Buckets, Bales, & Bushels

Consider starting your blog reading today with the agriculture perspective about pawpaws - Pawpaws, a Native Fall Fruit Taste Delight – from our Small Farms educator, Doug Gucker. A fun thing about being a dietitian is learning about new foods. Pawpaws are certainly not a fruit I was fami...

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One-pot meals have been my favorite cooking method lately. Put it all in – protein, whole grains or starchy veggies, and non-starchy veggies – and dinner is served! I try to make one-pot recipes that are full meals in themselves. Occasionally, I decide to make one-pot dishes and add some crackers, apple slices, raw veggie sticks, or another quick addition on the side to complete the mea...

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Parents, teachers, and students: welcome back to school! Along with education, social engagement, and student personal growth, food is a major part of school culture. Consider the different times foods can pop up during the school day: Breakfast – at home, on-the-go to school, or a school-provided meal Lunch – a meal packed at home or provided by the sch...

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Salsa in the summer? Yes please! I like salsa as part of my lunch during summer as a way of getting vegetables in my diet in a different way from my usual bell pepper slices. My trouble with jarred salsa I buy is that the sodium amount is higher than I would like. I also prefer my salsa less chunky than I can usually find in jars, or even sometimes as fresh salsa in the deli. So making...

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As part of the Older Americans Act, those 60 years of age and older are invited to receive food at congregate meal sites, often for lunch. For those 60 years and older who are homebound, home-delivered meals are available. Many programs include individuals under age 60 who have disabilities. See the Resources list below to learn more about local congregate and home-delivered m...

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In looking towards our next hands-on food program in May, enjoy a preview of the No Cook Meals class. If you want to join the in-person class, register at 217.877.6042 or online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/dmp/ by May 18. Going into summer, when the temperature outside goes higher and higher, cooking with your oven or stove can make...

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April hosts " Money Smart Week " (MSW) from April 22-29, an event started by Chicago-area agencies to bring awareness to money and finances. University of Illinois Extension holds events around the state to assist in this campaign, so look in your area. In DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt counties, take on the Savvy Savers Food Challenge! Downl...

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In looking towards our next hands-on food program in March, enjoy a preview of the 5 Ingredient Fix class. Recipes with five ingredients or less help you save money, spend less time preparing and cooking meals, and, in some cases, use a fewer number of dishes. These recipes do have limits on flavors, since few ingredients are used. Register today at 217.877.6042 or online at...

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Have you noticed more hands-on food programming in UI Extension? I have been working to developing programs that involve participants in their learning in a new way. While several hands-on programs have been active, the freezer meal class was a new one. Thanks to our participants who made a freezer meal to take home. If you are familiar with freezer meals, think of taking out a frozen e...

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Happy New Year! In the spirit of the new year and the winter season, look to try one of these winter food activities this January. 1. Food Pantry Experience. There are so many volunteer opportunities related to food insecurity in your communities: volunteer at a local soup kitchen serving food or helping clean-up, help with a mobile food pantry event, or work with a regional f...

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If you are on pumpkin overload, I give you permission to skip this blog post. I do hope you continue reading though. Whether you are growing pumpkins in your garden, picking them up from someone else's, or would prefer to grab a can or pie pumpkin at the store, try these tips to save the pumpkin you have for a time when you want pumpkin again. Making Pumpkin Puree – the...

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Give a big hat's off to school foodservice. They are the front line of a wave of students crashing into a cafeteria or classroom looking for food. They are the ones serving food as quick as possible. They are the ones encouraging food choices. During October 10-14 this year, it is National School Lunch Week. As parents and guardians, this is a great time to talk with your kids and your...

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This summer has been focused on freezing and dehydration programs, as part of our line of food preservation classes from UI Extension. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for information on freezing and drying foods. If you still have summer crops giving their last, consider drying those for use in recipe...

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So many things make us feel summer. The heat of course, but all the different fresh fruits and vegetables you taste…ah, it is summer! In all the heat, salsa is a refreshing snack option, an addition to a recipe, and a way to use up extra ingredients. It is probably not a surprise that salsa has its own variations, and not all of them include tomatoes. Salsas can help you get in...

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The next line of food preservation classes from UI Extension are on freezing and dehydration. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for information on freezing and drying foods. Past years, the focus has been on home canning. This summer is about preserving fruits and veggies in other ways. And sampling som...

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With so much produce growing in summer, this is a great time to enjoy the warmer weather, savor flavors, and keep recipes simple. The tastes of all those summer fruits and veggies will do most of the work in making your recipes shine. I recently taught the "Your Diet, Your Decade" class, designed to highlight nutrition needs across different age groups. Our 60+ year young crowd prepared...

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The last few months, I have gotten a chance to partner with County Market and assist with grocery store tours to several groups. This is an opportunity for participants to get their questions answered about different foods in the store, gain skills to make healthier picks, and become more savvy shoppers. As some commented: "Thank you for this class. Very helpful!" –tour p...

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Did you clean your grill for the season? If not, get to it soon. (Or maybe your oven needs cleaning.) It is National Hamburger Month! 3 Tips for Food Safety 1. Cook to Temperature. Hamb...

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Our unit's do-it-yourself (DIY) series has come to a close. So many classes, so many great activities, and in the case of classes I taught, so many recipes! The last in the series was making sauces – cheese sauce, barbecue, and tomato. Food Sciences and Sauces Rouxes and slurries are starting points for thickened sauces....

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Our unit's do-it-yourself (DIY) series is still going strong. I am excited to report a successful sauerkraut class. Everyone was excited to get their hands in the cabbage and work together. There are still more classes in the series, so c heck out our remaining classes . What is...

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2016! I hope you will make this a healthy year – continuing the positive choices you already make and adding in new healthy habits. Winter brings a lot of different citrus fruits to grocery store shelves. Stocked with more oranges and grapefruits than usual, maybe you have noticed other interesting citrus as well: clementines, tangerines, mandarins, tangelo...

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Can you figure out what the words above have in common? Take your time, I don't have anywhere to be. Did you come up with footprints? We are familiar with muddy footprints as we return from a soggy garden. You may think about your carbon footprint as you drive to and fro and when you figure out how far a given product has traveled to reach the store shelf. A water footprint? Is that...

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The "Back to Basics" do-it-yourself series returns to UI Extension in Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt counties. If you have not already checked out our classes , take a look today. Cheese making has appeared on this year's agenda, and class participants will get...

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If you are waiting on some fall crops to harvest or are able to find a great batch of seasonal fruits and veggies in your local stores, consider freezing them at home for longer storage. After a while, fresh produce eventually becomes soft, mushy, and will not be enjoyable to eat or use in recipes. Freezing can extend the shelf life of your foods and give you a nutritious option when fr...

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That bag of green beans was pretty wrinkled, and the container of kale started turning brown at the edges and had a strong smell. I forgot about these sitting in my refrigerator. Whoops! I certainly did not eat these in the state they were in (decomposing). As the season of bounty in gardens and farmer's markets slows, take a moment to reflect on fresh fruit and vegetable storage.  Plan...

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