Facebook
X (Twitter)
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
Delicious
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Posts Tagged: Tulare County
Creative, healthy cooking marks EFNEP's anniversary in Tulare County
EFNEP, UC Cooperative Extension's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, partnered with Culinary Arts Program in Tulare County to celebrate EFNEP's 50th anniversary. Chef Jeff, who is leading the Culinary Arts Program, sponsored and conducted a two-hour workshop in May 2019 for EFNEP parents, with a focus on basic cooking principles. The participants learned how to make and tasted a creative grilled salad.
The parents had just completed the EFNEP Eat Smart ? Be Active nutrition education series at Tulare Adult School. Mariana Lopez, a bilingual nutrition educator, led the EFNEP classes from March 19 to May 21. Ten participants completed the series and graduated. The graduates expressed interest in a cooking workshop. Deepa Srivastava, the UC Cooperative Extension nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor, reached out to Chef Jeff to initiate this collaboration and Lopez coordinated efforts to organize the cooking workshop.
The starter
Chef Jeff started the workshop by introducing his culinary program. He shared cooking methodology and the use of "mother sauces," basic sauces that serve as a bases for flavoring different dishes. All participants had great questions for the chef, which indicated their interest in learning more about the measurements, ingredients and the application of "hot and cold" cooking techniques.
The main course
EFNEP participants learned the art and science of putting together a healthy vinaigrette and grilled salad. In this process, Chef Jeff provided information about the importance of food safety and sanitation, knife skills, cutting and chopping, and healthy salad ingredients. He demonstrated how to wash, cut and chop variety of vegetables followed by grilling the vegetables on the stove top. Participants loved the taste of the colorful grilled vegetables. Additionally, Chef Jeff explained the many creative ways to eat grilled vegetables, including lettuce wraps. Participants were mesmerized to see him create a rose from sliced tomatoes.
The dessert
Icing on the cake was the take-home message and the potential for a long-term collaboration between EFNEP and Tulare Culinary Arts Program. The two-hour workshop was packed with cooking knowledge, skills and creativity. Participants' meaningful comments about the workshop included, “it was fun, creative, and new information.”
“I really enjoyed taking part of this special collaboration between our Tulare EFNEP Program and the Tulare Culinary Arts program with Chef Jeff," Lopez said. "It gave me the opportunity to connect with my participants in a more personal level, because I was also a participant — learning and taking with me fun and exciting tips to share in my classes with my food demos as well as in my home with my family's meals.”
The workshop ended with the chef happily packing grilled salad for participants to take home. Indeed, Chef Jeff inspired participants to cook healthy with fun and creativity!
Participants tasting the grilled vegetables.
Celebrating EFNEP’s 50 years with UC Master Gardeners in Tulare County
EFNEP, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, partnered with UC Master Gardeners in Tulare County to celebrate EFNEP's 50th Anniversary! The UC Master Gardeners provided a one-hour workshop about container gardening for parents of young children. The parents had just completed the EFNEP Eat Smart•Be Active series at Conyer Elementary in Visalia, Calif.
Mariana Lopez, a UC nutrition educator who speaks English and Spanish, led the EFNEP classes from Jan. 30 to March 27, 2019. Seven of the 10 participants completed the series and graduated. The graduates expressed interest in participating in a gardening workshop. Deepa Srivastava, the UC Cooperative Extension nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor, reached out to Susan Gillison, the UC Master Gardener coordinator, to initiate this collaboration and Mariana coordinated the gardening workshop.
UC Master Gardeners provided full support
The Master Gardeners provided the materials such as soil, pots, basil seedlings and cilantro seeds. The guidance and knowledge received from Dana Young, the Master Gardener volunteer – also known as The Plant Lady – was very helpful! Parents participated with their children in the hands-on container gardening activity. Dana explained that container, or pot gardening, is the practice of growing plants in containers instead of planting in the ground. Herbs and other edible plants can be grown in containers. The participants also learned about healthy soil and gutter gardening.
Parents enthusiastically shared their experience from participating in this hands-on activity:
“Knowledge about gutter gardening was very helpful!”
“It was exciting to be a part of this activity, my child loved it!”
Indeed, the EFNEP and Master Gardener collaboration in Tulare County was successful. The Site Coordinator of Conyer Elementary expressed interest in holding additional meaningful workshops like these for parents during the school year!
X
Fourth-graders learn fast food can be healthy
UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators in Tulare County keyed in on that point in time in a play performed for 1,600 fourth-grade students at AgVentures Farm and Nutrition Day, May 23.
The play is a scripted game show titled “What Does MyPlate Say?” which encourages the children to think about the USDA's MyPlate eating guidelines, introduced to them by UC CalFresh educators in their classrooms throughout the year, when they order a fast food meal.
Five “contestants” were selected from the audience and asked to look at a food court menu. The first contestant is asked to select a fruit from the menu, and picks a yogurt parfait. Applause and a chorus of “Healthy, healthy, healthy eyes! Healthy, healthy, healthy skin!” affirm the choice.
The second student is charged with selecting a vegetable in the food court.
“French fries from MickeyC's,” he says. “Potatoes are vegetables, aren't they?”
The brightly dressed host, Sally Strawberry, admits that's true but declares french fries a “sometimes food.” Try again.
The second response, “veggie bowl from Bear Express,” is met with music, bells and applause.
Contestant three is challenged to find whole grains in the food court.
“Turkey on whole wheat from Sideway?” he responds tentatively. “Grains give us strength and energy to play!”
The fourth child to play gets a tricky question. “Can you choose a food that is high in protein but also high in fiber?” asks Sally Strawberry.
“Bean burrito from Beeanie Bell,” the child chimes.
“Muy rico,” Strawberry says. “We now have a fruit, vegetable, whole grains and protein. We just need a drink.”
“Milk, from any place,” the last child says.
See scenes from 2014 AgVentures in Tulare County in the one-minute video below:
UC Cooperative Extension nominates nutrition stars
UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators in Tulare County nominated two local principals and a teacher for the 6th Annual California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Spotlight Awards, said an article in the Visalia Times-Delta. A committee will select one outstanding principal and one outstanding teacher from among the nominees. Supporting comments that can be made until June 30 on the website, in addition to the written nominations, will be considered by the committee in selecting the awardees.
Gold medalists receive $10,000 to further promote physical activity in their communities, silver medalists receive $2,500 and bronze medalists receive $1,000.
Anyone can go to the Governor's Council website and show support for the nominees by clicking "like," which tallies support from people who have Facebook accounts, clicking "support," or writing supportive comments.
Tulare County UCCE nutrition educator Julie Cates nominated principal Ira Porchia of Roosevelt School. Twice per year Porchia purchases a children's bicycle and all students with perfect attendance are entered into a bike lottery, Cates wrote in the nomination.
“Some kids just need a carrot dangled in front of them, a small incentive,” Porchia told Cates.
Cates said Porchia cheerfully reads facts and trivia related to fruits and vegetables provided by the UCCE Nutrition Program over the intercom and came into a classroom to personally pedal a “fruit smoothie bike," a bicycle modified to spin healthy ingredients in a blender mounted behind the seat.
Cates also nominated third-grade teacher Melissa Van Osch from Frank Kohn Elementary School. Van Osch coordinates an annual “Jump Rope for Heart" and during the month of December she used "The 12 Days of Fitness" physical activity curriculum in her classroom.
UCCE nutrition educator Leonila Leon nominated principal Valerie Brown of Maple Elementary School. Brown supports nutrition and fitness programs that allow students to become healthier, the nomination says. Brown enrolled several of her teachers into the UCCE nutrition program. The teachers receive a curriculum to teach students about healthy eating and exercise.
Principal Ira Porchia rides the "fruit smoothie bike."
Stay the night in a peach orchard?
Seeing the milky way clear and bright in the night sky wasn't anything special to Dinuba peach growers Nori and Mike Naylor, but they noticed that it was a simple treat enjoyed by visitors to their new farm stay in the organic orchard. So Nori is thinking about mentioning the stars on Twitter, or Facebook, or on her blog perhaps.
Mike Naylor has been growing peaches organically since 1984 on 95 acres he took over from his father. He sees a huge disconnect between people who grow food and the majority of people who no longer know anyone who farms or ranches.
A farm stay is overnight lodging offered by working farmers or ranchers in their own home to a few guests at a time. A state law passed in 1990 allows this in California without requiring the host farmers to have a restaurant-style kitchen in order to serve meals to their guests. Tulare County has a lot of farms, but the Naylors might be the first farm stay in the county. They were happy to be a test case as county staff figured out the rules and regulations, permits needed and fees to charge for this new business.
Visitors have started arriving; an organic pest control guy from Florida, a compost salesman from Washington, missionaries from their church, a doctor from Massachusetts who was working at a clinic in Visalia, a couple from Hanford looking for an overnight getaway, a business acquaintance with his family, and others. Guests enjoy the peace and quiet, the night sky, and a homemade breakfast. They walk the orchard with Naylor and learn a little about the art of growing organic peaches and nectarines, and they get to pick a few of their own if they want.
Nori Naylor is in charge of telling the world about the peach farm, and inviting visitors. Since Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks are only an hour away, she hopes that some people will stop by on their way to the parks. She is working with the Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote the farm stay and offer group tours of the farm, and exchanges brochures with local restaurants and shops.
The Naylor's small farm has a worldwide presence on the internet. Listings on CalAgTour.org and Farmstayus.com have brought inquiries from international travellers. Nori maintains the website and spends a half hour every day keeping up two Facebook pages; one for the farm and one for the farm stay, as well as sharing on Twitter. Naylors Organic Farm also lists on a new site set up by Top 10 Produce, using a new QR code that people can scan with their smartphones to link to the farm location, website, Facebook page and, coming soon, videos of the farm.
