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Saturday, March 14, 2015 An Advertising Feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Jamie Hancock Garden Column – 2 Tired of the ugly truth? – 5 Trash to treasure? – 6 Spring Break in the Kitchen – 8 TCJ Pin of the Week – 10 Linda a. ditch/Special to The Capital-Journal

2 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Growing lettuce for your summer salad Jamie Hancock

jamiehan@ksu.edu Miss Mouse’s Garden was one of my children’s favorite books when they were little. Miss Mouse planted a vegetable garden all around her house. She woke one morning to find herself trapped in her home by the overgrowth of her garden. She called for help and her neighbors quickly came to her rescue by cutting and chopping the vegetables. They mixed everything together and made a giant salad, enough for everyone to enjoy. Miss Mouse was saved!

I, thankfully, have never been trapped in my house by my garden overgrowth (weeds, yes, overgrowth, no) but, I love a

A Note From

The Gardener

good salad made from the garden. It is too early to think about most salad parts but, not lettuce.

Lettuce is adapted to cool growing conditions with the optimum temperatures for growth of 60-65 degrees. At 70-80 degrees the plants flower and produce seed.

Lettuce can tolerate a few days of temperature from 80-85 degrees provided the nights are cool.

Most leaf type lettuces are ready for harvest 50-60 days after seeding and 30-45 days if transplanted. Head lettuce is usually ready for harvesting 70-80 days after seeding and 60-70 days if transplanted.

This makes late March to early April the best time for direct seeding. Transplants started indoors should be hardened off by 2-3 days exposure to cooler temperatures before being planted outside.

Growing requirements

Lettuce seed is very small. A well prepared seedbed is essential for good seedsoil contact. Large clods will not allow proper contact reducing germination. Lettuce does best in fertile, high organic matter soils with good water-holding capacity.

Adjust the fertilizer and pH based on the results of a soil test. The pH should be 6.06.7. Contact the Extension office (785-232-

0062) for information on soil testing.

A sidedressing (means sprinkled around the base of the growing plant) of the recommended fertilizer should be made soon after plants begin to grown. A second sidedressing will have to be based on the appearance of the crop and the rate at which it is growing.

Sow seeds in single rows or broadcast them for wide row planting. Wide rows should be 12-15 inches across. Cover the seed with 1/4 –to ½ inch of soil. Water carefully but thoroughly. Several successive plantings of leaf lettuce will provide

HANCOCK continues on 3A

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 3

Hancock: Regular irrigation is necessary Continued from 2A a more continuous harvest throughout the growing season. Leave 18 inches between the rows for leaf lettuce and 24 inches for the other types.

Fall crop lettuce is most often started when it is still hot and dry. Direct seeding is a good choice provided irrigation is constantly available until the plants are well established.

Thin leaf lettuce plants to four to six

inches between plants depending on their size. Butterhead and romaine should be thinned six to ten inches between plants.

Crisphead transplants should be spaced 10-12 inches apart.

Lettuce has a relatively high water requirement. It does not have an extensive root system so regular irrigation is necessary to prevent stunting, poor head quality, and crop failure.

An organic mulch will help conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and keep soil

temperatures cool. Weeds can be pulled by hand or very shallowly cultivated to avoid damage to leaves or roots.

Planning your garden so that lettuce will be in the shade of taller plants like tomatoes or sweet corn in the heat of the day may help prevent bolting (flower formation).

Insects and disease

Lettuce is attacked by aphids, armyworms, imported cabbage worm, and loopers. The pest pressure on summer

and fall crops is much greater than on spring crops.

Damping-off is a disease of young seedling. It looks like someone pinched the base of the stem and the plant falls over.

Mildews and sclerotina can attack more mature plants.

Both insects and disease can be controlled if the correct chemicals are applied.

Some organic measures can be taken but, may be less effective.

HANCOCK continues on 4A

4 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Hancock: Creating a second harvest Continued from 3A Harvesting

“All lettuce types should be harvested when full size but young and tender. Overmature lettuce is bitter and woody. Leaf lettuce is harvested by removing individual outer leaves so that the center leaves can continue to grow. Butterhead or ro-

maine types can be harvested by removing the outer leaves, digging up the whole plant or cutting the plant about an inch above the soil surface. A second harvest is often possible this way. Crisphead lettuce is picked when the center is firm.” - Ohio State University Extension I am inspired by Miss Mouse’s enthusiasm for a big garden and enjoying the

fruits of it with her friends and neighbors.

I am really looking forward to the coming growing season. See you in the garden!

Note: The Master Gardener Plant Sale is May 2, 2015 from 9-noon. Note the new time. We will have annuals, perennials, herbs, houseplants, hanging baskets, patio pots and many more things. Watch for future announcements!

Note: Spring Lawn Care will be presented on March 19th at the Topeka Shawnee County Library at 7:00pm. Bring your questions and learn what to do for a beautiful lawn this spring.

Jamie Hancock is a horticulturist with Kansas State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 5

Bathroom mirror before Mirredge treatment.

Stock Image/Mirredge

Tired of facing the ugly truth?

By Todd Epp Special to the Topeka Capital-Journal

Every morning it stares at you, menacing yet rundown.

And you stare back, mumbling under your breath, “Someday, I’ll show you!”

The opening scenes from a Wes Craven horror movie? No, just your bathroom mirror or medicine cabinet.

Chances are, you haven’t touched your bathroom mirror or medicine cabinet—other than to clean it, let’s hope–since you moved into your house. You know, back when Madonna was edgy and young.

But can you tame your 1989 mirror or medicine cabinet as easily as you used it to tame your 1980s big hair?

Yes, you can! And you may not even have to remove the glassy beast from the wall to do it.

Let’s start with the medicine cabinet. It’s probably a generic white box with a mirror door that opens. Boring!

According to Refurbish.About.com, the first step is to clean it out. Get all the stuff out—old pill bottles (“When did I last have strep throat?”), partially used tubes of toothpaste (“What? Bianca?! How long has that been in here?), and clean out all the collected hair, harden gels and gunk. If you accomplish nothing else, at least your medicine cabinet will no longer be a toxic waste dump.

Dispose of the detritus properly.

Next, repair any broken shelves.

Then, Refurbish.About.com suggests painting the cabinet, using a primer then

thin coats or paint The website even suggests sticking fabric on it with double sided tape if you’re looking for a frillier look.

Finally, after you have revamped the medicine cabinet, it’s your chance to reorganize it. Since you’ve gotten rid of all the junk, this should be easier, with hair products on one shelf, medicines on another, toothpaste and toothbrush on yet another and so on. If you’re lucky, it will stay organized for a week or so.

The bolted-on-the-wall bathroom mirror, however, can be a bit more daunting. But according to the DIY blog shanty-2-chic.com, there might be a simple solution if all you want to do is frame or reframe the mirror—a product called Mirredge. It’s basically a kit that comes in acrylic or wood and different styles that you then cut to fit your existing mirror.

However, the Mirredge solution might be too “out of the box” for some DIYers with mad painting, decorating and carpentry skills. Pinterest is full of imaginative bathroom mirror projects that take advantage of what you might already have laying about the house or workshop.

A couple of Pinterest users took an old shelf and mirror off a bedroom set and mounted it around their bathroom mirror, with the assemblage either sitting flush on the vanity or mounted above it.

Other “fixes” don’t have to be so dramatic.

Refurbish.About.com provides instructions on how to paint a non-removable mirror frame. While a removable frame is easier

MIRROR continues on 13A

6 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Trash to treasures?

By Jenni Harrison Special to The Capital-Journal

Spring cleaning will start soon and what better way to get rid of unnecessary items and outgrown clothing than a garage sale?

The following tips can help bring in the most profits, especially with a little planning ahead of time.

Consider your season. If you need to have an early sale, the first part of spring provides a fix for people who have been missing sales after being cooped up over the winter. While there are fewer activities going on in people’s lives during the summer, the blazing sun could keep folks away. Cloudy days are best but more challenging to plan for in advance. Autumn may provide less neighboring competition and the weather is usually oh-so-nice.

Which day or days should you set up?

First consider the law. The facts are this: You may place temporary signs on property other than your own with the permission of the property owner but ONLY be-

tween 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Sunday, and NOT in the public right of way. A $50 fine may be assessed for off-premise temporary signs on private property Monday through Wednesday. Signs on private property are not removed by City staff but a violation notice may be sent to the property owner. Signs in the public right of way are removed and stored for 10 days and can be retrieved after sign owners pay a $30 removal and storage fee per City of Topeka Code Section 118.

Additionally, Code Section 114-37 states residents are allowed to have just two garage sales per year lasting not more than four consecutive days.

With that information, Saturdays are undeniably the best. Fridays work great too, especially when on a heavily traveled road where commuters on their way to work may stop to shop. Sundays are not as reliable since people may skip stopping if the sale has been going on for a few days.

However, you may catch the after Church

SALES continues on 7A

s d A e l a S e g a r Ga 1-day – $17.50 2-day – $24.50 3-day – $30.50 (includes free garage sale kit)

For the first 24 words To place your garage sale ad call the Classified Department at 785-295-1122

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Sales: Plan around paydays Continued from 6A and lunch crowd and chances are good if there are a lot of homes for sale in your neighborhood with Sunday open houses.

Other thoughts about garage sales are that many people get paid on the 1st and 15th, so a sale around that time is sure to increase your odds. First thing of a morning around 7 or 8 a.m. and lasting until about 11 a.m. is the busiest time, with sales usually decreasing after 1 p.m. Finally, participating in a neighborhood sale has pros and cons. People may be shopped out by the time they get to you, or the reverse can happen and being the first on their route might mean more money is spent at your sale.

After you’ve uncluttered and are looking for a new treasure, consider these neighboring community sales: n Osage Citywide Garage Sales – April 17th n Holton Spring Countywide Garage Sales – April 24th and 25th n Overbrook Citywide Garage Sales – April 25th n Annual Ozawkie Garage Sales – April 30th n Spring Citywide Garage Sales in Valley Falls – May 8th n Perry Citywide Garage Sales – May 24th n Meriden Citywide Garage Sales – June 5th n Westmoreland Citywide Garage Sales – June 13th n Hiawatha Citywide Garage Sales – September 19th and 20th n Citywide Garage Sales in Valley Falls – September 19th

n Alma Chamber of Commerce Mulligan and Citywide Garage

Sales – October 3rd

Warning. These two are for the die-hard garage saler: n Fabulous Finds on Highway 99 (233 miles of sales through

the Flint Hills) Date TBD n Great US Highway 36 Treasure Hunt (travel east to west

across Kansas) – September 18th, 19th and 20th

8 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Spring Break in the Kitchen

By Linda A. Ditch Special to The Capital-Journal

If you’re looking for ways to entertain the kids during Spring Break, why not get them busy in the kitchen. Cooking with children is a great way to encourage them to make healthy food choices and add variety to their diet. Plus, making their own food can enlighten them about just what goes into the stuff they like to eat, both good and bad.

Kids of just about any age can cook with supervision. All of them can pour, mix, roll and spread. When I taught preschool, my three, four and five year-old students cracked eggs and cut with table knives or plastic serrated knives.

Before getting started, keep these kidcooking tips in mind: n Let the children help plan the meals and pick the recipes. n Teach them the first rule of cooking— wash your hands! n Teach the second rule of cooking— safety. Set guidelines for using the stove,

knives and appliances. n Teach the third rule of cooking—read the recipe first. Take the opportunity to explain some of the terminology, such as sift, pre-heat, whisk, and saute. n Let them help with getting out the ingredients and utensils for a recipe. n Have them smell the ingredients.

This is an important step in learning how flavors blend together. n Show the kids how it’s done, but then let them do it. n Expect a mess, which leads to... n Teach the fourth rule of cooking— every good chef cleans up after they’re done. n Don’t expect perfection. We all make mistakes in the kitchen. If a recipe gets messed up or doesn’t turn out right, let them try again.

Cooking with kids doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the easiest ways to get started is to make a smoothie. (What kid doesn’t like to watch ingredients being whizzed-up in a blender?) Use a variety of frozen fruits, juices, milks and yogurts to

come up with your favorite flavor combinations. For an additional treat, freeze the mixture in molds for healthy smoothie pops.

One of the best ways to get everyone around the dinner table is to hold a makeyour-own pizza night. Kids love it when you give them a ball of pizza dough to spread out on a sheet of parchment paper. Plus, it’s a budget-friendly meal: The ingredients for a large homemade cheese pizza cost less than $5.

Start by letting the children help make the dough, even if it’s just a matter of their pouring the ingredients into the mixing bowl. However, kids also love to knead, so why not let them get their hands dirty.

Next, give them a wide selection of toppings to construct their personal pizza.

You will be amazed at the combinations they will select. Some will load the dough so full of toppings you can hardly get the pizza in the oven, (which is where the parchment paper comes in handy.) Others will take the time to make their pizza looks as artistic and professional as pos-

sible. Best of all, they can choose whatever topping they like. No ordering multiple pizzas to please everyone’s taste buds.

For a sweet treat, and a history lesson, teach the kids how to make Crazy Chocolate Cake. I found the instructions in my grandmother’s recipe file. This has to be the easiest chocolate cake to make. Everything is mixed together in the pan in which you bake the cake. No mixer. No bowl. All you need is a baking dish and a fork. Plus, there are no eggs or milk in this cake. From what I’ve read, the recipe was developed during the Great Depression as a cost-effective way to make a chocolate cake without expensive ingredients. The vinegar in the mix helps the cake to rise.

Teaching children to cook sets them up for a lifetime of good eating. Plus, as they get older, perhaps they will take on some of the family meal prep responsibilities, and then one day pass what they’ve learned on to the next generation.

Smoothies Serves 2

1 individual-sized container of Greek yogurt, any flavor 1 banana 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen fruit of choice 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup juice of choice, or almond milk Honey, to taste Place all of the ingredients except for the honey into a blender and puree until smooth. Taste, and add honey for sweetness.

Crazy Chocolate Cake

Linda A. Ditch/Special to The Capital-Journal

2 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt Linda A. Ditch/Special to The Capital-Journal 8 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar 1/2 cup cooking oil (scant) 1 1/2 cups water Sift dry ingredients into a 12 x 7 1/2 x 2-inch baking pan. Mix together and make 3 indentations in the dry ingredients. Into one hole, put vanilla, into another put vinegar, and into third put cooking oil. Pour water over all and mix batter well with a fork. Bake in the same pan at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until center springs back to the touch.

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Linda A. Ditch/Special to The Capital-Journal

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Adapted from the recipe that came with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer!

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees, or just warm to the touch) 1 packet rapid rise yeast 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons olive oil Warm the bowl to your stand mixer by filling it with hot water and letting it set for about a minute. Pour the water out and dry.

Place the bowl onto the mixer stand. Add the warm water, and then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Next add the whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, salt and olive oil. Mix with the dough hook for 2 minutes. If the dough is too

dry (not coming together in a ball), add a few drops of water at a time until it clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. If it’s too wet (sticking to the bowl), add more all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.

Once the dough has come together, continue to knead with the dough-hook for 2 more minutes. (Or you can knead by hand if you wish.)

Smear the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough into the greased bowl, turning it over to oil the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. (I place my dough in my oven that I preheated at 450 degrees for 1 minute,

and then turned off.) When the dough has risen, punch it down and then shape into the pizza form on a well-greased baking sheet or on top of a piece of parchment paper. Top the pizza, and then bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. (I often remove my pizza from the pan directly onto the oven rack for the last few minutes of baking so the bottom crust gets nice and brown.)

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce (I use Hunts.)

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt, to taste Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

(Be sure to taste the sauce before you add the salt, since many tomato sauces are already quite salty.) Allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for a few minutes so the flavors can blend together.

10 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

The Topeka Capital-Journal Pin of the Week Follow all of The Capital-Journal Pinterest boards – www.pinterest.com/tcjmedia/

Materials: Fabric Curtain Rod Ribbon Thread Instructions: We cut four 95 inch panels. Then we got to work folding over the length-wise edges and sewing them. We didn’t bother cutting off the edges because 1. no one sees them and 2. it won’t fray, so why bother?

We did about a 4 inch hem at the top.

And about a 5 inch hem at the bottom.

Source: twotwentyone.net

We hung the curtain panels with ribbon that I hot glued on.

Sounds kind of crazy, doesn’t it?

We used 1 1/2 inch x 3 inch and 5/8 inch x 3 inch ribbon, spaced about 4-5 inches apart. I used a lighter to melt the edges and keep them from fraying. The thicker strips were used in the middle, while the thinner strips on the ends. Why’d we do that?

Well, I realized that if we used the thicker ribbon on the ends it would look a little wonkier once we got the curtains up on the rods.

To get more information on this project and others, visit The Topeka Capital-Journal’s At Home Living – DIY: At Home Pinterest board.

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 11

Service Directory

Service Directory

Boost your brand, product or service with an ad in the service directory! At Home Living is read by home owners, buyers and sellers across the Topeka and surrounding area. To place your ad contact your MultiMedia Sales Consultant or 785.295.1125.

12 | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 13

Mirror: Use Pinterest ideas tiles to the mirror then grout.

A more “off the wall” on the wall décor to repaint, the one stuck to the wall can also from Sawdustgirl is to use found objects get an new personality with enough sandpa- to make the frame, such as coins, old barn per, elbow grease and paint. wood, sticks, silk flowers, whatever. If you Along the same lines but perhaps a couple think it might work and is unique or impornotches more difficult is painting a border or tant to you, give it a try. adding detail to an existing mirror. SawdustWhatever you do to revamp your stuckgirl.com recommends a stencil of the pattern on-the-wall mirror or medicine cabinet, your you want and spray glass paint, thus turning newly revived handiwork staring back at you a “blah” mirror into a “wow” mirror. won’t be so menacing. Plus, you’ll start your Similarly, Sawdustgirl also suggests using day with a reminder of what you can accomtiles to build a frame around an existing mir- plish when you put your mind—and a little ror. Even expensive tiles are an option, as the creativity—into it. site notes you’ll only need a few feet for the Stock Image/Mirredge frame. You can also use leftover tiles from your the bathroom to match the new décor. Bathroom mirror after Cherry Walnut Sawdustgirl recommends caulk to glue the Mirredge treatment.

Continued from 5A

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