PPP, ERTC, who CARES?

It is over now, we think.

L ast week President Biden announced that federal pandemic programs will end in May.

I watched a comedy special by Jo Koy recently where he was recalling how we all acted during the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Funny stuff from sneezing in masks to hoarding toilet paper.

T he passage of nearly three years has hopefully given us some perspective. In hindsight, it all looks fairly crazy now. Then? Not so much.

Federal and state governments looked at all sorts of financial aid during lockdowns to prevent businesses closing, bankruptcies and overall social unrest from occurring.

Publisher’s

Desk

Tom Stangl

T he Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) was signed into law at the end of March, 2020. The $2.2 trillion measure had provisions for individuals to receive stimulus payments, parents to receive extra funds for school age children, free lunches for school age children and many other benefits.

M any businesses qualified for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), a forgivable loan program from the Small Business Administration designed to help businesses keep their employees during the pandemic. Over $800 billion was loaned and then forgiven.

A nother CARES program, the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), is a refundable tax credit for qualifying employee wages. Businesses of five or more employees are able to qualify for up to $13,000 per year ($26,000 total) tax credit for 2020 and 2021 for full time employees.

ERTC was initially reserved for businesses that didn’t get PPP. However, the rules were changed and firms who previously got PPP can get ERTC. ERTC sunsets in June (maybe sooner with the recent announcement of an end to federal pandemic programs), so there is limited time for businesses that qualify to amend their tax returns and get their money.

I know many people have ethical, moral or political objections to government programs. On an intellectual level, I can understand and appreciate the objections. But pandemic relief that individuals and businesses qualify for and legally are entitled to receive for me is a different thing altogether.

T his newspaper qualified for PPP and ERTC. We have used the funds to keep people employed and the business going during some major disruptions brought on by the pandemic.

We have decided to partner with Easy Tax Credits, LLC, to help spread the work about ERTC. Easy Tax Credits, LLC is a family-owned business run by a newspaper family, the Richners, in New York. The CEO of our company has known the Richners for years and after hearing a presentation about Easy Tax Credits, LLC, we made the decision to work with the company. You have probably seen the ads in this paper and on the website for the company. We want every small business of five or more employees to get the CARES Act funding they are entitled to under the law.

W hether that means working with your payroll tax advisor or Easy Tax Credits, LLC, we hope businesses make sure they aren’t leaving money on the table. This paper does receive a commission on business referred to Easy Tax Credits, LLC. Please see the ad in the paper or visit the website.

T he COVID-19 pandemic was awful. We look forward to getting back to whatever is normal now.

Tom Stangl is publisher of Sentinel Publications, an affiliated company of Press Publications

Stop and Taste the Flowers

While many of us are familiar with the idea of creating an edible landscape using traditional food sources like currant bushes, apple trees and herbs, we might be missing out on some other culinary delights contained in our own backyards –flowers.

Gardener’s Grapevine

When you are selecting pansies for your spring planter, consider buying extras to give a pop of color and taste to your spring salads, or candy them for a delicate dessert. Both the petals and sepals of pansies are edible and have a delicate, slightly grassy flavor. Here are some other good choices for both your landscape and your plate:

1. Sunflowers: While most people know you can eat the seeds, few realize that the whole flower head is edible. Harvest the heads when they begin to droop (before seeds are fully formed), remove the outer and inner petals, and wash thoroughly. To prepare, drizzle the sunflower heads with olive oil and place them face down on a closed gas grill. Cook at 450 degrees for about five minutes. Serve the heads in chunks and eat them like corn on the cob.

2. Nasturtiums: Do you like peppery greens like arugula?

If so, you’ll love nasturtium, which is ready to harvest after arugula and other mustard-like greens have bolted in the heat of the summer. Both the petals and the flowers can be eaten, and the flowers come in many vibrant colors to match your landscape and your salad plate.

3. Borage: This Mediterranean herb is incredibly easy to grow from seed, and both the leaves and flowers are edible. Borage tastes like cucumber and is a gorgeous addition to salads and summer cocktails with its blue or white blooms. It is best to use young leaves as older ones are hairy and not as palpable. Borage is a pollinator magnet, so leave some flowers for the bees to enjoy, too!

4. Roses: These workhorses of the flower garden are excellent additions to your afternoon tea party. Rose hips are used in preserves and teas. Rose petals are making a comeback in baking and cocktail applications via rose water, which will add sweetness and a taste undertone ranging from spicy to fruity depending on the variety. For best taste, select an heirloom rose variety since newer hybrids are bred primarily for looks.

There are several precautions to take when using a flower for food. The most important is to be certain you have properly identified the flower. There are many resources available online and in print to guide you. Next, avoid consuming plants from florists or from areas sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals. Finally, thoroughly wash all flowers or produce before serving – an insect may be trapped in that borage bloom.

For gardeners with small or non-existent yards, it is not necessary to sacrifice blooms for food or vice versa. With a little research, you can make your environment both beautiful and edible.

The University of Minnesota Extension has more information about edible flowers: https://extension.umn.edu/ flowers/edible-flowers

Mark your calendar for the Anoka County Master Gardeners' Home Landscaping and Garden Fair on April 1 and Plant Sale on May 16 and 17. Visit anokamastergardeners. org for details.

Paulette Greenberg is an Anoka County Extension Master Gardener

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