FHE Idea - Gardening and Sprouting

Opening Prayer:

Song: The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden, page 237 Children’s Songbook

Scriptures: (Share any or all of the following scriptures:)
Gardening has spiritual lessons. It teaches that, in every aspect of life, “whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap” (D&C 6:33). Growing a garden fulfills the command given to Adam and Eve and their posterity, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). Gardening is work, an important principle of the gospel; “He that is idle shall not eat the bread…of the laborer” (D&C 42:42). Obedience to seeming temporal laws are important since all commandments are spiritual (see D&C 29:34).

Lesson Title: “Seeds of Self-Reliance”
As President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) encouraged members “to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive.” For more information, go to Seeds of Self-Reliance. It gives personal stories about gardening from different areas of the world, gardening on a budget, sharing a garden, finding space, using containers, learning by doing, never giving up, and reaping the blessings.

Activity: (Pick one method of gardening that works best for your family situation)
Start your own garden or sprouts. For gardening, go to the following websites for information on supplies needed:  Star Nursery or Life 123. If this is your first time planting a garden, you may need to visit your local plant nursery for more information regarding how to do this properly. For sprouts, see the sprouting guide.

Closing prayer:

Growing Sprouts

Several of us grew sprouts in a mason jar for our Self-Reliant Sisters meeting.  Everyone had success and a lot of fun.  Here are some links to grow your own sprouts and other important information.

• Sprout Nutrition from Good Sprout News
• Nutritional Advantages of Sprouts from The Sprout People
• Sprouting Seeds by Weblife
• Step by Step Directions by The Farm (This is the handout we passed out Tuesday night)
• Self-Reliant Sprouting Class from May 2009

Ensign Article - Seeds of Self-Reliance

Found in the March 2011 Ensign magazine, Seeds of Self-Reliance gives personal stories about gardening from different areas of the world, gardening on a budget, sharing a garden, finding space, using containers, learning by doing, never giving up, and reaping the blessings.

University of Nevada - Horticulture Programs

The University of Nevada has a Cooperative Extension's horticulture program.  This program teaches homeowners and park and golf course managers to irrigate wisely, save water, and adopt environmentally friendly landscape techniques.  There are 238 publications listed on their main page, and these are my favorites

• Becoming a Desert Gardener
• Growing Tomatoes in Southern Nevada
• Home Vegetable Production in Southern Nevada
• Container Gardening - Perfect for Apartment Living!!

Star Nursery Gardening Helps

Star Nursery is a local gardening store in Las Vegas.  They have a wonderful section on their website called "Star Notes".  Here are some of my favorite gardening tips from their website

• The Gardener's Calendar
• Growing Herbs in the Desert
• Fruit Trees for Desert Climates
• Vegetable Gardening Cool Weather & Warm Weather

Master Food Preserver Training!

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) is announcing its first-ever Master Food Preserver class in southern Nevada. An outreach of Utah State University’s volunteer program, Master Food Preservers are taught, through hands-on classroom training, the basics of canning, drying and freezing fresh fruits and vegetables. In exchange for this valuable information, volunteers are required to teach these basics to others in the community through a variety of educational opportunities.

The Master Food Preserver class is being offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for three consecutive days, March 21-23, at UNCE’s Lifelong Learning Center at 8050 Paradise Road in Las Vegas near the intersection of Windmill and I-215. The registration fee of $100 covers canning supplies, learning materials such as binders and manuals, and training by Utah State University Extension faculty. After becoming a certified Master Food Preserver, participants are expected to give back through volunteer service.

The Master Food Preserver class teaches the fundamentals of home food preservation in six sections: canning, drying, freezing, pressure canning, pickles and relishes and jams and jellies. The course uses researched-based methods to train volunteers on proper food preservation techniques following USDA guidelines. Some seats will be available for nonvolunteers at $150 per person.

Anyone interested in learning more about food preservation can apply but class size is limited. For more information email Robert Morris at morrisr@unce.unr.edu or call the Master Gardener helpline at 702-257-5555.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is an outreach arm of the University that extends unbiased, research-based knowledge from University of Nevada—and other land-grant universities—to local communities. Educational programs are developed based on local needs, sometimes in partnership with other agencies and volunteers. For more information about University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, please visit the website at www.unce.unr.edu.

The Prudent Homemaker - Upcoming Garden Tour!!

We were so blessed to have Brandy from The Prudent Homemaker guest speak for us last night!  Due to the high interest she has schedule another garden tour!  Brady writes,

"I have scheduled a new garden tour for Saturday, April 16th, from 10 am to 12 noon. If you would like to attend that day, please email me (brandy@theprudenthomemaker.com) with the number of people who will be attending."

Here is some more information about her tour

"Garden tours are limited to 35 people and are adults only. The tour is a class that is around 2+ hours in length. As we tour the garden, you will learn about dirt, drip irrigation, watering times, growing food year-round, pruning fruit trees, getting rid of bugs, mixing food and flowers to create an edible landscape, fruit tree selections for the desert, espaliered fruit trees, how to make use of the walls for growing space, and more."

I highly recommend going, I went in May 2009.  Her tour is inspiring as well as educating.