About fifty years ago, when I lived in Salisbury, Maryland, I joined a group called The homemakers Club. It operated under the auspices of the Agricultural Department of Maryland. My daughter was around three years old and my son was an infant. I took my young daughter (who was very well behaved and enjoyed the adventure) and my young son with me to these meetings. I carried him in a basket made for just such a trip. I thoroughly enjoyed these meetings as it was an opportunity to learn new things in terms of home making. We always had a speaker who was in the business of teaching helpful things to home makers.
One memorable day was spent at the home of a farmer in the area. His wife took us into her garden and we saw peanuts growing. This was a first for me and my daughter remembers the trip to this day. It inspired me years later, when I had a garden, to plant Virginia peanuts. They were large and easy to grow and so much fun. On that outing we also saw a huge cherry tree full of cherries ripening. This gracious lady allowed us to pick all the cherries we wanted - and could reach. On that day she served a dessert which was like a custard with graham cracker crust and crushed graham crackers on top. I kept the recipe for decades. Recently I made it and did enjoy it very much. She called it Crumb Tart. It was a favorite of my children.
These happy experiences have led me to look for this governmental agency,
each time I moved to a new area. It is found in the Extension Service which every town has available to them. Anything you need to know about gardening, and also any other issues you need help with, you can find, with the folks who work there. A couple of years ago, I invited the lady agent who works in the town near me, to come and pick grapes. I have taken her kiwi and have taken my extra Iris bulbs to the Ag Agent there ( he grows all types of Iris). They are as happy to receive as they are to give.
When I was a child my father had a hobby which helped supplement his income as a bookkeeper. He raised cows and became good friends with Mr. Rudine, the county agent. My mother was good friends with his wife and they benefited from their friendship.
I am telling about this as I have found so many people who have no idea that help is available to them from this free source. I have been passing this information along for years. If you have not yet consulted the Extension Service for your county, try them the next time you have a knotty problem. It could be gardening, termites or any problem you have. You can say I sent you.
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