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.

 

The South Coast Research and Extension Center opened it gates to invited guests, the California Rare Fruit Growers Association and the UCCE Master Gardeners on Friday, November 20, 2015. Attendees were treated to the annual persimmon taste testing held at the South Coast REC in Irvine. Of the approximately (53) guests, 43 participated in a blind tasting and evaluation of the persimmon fruits grown at the Center. Evaluators were asked to rate the 12 varieties using a basic one to five scale based on attractiveness, astringency, sugar, flavor and overall performance.                 

Persimmoncultivars are classified in relation to fruit astringency at harvest: Pollination Constant Non Astringent (PCNA), Pollination Variant Non Astringent (PVNA), Pollination Variant Astringent (PVA) and Pollination Constant Astringent (PCA). The varieties that were evaluated during the tasting included CaliforniaFuyu (PCNA),Gosho (PCNA), OCFuyu (PCNA),Imoto (PCNA),MatsumotoWase (PCNA),MeakawaJiro (PCNA),Hyakume (PVNA), TrueFuyu (PCNA),Trible (PVNA),Jiro (PCNA),Kurakuma (PCNA), andNishimuraWase (PVNA).New to this year's tasting, Kurakuma, which did fairly well among those participating in the evaluation along with Meakawa Jiro, while Gosho proved to be the least liked.

The persimmon collection at the Center contains various cultivars that are not widely available and are sought after by avid fans of this fruit. Participants, young and old alike, expressed their excitment for the opportunity to sample the various varieties not commonly available in the marketplace and to learn more about this fall gem from knowledgeable volunteers who assist in maintaining the Center's collection. A special treat was learning about Hoshigaki - a Japanese technique of preserving persimmons by peeling and drying them whole over a period of several weeks through a combination of hanging and delicate hand-massaging, until the sugars contained in the fruit form a delicate surface with a dusting that looks like frost - very tasty.

Many thanks to the staff, CA Rare Fruit Growers, OC Chapter; UCCE Master Food Preservers and Master Gardener volunteers who helped with the slicing, setup, facilitating, and clean up. Very special acknowledgment to Isabel Barkman and the volunteers who assist with our orchards year round for their hard work harvesting, labeling, and preparing the persimmons for the event.

Following the event, over 500 pounds of the harvested fruit was donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to feed the hungry.