Nutrition & Health

Summer weather is still going strong, and so are tomato and other veggie plants. Believe it or not, it's already time to start planning your fall vegetable garden! In fact, some vegetables need to be started from seed very soon.

With technology, the traditional brain break in the classroom has gone digital! Over 650 teachers participated in the Brain Breaks in the Virtual World session at the Alvord Unified Distance Learning Virtual Summit on August 3, 2020.

It's good to see Washington State University Extension's newly published, updated fact sheet on the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. You can view or download it here for free.

The last weeks of summer are here and many are maximizing time outdoors, whether in yards, parks, or natural areas. As you enjoy the sunshine and perhaps a picnic, it is possible you may encounter different types of stinging insects such as bees and wasps.

Monarchs, bless their little hearts, souls and wings, deposited 16 eggs on our milkweed plants in July.

Summer in the Central Valley is hot, hot, hot. As I try to stay cool during this relentless heat my thoughts turn to fall, one of my favorite times of year.

The National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs help reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition for school-aged children. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows schools with high levels of children in poverty to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students.

Heads will not roll. The Hunger Games will not begin. Preying does not always work. It's Aug. 2, 2020 and a praying mantis decides to occupy a specially stunning Mexican sunflower. Specifically, it's a female Stagmomantis limbata occupying a Tithonia rotundifolia.

A recent study by Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researchers assessed differences in quick-service, or fast-food, restaurants with and without voluntary healthy default beverage standards for kids' meals. Voluntary standards' are restaurant commitments to offer healthier drinks with kids' meals.

If you are growing tomatoes in your garden, you may not be the only vertebrate going for your hard earned harvest. Are rats feasting away in the garden? We have a couple resources we can share to help you reduce or prevent rat damage to your tomatoes.