Brown sugar is a pantry essential—perfect for cookies, sweet potatoes, sauces, and countless holiday favorites. But anyone who uses it regularly knows how quickly it can turn from soft and fluffy to a solid, rock-hard brick. With just a little know-how, you can keep your brown sugar soft and usable, and even rescue it if it does dry out. And if you ever find yourself completely out, don’t worry—making your own at home is easier than you think.

On December 2nd, the Union County Extension Office hosted a Simmer Pot Kit Class, offering community members an opportunity to learn the basics of dehydrating fruits and assembling their own holiday simmer pot kits. The class was led by Abigail Thomas, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent.

With the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor coming up, I found it appropriate to revisit the Japanese attack on the United States Naval Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. This attack dragged the United States into World War II. According to the National Archives, “In a devastating defeat, the United States suffered 3,435 casualties and loss of or severe damage to 188 planes, 8 battleships, 3 light cruisers, and 4 miscellaneous vessels. Japanese losses were less than 100 personnel, 29 planes, and 5 midget submarines.” President Franklin D.

It’s the final festive fling before Christmas! Join us for the Mistletoe & Makers Market at the Heritage Pavilion on Saturday, December 20, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, where last-minute shopping meets local charm! Discover beautiful handcrafted gifts, delicious holiday treats, and fresh ingredients for your Christmas table — all in one joyful, open-air setting!

Rumble Strips. Also known as audible road markings or alert strips, are traffic markers used on highways across America for several decades. These side markers along the direction of travel are safety mechanisms to alert traveling drivers when they are drifting off of their desired path. When a vehicle's tires come across these small corrugated or raised bumps in the road, it creates a tactile vibration and audible noise that not only alerts the driver but wakes up every person in the car and greatly increases heart rate in a matter of milliseconds.

In a spirited display of athleticism (this term is used very loosely for staff) and school spirit, the Staff vs. Student basketball game at Horace Maynard Middle School brought together teachers and students for a morning of friendly competition. The event, held last Wednesday, packed the gym with enthusiastic spectators, creating a fun and lively atmosphere that united the entire school community. The staff did squeak out a 61-58 victory and from what we can tell there were no long-term injuries to staff members.

I don’t know the stats for our area, but on a national level Americans are overstressed, which long term is unhealthy. The causes are familiar: fast pace of lifestyle, multi-tasking, you know the sound bites. I’ve written about studies that show that immersing yourself in natural settings can reduce stress, so I revisited the topic and found some new twists on natural stress reduction. Here are some recommendations that surfaced.

There is a nursery in New Tazewell that sold lawn ornaments as well as regular nursery items like potted flowers and vegetable flats. I saw the cement alligator there when I bought some vegetable plants. I wanted that gater. It would be perfect to sit atop the snake pit down by the lower driveway.

This salad goes together quickly. Just chill 2 hours before serving time for the best flavor. In large bowl combine all ingredients with soy sauce and mayonnaise. Mix well. Chill 2 hours before serving. Place individual servings on shredded lettuce.

Meet at the Norris Dam State Park Office at 10:00AM on Saturday, March 1st to learn about the historical uses of many of our native plants! Ranger Holly Frerichs will identify a number of native plants and folk healing traditions and their powerful uses that go back centuries and talk about the people that used, and still use them.