Choctaw County-Alabama Extension

Choctaw County-Alabama Extension The Alabama Cooperative Extension delivers research-based educational programs that enable people to

08/26/2026

Today we mourn the loss of an American icon, a beloved philanthropist and a proud 4-H alumna, Dolly Parton. Her extraordinary life was defined not only by her incredible talent, but by her unwavering generosity, compassion and commitment to helping others.

For generations of young people, Dolly embodied what it means to use your gifts in service of others. From her roots in 4-H to her lifelong investment in literacy, education and community, she showed us that true leadership is grounded in humility, kindness, and purpose. As Dolly once said, "storms make trees take deeper roots." 💚

A proud 4-H alumna, she reminded us that challenges can strengthen us and help us grow. That wisdom will continue to inspire young people and communities for generations to come. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and the millions whose lives she touched. Her legacy of hope, generosity, and service will live on. 🍀

🌸 MEET & GREET WITH AGENT MARGARET ANN SNOW! 🌿Have questions about your plants, lawn, garden, or home landscape? Stop by...
08/26/2026

🌸 MEET & GREET WITH AGENT MARGARET ANN SNOW! 🌿

Have questions about your plants, lawn, garden, or home landscape? Stop by the Choctaw County Extension Office for a special Meet & Greet with Extension Agent Margaret Ann Snow!

📅 Thursday, August 27th
⏰ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Choctaw County Extension Office
218 S. Hamburg Avenue | Butler, AL

🌱 Bring your questions — and even your plants! Margaret Ann will be available to help with:

🪴 Plant identification — bring in a plant or sample you’d like identified
🏡 Home yard & landscape management
🌺 Flowers, shrubs & ornamentals
🌳 Trees & landscape plants
🌿 Gardening questions
🐛 Plant problems, pests & diseases
☀️ Plant selection, care & maintenance
…and more!

There’s no formal program or appointment needed — just drop in anytime between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Whether you have a problem you’ve been trying to solve, need help identifying something growing in your yard, or simply want some advice for making your landscape thrive, bring it to Extension and ask Margaret Ann!

🌻 Bring your plants. Bring your questions. We’ll see you August 27th!

🥖 Sourdough for Beginners! 🥖Join us on September 24, 2026, from 1:00–4:00 PM at the Choctaw County Extension Office in B...
08/25/2026

🥖 Sourdough for Beginners! 🥖

Join us on September 24, 2026, from 1:00–4:00 PM at the Choctaw County Extension Office in Butler for a fun, hands-on afternoon all about sourdough!

We’ll cover:
• Maintaining a sourdough starter
• A discard recipe demonstration
• Taste testing
• Tips to help you get started at home

🎟️ The workshop is FREE to attend!
🫙 Optional sourdough starter kits are available for $10.

Registration is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot!

📍 218 S. Hamburg Ave., Butler, AL 36904
🔗 Register online at www.aces.edu/go/6731
📧 Email [email protected]
📞 Call 205-459-2133

Come learn the basics and leave ready to start your own sourdough journey! 🍞

08/23/2026

🌱 Chamber bitter (Phyllanthus urinaria) is a common w**d found throughout the Southeast and can be found across the entire state of Alabama. This highly adaptable plant thrives in full sun and warm soils, typically appearing in summer and persisting into fall until frost.

Its small, oblong or linear leaves are arranged alternately along yellow-green to sometimes reddish stems. The upper surface of the leaves can range from bright to dark green, while the undersides are lighter gray-green.

Tiny yellowish-white male and female flowers are produced on the underside of stems at the leaf axils. After flowering, chamber bitter produces very small, stalkless fruits that can range from green to red. Upon close inspection, the fruits are three-parted and covered with small scales.

Chamber bitter can make its home almost anywhere—from sidewalk cracks and gravel driveways to landscaping, gardens, nursery pots, forest margins, dry fields, and roadsides. Its extensive root system and large seed production can allow it to outcompete nearby vegetation or suppress container-grown plants.

Listed as a Class C noxious w**d in Alabama, it’s best to prevent chamber bitter from going to seed and inspect nursery pots before purchasing or planting to help prevent its spread. For more information, see this fact sheet - https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/chamberbitter/

🌿 Join the 2026 Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to raise awareness, improve identification skills, and take action against invasive species. Visit the ACES Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to learn more and take the pledge.

08/20/2026

📅 SAVE THE DATE! 🍞

Something delicious is rising at the Extension Office! 👀

Join us on Thursday, September 24 for a Sourdough Workshop where we’ll dive into the basics of making and maintaining sourdough and turning it into something delicious!

🗓 Thursday, September 24
📍 Extension Office
⏰ Time to be announced
🎟️ FREE to attend!
🥖 Optional Sourdough Starter Kits available for $10

Come learn the basics at no cost, and if you’d like to keep the fun going at home, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase your own starter kit for just $10.

More details and registration information will be coming soon, but for now — mark your calendars! 🍞✨

08/17/2026

Service is at the heart of the Alabama Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program. Through a network of Extension agents and trained volunteers, the program is an active partner across Alabama — devoting time and expertise to improving communities and helping residents flourish in their gardening journeys. People now have a new way of supporting the work of Alabama Extension Master Gardeners by becoming members of the Branch and Bloom Society. This society recognizes those who financially contribute to the program’s endowed fund for excellence. A donation of $20 or more automatically enrolls someone as a society member.

“Our volunteers are proud to call themselves Master Gardeners,” said Kerry Smith, program coordinator. “With the Branch and Bloom Society, we are adding a new level of recognition to the program, where our supporters also have a way to proudly show their dedication and investment into Alabama Extension Master Gardeners.”

Read more about the Branch and Bloom Society here: https://www.aces.edu/go/6702

08/16/2026

🌱 Perilla Mint (Perilla frutescens)
Part of the mint family (Lamiaceae), this species is an herbaceous annual w**d with square stems and highly aromatic leaves.
Perilla mint typically reaches an average height of 2 feet, but can grow up to 5–6 feet tall.
Leaves are oppositely arranged with coarsely serrated edges. A key identification feature is the purple tint commonly found on the undersides of the leaves and along upper leaf margins.
Flower spikes appear from late July through early September. These spikes can grow up to 6 inches long and hold clusters of small white-to-purple flowers.
Adaptable to various soil and sunlight conditions, dense populations can thrive in moist, semi-shaded locations like riparian areas and wooded understories, as well as fertile soil near livestock areas, or pastures.
Also known as beefsteak plant or Chinese basil, it has a long history of culinary, medicinal, and ornamental use. However, its ability to escape cultivation makes it a concerning non-native species. Perilla ketones within the plant are highly toxic to cattle, horses, and other ruminants if ingested. Late summer and fall pose the highest risk as toxicity increases during the plant's reproductive stage—coinciding with times of lower forage availability or diminished forage quality, and during the period when livestock are regularly seeking shade. Read more about this plant, potential toxicity to livestock, and control options in the ACES article "Perilla Mint: A Toxic Threat to Livestock." 🔗 https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farming/perilla-mint-a-toxic-threat-to-livestock/
🌿 Join the 2026 Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to raise awareness, improve identification skills, and take action against invasive species. Visit the ACES Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to learn more and take the pledge.

08/14/2026

BREAKING NEWS: This online class comes with a LIVE human instructor! While we offer a self-paced CFL course, we're also throwing in a live Zoom session on August 27 at 1:00 PM.

You'll get:
✅ Important food safety information
✅ Cottage food law guidance
✅ Answers to your questions
✅ A live instructor who occasionally tells jokes
(quality not guaranteed 😂)
Grab your favorite snack and join us online! Register: www.aces.edu/go/cottagelaw

08/13/2026

In the Alabama, people tend to have opinions about collards: how long to cook them, what to season them with, and, most importantly, who in the family makes them the best. But before collards make it to the dinner table, they have to make it through the garden.

Collards are a cool-season favorite that grow well in Alabama and can be planted for both spring and fall harvests.
Find growing details here: https://www.aces.edu/go/2967

Once harvested, there’s more than one way to cook them. Go traditional and simmer them low and slow, or try sautéing, roasting, or adding them to soups. Just remember to wash the leaves thoroughly before cooking and remove the thick stems.

Check out this recipe for a non-traditional twist on collards. https://www.aces.edu/go/6668

Whether your family recipe calls for smoked meat, a splash of vinegar, hot sauce, or a family secret ingredient, a good pot of collards starts with knowing how to grow and harvest them.

How do you cook your collards? Share your must-have ingredient in the comments.

Address

218 S Hamburg Avenue
Butler, AL
36904

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+12054592133

Website

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