HOME & GARDEN BRIEFS

Master gardener intro class set for Monday

The next University of Nevada Cooperative Extension master gardener horticulture training series will be held Sept. 7 through Nov. 2. The classes meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon.

The registration meeting for the master gardener program is scheduled for Monday from 9 a.m. to noon at the UNCE Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 S. Maryland Parkway.

Due to the high demand for master gardener training, interested individuals must attend this session in order to be eligible to enter the fall training class.

To reserve a space, call Jane Strickland at 257-5501.

A $200 fee will be charged to cover the cost of books, training materials and refreshments. The fee is payable at the first class.

Workshop to decipher mysteries of wine

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 8050 S. Maryland Parkway, will hold a one-day wine appreciation workshop Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lifelong Learning Center located at Windmill Lane and Maryland Parkway.

Workshop size is limited and students are encouraged to register early to ensure a space in the class.

During the workshop, students will learn new wine-tasting techniques and be able to personalize their wine vocabulary as they participate in blind tastings. The class is designed to empower students when choosing wines while dining at fine restaurants, as well as purchasing from local wine shops or grocery stores.

Instructor Norma Poole uses the Deductive Wine Tasting Approach with an emphasis on sensory evaluation that allows students to identify a wine before it is tasted and talk about that wine with confidence.

Poole is the general manager and sommelier at Bistro Zinc Restaurant at Lake Las Vegas.

To register, call 257-5555. Class fee is $50.

For more information, call Bob Morris at 257-5509 or e-mail morrisr@unce.unr.edu.

Learn to grow, eat prickly pear cactus

Professors from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center will join visiting instructors from the University of Sonora, Mexico, Aug. 20-24 for bilingual workshops designed to explain what you can do with a prickly pear cactus or nopal (in Spanish).

When immature, the cactus pads are harvested and served as a fresh vegetable. The round, purple and yellow fruits are high in sugar and considered a delicacy.

Workshops will be held at the center at 8050 S. Maryland Parkway, Tuesday and Thursday, from 1 to 3 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m.

The classes will focus on how to grow nopales in Las Vegas, as well as how to prepare the pads and flowers for home meals.

For information or to register in English, call Bob Morris at 257-5509 or e-mail morrisr@unce.unr.edu. For information in Spanish, call Martha Barajas at 257-5522 or e-mail barajasm@unce.unr.edu.

LUNCHEON

Airport chief to address contractors

McCarran International Airport Director Randall Walker is set to speak at the Nevada Contractors Association’s quarterly luncheon, Sept. 11. at the Rio,

The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. for networking.

Walker will discuss the airport’s capital improvement plans. Tickets are $20 per person. To reserve a spot, call 222-0320.

The Nevada Contractors Association is a 12-year-old, nonprofit industry trade group consisting of the state’s largest, oldest and most prominent contractors.