- Author: Chris M. Webb
At this time of year, many of us consume different foods than we normally do. As the year winds down, we begin to think of what we will do differently when we put up next year’s calendar.
The UC Davis Department of Nutrition is a great place to find science-based nutrition information. In addition to conducting research, they train new nutrition educators, and extend nutrition programs. You can read more about their mission here.
On the department’s nutrition information page, many links to great articles and publications can be found.
Highlighted subjects include:
- School gardens help teach nutrition and promote good eating habits
- Nutrition Info Sheets covering a variety of nutrition information
- Nutrition Perspectives, a publication providing researched-based information on ongoing nutrition subjects
- Maternal and Infant Nutrition Briefs
- Curriculum designed to help children form better food choices. The targeted ages vary depending on the curriculum.
Other great, science based nutrition information can be found using the Nutrition, Family and Consumer Science button on our homepage.
I will be out of the office the rest of this week and will post a new article when I return Monday.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ventura County UCCE has recently produced a newspaper supplement about our local ocean – the Santa Barbara Channel Region. The supplement was written for kids, by kids; however, most adults will also find much to learn inside.
The youth involved wrote about many subjects, including:
- The local marine environment
- Local harbors
- Oil development
- Mariculture (farming of sea life)
- Commercial fishing
- Recreation fisheries
- Ecotourism and recreational activities
- Coastal arts
- Careers
- Ocean stewardship
This great resource can be found on our website. We also have hard copies available in our office. Please contact us in advance for large orders, and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Several years ago, our office provided local youth an opportunity to learn about agriculture in Ventura County. As they learned, they wrote articles to share what they learned with others. While some of the details have changed over time, for instance the order of our top crops, the core message remains accurate and just as important as ever.
Agriculture is an important part of our local economy and heritage. Many of our local issues and challenges are related to agriculture: open space, water quality & availability, land use, obesity, air quality and more. For citizens to make informed decisions, they need to have at minimum a basic understanding of our agricultural industry.
On an individual level, research has shown that many children, and even some adults, are not aware of the nutritional content of their food, were their food originates or the challenges faced by producers to get it to the store.
The Ventura County UCCE Field to Fridge newspaper supplement is a great place to start learning about local agriculture. It covers the following topics:
- Welcome – What is agriculture? – Do you have a garden?
- Where do we get our food?
- Strawberries
- Nursery Plants & Cut Flowers
- Lemons & Oranges
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Raspberries – Peppers
- Community Service – MyPyramid – Credits
We have hard copies available in our office; please contact us in advance for large orders. It is also available for viewing online!
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Did you know that the Ventura County UCCE office has an advisor that works with local commercial fishermen? Her name is Carrie Culver, and she would like you to know our area is one of the top producing regions on the west coast!
The Santa Barbara Channel includes three ports in Ventura County and one in Santa Barbara County. The region is defined here as the ocean waters south of Point Conception to just south of Point Mugu, as well as the waters surrounding the four northern Channel Islands. This region is a unique place for California fisheries because it is the transition zone where both southern and northern species occur and there are natural conditions that typically provide an abundance of food for the fish.
So what are the top species caught by our local commercial fishermen? Halibut, rockfish, tuna, white seabass, squid, lobster, crab, sea urchin, and shrimp top the list. In addition abalone, oysters and mussels are locally farmed or cultured.
Research shows that including seafood in our diet is good for our health. If you enjoy eating seafood, please do what you can to support local fishermen by visiting fishermen’s market, or ask for it at stores and restaurants.
Great recipes, storage and handling information and much more can be found at these sites.
http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/consumer.html
Additional information about local fisheries, including availability, can be found in our Fish on Your Dish publication. Written by kids and for kids, there is much inside for all of us to learn.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The Pollinator Partnership, which includes the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, the National Gardening Association and the USDA has put together a great online curriculum titled Nature’s Partners: Pollinators, Plants, and You. The curriculum can be found at http://www.pollinator.org/curriculum/index.php.
The education materials are designed for children in grades 3-6; however, I imagine most of us can learn a great deal from the website. The background information contained in each module is written for educators. Adults interested in learning about pollinators themselves will find a wealth of knowledge for the taking!
In addition to the great educational information, the site has fabulous photos, instructions for a wide variety of activities, ideas for community service projects, links for further information, and much more.
