see inside.

Dear Ken: : I know you’ve written about tankless water heaters before, but can you give me more information.

What’s the best kind to have? Are they worth the money?

— Norm I think they are too expensive, and they take too long to return the initial investment — maybe 15 years or more — before you start saving real money. This has stirred up a little controversy on my radio show. One guy pointed out that there are innumerable rebates available for these systems, which makes them much more affordable than I let on. I’ll leave it to you to decide how fair it is for other folks to pay for your water heater, but the point is that someone is paying the extra money, whether it’s you or the taxpayers in the next county over.

The money you save by buying a much cheaper regular water heater can be saved or spent on other things. And with new federal regulations requiring extrathick tank installation on regular water heaters, the savings versus a tankless model are even less.

To go from the macro to the close-in, I make energy-saving decisions for my household based on simple arithmetic: what is the payback time? For example, what good is it to buy a super highefficiency furnace and move before you start saving money? The next family benefits, but it’s you who are out the extra dollars.

It’s fairly easy to estimate the savings and return on investment for a particular system. For example, new insulation pays for itself in just a couple of heating seasons, as does a high-tech setback thermostat. A new set of windows or a new furnace may take seven to 10 years before you amortize the cost and begin to reap the payback dollars. However, there are other non-quantifiable rewards, like a more comfortable house and a prettier exterior with the new windows.

Saving energy regardless of cost to “go green” or “save the planet” may be okay for some folks, but not necessarily for me. It depends on the math.

Ken Moon is a home inspector in the Pikes Peak region. His radio show airs at 9 a.m. Saturday and is carried on KRDO, AM 1240 and FM 105.5. Visit AroundTheHouse.com.

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Thanksgiving dinner for two?

BY ELLEN FIKE, TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

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With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, everyone is making plans for what they’ll do to celebrate the holiday.

Some will make long treks to their hometown to celebrate with their whole family. Others are hunting through the grocery store aisles, trying to find the best ingredients for their dishes.

But, there are some who might be living in a new city and celebrating Thanksgiving in a much smaller way.

For the empty-nesters, the young people celebrating their first Thanksgiving and everyone in between, here are some tips to make the best Thanksgiving in a smaller way:

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TURKEY

Cooking a full-size turkey for only two people probably isn’t the best route.

According to Cheyenne’s Triumph High Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Michelle Aldrich, unless you’re planning to use the rest of the turkey for a number of leftover dishes, you might want to go for turkey legs or breasts for dinner.

“A 14-pound turkey is a lot of meat and it can definitely be used for other options after Thanksgiving,” she said. “You could make enchiladas or basically substitute turkey for any type of recipe that calls for chicken. But if you want to keep waste low this year, just go for a turkey breast or a roast. It’s much simpler and you won’t have to worry about thawing it.”

Chili, soups or some type of stock would be great options for reusing your turkey, should you decide to go the traditional route.

If you’re not feeling turkey, but you still want a protein to add to your dinner, go for a couple of small Cornish game hens.

SIDES

Approaching your sides should be a fairly easy task when making a smaller Thanksgiving dinner.

If you have some type of food you have to include, like stuffing or macaroni and cheese, cut your recipe in half. Just

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make sure you have enough for yourself and your guest (and at least a second helping for both of you, because it’s Thanksgiving).

Salads are always a perfect option for a side dish, since it’s easy to prep and faster to clean up.

Aldrich recommended looking outside of the box when you’re looking for dishes to add to the Thanksgiving spread though.

“Potato mashes have become really popular lately,” she said. “Basically, you bake a regular or sweet potato, mash it with a fork and put your preferred toppings on it like that. So it’s half-baked potato and half-mashed potatoes.”

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The most important part of the day doesn’t have to be the hardest.

“Making pies in small canning jars is a really great trend that could be applied to Thanksgiving,” she said. “You could have an individual serving of different types of pies, which is always fun. Plus, this saves time on cleaning up.”

Making the canning jar pies in advance would also save you time on Thursday morning when you’re making dinner, too.

Thanksgiving goes back to the traditional — with some flavor twists

BY LOUISA CHU, TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

W

hat is a traditional Thanksgiving now, nearly 400 years after what historians call The First Thanksgiving? We think turkey and sides, except the wild turkeys then were nothing like the Butterballs now, or even what our grandfathers may have brought home from their factory jobs for our grandmothers to cook.

That’s what my maternal grandfather, the great Frank Hugh, did. But my grandmother Yok Ping let my Uncle Eric roast the bird.

He was American as all get-out and was even once crazily courted to be a young Chinese Elvis before he joined the U.S. Army. But his Thanksgiving turkeys were rubbed with black bean and garlic sauce, then chopped up like Chinatown ducks.

Delicious though differently traditional.

This year, for the turkey, I turned to history. Poring over a decade of recipe archives, I was drawn to one of columnist

Roast turkey picks up a bit of sweetness and fire (from maple and smoked salt).

JeanMarie Brownson’s recipes but swapped in maple syrup for the brown sugar, then added a finish of smoked salt, for a kiss of sweetness and fire.

We give thanks for not only the harvest, as our ancestors did, but the hope to imagine a happy Thanksgiving 400 years in the future where our best traditions endure.

ROAST TURKEY KISSED WITH MAPLE Prep: 45 minutes

Pan sauce: • 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional) • Smoked salt • Cider vinegar 1. Remove any neck and giblets packages from turkey cavity.

2. For brine, add 2 cups hot water, maple syrup and salt to a food-safe container large enough to hold the turkey.

Stir until syrup and salt dissolve. Add 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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THANKSGIVING TURKEY

GOREN BRIDGE

WITH BOB JONES ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

cups cold water, 1/2 cup bourbon and red pepper. Carefully place turkey in brine. Add enough cool water to cover turkey completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove turkey from brine. Discard brine. Refrigerate turkey up to 2 days.

3. For broth, put giblets and neck into a deep saucepan. Add about 3 cups cold water. Simmer, about 2 hours. Strain into a bowl. Remove solids for snacking.

Refrigerate broth for up to 3 days.

4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place turkey in large roasting pan, breast side up. Add some onion to turkey neck cavity, close loose skin over and tuck wings under back. Add remaining onion and parsley to body cavity; close loose skin over.

5. Rub oil all over, then season well with pepper and salt. Carefully pour 2 cups of broth into pan. Roast, 30 minutes.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue roasting turkey, turning pan as needed for even browning. After about 2 hours, insert thermometer into thickest part of thigh but not touching

bone. When turkey temperature reads 160 degrees, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees; roast until skin browns, about 10 minutes.

7. Carefully remove turkey to a cutting board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand about 15 minutes; temperature will rise about 10 more degrees, getting it above the recommended safe temperature of 165 degrees.

8. Meanwhile set roasting pan with pan juices directly on burners. Heat to a boil while scraping up browned bits at bottom of pan. Remove onion and parsley from turkey. Carefully blend into pan sauce with immersion blender, or chop well then add. Add remaining broth only as needed.

Reduce until thickened as desired. Off heat, add bourbon; season with salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.

9. Serve turkey with pan sauce, finished with freshly ground black pepper and smoked salt to taste.

Nutrition information per serving (for 14 servings): 507 calories, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 276 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrates, 74 g protein, 579 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

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BeeTle Bailey 6 __ nerve across 1 Buy in quantity 7 A toy piano is often 8 Places of rapid growth seen in it 15 Commiserate 8 Uncertain 16 One taking the prize 9 Have because of 17 Evidential standard 10 Cry with a flourish 19 Old Egyptian symbol of 11 Main man royalty 12 More than just stabs 20 Former Defense secretary 13 Con, half the time who wrote “Worthy Fights” 14 They may be Irish 21 __ scan 18 Neuwirth of “Cheers” 22 Pronoun not heard as often 23 Got the gold, say as it should be 25 Black-tie wear 24 2016 presidential candidate 27 Turn back 25 British art house 29 In tune 26 Player over 21, perhaps 31 Pastoral expanse 28 Common base 33 Sea scavenger 29 __ Hebrides 36 Trivia quiz website 30 Large beer mugs 37 What some do while 32 Ones in their 40s, e.g. the sun shines?

34 Crime scene barrier 38 Rigging support 35 Squeezed (out) 39 Words of wisdom 36 Greet warmly 40 Hillary’s conquest 39 One convinced by a drive 41 Announces again, 42 Chekov’s first name on in a way “Star Trek” 44 Heart 43 #4 at Boston Garden 47 Two-time US Open winner 45 “__ Got Mail” 48 Hindu ascetic 46 Said yes to 51 Cooking apple named 47 Monty Python product for an Ohio township 49 Trickle 52 Minute parasites 50 Kricfalusi cartoon canine 55 Op. __ 51 Taking away 56 Doo-wop syllable 53 Sign at a popular play Friday’s Puzzle Solved 54 Foil-wrapped treats 57 Winner of the Breaking News Reporting Pulitzer for 2016, briefly 58 Most loaded 59 Exam involving reading letters 60 Chicken requests down 1 Hard-to-read words 2 Ballerina’s footwear 3 Happy way to end 4 IRA options 5 Surgeon general under Reagan

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TAKE OUR ADVICE ADVICE

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Dear Amy: You recently wrote

Question: I sprained my ankle and put an ice pack on it right away.

Then my massage therapist said to put heat DR. OZ AND DR. ROIZEN on it later so it wouldn’t get stiff. I thought that would just inflame it. Which is it, heat or ice, that helps a sprain heal? — Lester B., Garden City, N.Y.

Dear At a Loss: You should talk to your children realistically about guns. Tell them that guns hurt and kill people every day and children are killed and hurt more than others when guns are present in someone’s home.

Very young children are capable of firing a gun accidentally if they find and pick up a gun. Accidental shootings are the most common way for children to get hurt.

Tell your children that if they see a gun, these are the steps they should follow: Stop what they are doing.

Don’t touch the gun.

Leave the area where the gun is.

Tell an adult right away.

If they are at a friend’s house and they become aware that a parent or another adult has a gun out, they should follow these steps and also let you know. You may choose to talk with the other parent and perhaps not let the child go to that house, unless you are confident that the parents always lock their guns in a safe. Well-meaning gun owners also face the tragedy of gun accidents if their firearms are not properly secured.

Answer: Cold and heat are both helpful, when used correctly. We’ve talked about R.I.C.E. therapy before; it stands for “Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.” That’s usually your first line of defense following an injury like an ankle sprain. But after your body’s initial inflammatory response to the injury, you can use what is called “contrast therapy”: a pattern of applying hot and cold — usually 10 minutes of cold followed by 10 minutes of heat, then take a break for 30 minutes, at least. The combination allows you to get the anti-inflammatory benefits of cold and the muscle-relaxing, blood-flowing boost from heat.

Cold is a vasoconstrictor, which means it restricts blood flow and can have a numbing effect on the nerves. Using cryotherapy (either with an ice pack, a bag of cubes or immersing your affected area in an icy bath) also reduces inflammation and can help you avoid the need for pain medications. When used by itself (no heat), apply cold for no more than 15-20 minutes at a time; longer may, ironically, trigger an inflammatory response.

Heat is a vasodilator — it dilates blood vessels.

That allows nutrient-rich blood to flow around a joint or damaged muscle and “loosen up” injured tissue. Use after the swelling has gone down.

Ice and heat is a great combo for easing a strained ankle or soothing sore joints and tissue.

People have been jumping from steam baths and saunas into cold lakes and rivers for thousands of years. You’re just updating the practice.

Compression with an elastic bandage, for example, helps cut swelling and can be used with ice.

Wear a mask over your mouth and nose to avoid inhaling clippings and allergens. — Heloise

Email your health and wellness questions to youdocsdaily@ sharecare.com.

Send hints via email to heloise@heloise.com or via post to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio TX 78279-5001.

about the danger of guns in houses. I realize that I have no idea of how to counsel my elementary and middle school kids on what to do if they are in a house where someone brings out a gun.

AMY Clearly, I want them as far away DICKINSON as possible from the gun, but telling them to leave the house and go to a nearby stranger’s house doesn’t seem like great advice either. Do you know any good guidelines? — At a Loss

Dear Amy: Thank you, thank you, for helping me to start my day with a laugh! In your response to “Aussie,” an idiotic architect, you managed to work in a reference to Art Vandelay. This “Seinfeld” reference tickled me to no end. — Big Fan Dear Fan: Thank you. I’ll be here all week.

—

Send questions to askamy@tribune.com or to Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 434 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611.

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Dear Heloise: I’d like to suggest a weekend project for your readers. This one will take only a short time: replacing your incandescent lightbulbs with LED ones.

LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs have a bright-white light.

HINTS They are more expensive than FROM traditional incandescent bulbs, if HELOISE you can even find incandescents — they are being phased out.

The great news is that LED lights, while initially inducing sticker shock at upward of $5 to $20 or more per bulb, will save you money on your energy bill. One study reported that 30 incandescent bulbs in a home costs about $220 per year to operate, while 30 LED lights costs less than $25 per year. That’s a big savings!

Traditional incandescent lightbulbs generate a lot of heat in the course of producing light, and the bulbs get HOT — this heat generated is a big chunk of what you’re paying for. LED bulbs stay more or less cool. And they last a lot longer: An incandescent bulb can last 1,000 hours; an LED bulb can last 50,000 hours!

Try LED lights — they are magical! — Dan T., Wheeling, W.Va. Great information! By the way, fluorescent lights are middle-of-the-road between these two; however, they contain mercury. — Heloise Hello, Heloise: I’d like to share two safety hints for using a push mower to mow a lawn or mulch a yard full of leaves.

Wear shoes that provide traction. A pair of soccer cleats work great, especially on hills, and usually can be found at thrift stores and they are inexpensive (thanks to kids growing so quickly!).

Always wear ear protection. Soft-foam earplugs can be found in most big-box stores, and can help prevent hearing problems. Thanks for all the great ideas! — Marjorie B., Stephens City, Va.

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TODAY’S HOROSCOPES BY JERALDINE SAUNDERS ARIES (March 21-April 19) Go your own way. Others may not agree with your views, but they’ll admire the way you stand by your convictions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) It may take a bit of trial and error to measure the boundaries of a new relationship or friendship. Devoting too much time to one endeavor may neglect other matters that require your attention.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Others may be dying to know the latest dirt about you but what you choose not to divulge to them could be more interesting than what you do.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) No matter what goal or objective you choose to pursue today, you will get it done if you remain persistence. A budding romance will only last if there are common interests to build a foundation upon.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be careful not to leave others behind. Adopting a “what have you done for me lately” approach to certain people could come back to haunt you.

Waste no time in getting that latest project started.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your perceptions are heightened today and you can use intuition to your benefit. Problems that have been difficult in the past may be simple now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You may only be setting yourself up to fail if you set goals that are unreasonable or impractical.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Don’t get too big for your britches. You may be so brimming with confidence that you overlook minor details and make silly mistakes. Be sure you get the job done before you start congratulating yourself.

HG 12 I THE GAZETTE I SATURDAY, NOV 18, 2017

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Move in a new direction. Clear your slate of existing tasks and start making progress toward a new set of goals and objectives. A change of pace may bring about a fresh start with friends or loved ones.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take the bull by the horns. The only way to overcome difficult challenges is to meet them head-on and not to accept failure as an option.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) If it hasn’t worked before, it probably won’t work now. If you find that you keep making the same mistakes, it may be time to change your approach.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You may want to forget about an unpleasant situation, but it probably won’t forget about you and must be dealt with eventually. Being enthusiastic and dynamic makes it all the more rewarding.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Nov. 18

You are at your best in competitive situations the next two to three weeks. Because you are gregarious, no one will take offense if you try your best. You might meet new contacts and make new friends in December and January. You may shine in group venues and could widen your network for business or pleasure. You could be swept off your feet by a new romance or job opportunity in February, when your popularity will be at a peak.