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March 4, 2010

Consumer Q’s

Submitted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — Prepared by the Office of Public Affairs

Georgia Department of Agriculture

Tommy Irvin, Commissioner

www.agr.georgia.gov

 

Question:  What is a plumgranny?

Answer: A plumgranny or plum granny (Cucumis melo Dudaim Group) is a small melon grown because it is very fragrant.  It is also known as known as “Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon.”  It is about the size of a small-to-medium apple and has smooth skin and orange stripes when ripe.

It has been grown for many years; some think at least 1,000 years.  In the days before perfumes and deodorants, plumgrannies were carried in pockets and purses to mask body odor.

Plumgrannies are edible, but they are mostly grown for their fragrance.  One or two can fill a room with their perfume.  Think of them as potpourri.

Plumgranny seeds are sometimes are offered for sale in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin and in various seed catalogs, especially those specializing in heirloom vegetables.

 

Q: Is butter safe at room temperature?

A: Butter and margarine are safe at room temperature. However, if butter is left out at room temperature for several days, the flavor can turn rancid so it is best to leave out only what you can use within a day or two.

 

Q: Why is it hard to grow a lawn in the shade?

A: There are several reasons.  Turfgrasses are not shade-loving plants.  Shade reduces the amount of light available for photosynthesis.  Photosynthesis is how plants manufacture food.  If plants, especially sun-loving plants like turfgrasses, don’t get enough light, they starve. Fallen leaves exacerbate the problem by practically smothering the grass.

Shady conditions encourage fungal diseases because the grass blades stay wet longer since the sun cannot dry the grass blades and because the air does not circulate as readily under the shade of trees as it does in the open.

Trees prevent some of the rain from reaching the plants beneath them.  Tree roots also compete with the plants for water and nutrients in the soil.

If your property is shaded, consider having mulched areas instead of a lawn, drifts of shrubs such as azaleas, a bed of shade-loving perennials or swaths of shade-loving groundcovers like dwarf mondograss.  Stop trying to fight nature and, instead, plant the things that want to be in the shade.

 

Q: Are powdered egg whites pasteurized?

A: Egg white powder is dried egg white (albumen). Dried egg whites are pasteurized by heating in the dried form for a specified time and at a minimum required temperature. The powdered egg whites can be reconstituted by mixing them with water. The reconstituted powder whips like fresh egg whites and, because it is pasteurized, can be used safely without cooking or baking it. Although pasteurized, for optimal safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service says it is best to start with a cooked base, especially if serving high-risk persons, such as the elderly, young children and individuals with compromised immune systems.

 

If you have questions about services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, visit our website at www.agr.georgia.gov or write to us at 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Room 227, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail us at  info@agr.state.ga.us. 

 

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