How to repurpose your Christmas tree

For most of us, taking down the Christmas tree is a dreaded time. The sparkling lights on the Christmas tree and the beautiful decorations make everything feel cozy and magical. There is also likely to be fewer offers to help take it down, than when putting the tree up.

What if you could repurpose that Christmas tree and give the kids something fun to do while on Christmas vacation? Instead of hauling off your real Christmas tree, why not consider adding it to your landscape outside?

Once your tree has been stripped of all the beautiful lights and ornaments consider placing it outside to help feed the birds. You could really up your bird-feeding game by turning your tree into a large festive bird feeder. The tree will need to be anchored to a post or steel rod to ensure that it remains upright against the wind. Then the children can begin constructing the edible garland and ornaments for the tree. Here are some ideas:

Popcorn: Using a needle and thread string together natural (no butter or salt) popcorn and consider adding a few cranberries here and there.

Apple/Orange Slices: Cut thin slices of apples or orange. Hang each slice separately with colorful ribbons.Pine Cones: Collect big or small pine cones. Mix peanut butter and oatmeal for a thick consistency. Spread mixture inside and around the pine cone and roll in bird seed or sunflower seed. Hang with ribbon.

Crackers: String the crackers together with a needle and thread to form a round bracelet. Hang them over the branches. Pine cone with peanut butter and birdseed ornament and popcorn/ cranberry garlandDifferent types of birds like different types of food, so the more variety you offer the more diversity you’ll have. This will be a great project for the kids and will offer excitement as they watch the birds fly in and out of the tree to feast.

Source: North Carolina Extension

New Year’s Dinner Day Food Traditions

As the calendar flips to Jan. 1, millions will be embracing age-old traditions, setting their tables with a New Year’s Day banquet of black-eyed peas, ham, greens, and cornbread. This isn’t just a delicious feast; it’s a meal steeped in symbolism. Each dish is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity for the year ahead.

Greens – With their lush green hue, greens (be it collards, mustard, turnip greens or cabbage) greens represent the crisp dollar bills that could fill your wallet in the coming year.

Black-eyed peas with their round form, symbolize shiny coins, hinting at financial windfall.

Cornbread, with its golden exterior, serves as a delicious stand-in for gold, promising wealth.

Pork/Ham – As for the pork (whether ham, bacon, salt pork or fatback) it doesn’t matter whether it is used to add flavor to the Hoppin’ John or the greens, it signifies forward motion and advancement in the upcoming year.

There you have it! A feast not just for your taste buds, but for your future success. Get ready to cook your way to a prosperous New Year!

Source: Old Farmer’s Almanac

The Family Table – Not Just for Holidays!!

As we enjoy some extra family time together around the table over this holiday season, it is not just benefiting our taste buds. Family mealtime is something that is a good practice all year long. Eating together helps children grow and develop, improves family relationships, and ensures that all participants eat healthier diets, higher in key foods and nutrients.

Recognizing the decline in family meals, with about 1/3 of families with teenagers eating only 12 meals together per week, the American College of Pediatricians promotes the ‘Family Table’, or eating together as a family at home, as benefitting child’s well-being beyond the nutrition aspect of a balanced meal. Children who eat sit down meals with their families:

• Have improved language development

• Do better in school

• Are less likely to use drugs, alcohol or tobacco

• Have a better body image

• Show less tendency for violence and risky behaviors

As early as 1943, researchers noted the sociological and cultural benefits of the family table. Eating together is good for our mental and social health. Families who share meals on a regular basis:

• Have more shared values and traditions

• Express better problem-solving skills

• Display improved family relationships; experience less family tension

• Have better and more regular communication

• Create more structure to their day, allowing children to feel secure and improving individual time management

• Spend less time in front of a computer, phone of television screen

• Have adults with less stress, depression symptoms, greater self-esteem

Of course, in addition to meals benefitting our development, mental health and well-being, family meals also improve the food/nutrition intake of those participating. Such benefits include:

• Children learn basic meal-planning and preparation skills.

• Toddlers eat more nutrient-dense foods and show less picky eating behaviors at the table

• Overall increased intake of fruits, vegetables and dairy foods, as well as fiber, vitamins A, B, C and E

• Fewer issues related to food sensitivity or allergies

• Family members with decreased risk of obesity and related health conditions

Creating a family table does not have to involve elaborate menus or holiday décor. There are many simple tips to implement family meals in a way that fits the lifestyle and culture of most any family. Start by simply eating together as a family whenever you can, even if just 2 of you are home. Plan a menu that involves 3 or more food groups from MyPlate. Do some meal prep on the weekends or days when you have more time available, such as cooking lean ground beef or turkey and freezing for use later in casserole, pasta sauce or tacos. Involve children in age-appropriate meal preparation to ease the workload on busier days and help them learn basic kitchen skills.

Keep easy healthy options from various food groups on hand. Items like bagged baby carrots or spinach, fresh fruits, unsweetened applesauce, whole grain bread or tortillas, canned tuna and black beans can all be used with no cooking required. Canned or frozen vegetables, tomato sauces, boil in bag or instant brown rice, and whole grain pasta can all be made in minutes. Dairy is usually easy to incorporate. A glass of low fat milk or cup of vanilla yogurt is a simple addition to any meal.

Sources:Healthy Meals Together with Family. Johns Hopkins University and Health System. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/family-meals-can-they-make-you-healthier

The Benefits of the Family Table Position Statement. American College of Pediatirics. February 2021. https://acpeds.org/position-statements/the-benefits-of-the-family-table.

Author: Jennifer Little, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Hancock County.

Interested in tractor maintenance?

This 4-H club is unique in that they focus on one specific topic – Small Engines and Farm Tractors. Meetings are on Monday nights, January through March each year. Advisors teach members how to work on small engines and tractors while visiting different businesses and agriculture shops throughout the county. No experience is necessary – This is a great opportunity to learn something new!

The club is also using a new curriculum that focuses on tractor safety and how to properly perform tractor maintenance. The Tractor Maintenance courses are available to members who have completed the small engine project books or have had previous experience working on machinery.

The club meets every Monday in January through Mid-March. The first meeting will be Monday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center, 831 College Ave, Lancaster. Joining 4-H is relatively inexpensive – Members can participate in the Tractor Maintenance and Small Engine Club for $18! 4-H is a non-formal, educational youth development program for individuals age 8 and in 3rd grade or 9 years old through age 18, as of January 1, 2024. All interested members are welcome to attend this first meeting to learn more and get registered! For more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

New Year’s Day closing

OSU Extension in Fairfield County will be closed on Monday, Jan. 1, to observe the New Year’s Holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7:30 a.m.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: OSU Extension: How to repurpose your Christmas tree for wildlife