OSU Extension Office-Hood River County

Feature your garden in our upcoming Front Yard Garden Tour of the Hood River Heights! Our Request For Properties (RFP) closes Friday, July 19th.

Central Gorge Master Gardeners - OSU, Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Gorge Grown Food Network, Streets Alive Hood River

Are you preserving food this summer? Oregon State University has a Food Safety & Preservation HOTLINE to help answer your questions! Staffed with Master Food Preserver volunteers Monday thru Friday, from 9AM to 4PM, this is a great resource to keep in your back pocket if you run into issues during your preservation journey.

Smoke can be harmful to our health. When the air is smoky, it can help to stay indoors, close windows and doors, and run air filters.

You can make your own air filter using a box fan and a MERV-13/FPR 10 furnace filter. Check out SmokeReadyGorge.org for more information.

Looking for tips on staying safe and healthy during extreme heat? Check out OSU Extension's resources below:

Resources for managing in heat waves When Oregon experiences extremely high temperatures in summer, these resources can help your family, plants and animals weather the heat.

Our Front Yard Garden Tour RFP (Request for Properties) is now live! Please consider submitting your property for our fall garden tour of the Hood River Heights. beav.es/GardenRFP
RFP Open until Friday, July 19th.

Celebrate edible gardening, native plants, pollinators, walkable/bikable/rollable neighborhoods, and the fall harvest season. Tour scheduled for: Saturday, September 7th, 9am-1pm.

Walk, bike, or roll your way through neighborhoods of the Hood River Heights as you visit gardens and learn how to transform water-thirsty lawns into more sustainable and nourishing landscapes for humans and pollinators alike.

Thanks to some of our early event sponsors:
Gorge Grown Food Network, Streets Alive Hood River, Central Gorge Master Gardeners - OSU

Got peppers but short on room in the freezer? Check out a dehydrator from the Hood River County Library District and try dehydrating bell peppers to use later!

💃💃🏿💃🏾💃💃🏼💃🏻💃💃🏿💃🏾💃💃🏼💃🏻

Dust off those bicycles and get out on the many bike paths, bike parks & trails this summer!

This Barley Summer Salad is one of our favorites! Great as a make ahead recipe to snack on throughout the week or a perfect side dish to bring to your next summer bbq!

Did you know you can eat the greens as well as the root of a radish? Try these tips for your radishes this summer!

Pretty Rad if you ask me!

Come join OSU Extension at the library next Tuesday, June 25th to learn how to use a commercial cherry pitter this cherry season!

Join us for a demonstration by an expert from the OSU Extension Services on the many uses of a cherry pitter, along with tips for preserving your fruit afterwards. This presentation is part of a larger series of classes offered at the Hood River and Cascade Locks libraries to help patrons safely and efficiently use some of the food preparation equipment in our Library of Things collection.

Do you have a favorite water sport? Hood River is a great spot to get your feet wet!

Radishes, cucumbers, yogurt & spices come together in this cool summer dish that provides just the right amount of crunch & yum!

Let’s recap Week!

We hope you learned more about:
☁️Sources of smoke,
☁️Checking air quality,
☁️Smoke and your health,
☁️Creating clean indoor air, and
☁️Preventing wildfire smoke.

Thanks for following along! Visit SmokeReadyGorge.org to learn more.

Every action we take to prevent wildfires helps to reduce smoke exposure. This includes careful handling of fire, like extinguishing campfires thoroughly and not dragging chains while driving.

During wildfire season, there are often burn bans in place. Call your local fire department to learn if there is a burn ban in your area. Remember, preventing wildfires is everyone's responsibility.

Let's all do our part to protect our communities and stay . Visit SmokeReadyGorge.org to learn more.

Hey, Hood River County! We've reached the final day of Week, focusing on preventing wildfire smoke.

Throughout the year, organizations like the Forest Service plan prescribed fires to reduce the risk of wildfire. Prescribed fire, or planned burning, is a tool to keep the forest healthy. Prescribed fire is safer and less smoky than wildfire.

Check the Air Quality Index with resources like SmokeReadyGorge.org, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Improving your indoor air quality can significantly reduce your exposure to smoke.

Simple actions like changing your filters regularly, using HEPA portable air cleaners, and limiting indoor activities that produce smoke (like burning candles) can make a big difference. Let's take action to breathe cleaner air and be .

Visit SmokeReadyGorge.org to learn more.

If your harvesting rhubarb or buying it fresh from the store, follow these tips to keep your rhubarb at it's peak until your ready to enjoy!

Hiking is a great way to get out and enjoy nature while being physically active. Remember though, any time you head out into nature, be prepared with the 10 essentials.

It's day 4 of Week, and today we're focusing on indoor air quality.

Last week, we launched a campaign called Join the Fan Club with our community partners. You can visit our number of pop-up displays around the county to get information about how to create cleaner indoor air using a DIY air purifier.

These DIY air purifiers, made from a box fan and a MERV-13 filter, are very effective and are only a fraction of the cost of commercial air purifiers. Click here to learn how to make one: https://deohs.washington.edu/edge/blog/how-make-box-fan-filter-clean-indoor-air-smoke

Locations pictured: 1. The Next Door Inc. 2. Hood River County Health Department 3. Department of Human Services 4. Hood River Valley Adult Center. Displays not pictured: Mt Hood Town Hall, FISH Food Bank

Smoothies are a warm weather favorite around here!

Raise your hand if you enjoy strawberry & rhubarb 🙋🏾🙋🙋🏻

Good morning, Hood River County! Today's theme for Week is "Smoke and your health."

Smoke from wildfires and other sources can have serious health impacts, particularly on children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing heart and lung conditions. Smoke can cause difficulty breathing, increase the risk of asthma attacks and heart attacks, and cause eye irritation. Stay informed about air quality in your area by using resources like SmokeReadyGorge.org, Oregon Smoke Blog, Mobile AQI, and the AirNow app.

Visit SmokeReadyGorge.org to learn more and be .

Day 2 of Week is all about "Finding information about smoke".

The level of pollution in the air is the Air Quality Index (AQI). The higher the AQI, the greater the health concern. Check the Air Quality Index with resources like SmokeReadyGorge.org, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and fire.airnow.gov. Remember, being means being informed.

Visit SmokeReadyGorge.org to learn more.

Today marks the start of week here in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re focusing on the question “What's in smoke and what are the sources?” Smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns, wood stoves, and other household sources contains a mixture of harmful substances like particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particles with diameters 2.5 micrometers or smaller known as PM 2.5. These particles are tiny enough to bypass our body’s normal defenses, entering the lungs and bloodstream, and can be dangerous to your health.

We can help our communities be .

Did you know that the Hood River Library boasts an impressive collection of preservation items that you can check out? Join OSU Extension at Hood River County Library District this summer to learn more about the equipment available and how to use it!

Central Gorge Master Gardeners present:
Managing Noxious W**ds!

The Garden Gathering series continues with Skamania County W**d Specialist, Emily Stevenson who will present a workshop on w**d prevention methods and controlling invasive w**ds.
Topics to be covered in this workshop include:
~~What is a w**d and how do you know if it’s noxious?
~~Effective ways to control broadleaf w**ds
~~Identifying w**ds and selecting appropriate control methods
~~How to prevent w**ds from spreading?

Two sessions of the Garden Gathering W**d Management presentation will be held, with the same information offered at each session.
Saturday June 8, 10 - 11:00 AM--
OSU Hood River County Extension Office, 2990 Experiment Station Rd, Hood River
Tuesday, June 11, 6:30-7:30 PM--
White Salmon Library, 77 NE Wauna Ave, White Salmon

All are welcome to attend the Garden Gathering to learn how to gain control over invasive w**ds. No registration is needed for this free presentation.

Over the next two weeks, Hood River County School District students in grades K-5 will become Food Hero's as they sample the delicious Peach & Carrot Smoothie. Students will get to cast their vote and let OSU Extension know what they think about the recipe. www.FoodHero.org has a variety of tasty smoothie recipes that are Kid Approved!

What is holding you back?