4 Leaf Clovers and St. Patrick's Day

It seems to make perfect sense that at the March meeting of the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club they would be doing and talking green.  Especially with St. Patrick's Day around the corner.  The group started by welcoming new members Tristan and Shepard Page to the club meeting.  After the pledges and the business it was time to kick off the club's annual fundraiser.
  Each year the Junior Master Gardeners join forces with the Robeson County Master Gardener Association to sell herbs at their plant sale.  The herbs are actually started at the Robeson County Cooperative Extension Office in the AeroGarden system.  This year the youth have planted Basil, Cayenne Peppers, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Jalapeno Peppers, Lavender, Oregano, Rosemary, and Sweet Banana Peppers.  By the time the plant sale occurs at the end of April the seedlings will have been replanted and ready for the garden.

  After getting the seed trays started it was time for Mrs Messy Missy to step in and take us back in the clovers history.  Not necessarily the 4-H clover but the history of St. Patrick's Day which shamrocks (three leaf clovers) and four leaf clovers are associated.  March 17 is actually the anniversary of St. Patrick's death and is also the saints religious feast day.  For more than 1,000 years St. Patrick's Day has been a religious holiday for the Irish.  So who is St Patrick?  Well he is known as the patron saint of Ireland, however most of the stories that are associated with him, such as banishing snakes from the country, are widely exaggerated folklore.  As history portrays him, he was kidnapped from Britain and held hostage by the Irish for about six years.  As he worked an isolated life as a Shepard for this period of time and it is believed he turned to religion   He escaped and returned to Britain where he entered the seminary.  When he was done he returned to Ireland and help convert those not involved in the religion in a variety of ways that won him favor in the eyes of the Irish.
  After learning a little about St. Patrick, and patron saints it was time to get down to it and make it all stick in our heads.  For this Messy Missy brought us a vareity of items so we could make our own St. Patrick's Day bookmarks.  Although we had similar items no two bookmarks were exactly alike.  Each one had a little shimmer or sparkle, and spoke of the person who made them.  Some were simple, others more glamorous.  Either way it was a fun treat to make and take home as we read more about the traditions of the Irish this month.
 If you would like more information about this club please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276.