- Author: Julie Cates

An old proverb says it takes a village to raise a child. The teachers at Pixley Elementary School have found that it takes not just a village, but a unique combination of community agencies, good curricular materials and a little bit of dirt. That's right, dirt. In Pixley, they are growing healthy kids in a school garden.
A motivated third-grade teacher, Fidel Garcia, applied for grants from the Tulare County Farm Bureau, California Ag in the Classroom, the Dairy Council of California and LifeLab. He invited UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educator Grilda Gomez into the classroom to share the UC Cooperative Extension “Nutrition to grow on” lessons. A local nursery,...
- Author: Julie Cates

Fall is my favorite time of year, because well, that is when pumpkins are in their full glory. Whether they are on display at a record setting weight of 1,985 pounds at the Half Moon Bay's annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off, arranged with assorted gourds on your fall table, or cut as a jack-o-lanterns for Halloween these simple fruits are an autumn treat. At the University of California Cooperative Extension UC Cal Fresh Nutrition Education program, we delight in all things pumpkin. At some schools we provide simple agriculture lessons teaching second-graders that pumpkins have ribs and cousins (zucchini and watermelon) just like people.
At Snowden Elementary in Farmersville, Mrs. Joy Smith fully utilizes this amazing squash. She...