- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, provides nutrition assistance to low-income pregnant and postpartum women. The WIC cash value benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables was increased from $9/month to $35/month in June 2021 and was revised further to $25/month from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. A new policy brief from the Nutrition Policy Institute and PHFE-WIC researchers shows how an increase in the CVB increased the redemption amount and diversity of fruits and vegetables purchased among participating families. The brief highlights findings from a larger study of 1578 WIC-participating families in Los Angeles, California that analyzed their purchases during the increase of the CVB. Study results show that the increased CVB led to significant rises in both the prevalence and dollar amount of fruit and vegetable redemption, benefiting 53 of 54 commodity groups and enhancing dietary diversity for participating households. The policy brief was developed by Catherine Yepez, Christopher Anderson, and Shannon Whaley of PHFE-WIC, a program of Heluna Health, in collaboration with Lauren Au of the University of California, Davis, Department of Nutrition, and Marisa Tsai and Lorrene Ritchie with the Nutrition Policy Institute.
- Author: Julie Hyske, Master Gardener
The key to summer salads is fresh ingredients. So, whether you head out to the garden or the local farmer's market, be sure to sample the bounty of summer's harvest. The following salad recipes are inviting you to make some new additions to your summer menu, while guaranteeing to be anything but boring. The mango cucumber summer slaw is cool and crisp and as a bonus can be served on burgers, wraps, sandwiches or as a side dish. No bowl is required for the chef's salad on a stick, assembled with all the classic fixings of meats, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs and veggies. The southwestern tostada salad is a new way to eat a salad with every bite having a crunch and topped with a homemade creamy lime-cilantro dressing. Bacon cheeseburger salad takes all the elements of your favorite food and turns it into a salad with lettuce and tomatoes forming the bed, mini cheeseburgers nestled within, and seeded buns toasted to give a toasty crunch. Now you've got the idea of how a favorite salad can highlight the season's best produce offerings. Enjoy!
Mango Cucumber Summer Slaw
Ingredients
Salad
½ large cucumber, split lengthwise, seeded, and julienned
1 ripe mango, peeled and julienned
2 cups green shredded cabbage
¾ cup bite-sized cut snap peas
¾ cup red shredded cabbage
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced and julienned
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and julienned
? cup roughly chopped cilantro
Vinaigrette
½ cup sesame oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. fish sauce
Optional additional sesame seeds as a garnish
Whisk together sesame oil, salt, rice vinegar, lime, honey, seeds, soy sauce and fish sauce. Place in a small mason jar. Prepare the veggies, mango, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss. If you wish, garnish with additional sesame seeds. This slaw can be served on burgers, wraps, sandwiches or as a side dish. Serves 6
Chef Salad on a Stick
Ingredients
4 hardboiled eggs
½ English cucumber
3 oz. deli ham, thick cut
3 oz. deli turkey breast, thick cut
3 oz. deli roast beef, thick cut
6 oz. Swiss cheese block
6 oz. cheddar cheese block
1 small head leaf lettuce
16 cherry tomatoes
8 large green olives
8 12-inch skewers that have been soaked in water
Ranch dressing
Black pepper
Cut each hardboiled egg into 4 pieces. Slice the cucumber lengthwise, then cut into half circles about half an inch thick. Cut the ham, turkey and roast beef slices lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips. Roll each strip into a pinwheel. Cut the Swiss and cheddar cheese blocks into 16 squares. Alternating pieces, place 2 pieces of cheese, cucumber, tomato and egg on a skewer. Add one pinwheel each of ham, turkey, and roast beef. Add 3 small pieces of lettuce that have been folded into bundles on each skewer and finish up with a green olive. Serve on a platter and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving. Before serving, top with ranch dressing and a shake of black pepper.
Serves 8
Southwestern Salad Tostada
Ingredients
Tostada
2 Tbsp. avocado oil
6 corn tortillas
Kosher salt
3 Tbsp. shredded Mexican cheese
Dressing
½ light sour cream
2 limes, juiced
¼ cup mashed avocado
? cup chopped cilantro
1 minced clove garlic
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Salad
4 cups Romaine, sliced thin
¾ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 avocado, diced
½ cup black beans
½ cup frozen corn
¾ cup shredded Mexican cheese
Toppings
Shredded Mexican cheese
Avocado, sliced
Preheat oven to 400? and drizzle 2 tablespoons avocado oil on a large baking sheet. Rub both sides of each tortilla in the oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 8 minutes on the first side, flip, and sprinkle 1 teaspoon cheese on each tortilla and bake for 4-6 minutes more until golden brown and crispy.
In a blender or using a whisk, blend together the dressing ingredients and set aside. Place the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and add half the dressing, toss, and add more dressing to your liking. Next, season with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve the salad on the tostada shells with some additional toppings of cheese and slices of avocado.
Serves 6
Bacon Cheeseburger Salad
Ingredients
3 sesame seeded buns, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup salted butter, melted
1½ lbs. ground chuck steak
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 slices yellow American cheese, cut into quarters
3 hearts romaine lettuce
½ cup dill pickle slices
¼ cup pickle juice from the jar
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
6 slices cooked bacon, halved widthwise
Thousand Island dressing, for serving
Preheat oven to 350?. Toss the cubed buns into a medium bowl with the melted butter, then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Stir together the beef, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Make into 12 meatball-size patties. Place the patties in the skillet, in batches if necessary, and cook until browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and top each with a quartered slice of cheese, then cook for 2 minutes more. Meanwhile, roughly chop the lettuce. Place in a large bowl along with most of the pickles, most of the tomatoes and most of the red onion, reserving the leftovers for garnish. Drizzle with the pickle juice and sprinkle with another dash of salt and pepper; toss to coat. Just before serving, top the salad with the burger patties, croutons and bacon, plus the remaining pickles, tomatoes and red onion. Top with Thousand Island dressing.
Serves 6
- Author: Bruce A Linquist
- Editor: Taiyu Guan
- Editor: Consuelo B Baez Vega
1. Fallow stale-seedbed (FSS): field was fallowed in 2022. It was disked and leveled then. It was not flooded during the winter. No tillage was done in 2023.
2. No-till. We have three strict NT treatments. Rice was grown in 2022. After harvesting (harvested to limit ruts), the straw in the field was subjected to one of three treatments:
a Chopped (NT-Chop)
b. Half removed to simulate baling (NT-Remove)
c. Burned (NT-Burn)
We planted May 2, 2023, flushed once after planting and then applied a permanent flood on June 2. Our results were very promising. Yields were highest (86-87 cwt/ac) following a fallow year (FSS); and those yields were comparable to water-seeded yields at the station. Yields in the other no-till systems were a bit lower.
This year, we are doing a more rigorous and replicated study with three treatments from last year: FSS, NT- Remove and NT-Chop. These are being compared to a water-seeded control. We are quantifying water use, examining different N and weed management strategies, quantifying pests and diseases, and taking greenhouse gas measurements.
This year we planted all NT treatments on May 1. It was the first planted rice at the Rice Experiment Station. We have a good stand in all treatments. We applied herbicides and fertilizer the week of May 26 and the permanent flood was applied on May 29 and 30.
We would like to invite you all out to see this experiment and discuss this system. We are having a field day at the Rice Experiment Station on June 18 starting at 9:00 am. We encourage anyone interested to come.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"For me, at least a lot of my interest developed when my parents gave me a net and a butterfly picture book and then gave me enough independence to explore on my own," recalls UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, who served 34 years as director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology before stepping down on Feb. 1.
"Today parents seem to schedule every minute of their kid's day with scheduled activities," Kimsey said, "and this simply doesn't allow kids to explore, and use their imaginations."
So true. Kids are naturally curious. When they see lady beetles, aka ladybugs, they check out what they're doing, what they're eating (a menu of aphids and other soft-bodied insects), and how they take flight.
You can ask them questions: What do you think that is? What is it doing? Can you describe it? Do you want it to be your friend? Why or why not? Do you want to write a poem about it? Do you want to photograph it?
They quickly learn that everything eats in the garden. They can watch a honey bee foraging for nectar and pollen, and then get nailed by a praying mantis. Ditto the butterfly. One minute a butterfly is sipping nectar, and the next minute, it's snared in a spider web.
And they never forget metamorphosis: how a butterfly egg magically transforms into a caterpillar, the caterpillar into a chrysalis, and then an adult butterfly ecloses from that chrysalis. "Magic" and "miracles" occur right before their eyes!
A great example of the natural curiosity of children occurs every year on the UC Davis campus during the "Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work." Mom and Dad show youngsters where they work, and also visit other workplaces. One of the highlights is the Bohart Museum of Entomology
For the Bohart Museum staff and volunteers, it's a good opportunity to engage in science communication or sci-com. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator organizes the open houses and leads the team. At the recent event, the science communicators included doctoral student Em Jochim of the Jason Bond lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; Oliver Smith, a UC Davis entomology student; psychology major Naomi Lila of the UC Davis Entomology Club; Syd Benson, a high school intern from Met Sacramento; and animal biology major Jakob Lopez wearing a quite appropriate "Have a Nice Day" shirt.
Everly Puckett, 3, was there with her father, Ryan Puckett with Facilities Management. She wasn't sure she wanted to hold any insects (Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects) from the petting zoo but her dad encouraged her to touch a stick insect, aka walking stick.
Ten-year-old Mark Blankenship eagerly held a thorny stick insect. His dad, Mark Blankenship, works for Supply Chain Management.
Eight-year-old Hunter Baker was super interested in the insects and wanted to know more about them. His mother, Kate Schaul, works in security at the UC Davis Library.
Sebastian Carrasco, 3, whose mother Nadia works in UC Davis Health, attended with his father, Lizandro. When asked if he wanted to hold an insect, Sebastian hid behind his father. Then he shook his head and said "Bye, Bye!" to the insect. Clever and creative!
Daphne Shuman, 7, whose mother Amy Shuman, works for Students Affairs, loved the Bohart Museum. In fact she loved it so much she attended the event twice, in the morning and in the afternoon.
Mark Blankenship, 10, peered closely at a stick insect crawling on a hand. His father, Mark, works for Supply Chain Management.
Atlas Scott, 4, attended with his mother Danielle Hoskey who works for UC Davis Health. He decided he'd rather not become acquainted with the stick insects, but he did hold a tomato hornworm.
Bottom line: they will all remember that day at the Bohart Museum, a day when they were encouraged to look, touch and hold an insect.
And, quite likely, many may enroll in college entomology courses and some may seek entomology as a career.
The Bohart Museum, home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens (plus a gift shop and petting zoo), is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Summer walk-in hours are Tuesdays, June 17-Aug, 27, 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. The museum will be closed to the general public from Sept. 1-Sept. 22.
Director is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. He's also associate dean of agricultural sciences for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The next open houses are:
Saturday, July 20: Moth Night at the Museum (inside and outside activities) 7 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 28: Museum ABC's: Arthropods, Bohart and Collecting, 1 to 4 p.m.
All open houses are free and family friendly. Parking is also free. For more information, contact the Bohart Museum at bmuseum@ucdavis.edu. or call (530) 752-0493.
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Pollinators receive food in the form of nectar (source of sugar) or pollen (source of protein, fat, and other nutrients). In the process of moving from flower to flower to feed, pollinators disperse pollen grains among plants of the same species, enabling the plants to reproduce. Flowers have evolved over long periods of time into many colors, shapes and scents to attract their pollinators, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
The Pollinators
While bees are the primary pollinators, other insects including butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, some birds such as hummingbirds, and bats also play important roles.
Honeybees & Native Bees
Honeybees (genus Apis) are the bees we are most familiar with. However, honeybees are just one species of a very diverse group with over 20,000 species worldwide, 4,000 species in the USA and 1,600 in California. Native bees come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes and lifestyles that make them very efficient pollinators. Unlike honeybees and bumblebees, which are social bees living in colonies, native bees are solitary with 70 percent nesting in the ground with the rest nesting in wood and plant stems.
Butterflies
Butterflies are daytime flying insects who often have gorgeous colorful wings. Their larvae sometimes require a specific plant to feed on, though most adults will get their nectar from many plants.
Moths
Moths are mostly evening and nighttime fliers, though some are out in the late afternoon or early morning. They are attracted to sweet-smelling flowers. Less colorful than butterflies, they are easily differentiated from butterflies by their “feathery” antennae.
Flies
Flies are not generally thought of as pollinators, however many are, particularly hover flies (family Syrphidae) and bee flies (family Bombyliidae), both of which are generalist pollinators. Generalist pollinators visit a wide range of plants, making them important inhabitants of gardens and fields.
Beetles
Beetles are a large group, with up to 28,000 species in the USA. Most beetles are not pollinators, but some do visit flowers for nectar or pollen and help fertilize some flowering plants, particularly magnolias.
Wasps
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are the most prominent pollinating birds in the Americas. With their long beaks, they can reach deep into flowers while sipping nectar. In addition to nectar, they also forage on insects and spiders.
Bats
Bats are nocturnal pollinators that play an important role in pollinating cacti and agave, as well as many tropical and subtropical plants including bananas, avocados, century plants and cashews. Species such as Mexican long-nose bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) have evolved heads and long tongues to access light-colored flowers which open at night, often producing abundant nectar and pollen.
How You Can Help Pollinators
Pollinators need a diversity of flowers with lots of nectar and pollen. They require easy access to flowers blooming throughout the seasons, particularly during late winter, early spring, and late autumn seasons when fewer flowers bloom. Different flower species provide differing amounts of nectar. Native plants generally provide more nutritious nectar for pollinators, so they attract more pollinators. Download the Xerces Society Recommended Plants for the Central Valley Region for a list of plants.
To help protect pollinators, if you choose to use a pesticide, select one that are less toxic, such as an insecticidal soap or oil. Avoid broad-spectrum sprays that kill numerous insects. Spray on non-windy days in the early morning or late evening when pollinators are not present. Use UC Integrated Pest Management for information on pests and pest management (https://ipm.ucanr.edu/).
Citations
- The Pollinator Partnership https://www.pollinator.org/
- Xerces Society book: Attracting Native Pollinators: https://xerces.org/publications/books/attracting-native-pollinators
- California Native Plant Society (CNPS) native planting guides: https://www.cnps.org/gardening/choosing-your-plants/native-planting-guides
Free Resources from University of California and your local UC Master Gardeners
- CA Friendly Friendly Garden Recipes https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8518
- How to Attract and Maintain Pollinators in your Garden https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8498
- UC Stanislaus County Master Gardener: Butterflies in Your Garden with list of plants that attract butterflies: https://ucanr.edu/sites/CEStanislausCo/files/345791.pdf
- Gardening for Pollinators and Diversity from UC Davis Arboretum: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/pollinator-gardening
- Bees in the Neighborhood: best practices for urban gardeners. https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8596
Books and ID Cards for Purchase
Common Plants to Attract California Native Bees https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3557
Want both cards? Bundle and save $10 at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3557BUN
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Garden in Stanislaus County since 2020.
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