USDA People's Garden Project

People's Gardens Aim to Provide Nutritious, Safe and Healthier Choices for Children and Communities    

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2011 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that Washington State University will develop and run the People's Garden School Pilot Program which will serve an estimated 2,800 students attending 70 elementary schools in Washington, New York, Iowa and Arkansas. 

The Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth pilot is an innovative strategy to help our nation win the future through improved K-12 education. It explores the impact of school gardens on learning and on changing student consumption patterns so they make healthier food choices.

"School gardens hold great promise for educating our kids about food production and nutrition," said Vilsack. "Learning where food comes from and what fresh food tastes like, and the pride of growing and serving your own fruits and vegetables, are life-changing experiences. Engaging kids in our efforts to end childhood hunger and curb childhood obesity is critical if we are going to succeed."

The $1 million pilot program is authorized under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The schools selected to participate in this pilot come from urban, suburban, and rural communities and have at least 50 percent of their students qualified to receive free or reduced-price school meals The initiative is part of a the USDA People's Garden Initiative which establishes community and school gardens across the nation to help unite neighborhoods in a common effort and inspire simple solutions to challenges facing our country – from hunger to the environment. The announcement comes as First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative celebrates National Gardening Month (April).

"Washington State University is a leader when it comes to gardening and garden-based learning, and this important pilot program will make a significant contribution to the development of national models," said Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. "This program moves us toward our goal of improving the health and nutrition of our kids and communities, and instilling healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime."

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. Visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/ for information about FNS and nutrition assistance programs.

This is what I mentioned in my last post and I have been working with ISU Extension on.  I can't wait for this spring when we actually get the gardens in at Sunset Heights School here in Webster City.  I was told that Iowa has done an outstanding job in collecting their data. For all the people who have been involved, thank you for all your hard work.

ISU Extension also received a Wellmark grant to expand the educational piece in all the 2nd and 4th grade classrooms.  They are using the Growing in the Garden curricula that was created by a team of individuals, one whom lives in our community.  You can visit the website here. It is full of information, resources, and even some examples of lesson plans for the garden.  A very worthwhile site to visit!

I am trying to live up to one of my resolutions for the day and that was to share this information on what is happening in our community.  And yes, another recipe to share.  I tried this yesterday and it turned out pretty good and a slow cooker recipe that you can prepare ahead of time.  I love when I am working and know that supper is already cooking, so that when I get home, I can relax a little. And if you have a rice cooker like I do, even more time to relax.

Slow Cooker Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken

We like this different-than-normal slow cooker recipe. Buy a box of fortune cookies and make it a fun meal!

2 lbs boneless chicken

small onion, chopped

red pepper, sliced

green pepper, sliced

20 oz can pineapple (in pineapple juice)

1/4 c. brown sugar

3 Tbls. corn starch

1/4 c. cider vinegar

1/4 c. water

1 Tbls. soy sauce

Put chicken, onion, peppers in the crockpot.  Drain the can of pineapple.  Set the pineapple aside for later.  Mix the juice with the sugar, corn starch, vinegar, water and soy sauce and our over the chicken.  Cook on low for 7 hours or high for about 4-5 hours.  Add the pineapple a few minutes before serving.  Serve over rice.

A New Beginning

I cannot believe how much time has passed since I last blogged. I am realizing that I am not being very true to one my new year's resolutions. I reflected upon a few that I had made and have come to the conclusion that maybe we should resolve to do something "good" everyday whether for ourselves or for someone else. Eating better, exercising, a simple kind word, are things that need to be thought of on a daily basis, but not worth berating yourself for not keeping the resolution. Each day is a new day and therefore, we have the ability to "renew" each day as it happens.

I resolve to eat better everyday. Do I do this, probably not, but I think about it everyday. At least I am hopeful each day that I will, but then sometimes at the end of the day I realize I should have eaten better, but I don't spend time beating myself up about it.(Girl Scout cookies are abundant right now and on sale until March 4).

I have been fortunate to be involved in a school garden project that is being made possible by a million dollar grant from the USDA and Sunset Heights Elementary school has been selected to participate in the project. We have done lunch tray photography (seeing what kids are eating at school and how much they eat), collected data(what fruits and veggies have they eaten and what ones do they like), and are currently working on the planning process of lessons and gardens for the school. The kids are really excited for what is coming and received their first lesson yesterday about apples.

It reminds me of the process that we went through a year ago to get our community garden going. The school project has once again inspired me for our garden, so it is time to get everyone organized for a meeting and discuss the challenges from the year past and plans we might have for this year.

I was also blessed with some funding to have another after-school program and the kids will be involved in the garden again. This time, I will be facilitating the class. I can't wait and I know the kids can't wait either.

I cannot end this post without at least one recipe(or maybe 2) that is good for you and yummy too! Not all things that are good for you taste bad or as some people will say "taste like cardboard". I am hoping more for a comment like; "hmm..tastes like chicken". Now wouldn't that be awesome if people who don't much care for veggies would think of them tasting like "chicken". Maybe they would eat more and be healthier because of it.


Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Basil sprigs, garnish, optional


In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired and serve with a loaf of rustic bread.




Fried Rice
3 cups cooked white rice
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce


On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated! **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :) Yum! You can also add shrimp, cooked chicken, or anything else that suits your taste buds. Definitely worth making.

Lots and lots of Tomatoes!

We have been blessed with a bountiful crop and hundreds of tomatoes on the vine that await their crimson colors. I came across a tomato recipe the other day and anticipate the one I imagine I am making in my oven right now.

Tomato Pie Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes. If you want to take this recipe up a notch, you can caramelize the onions while prepping the other ingredients. If you do that, double the amount of onion.

Ingredients
1 9-inch pie shell (see pie crust recipe for homemade version)
1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)*
2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozarella)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
*To slice basil, chiffonade them by stacking the leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, starting at one end slice the "cigar" crosswise in thin slices.

Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you'll need to cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

2 Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes, using either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.

3 Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with chopped onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

4 In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

5 Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.

Yield: Serves 6.

This recipe comes from a website called Simply Recipes(http://simplyrecipes.com) Simple recipes, simple ingredients, simply delicious!

Iowa is Ranked #2 in the U.S. for Volunteers

What a great state we live in as evidenced by the following report that came out yesterday from the governor's office. We are a state rich in the giving of people's time volunteering for projects and programs in the communities they live in. I am happy to say that with our garden we can say that over 700 hours have been given by individuals who are invested in projects such as this. Thank you everyone who had a part in this.



August 9, 2011(Des Moines) - Iowa Governor Terry Branstad announced today that for the second year in a row, Iowa has achieved the second-highest volunteer rate in the country with 37.9 percent of Iowans devoting time to help others in 2010. That surpasses the 2008 rank of fifth, according to the recent Volunteering in America report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

"Volunteers are an amazing resource, and no state has more devoted or more passionate volunteers than Iowa," said Governor Branstad. "I am honored to tout this recognition on behalf of all Iowans who are making a tremendous difference in our state."

Iowans devoted a total of 93.4 million hours to volunteering in 2010 and provided more than $2 billion in services to Iowa. Additionally, Iowa ranked first in volunteer retention rate, meaning that more volunteers are staying in their volunteer opportunity. Good volunteer management is one of the biggest factors driving the volunteer retention rate and is a testament to the strength of Iowa charities and communities that utilize volunteers. Volunteer retention rates help drive volunteer rates by reducing the annual volunteer loss while maintaining the annual gains of recruitment. Thus, it is no surprise that four of the top five volunteer retention states are also in the top five in volunteer rate. Since Governor Branstad created the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service in 1994, Iowa has made persistent efforts to build and support a local infrastructure to support volunteerism and strong volunteer management. Nearly 150,000 more Iowans volunteer today than they did in 1989 prior to the creation of the commission.

The spirit of Iowa's volunteerism is exemplified in individual cities as well. Iowa has more cities (four) than any other state in the top 20 of overall ranking s.

Additional highlights from the report include:

&m iddot; Iowa City has the third-highest volunteer rate nationally for cities, with over 50 percent of residents volunteering

· Des Moines has the seventh-highest volunteer rate nationally for cities, with 40 percent of residents volunteering

· Cedar Falls/Waterloo has the 11th highest rate at 37.6 percent

· Cedar Rapids has the 14th highest rate for midsized cities (16th overall) at 35.6 percent

· "Generation X" Iowans and "Older" Iowans both ranked second for their age demographics, all other age demographics ranked in the top 10

· The percentage of Iowans mentoring youth has increased from 17th to fourth in the nation over the last few years which has been a priority of the commission

For more information on volunteering in Iowa or to view the the complete Volunteering in America report, go to www.volunteeriowa.org.

For more information contact:
Adam Lounsbury, Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service
515.783.7158
adam.lounsbury@iowa.gov