In This Issue:

Pruning Your Landscape

Roses For Your Landscape

Central Texas Residents

Texas Christmas Trees

  December Garden Tips From GROW TEXAN

Winter is upon us, which means it's the perfect time to start making notes about what you want to do with your landscape in the spring. It is also time to get ready for a wonderful holiday season featuring beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables grown right here in the Lone Star State.

  Pruning Your Landscape

Pruning can be done at any time of the year; however, the usefulness varies depending on the plant. Improper pruning may damage or weaken a plant over a long period of time. "To prune or not to prune" has always been the question on the minds of gardeners. According to the Texas Cooperative Extension, there are four main reasons to prune your plants:

•  To train the plant,
•   To maintain plant health,
•  To improve the quality of flowers, fruit, foliage or stems,
• And to restrict growth.

For more information on how and when to prune, read Follow Proper Pruning Techniques at Aggie Horticulture.

  Earth Kind^TM Roses For Your Landscape

Earth Kind^TM is a designation given to select roses by the Texas A&M University Agriculture Program. Earth Kind^TM Roses have been through rigorous statewide testing and have outstanding disease and insect tolerance, which is required to receive the Earth Kind^TM designation. Their tolerance to pests is so great they rarely require the use of chemical pesticides.

Only a few roses have received the Earth Kind^TM designation. However, the list continues to grow as new selections are made. For more information on which roses have received the Earth Kind^TM designation, click here . To order an Earth Kind^TM Rose brochure with information on plant size, soils, planting tips and more, send an email to grow.texan@tda.state.tx.us with "Earth Kind^TM Rose brochure" in the subject line. Be sure to include your name and mailing address in the body.

  Central Texas Residents

Want to see what your area Texas Department of Agriculture Certified farmers markets are doing? Edible Austin invites you to take part in the first annual Eat Local Week, from Saturday, Dec. 8 through Saturday, Dec. 15. Shop for locally-grown and -made foods at markets and dine at restaurants featuring locally-sourced entrees and drinks. Visit www.edibleaustin.com for more information.

  What's Cropping Up!

With the holiday season upon us, why not enjoy a fresh-cut Texas Christmas tree?  Visiting a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm offers families fun and memorable experiences. Fresh, fragrant and more likely to hold their needles than non-native trees, Texas trees can last as long as six weeks when properly watered and maintained. Whether opting for a fresh choose-and-cut or pre-cut tree, thousands of Texas-grown evergreens will go home for the holidays. For a complete listing of Texas Christmas tree farms, visit the Texas Department of Agricultures Pick Texas Web site at www.picktexas.com. You can also visit the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association Web site at www.texaschristmastrees.com for a listing. Be sure to call ahead. Open dates and hours are subject to change.

If you enjoyed this issue of Grow Texan, please feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues.

In This Issue:

Fertilizer Tips for your Landscape

Texas Pine Straw

Texas Sweet Potatoes Are Here

Help Us Help You

  November Tips From GROW TEXAN

Fall is officially here, and winter is around the corner. It's time to get your landscape ready to survive the cold weather ahead. This coming spring, your neighbors will be green with envy while your landscape will be green and beautiful. It is also time to start thinking about holiday festivities. Texas sweet potatoes are in season and are a perfect part of holiday meals.

  Fertilizer Tips for Your Landscape

Beautiful green landscapes in the spring start with preparations in the fall. Handling excess leaves, mulching, watering and fertilizing all need to be considered when you start to prepare your landscape for the winter months. Texas companies produce an array of mulches and fertilizers that are ready to do the job. Go here to learn more about what you can do now to enjoy a beautiful landscape in the spring.  Visit our online horticulture directory to find plants, mulches and fertilizers for your landscape. 

  Texas Pine Straw Makes a Perfect Mulch

Mulch is a must in any landscape, especially in the always-changing Texas weather. Benefits of mulch include preventing topsoil loss from wind and water erosion, reducing water usage by maintaining soil moisture, reducing rainwater runoff and much more. Texas pine straw is excellent mulch that provides all of these benefits and has a few more of its own: it lasts long in the garden, is lightweight, doesn't attract termites and is sustainable because it does not require harvesting of trees. To learn more about how your landscape can benefit from using Texas pine straw, visit texaspinestraw.tamu.edu/. To find Texas pine straw for your garden, visit www.gotexan.org/.

  What's Cropping Up!

Texas sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and F, and can be found in the produce aisle of your local grocery store or neighborhood farmers market. The holiday season is the perfect time to enjoy this delicious product fresh from the fields of Texas. For delicious ideas on how to prepare Texas sweet potatoes visit, www.picktexas.com or www.sweetpotatoe.com/.

 Help us Help You

The Texas Department of Agriculture has partnered with the Texas A&M Mays School of Business to determine ways to help the Texas nursery and greenhouse industry grow. Over the next few years, we hope to determine what information or products consumers would like to see or need for their landscapes. This also is a way to help our youth prepare to enter the work force. We would greatly appreciate your input. Please take time to complete the survey located at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=inLaV0ZQ_2fgIgqSKnivwbeg_3d_3d

If you enjoyed this issue of Grow Texan, please feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues.

In this issue:

Time to Plant Pansies

Seeding for Winter Beauty

Texas Citrus in Season

Visit a Farmers Market

October Garden Tips From GROW TEXAN

Summer is over and the cool, crisp fall weather is starting to arrive. Make sure you are ready to make the most of the season both in the kitchen and in the garden. The best way to enjoy the fall is to start with new options for your garden and kitchen. Your neighbors will be green with envy while your landscape will be green and beautiful.

  Time to Plant Colorful Pansies

Many homeowners wonder how to add color to their garden during the cold winter months. Pansies are an excellent choice. October is the best time to plant these flowers, which are available in more than 10 different colors. They can withstand temperatures as low as 10° F, and will continue to bloom until hot weather arrives. Pansies work best in a location that receives full sun, though a few varieties can tolerate some shade. Keep your pansies blooming throughout the season by maintaining a moist flowerbed, applying a balanced fertilizer program and pinching any blooms that have died. For more information on pansies, go to Aggie Horticulture.

  Seeding for Winter Beauty

October is the optimum time in some parts of Texas to begin overseeding of cool-season ryegrass and fescue. Perennial rye germinates more uniformly and makes the best winter turf while an annual rye requires higher maintenance in the spring. Both will die out when exposed to the higher temperatures of late spring. Visit www.gotexan.org/ for a listing of horticulture companies that can supply the turfgrass seed to keep your lawn green over the winter.

What's Cropping Up!

Texas citrus is in season. Every fall and winter, Texans race to the grocery stores to buy these delicious fruits before they are gone. Texas citrus producers have the sweetest red grapefruit and oranges in the world. For a taste of what Texas has to offer, make sure you ask for Texas grapefruit and oranges at your local grocery store. Red grapefruit is the state fruit of Texas.

In addition to being available at your retail market, Texas citrus is available in gift baskets or via mail order. So if you can't get to the store or if you want to share Texas red grapefruit and oranges with friends or family, visit www.gotexan.org/ for a list of producers who can ship gift baskets.

There are many ways to enjoy these delicious fruits from South Texas. TexaSweet offers consumers many recipes as well as information about Texas grapefruit and oranges. Visit www.texasweet.com/ for details.

  Visit a Farmers Market Near You

Farmers across the state are selling fresh produce at a farmers market near you. Farmers markets have everything you need for the kitchen, including meats, cheeses and breads, and the freshest fruits and vegetables in season. Many markets offer a huge selection of fall fruits, vegetables and herbs for the upcoming holiday season and are open year-round. So just because summer is over, it doesn't mean the market is closed. This is an excellent spot to meet your neighbors, shop, enjoy the great outdoors and, most of all, spend time with friends and family. To find a farmers market in Texas, go to www.picktexas.com/. Call ahead to verify hours and seasonal specials.

In This Issue:

Plant Texas Native Trees

Time to Plant Texas Wildflowers

Enjoy Fresh Texas Apples

September Garden Tips From GROW TEXAN

And you thought summer was the hottest thing in Texas! What's hotter? Texas-grown products! School has started, so spend some free time working outside on your Texas-grown landscape and enjoying fresh, Texas-grown produce. With new options for your landscape, you can be assured you will be ready to enjoy the great Texas outdoors in your beautiful landscape! Fall is also the best time of year to enjoy fresh Texas apples.

Plant Texas Native Trees

Healthy and well-maintained trees are very important to any landscape and can add value to your home. According to the USDA Forest Service, healthy trees can add 10 percent to 15 percent value to residential property. With the tough Texas temperatures and the constant water shortages, it is important to choose the right tree for your home. When choosing a tree, consider the location where it will be planted and make sure there's enough space for the tree to grow into. Most of all, determine if it will fit your needs: do you want to sit under it and enjoy your landscape or is it mostly for shading for your house? Aggie horticulture provides an excellent Web site with a complete list and description of Texas native trees.

Every spring, Texans enjoy the beauty of Texas wildflowers sprinkled around highways, farms, ranches and landscapes. These beautiful spring landscapes begin with seeding in the fall. If you would like to enjoy spring wildflowers, start planting them this fall. Make sure you keep watering your wildflower seeds throughout the winter and early spring; this will improve the germination and increase the number of flowers. To learn more about where you can find Texas wildflower seeds, visit www.gotexan.org/ and search under "Find Products/Members." If you would like to receive a free Texas wildflower mix seed packet and have not responded to our Texas Monthly advertisement, please e-mail your name and address with "wildflower seeds" in the subject line to grow.texan@tda.state.tx.us. You will soon be on your way to enjoying beautiful Texas wildflowers.

  

Taste Perfection in a Texas Apple

While many Texas crops have an ideal harvest date, here at the Texas Department of Agriculture, it's no secret the beloved Texas apple stands out every month of the year. A favorite for all ages, Texas apples score high on the nutrition report card. Packed with vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorous and high amounts of potassium, apples from the Lone Star State are healthy, great-tasting and always available.

Love Creek Orchards in Medina and Apple Country  in Idalou, Texas harvest a wide variety of fresh, crisp apples, including Galas, Fujis, Molly's Delicious and Granny Smiths. The majority of Texas apples are grown in the South Plains around Lubbock and also along the border of Texas and New Mexico. And while the hot Texas summer often takes its toll on state crops, tree-ripened Texas apples hold up well against the ever-present sun. Because they usually stay on the tree longer, Texas apples have a higher sugar content and a noticeably sweeter flavor - up to 40 percent sweeter than most other apples - which is another great reason Texas apples reign supreme when it comes down to delicious flavor.

Here are a few selection and storage tips to help you get the most of this year's banner apple crop:

Selection: Choose fruit that is firm with a fresh smell. Avoid apples with bruises or broken skin. When possible, purchase loose rather than bagged apples. Loose apples are easier to examine and select. Look for uniform, bright colors.

Storage: Apples continue to ripen after harvest, and most types keep better in the refrigerator. Place them in the crisper in a plastic bag with plenty of ventilation holes. Wash them right before using. Surface moisture causes apples to discolor. For long-term storage, wrap apples in paper and store in a cool, dry place. Remember to store in a single layer only.

For a listing of Texas apple growers, visit www.gotexan.org.

Highway 16 Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

Fresh Ingredients

• One large loaf  French bread (tear into workable pieces and let stale overnight)
• 11/2 fresh Texas apples, peeled and chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ stick Falfurrias butter

From The Pantry

• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ T. ground cinnamon
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• ½ cup raisins
• ¾  cup chopped Texas pecans (reserve ¼ cup to top the pudding)

Method

1. Combine eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Add the stale bread and mix gently until the liquid is absorbed.
3. Add the raisins, Texas apples and Texas pecans to the bread mixture and mix until incorporated.
4. Place entire mixture into a buttered glass dish. Slice the butter into pats and place on top of the pudding mixture, spaced evenly. Sprinkle reserved pecans on top. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes at 350F.  Look for edges to brown well.

Serve warm or cold.  For the most fantastic bourbon sauce for this delightful dessert, log on to www.louskitchensync.com/.

 The best way to tell if your product is produced in Texas is to look for the exclusive GO TEXAN logo - a glowing brand in the shape of Texas. Launched in 1999 by the Texas Department of Agriculture, GO TEXAN is a unified initiative promoting the wide array of agricultural products grown and processed in Texas. From food, wine and livestock to plants and fiber, the GO TEXAN logo is the symbol of quality. To learn more about the GO TEXAN program, call (877) 99-GOTEX or visit the GO TEXAN Web site at www.gotexan.org/.