4-H at Home
Camaryn Byrum, 4-H Agent 

Easy and Healthy Banana Pancakes

Do you often find that your bananas ripen too quickly before you get a chance to eat them? If so, try this simple, healthy, and kid-friendly banana pancake recipe with those overripe bananas. This recipe is full of ingredients your family likely has in the pantry. You can customize this recipe with your favorite fruit or nuts.

Ingredients

• One overripe banana
• One large egg
• 1 tablespoon creamy nut butter (peanut, almond, walnut, cashew)
• Pinch of salt
• Toppings of choice (syrup, nuts, fruit)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash the banana until smooth.
2. Whisk egg, nut butter, and salt into the bowl.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Grease the pan with butter or oil of choice.
4. When the pan is hot, pour batter into 3-inch rounds.
5. Cook until the edges become firm and can be flipped easily (about 2-3 minutes).
6. Once the pancake is browned on the bottom, flip it and allow to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
7. Repeat for the remaining batter.
8. Top with syrup, nuts, and fruit of choice.

*Recipe and photo from National 4-H Healthy Living Guide

Family and Consumer Sciences at Home
Submitted By: Mary Morris, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent

Masks and Hand Sanitizer Received for Chowan County Farmworkers

The N.C. Masks and Infection Control Supplies to Protect Health and Safety of Farmers and Agriculture Worker supplies have been delivered to the Chowan County Cooperative Extension Office. These supplies are available for farmers and farmworkers. Please call the office at 252-482-6585 to get information on getting these PPE supplies.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is taking further action to prevent and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks among the agricultural workforce, delivering critical personal protection equipment for use by agricultural workers across the state.

“Agriculture is vital to our economy and food supply and it is critical that we protect farmworkers and their families from this virus,” said Governor Cooper.

Farmworkers are deemed an essential workforce and it is imperative that people who cultivate and harvest North Carolina’s wide variety of crops are protected. To support prevention efforts that are proven to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, NCDHHS is implementing its plan to deliver over 900,000 masks and other infection control supplies to North Carolina Cooperative Extension county centers across the state for distribution to farms and agricultural operations. In addition to masks, the deliveries included hand sanitizer and cloth face coverings for workers to take home.

Thirty-one counties have been selected to receive the first delivery, including: Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Harnett, Henderson, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Nash, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Wake, Wayne, Wilson. Chowan County is included in the second round of supplies and now have supplies available for farmers and farmworkers.

“Many of our farmworkers live in group housing, putting them at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Providing masks is one way we are helping to protect workers,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen.

NCDHHS is partnering with N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL), and N.C. Agromedicine Institute to expedite a delivery plan and raise awareness about this resource among the farming community.

“Some of these supplies have been difficult for farmers to source as demand has exceeded supply. I am grateful that farmworkers and farmers have been prioritized for these much-needed materials,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The health of our farmers and farmworkers is very important because we all rely on them every day.”

This initiative builds on earlier measures North Carolina has taken with state and local partners to protect the agricultural workforce. Previous and ongoing actions include:

• Released the Interim Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Guidance for Migrant Farmworkers, their Employers, and Housing Providers.
• Providing targeted funding to farmworker health programs to purchase protective equipment and infection control supplies and support additional staff needed to support COVID-19 response efforts.
• Providing virtual trainings and webinars for farmworker health programs and other health agencies regarding COVID-19 prevention and outbreak response.
• Providing virtual webinars for farmers to prepare and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks
• Developed a toolkit of COVID-19 educational materials targeting farmworkers and other essential workers.
• Migrant outbreak response team supporting collaboration between health departments, federally qualified health centers and farmworker health programs to respond to outbreaks and provide patient support and health care.
• Launched an internet connectivity project to support internet access at migrant housing to facilitate access to health information, screenings and virtual medical visits.
• NCDOL issued “Farmworkers and the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Temporary Worker COVID-19 Guidance.” NCDOL also implemented procedures to approve temporary, emergency isolation and quarantine housing for migrant farmworkers.
• NCDA&CS released “The Necessity of PPE for Agricultural Operations” and “Notice of Temporary Agricultural Worker Bulk Purchase Authorization for groceries for farms housing workers,
• NC State Extension launched a COVID-19 Resources and Information website, including educational materials for farmers and farmworkers, to support N.C. agribusinesses throughout the pandemic.

If you have questions about any of these available resources call N.C. Cooperative Extension of Chowan County at 252-482-6585. Farmers can request supplies for their farms and farmworkers. Supplies are limited, they will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.

Horticulture at Home
Katy Shook, Area Horticulture Agent

What Happens Next?

Summer’s nearing an end (at least on the calendar), but what does that mean for gardeners? Take advantage of favorable weather and remember the following:

• Warm-season lawns (e.g., Bermuda, centipede) are starting to go dormant. You may have already noticed less mowing requirements. After mid-August, fertilizer is usually not necessary, and irrigation systems can be cut back. An application of pre-emergent herbicides will help manage winter weeds. Remember, the best defense against weeds is an aggressive turf.
• Cool-season lawns (e.g., tall fescue) are gearing up. As soon as cooler weather hits, these lawns will emerge from summer-dormancy and require more input. Plan to fertilize this month, and again around Thanksgiving. Bare areas can be reseeded.
• Vegetable gardeners have two options:  Replant quickly growing summer crops like squash for a second season, and/or plant cool-season crops like collards for a fall harvest. Continue to provide water and fertilizer for these plants.
• Frost won’t be happening for another 6-to-8-weeks, so any overgrown annuals or perennials may need a haircut before the end of the season. Save seeds for next year by storing them in a paper lunch-bag, kept in the refrigerator.
• Fall is a great time of year to transplant perennials, shrubs, and small trees. Try to dig as much of the root ball as possible, and provide lots of water following the move. It’s also a great time of year to plant. Perennials, shrubs, and trees can all be installed now through mid-December.
• Hold off heavy pruning of trees and shrubs until late winter. Any plants pruned now, have the potential to reemerge with a fresh flush of growth that won’t be hardened off before freezing temperatures. Although this won’t kill the plant, it will cause stress which can lead to more problems down the road.
• Master Gardener℠ volunteers continue to be available through the Ask A Master Gardener Helpline, (252) 482-6585.