Turkey Talks – Cooking the Turkey Ok, so I have the turkey bought! Now what? Trying to remember what Mom or Grandma did. Let’s see, the night before they butchered the turkey, cleaned it in the kitchen sink, mixed up stuffing and packed it in the cavity, got up at 4:00 a.m.

What to Do with Tree Leaves It's that time of year again. Leaves are rapidly falling from deciduous trees so it's a good time to stop and think about options for handling the litter.

Fall harvest has come to a screeching halt for my family. We have had some minor issues that have slowed us down, but those issues are always expected during the marathon known as fall harvest. We began back in August picking corn. Since then, we have transitioned to popcorn followed by soybeans followed by sorghum with wheat sowing sprinkled into the mix starting in late September.

One of my favorite things in the fall is flowering mums, also known as garden chrysanthemums. You may cut the plants back to 2 to 3 inches high once they have finished flowering. If you choose to cut the tops off, apply a layer of mulch over the top of your mums after the ground has frozen or if the forecast calls for a sharp drop in temperature. Some gardeners prefer to leave the top growth so that it provides some protection from fluctuating soil temperatures. Mums should not completely dry out during the winter. It may be necessary to water occasionally if sufficient rain or snow has not fallen.

When I traveled to Vermont to attend my nephew’s wedding, shopping was a must. I noticed that each unique store had maple syrup. About everywhere I went, restaurants, novelty shops, grocery stores, they all had maple syrup and not pancake syrup like what we purchase. When I returned home, I looked a little closer at our “maple” pancake syrup label.

Will you be feeding cane hay, corn stalks, milo stalks or other grass hay to your cows this winter? If so, do not let high nitrate levels kill your cows or cause abortions. Nitrates occur naturally in all forages.

I hate mice! When I was in high school, I was cleaning out the grain bin and a mouse ran up my pants leg; after that, I hate mice. Mice, just like humans, appreciate a cozy spot indoors in the winter.

Musk Thistle Control in the Fall Musk thistle is one of 12 state-wide noxious weeds in Kansas infesting over 700,000 acres. Musk thistle has been reported in nearly every county in Kansas and is found primarily in pastures, rangeland, hay meadows, alfalfa, fallow, roadsides, and waste areas.

Medicare Part D Open Enrollment October brings cooler weather, shorter days, and the change in our health insurance plans. Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage) Open Enrollment begins on October 15 and continues through December 7th.