- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The San Joaquin Valley is the heart of California agriculture, but hasn't been a hospitable home for commercial avocado production. UC Cooperative Extension specialist Mary Lu Arpaia is conducting research to change that.
Avocados are native of semi subtropical high elevation rainforests in Mexico and Central America. A delicious and highly nutritious fruit, the cultivation of avocado has spread around the world. In California, growers are having commercial success in areas with year-round mild climates, such as San Diego and Ventura counties.
Though avocados are frost sensitive to be sure, it is not the cold winter climate that is the greatest impediment to avocado production...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The brightly colored divided plate that lays out the USDA's model for healthy eating needs one little tweak, says the director of the UC Nutrition Policy Institute Lorrene Ritchie. Don't take anything away, but add H20.
Ritchie has joined with dozens of nutrition and health professionals around the country to ask that the USDA put water onto MyPlate.
“We don't have all the answers to overcoming obesity, but the research on sugar-sweetened beverages is very clear,” Ritchie said. “When you drink beverages like soda, sports drinks or punch, the sugar gets absorbed very rapidly and the body doesn't recognize the calories. The result is excess calories and...
- Author: Jennifer Rindahl
When most people think about parsley, they likely think of it as an inedible garnish a chef places on their plate. But parsley is widely used in dried spice mixes, soups and other prepared foods as well as in salads and other recipes. Currently, California produces almost 2,600 acres of parsley at a value of $18 million a year, with Monterey and Ventura counties accounting for 49 percent of the state's parsley production.
California parsley is produced typically in high volumes and with high quality. However in the past few years, growers began to observe unfamiliar disease issues in their parsley fields. Leaf spots, blighted foliage and yellowed plants contributed to loss of quality and reduced yields.
- Author: Melissa Tamargo
It's that time of year when many people choose a resolution that helps them kick a bad habit, but sometimes making a sudden change is hard to stick to. This year, make a resolution you can actually keep by filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Need some ideas to get started?
Breakfast: Drink 4 oz. of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Top cereal or yogurt with 1/2 cup of berries or sliced banana.
Lunch: Try a salad as your main dish with the dressing on the side.
Snacks: Trail mix with dried fruit or a piece of fruit such as an apple or an orange is an energizing snack...
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
‘Tis the season for gathering with friends and family and eating. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus for the rest of us, many of us invite people to our homes during the holidays and leave food out to graze. Leaving food out for more than two hours can be hazardous to your health and that of your guests, caution UC Cooperative Extension nutrition experts.
You may be thinking, “My family has eaten food that has been sitting on the table longer than two hours and survived.” Consider yourself lucky.
“We keep learning more about foodborne illness,” says Patti Wooten Swanson, UC...