Serving Whitman County since 1877

My Favorite Recipes: Meet the Late Bloomers Garden Club, Colfax

Late Bloomers Garden Club at Codger Park in front of their colorful flowers and the Codger Park Sign. From left, Cherry Alice Van Tine, Della Hauser, Pauline Gebhardt, Mary Ann Wigen, Marsha and Bill Tempel, Jo Gfeller, Celesta Dailey and Lynne Bruya.

The Late Bloomers Garden Club began when Cherry Alice Van Tine and Della Hauser met with Jo Gfeller to urge her to lead a group to transform Codger Park into a pleasant space. When Jo agreed, they began inviting others to help and also put an ad in the Whitman County Gazette inviting interested people to come to a meeting. And they did come.

They contacted Steve Larkin and toured Colfax city parks with him, looking at water and electrical sources. They decided to begin with Codger Park after their tour. The new garden club discussed what they wanted to do at Codger Park and made a plan.

The group gives kudos and thanks to Steve Larkin for his help with the heavy lifting at Codger Park, literally. He has lent help and advice, and even moved a walkway made of pavers. The Late Bloomers have cleaned up and planted flowers and plants there, and they sign up to water and weed on a weekly basis.

Members donate their time, work, experience and occasionally fertilizer, mulch, use of equipment and so on. The Late Bloomers are part of Colfax Development Association and can receive financial assistance from CDA funding. The Late Bloomers also planted the flower pots on Main Street, which are watered by the nearby businesses.

People have been giving donations to the group to help buy plantings, fertilizer and so on. Donations from the public are welcome, and checks may be sent to Cherry Alice Van Tine, the group’s treasurer, payable to her with “Late Bloomers” on the memo, or given to any other Late Bloomers member.

Late Bloomers gardeners are making plans for future projects, from a birdhouse at Codger Park to a pergola. They are looking for a birdbath to install, which would be refilled by sprinklers.

A bench on the south wall of Codger Park under a pergola would provide a shady spot for people to relax. Sherry Cox said, “We met a cyclist riding from Washington to New Jersey, and he thought it (Codger Park) was lovely.” Since the park is within walking distance for some residents of The Courtyard, having shady seating areas makes the park more usable.

The City of Colfax has repainting of the Codger sign in the back of the Codger Park in its budget. This fall, members will plant spring bulbs-daffodils, hyacinths and tulips-there. They also planned for fall cleanup in October at their recent meeting.

Maggie Cain Garden also has a sign in need of repainting, and members are planning to plant peonies, which bloom perennially. Other city parks under consideration by the Late Bloomers for a little gardening love are Niehenke Park and Good Park, and they are developing plans for enhancing them. The city’s tiny parks serve as fresh oases in their neighborhoods, and a little work and planting makes a major impact.

The Colfax Parks Master Plan Survey 2016 is available online, and members encourage the public to complete the survey and share their ideas about Colfax city parks.

One of the largest needs is a public restroom in downtown Colfax. When the library is closed, it can be a search. Group members are brainstorming locations, and anyone with a great idea is welcome to share it. When there is a public restroom, signage will be needed to direct people to it.

Late Bloomers shared their reasons for joining the garden club. Lynne Bruya noted, “I thought it would be nice to do something to beautify Colfax.” Lynne, along with Phyllis Kincaid, has done planning and work to beautify the grounds of St. Patrick Church while reducing maintenance.

Mary Ann Wigen said, “It’s turned out so well. It’s a major improvement, and everyone should stop and see Codger Park.”

In addition to the members pictured in the Late Bloomers photo, are members JoAnne Fleming, Phyllis Kincaid, Sherry and Don Cox, Debbie Casey, Leslie Cloaninger, Georgie Leinweber, Kathy Lemon, Judy Moore and Bob Ingalls.

Recipes:

No-Bake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Della Hauser

12 chocolate sandwich cookies, like Oreos, crushed

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

6 cups ice cream, softened

Cool Whip, sprinkles, maraschino cherries

Line a muffin pan with foil cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, combine crushed cookies with butter. Press 1 Tablespoon cookie mixture into each cupcake liner to form crust. Using the back of a spoon, press ice cream into crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or at least 4 hours.

Spread thawed Cool Whip on top of ice cream and top with sprinkles and cherries. Serve immediately. Serves 12.

Berry Cordial

Cherry Alice Van Tine

1 quart jar with lid

Raspberries or blackberries

Cube sugar

1 bottle vodka

Fill fruit jar 1/2 full with fresh berries. Fill jar to shoulder with cube sugar.

Fill jar to neck with vodka, being sure to cover all the berries and sugar cubes with vodka. Screw on the lid. Place in a dark, cool place and reverse jar every 24 hours for 21 days.

Strain through two thicknesses of cheese cloth into glass bottles. Empty clean wine bottles work well. Screw lid on. These do not need to be sealed other than with a good lid.

One fifth of vodka will make two quarts of berry cordial.

No-Bake Ice Cream Cupcakes

12 chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreo), crushed

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 cups ice cream, softened

Cool Whip, sprinkles, maraschino cherries

Line a muffin pan with foil cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, combine crushed cookies with butter. Press 1 Tablespoon cookie mixture into each liner to form crush. Using the back of a spoon, press ice cream into crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or at least four hours.

Spread thawed Cool Whip on top of ice cream and top with sprinkles and cherries. Serve immediately. Serves 12.

Creamed Cucumbers

JoAnne Fleming

5 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

1 bunch green onion tops, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 drops hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

Combine cucumbers and onions and let stand for one hour. Combine other ingredients to make the dressing. Combine dressing with cucumbers and onions and refrigerate for several hours.

Vegetables in French Dressing

JoAnne Fleming

Bell peppers (I like yellow), cut in bite-size pieces

Celery, cut in bite-size pieces

Tomatoes, cut in bite-size pieces

Cougar Gold cheese chunks

Sliced black olives

1 can kidney beans, drained

Walla Walla sweet onion, sliced or diced, as much as desired

Creamy French dressing

Mix vegetables together. Just before serving, add chunks of fresh avocado. Stir in your choice of bottled or homemade creamy French dressing. Add crumbled Frito chili cheese chips, stir, and serve.

 

Reader Comments(0)