We had a lot of fun here at the Center last Thursday. UCCE 4-H Orange County, partnering with Anaheim Family YMCA Anaheim Acheives, hosted students from Western High School in Anaheim. While here, the youth learned about the Center's research projects and how we continually find ways to minimize our water use, saving water in the landscapes, the local watershed, and the funnest part of all - how to make a water filter.

Going through a complete design process (Identify the problem, brainstorm, choose an idea, design the product, test the product, show the results, redesign if needed, etc.) the teens learned about engineering and water quality.

Using two-liter soda bottles and miscellaneous household items, the teens were asked to design and make a filter that would extract the impurities from the muddled water that was available.

They really enjoyed the hands-on activity and were bound and determined to produce clear water. 

After two or three tries, the groups were fairly successful  producing cleaner water. 

 

After a full day of activities during their Face-to-Face meeting in Orange County, UC Advocacy & Government Relations program were hosted to a dinner under the stars.

The South Coast REC staff cooked a barbeque dinner with homemade sides and ice cream for 29 attendees featuring products grown at the Center such as tomatoes, green beans, misc. herbs, onions, shallots, blueberries, lemons, and oranges.

The group enjoyed the beautiful evening conversing, snapping pictures on the tractors, and song. Following the dinner and dessert, Darren Haver gave a brief talk about ANR and South Coast REC, after which Steve Juarez and Kate Klimow gave remarks and honored one of the recent retirees.

Topping off the evening were the bags filled with avocados grown at the Center and the UC ANR brochure given to the group to take home.

UC Cooperative Extension, Orange County (UCCE) programs (4-H, EFNEP, Master Gardeners, and Master Food

Preservers) and the UC ANR South Coast REC teamed up with the Anaheim Family YMCA to organize a “Day at the Farm,” on Saturday, March 19th, 2016.

This event, a component of the Food Smart Families Grant, centered around hands-on nutrition based education for families – adults and youth. Parents participated in workshops facilitated by UCCE programs, as their children attended a health and nutrition carnival.

Examples of the activities include – nutrition games and sports activities instructed by 4-H Youth Development Program volunteers, testing their knowledge from previous EFNEP/FSF lessons taught through the YMCA Anaheim Achieves After School Program; Master Gardeners discussed the importance of fresh vegetables and

taught the youth how to plant vegetables in small spaces; a food safety and preservation class presented by the UC Master Food Preservers, where participants made and took home a jar of escabeche – pickled vegetables.

Additionally, a USDA ‘My Plate' workshop and demonstration was led by the UC Expanded Foods & Nutrition Program (EFNEP). With the meal that was demonstrated for these attendees, each family was sent home with the ingredients needed to create the healthy, and delicious, quinoa avocado salad recipe on their own.

Both the youth and adults took a tour of the Center learning about locally grown crops followed by a mock tasting of citrus demonstrating how researchers and growers obtain public opinion testing a varieties worthiness for market.

To finish off the day, the families had lunch while participation prizes (focused on healthy eating and living) were handed out.

Smiling faces were definitely in abundance for the day.

Due to the low harvest, as a result of the unseasonably hot weather this last fall followed erratic highs and low, we will not be holding our annual Cherimoya Tasting this year. We hope that you will check back for upcoming events.