SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C1

Prevent insects such as Boxelder bugs,millipedes (1-inch small dark wormlooking insects), and spiders frominvading your home this winter. Caulk

around windows, doors and place screensover attic and exhaust vents. Insects will usu-ally move on when they cannot find an easyentry point. If insects do get inside yourhome, place a new bag in your vacuum andsuck them up. Using a general-purpose insectspray outside the house especially arounddoors, windows and the foundation, will alsokeep most insects from coming in.

Putting leaves and other compostablematerial in the garden and rototilling thematerial in this fall is a good managementdecision, which adds organic matter to thesoil, starts the decomposition process andis a good weed control measure.

Examine bulbs you purchased this falland any tender bulbs you are planning tostore over winter for fusarium bulb rot.Fusarium bulb rot persists in the soil foran indefinite period of time, causes leavesto yellow, and can lead to the prematuredeath of your plants. Bulbs with fusariumbulb rot will have few or no roots and mayfall apart in your hand. Throw away anyinfected bulbs along with the 6 inches ofsoil surrounding the bulb. When storingbulbs, dry them out quickly and be carefulnot to bruise them. Check stored bulbs

periodically for chocolate,blue-gray, or purple-brownspongy decay that is visi-ble when you pull backthe outer papery coveringof the bulb. You may seewhite fungal strands aswell. Do not purchasebulbs that appear shriv-eled, show signs of rot orare soft when pressedlightly. Do not plant bulbsin areas where disease hasbeen a problem in the

past. Rotate tender bulb plantings yearly tohelp prevent diseases from building up inthe soil.

Inspect the twigs, branches and trunks ofyour trees for insect egg masses. Easterntent caterpillars and fall cankerworms alllay egg masses that over winter on trees.Eastern tent caterpillar egg masses can befound on cherries and crabapples encir-cling small twigs and have a black, var-nished appearance. Fall cankerworm eggmasses are located in neat rows on smalltwigs. In addition, there are several scaleinsects to look for; these are white specs onpine needles or small bumps on treebranches. If you press on these bumps andthey squash then the scale was present.Dormant oil sprays can be used to control

the eggs or adults of over winteringinsects.

Were voles a problem in your yard thisyear? Start planning now how to deal withthem next year. Voles are mouse-like crea-tures that burrow along the surface of thesoil, eating the roots and stems of bulbsand perennials. Hostas are a good indicatorplant since they can be especially hard hit.While you can use baited mousetrapsplaced under overturned pots, there areother options available such as baits placedin the burrows. Also, when planting newbulbs or perennials, place them inside one-inch wire mesh cages that go at least 6inches into the ground. The cages preventvoles from being able to reach your plants.You can also add coarse material such assharp gravel to your soil when planting.Voles prefer soft organic material and willnot dig through the sharp objects. Do notforget you can pick plants that voles do notprefer such as wood hyacinth, fritillariaand daffodils.

Once everything starts going dormantand loosing leaves, it is a good time to startpruning those perennial plants, not onlyfor structure but diseased limbs.Remember also to make sure all perennialsare well watered going into winter.

Scott Hininger is with the Sheridan County Extension office.

Early winter yard and garden tips

An embarrassment

of tomatoes

Using up all those tomatoes thatwe hoped would happen is nowcoming to a head. Tomatosauces, whole tomatoes and sal-

sas come to mind as easy-to-can ideas. One more worth thinking about is

slow-roasting tomatoes for use todayand months from now. Small contain-ers that can be used up easily in aweek would make good freezeroptions.

Generally speaking, yellow andorange tomatoes tend to be less acidic

than red and aretherefore sweeter.These tomatoes havea fruity, almost trop-ical flavor as a resultof their low acidity.

Because their sug-ars aren’t fullydeveloped, greentomatoes have a tart,citrusy tang.

Purple and black-ish varieties have acomplex flavor simi-lar to red wine.

To peel tomatoes, use a small paringknife to score the bottom of eachtomato with an “X,” cutting justthrough the skin but not into theflesh. Place the tomatoes in a pot ofboiling water for 30 seconds. Removethem with a slotted spoon; quicklyplunge the tomatoes into a bowl of icewater to stop the cooking. Oncethey’ve cooled, you can easily peelaway the skins from the tomatoes.

SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES3 lb cherry or grape tomatoes, halved10 cloves garlic, peeled3 tablespoons olive oil8 fresh thyme sprigsKosher salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 275 F.2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, gently

toss the tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil,thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoonpepper.

3. Roast until the tomatoes have reduced aquarter in size and are just beginning to dryaround the edges, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Transfer to jars and refrigerate for up to 1week or freeze for 3 months.

TOMATO GLUT SAUCE6 pounds tomatoes, cored and quartered1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrots

(optional)1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery (option-

al)1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions9 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped6 tablespoon balsamic vinegar1 bay leaf1 1/2 tablespoon each fresh thyme,

oregano, basil, and parsley1 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F.2. Place all ingredients in a large roasting

pan.3. Roast for 45 minutes or until vegetables

are soft. Blend briefly in food processor, butleave slightly chunky. Freeze in 2-cup portions.

Makes 2 quarts (4 pounds).

Susan Woody has been a home and garden writer for more than 20years and is a master gardener.

SUSANWOODY|

SCOTTHININGER|

A fine finish for homeownersBY MARY G. PEPITONE

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Jennifer Bertrand, artist andHGTV Design Star seasonthree winner is spreading theancient ways of plastering andpainting walls into 21st-centuryhomes.

"When we talk about paintingtechniques on walls, manywrongly think of the 1990s,when people were applyingpaints and glazes usingsponges, rags and plastic bags,"says the Olathe, Kansas, baseddesigner. "I grew up in Europe,and fine decorative paintingtechniques that never go out ofstyle can transform two-dimen-sional walls into three-dimen-sional surfaces, which bring aroom to life."

Gold-leafing and fresco paint-ing (mixing color pigments intowet plaster) are techniquesBertrand used in a new con-struction home built to bringthe Old World feel of a Tuscanvilla to the Midwest.

Plaster starts as a dry powderand is a mixture of naturalingredients — most commonlyclay, lime or gypsum — thatwhen mixed with waterbecomes a paste, which can beapplied to an existing wall inlayers. Natural pigments canbe added into the plaster mix-ture, which makes the colorpermanent and part of thewall.

As a homeowner, one of themost difficult tasks may be

painting a picture of your deco-rative vision to an artist, saysSheryl Born, spokeswoman forthe Society of DecorativePainters, based in Wichita,Kansas.

Born says one of the firststeps can be to find an artistwith your same sensibilities at

a local chapter of the Society ofDecorative Painters.

"Ask for references, see exam-ples of an artist's work and —because every artist works dif-ferently — put together a budg-et and ask for an estimate inwriting," Born says.

Bertrand warns homeowners

against painting a rosy pictureon how easy decorative paint-ing can be.

"I love when homeowners arevested and want to do thingsthemselves, but — especially ifit's a DIY project — start smallwith a cabinet or piece of fur-niture,"

COURTESY PHOTO | UNIVERSAL UCLICK

A new range hood has old world appeal in a Mediterranean tile motif with a painted patina, created by JenniferBertrand.

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