The Hartford County Urban 4-H after school programs are free for children age 7-19. Youth enrolled in Urban 4-H receive effective hands on STEM related activities which include but not limited to: health and nutrition, science related activities, social skills, and work force readiness courses. On May 26th at the Boys and Girls club in Hartford […]
Year: 2015
IPM at Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford
Through its offices located throughout Connecticut, UConn Extension connects the power of UConn research to local issues by creating practical, science-based answers to complex problems. Extension provides scientific knowledge and expertise to the public in areas such as: economic viability, business and industry, community development, agriculture and natural resources. This post, written by Mary Concklin […]
The Untimely Death of a Worm
By Catherine Hallisey Connecticut FoodCorps As I was kneeling by a raised garden bed, planting snap peas with a couple of students, I heard a third grader scream “NOOOOOO!” from the other side of the garden. An array of thoughts immediately sped through my mind in the split second it took me to get over to […]
Deformed Spinach? Could be Crown Mites
By Joan Allen for UConn Extension Some spinach cultivars are expected to have pretty bumpy, puckered leaves. If your plants are not that type, but the leaves look like that or have small holes in them when they expand, crown mites (Rhizoglyphus sp.) are a possible cause. Conditions that favor mite activity and damage are […]
Tools for Healthy Living
“Tools for Healthy Living,” a curriculum about healthy homes and food safety, has been accepted as a national peer-reviewed curriculum by the National 4-H Council. The curriculum, designed for students in grades four through six who are in afterschool 4-H programs, was developed by UConn Extension as part of a 5-year Sustainable Community Project grant […]
Common Blue Violet: Wildflower or Weed?
Photo and article by Joan Allen for UConn Extension The common blue violet (Viola sororia), also known as common meadow violet, purple violet, woolly blue violet, or wood violet, is a native perennial plant found throughout eastern North America. Some references give woolly blue violet (a variety with fuzzy leaves) its own species name but […]
Healthier Food at the Right Price
Moms from Grassroots Academy learned about saving money at the store while feeding their family healthier foods during a grocery store tour at Price Rite in Danbury last week led by EFNEP educator and dietitian Heather Peracchio and extension aide Juliana Restrepo-Marin. The tour was in partnership with the Cooking Matters at the store program.
Mmmm…Strawberry Season
By Diane Wright Hirsch, Extension Educator, Food Safety One of the best things about early summer in Connecticut is strawberry season. I will never understand why folks buy California berries at the supermarket in June. I recently saw a post on a local farm’s Facebook page where a customer shared a picture of two […]
National Adaptation Forum
By Juliana Barrett Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension In early May, over 700 people gathered in St Louis, MO for the second National Adaptation Forum (NAF). The purpose of the NAF is to promote and share climate adaptation research, issues, tools and strategies. Participants gathered from across the United States and Canada including federal, […]
Microbes Make the Cheese
Dennis D’Amico of the Department of Animal Science and his colleagues produced the booklet, Microbes Make the Cheese. It contains useful information such as the art of making cheese, history, and the use of microbes.
Enfield & Worcester PEP Graduations
Congratulations to our People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Enfield and Worcester. Both classes graduated in early May. At the Enfield graduation, the mayor was there, and the Police Department as they are working alongside the PEP program in a project. For the project, police and PEP graduates exchange phone numbers and when an emergency happens […]
Students First Funds Golf Tournament
The UConn Extension team had a great day at the 7th Annual UConn Students First Funds Golf Tournament on Monday. Left to right: Paul Gagnon, Career Consultant for the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources; Steve Geary, Department Head of Pathobiology; Bill Field, Division of Environmental Health and Safety; and Mike O’Neill, Associate Dean and Associate […]
Build a Rain Garden
Want to build a beautiful garden that also helps to protect local waterways? Let the NEMO Rain Garden App show you how. Spring means the urge to create gardens. Spring also means rain and polluted runoff flowing into the street, down the storm drain, and into the local brook or wetland. Why not solve both […]
10 Tips for the June Gardener
Control and reduce aphid numbers on vegetables, roses, perennial flowers, shrubs and trees with a hard spray from your garden hose or two applications of insecticidal soap. Plant seeds of bush beans every three weeks for a continuous harvest. Heavy rains encourage slug problems. Check for slugs during rainy periods and hand pick the pests. […]
Barnum School in Bridgeport
Barnum School 4-Hers in Bridgeport celebrated Earth Day on April 25th. Parents, students and community volunteers celebrated with a Garden clean up. Twenty-seven beds were cleaned, wood chips laid, and eight new beds were built.
Using Water Wisely
By Faye Griffiths-Smith UConn Extension Educator Family Economics and Resource Management With the recent water restrictions in California, we all need to consider our water use, and what steps can be taken to reduce our consumption. Did you know that the average person in the U.S. uses 100 gallons of water every day? Drinking, […]
Biological Control Programs for Ornamentals
Proven Biological Control Programs for Indoor and Outdoor Production of Ornamentals UConn Extension and UMass Extension are sponsoring, Proven Biological Control Programs; for indoor and outdoor production of ornamentals. This one day educational program will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 in Room 100 of the WB Young Building, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. The […]
More PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our most recent UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Meriden! The People Empowering People Program is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. Created by Cheryl Czuba, UConn Extension Educator, the PEP program builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent/family relationships and […]
The Season for Strawberries
Photo and article by Susan Pelton for UConn Extension We moved into our home in December of 1996 and by June of 1997 I had broken through the sod, tilled the soil, fenced in an area, and planted a new garden. One of the first additions to that garden was a strawberry bed. Even […]
Grow a Safe Salad
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety Year round farmers markets are already selling early spring greens to those of us who have been craving the fresh, locally grown stuff during the long winter months. The use of greenhouses, cold frames and hoop houses and other season-extending contraptions make it possible for […]
Making Soup
At St. Luke’s food pantry in Bridgeport UConn Extension reaches SNAP recipients with healthy eating tips and recipes. Heather Peracchio made minestrone soup with attendees. Canned vegetables are best for our health when labeled “no salt added,” or if you have regular or reduced sodium rinsing and draining the veggies or beans can help to […]
NOAA Website Uses CLEAR Technologies
The NOAA Office for Coastal Management has come out with a new web-mapping site, How to Use Land Cover Data as A Water Quality Indicator, that was constructed based on a project that UConn Extension’s Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) did for them in 2013. It uses metrics and analyses recommended by CLEAR, and in […]
Volunteers Needed for Research Project
Lily Leaf Beetles – UConn Looking for CT Volunteers to Assist with Biological Control Study Just last week, as I peered into my tiger lily bed, a splash of red caught my eye. Even though I squashed every lily leaf beetle and larvae I found last year, some had apparently been missed and they overwintered to […]
National 4-H Conference
In April, four Connecticut 4-H members and chaperone Rineicha Otero of UConn Extension attended the National 4-H Conference in Washington D.C. Each of the 4-H members participated in a roundtable project. Their assignments were: Molly Barnett – Adolescent Health – Presenting to the Department of Health and Human Services Lily Barton – Military Families – […]
Mansfield/Coventry PEP Graduation
Congratulations to another group of People Empowering People (PEP) graduates. The Mansfield/Coventry group celebrated with an inspiring evening of community projects and joy.
10 Tips for the May Gardener
Thin or compacted turf will benefit from core aeration and over-seeding. Keep new seed moist until germination. Remove spent blooms on tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs to focus its energy on growing new bulbs rather than producing seeds. Plant tomatoes, peppers and melons after the danger of frost is past and the soil […]
Connecticut 4-H Citizenship Day 2015
By: Marc Cournoyer UConn Extension 4-H Program Coordinator Approximately 100 4-H youth and adults converged on the state Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual state 4-H Citizenship Day. Representing all corners of Connecticut, these individuals came together to meet with legislators, explore our state Capitol, learn a bit more about […]
Plymouth PEP Class of 2015
The kick off for this UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) community project in Plymouth was Tuesday, April 14th. The mayor gave out the first key for Plymouth Keys For Kindness and praised the UConn Extension PEP program. The Peppers include: Jennifer DeForest, Vianna Hartley, Donna Koser, Tanya Long, Heather MacAulay and Jennifer Yezierski.
Meet Our Summer Interns
Each year UConn students apply to and compete for paid internship opportunities with the UConn Cooperative Extension Service. Through its offices located throughout Connecticut, UConn Extension connects the power of UConn research to local issues by creating practical, science-based answers to complex problems. Extension provides scientific knowledge and expertise to the public in areas such […]
Bloomfield PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) Bloomfield graduates. The ceremony was on April 6th at the Laurel Elementary School.
On Farm Food Processing
Processing Food for Sale from Your Connecticut On-farm Residential Kitchen Are you a farmer interested in processing jams, jellies, acidified foods (pickles, relishes), or maple syrup from your on-farm residential kitchen? Connecticut regulations allow farmers, using the fruits and vegetables they grow, to manufacture these foods in their home kitchen with the intent to sell them […]
Avian Influenza
Hello small flock owners. Avian Influenza (AI) is still a major threat to our poultry. With more cases being diagnosed in the Midwest, it seems it is only a matter of time before it strikes our area. The USDA has set up a new website with all the information on AI. Please go to the […]
Meal Preparation for Infants
UConnExtension’s Heather Pease worked with students at the New Britain CREC Medical Professions and Teacher Preparation Academy to make meals for children ages 6-months to 12-months. Some food groups are not represented because they did not have access to all food groups. The focus was on portion and texture of mainly vegetables, fruit and cereal. […]
My Connecticut Woods
Middlesex County Extension Center Announces a Year-long Series of Twelve Workshops for Woodland Owners and Nature Lovers called My Connecticut Woods. Workshop #1: Field Trip to a Local Vernal Pool Come join us as the UConn Extension Forestry Team and guest lecturers explore a variety of topics about Connecticut’s natural resources. Each class will begin […]
Land Use Academy Wins Award From CT Planners
CLEAR’s Land Use Academy has won the 2014 Education Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association. The Academy, created in 2007, provides basic training for municipal land use commissioners on roles and responsibilities, legal requirements and site plan reading, as well as advanced training on emerging topics. As we all know, land […]
Jonathan Visits
We’re working on the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) website – and wanted a photo of Jonathan in a search and rescue vest. We had a great visit and photo shoot. Photos: Kevin Noonan for UConn CAHNR.
Litchfield County 4-H Programs
The Litchfield County 4-H Fair Association made up “Birthday Parties in a Bag” which are distributed to shelters and food kitchens. Every child wants a birthday party, and every child should be able to celebrate their birthday. They have been doing this community service project since 2012, when three 4-Hers went to a leadership Conference with Jann […]
Tree Warden Banquet
The Tree Warden’s Association of CT held their 23rd Annual Meeting and Dinner on March 26, 2015. The speaker was Colleen Murphy-Dunning who is Program Director at the Hixon Center for Urban Ecology at Yale (Partnerships for Improved Urban Forest management Presentation). Roy Cavanaugh, Watertown Public Works Director, received an award for his work with […]
Communication Skills with PEP
A UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) class in March 2015. Madre Latina Inc., a Community organization from Waterbury visited. We were happy to have them because their experiences and knowledge help us to continue the process of help others. At another class, students made a game out of active listening and communication through crafts. […]
Shellfish Mapping Tool
A new version of the Connecticut Aquaculture Mapping Atlas has been launched at: http://clear3.uconn.edu/aquaculture/. The new and improved website was built based on feedback from shellfish interest groups like yours. The latest version of this interactive map viewer includes new data layers and functions. The viewer includes updated commercial and recreational harvest areas, natural beds, […]