N.C. Cooperative Extension - Henderson County Center

11/02/2026

Today!!!

Invasive plants invade our natural areas and damage our ecosystems. And the problem is getting worse. Join Henderson County Agent and host of the 'Gardening in the Mountains Radio Show and Podcast' Steve Pettis to learn about which non-native plants top the invasive plant list as the most obnoxious

11/01/2026

⏰ Don't forget to set your clocks back! Daylight Saving Time ends TONIGHT, Saturday, October 31st into Sunday, November 1st.

At 2:00 AM, clocks will turn back one hour to 1:00 AM. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep! 😴

11/01/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: HALLOWEEN 📁

Next up: Vampire Bats & Bloodsuckers 🦇🩸

🧛 The Trick (The Horror): Nighttime biters that feed on livestock blood, spreading deadly diseases like rabies and causing severe stress, anemia, or dangerous infections in herds!

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Protect your livestock! Secure animal housing at night, apply fly and parasite controls, and practice routine rabies vaccinations and herd monitoring to keep your animals safe from bloodsucking pests. 🐄🐑🛡️

https://ncwf.org/blog/bats-in-north-carolina/

10/31/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: DAY SIX 📁
Next up: Witches' Herb🧹🔮

☠️ The Trick (The Horror): Every part of this ominous plant contains deadly tropane alkaloids! Historically linked to medieval "flying ointments" and sorcery, ingesting or handling large amounts can cause wild hallucinations, severe delirium, seizures, and respiratory failure.

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Proper identification and invasive w**d management! Extension offices help livestock producers, gardeners, and land stewards identify dangerous nightshades, safely remove them (always wear heavy gloves to prevent skin absorption!), and keep pastures safe for animals and pets. 🧤🛡️
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hyoscyamus-niger/common-name/witches-herb/

10/30/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: DAY FIVE 📁
Next up: Zombie Insects 🧠🍄

🧟 The Trick (The Horror): Mind-controlling parasitic fungi (like Cordyceps) hijack an insect's brain, forcing it to climb high onto a plant stem before bursting through its body to shower spores onto the rest of the colony!

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Nature's horror is a gardener's ally! Extension teams harness these naturally occurring "zombie" fungi and beneficial parasitoids as eco-friendly Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools—safely keeping garden pests in check without heavy chemicals! 🌿🛡️

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/categories/biology-and-human-anatomy/item/whats-up-with-zombie-ants/

10/29/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: DAY FOUR 📁

Next up: Kitchen Knife Nightmares 🩸🔪

🩸 The Trick (The Horror): Slip-ups on the cutting board that lead to deep gashes, emergency room visits, and contaminated prep surfaces from blood and bacteria!

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Protect your digits! Master the "Claw Grip" (curling your fingertips inward like a bear claw while guiding the blade with your knuckles) and always keep your knives sharp; dull knives slip far more often than sharp ones! 🐻🔪

https://efnep.ces.ncsu.edu/basic-kitchen-knife-skills/

10/28/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: SPOOKY EDITION 📁
Next up: Dead Man’s Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) 🖐️🧟

💀 The Trick (The Horror): Dark, swollen fungal growths poking up from the forest floor that look terrifyingly like rotting human fingers reaching out from the grave!

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Don't panic! While creepy, these fungi are harmless saprophytes—they play a vital role in breaking down dead wood into nutrient-rich soil. If they pop up in your landscape, simply clear away old tree stumps or decaying roots to manage them. 🪵🌱

https://forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu/news/boo-tanical-wonders-the-spooky-side-of-nature/

10/27/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES: DAY TWO 📁

Next up: Botulism 🧪☣️

🤢 The Trick (The Horror): An invisible, odorless, and potentially fatal toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria in improperly home-canned low-acid foods. It silently attacks the nervous system, leading to muscle paralysis.

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Keep your home preserves safe! Always follow tested, research-based recipes (like USDA or Extension guidelines) and use a properly calibrated pressure canner—never a water bath—when processing low-acid foods like vegetables, meats, and soups. 🥩🥦🫙

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/foodborne-illness-and-disease/illnesses-and-pathogens/botulism

10/26/2026

📁 THE EXTENSION FILES📁
It’s the week leading up to Halloween! 🎃 Every day until October 31st, we’re opening "The Extension Files" to share something eerie, weird, or downright terrifying from our world! 👻🌿

First up: The Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora) 👻🌱

👻 The Trick (The Horror): This eerie, pale plant has no chlorophyll and can't photosynthesize. Instead, it acts like a true botanical parasite, stealing all of its nutrients underground from surrounding fungi and trees.

✨ The Treat (The Solution): Don't try to pick or transplant them. Doing so kills them almost instantly because they rely entirely on complex soil networks. The best way to appreciate these spooky native wonders is to admire them in the wild and protect healthy forest ecosystems so soil fungi can thrive! 🌲🍄

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monotropa/

10/21/2026

Happy National Apple Day! 🍎✨

Celebrate Henderson County’s famous apples by learning how to make and preserve your own delicious apple treat! 🍏🍯 Join an upcoming Food Preservation: Apple Preserves Canning Class to master the basics of canning and take home sweet, homemade flavor.

🎟️ Sign up here to reserve your spot:

Morning Session: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-preservation-apple-preserves-canning-class-tickets-1982460460604?aff=oddtdtcreator

Afternoon Session: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-preservation-apple-preserves-canning-class-tickets-2003008220507?aff=oddtdtcreator