Extension for Real Life
Description
Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.
That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.
Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!
You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu
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3 Common Butterfly Caterpillars
Butterflies aren’t just beautiful. They are important pollinators for wildflowers and woody plants. But before they transform into the colorful, winged adults you see fluttering around your landscape, they are caterpillars hatched from eggs. Mississippi is home to more than 50 species of butterflies. Have you seen any of these three common butterfly caterpillars in your yard?
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What You Should Know About Starting a Cottage Food Business
Are you thinking of selling food items from your home kitchen? This kind of business venture is popular because if you like cooking, it’s a fun way to earn some extra cash. Here's what to know about Mississippi's Cottage Food Law, which governs this type of business.
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The Food Factor: Microwave Breakfast Cake
Do you sometimes like your breakfast sweet instead of a savory? Then, you’ll love this naturally sweet, fiber-rich Microwave Breakfast Cake.
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How to Attract Purple Martins to Your Landscape
Purple martins are a real treat to have grace your landscape. They offer hours of bird watching entertainment with their musical chatter, beautiful colors, and aerial acrobatics. Each year, purple martins migrate to North America from South America to nest. They arrive at varying times, but most tend to show up in March in Mississippi. To help welcome purple martins to your home, make sure you have the right kind of habitats for them.
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Daily Food Choices: Keep Moving Forward in 2022
Still looking for ways to improve your health in 2022? Well, adding more of the right kinds of food to your daily diet is one way to keep moving forward.
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What Is My Plant Hardiness Zone?
Do you know what your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone is? USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on the average annual minimum winter temperatures across the U.S. These minimum temperatures are broken down into 10-degree increments and provide a guide for which landscape plants are cold hardy for a given area.
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The Food Factor: Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Do you have leftover chicken and want a different meal? Try Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. It’s an easy meal that is both sweet and savory.
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How to Start Seeds Indoors Using Egg Cartons
With spring right around the corner, many people have gardening on their minds again. To get your gardening fix, start seeds indoors for spring planting now! Have you tried egg cartons to get your plants started instead of purchasing seedling trays? There are many benefits to trying this alternative container instead.
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How to Safely Use a Generator
You never know when a weather emergency will happen and cause you to lose power. Whether it be from ice, tornadoes, or hurricanes, you could potentially find yourself without power for days. When severe weather hits, a generator is very beneficial to have handy. When using gas-powered generators, here are a few things to keep in mind: