Watch this great video on the growing season in the rain garden at our UConn Extension Center in Haddam.
A Better Way of Farming
Vegetable Farmers Switch to Reduced Tillage/Deep Zone Tillage By Jude Boucher, UConn Extension Educator In 2006, after several 4 to 6-inch rainstorms, and having to contend with 4-foot deep erosion gullies in his sweet corn fields, Nelson Cecarelli of Cecarelli Farm decided he needed a better way to farm the rolling hills of Northford […]
Buy Local When Gift-Giving
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety No, I was not racing to the nearest “big box” or department store on Thanksgiving night to get in line for a 29 cent towel. I was, however, enjoying my family around a table full of Connecticut grown turkey dinner food. Apples from Hindinger […]
Growing Container-Grown Greenhouse Vegetables
UConn Extension is sponsoring, Growing Container-Grown Greenhouse Vegetables on Dec 16, 2014 at the Litchfield County Extension Center, 843 University Drive, Torrington, CT. The speakers featured at this educational program include: 9:00-9:30 Registration 9:30 – 10:30 Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes and Cucumbers in Soiless Media […]
UConn Extension Receives Farmland Preservation Pathfinder Award
The UConn Extension Agriculture Team was the recipient of the Farmland Preservation Pathfinder Education Leader Award at the Working Lands Alliancee Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 18th at the State Capitol in Hartford. The award recognizes significant contributions in the area of educating the public about the importance of farmland preservation. UConn Extension connects […]
Celebrate a CT Grown Thanksgiving
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety The origins of the American Thanksgiving celebration can be debated. For early settlers, the occasion was often religious in nature, offering thanksgiving and praise for many blessings, not just a bountiful harvest. But, traditionally, we are taught that the Pilgrims celebrated the […]
Extension App Challenge
The UConn Extension App Challenge is a contest to develop innovative apps that tie UConn’s research to real life. Students are invited to work with a UConn Extension faculty member to develop software applications for smartphones, tablets, or web browsers that create greater community access to UConn science, research, and information. Students developing the most […]
Are Crock Pots Economical?
By Sherry Gray – Extension Instructor Nutrition Educator, EFNEP Supervisor Foods and Nutrition With colder weather and busy schedules, cooking with crock pot (or slow cooker) cooking is an attractive alternative during the fall and winter months. Crock pots can be big time savers when set in the morning to cook throughout the day. Many […]
A Nutrition Book for Teens
This unique 256-page paperback is the teen’s ultimate guide to navigating the world of nutrition and health. In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, it’s often easier to just go the fast food route. But this book will help parents and teens alike to make smart choices and reflect on the way they eat by giving them the […]
10 Tips for the November Gardener
Ten Tips for the November Gardener: 1. Once the ground has frozen (but before it snows), mulch fall planted perennials by placing 3 to 5 inches of pine needles, straw, chopped leaves around them. 2. Continue to thoroughly water trees, shrubs, planting beds, lawn areas and recently planted evergreens until a hard frost. Plants should […]
Safe Food Handling from Farm to Table
Written by Patsy Evans for Naturally@UConn and originally posted on October 14, 2014 Hearing the word ‘outbreak’ makes many people anxious. E. coliO157:H7, spinach, 2006. Salmonella, peanut butter, 2009. Listeria, cantaloupe, 2011. Diane Hirsch, UConn Extension educator for food safety, easily lists previous food-borne pathogen outbreaks. But, fear does not paralyze her. Instead, she works in classrooms and […]
Make Your Landscape Sustainable
By Joan Allen – Assistant Extension Educator – UConn Home & Garden Center A sustainable landscape incorporates a holistic approach of functionality, environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic sensibility. These principles are tied together in the design and maintenance of a landscape in order to maintain and preserve natural ecological habitats. Your Landscape Impacts The […]
Is your garden bursting with fall tomatoes?
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety It has been a great year for growing tomatoes in Connecticut, but the season is rapidly coming to an end with the change to cooler temperatures. As much as we love our delicious vine ripened summer-red tomatoes, it is time for a reality check—summer is over. […]
Working for the Best Kept Secret
By Aaron Plotke UConn Extension Intern With summer quickly approaching, I was still unsure what I was going to do for the next three months. Understanding the importance of gaining real world experience in my field of study, I applied to a number of nutrition related internships throughout the semester. I was hoping to find that […]
Farm to School Programs Create New Opportunities for Farmers
Weekly Column: Farm to School Programs Create New Opportunities for Farmers By USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack This October, just like every other month during the school year, school menus will feature an array of products from local and regional farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. Kids of all ages will dig up lessons in school […]
Grower’s Nation Brings Citizen Science to the Farm
Knowing what to plant and when is vital information both for farmers and for gardeners who want to grow their own fruits and vegetables. The Growers Nation app, officially released last Friday, provides this information as well as other vital details in an easy-to-use format designed for both small-scale gardeners and farmers in developing countries. […]
10 Tips for the October Gardener
Prepare houseplants to come inside before the first frost. Scout for insects and rinse foliage and containers. Pot up tulips, hyacinths and other pre-chilled bulbs and store in a cool, dark place until ready to force. To begin pre-bloom dormancy for amaryllis, stop watering it and place in a cool, dark place. Pot up some […]
UConn Extension Centennial Video
UConn Extension Ties Research to Real Life for citizens of Connecticut every day. Join us as we take a tour of some of our UConn Extension programs.
UConn Students Learn About Canning
UConn Extension‘s Diane Hirsch held a workshop for 12 students from the UConn Spring Valley Farm and the UConn EcoGarden Club as well as others. The focus was on pressure canning as the Spring Valley Farm students hope to purchase a pressure canner in the near future. Julia Cartabiano, the farm manager, made the arrangements so […]
Blue-Green Algae
Prolonged dry conditions can cause problems; one of these is blue-green algae, which can overgrow in a stagnant pond. Aerating a pond can prevent blue-green algae, but if this is not possible the pond should be fenced off from livestock and avoided by humans and companion animals. Examining a water sample under a microscope […]
Bountiful Harvests
By Dawn Pettinelli for UConn Extension Community Gardeners Reap Bountiful Harvests While Average American Family Tosses 25% of Food Purchases Each Year! A couple of weeks ago, the Connecticut Community Gardening Association partnering with the community garden at Manchester Community College held a Summer Celebration of the gardens, the dedicated gardeners, their bounty, composting efforts and […]
Keep Phosphorus Out of Our Waters
By Dawn Pettinelli – Extension Instructor Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and as such is a component of many fertilizers. Many may not be aware that phosphorus pollution is the number one cause of declining water quality in fresh water lakes and ponds in Connecticut and other […]
Reusable Grocery Bags
By Diane Hirsch, Extension Educator Food Safety A Good Idea, But Are They Safe? Is that reusable grocery bag really such a good idea? Many of us have finally been won over to the reusable grocery bag culture. But, as a food safety educator I have often wondered, how sanitary are these bags that are […]
Save Summer Flavor: Freeze Fruits and Vegetables
How to save summer flavor for winter: freezing fruits and vegetables By Diane Wright Hirsch UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety It has been a wonderful year for growing fruits and vegetables in Connecticut. A trip to your backyard vegetable garden, local farmers’ market or maybe the nearby pick-your-own orchard, even late in the season, will […]
Biological Controls for Greenhouse Growers
UConn Extension hosted a workshop on Thursday, July 31st at the Tolland Extension Centeron Biological Controls for greenhouse growers. The workshop was attended by a diverse group of 80 greenhouse growers, retailers and educators from across the state, and organized by Leanne Pundt of UConn Extension. Dr. Rose Buitenhuis from the Vineland Research and […]
What Every CT Resident Needs to Understand About UConn Extension
I wish UConn Extension was not the best-kept secret in the state. It’s time everybody knew what a tremendous resource Extension is. Congress established the Cooperative Extension System as a national network in 1914 to tie university research to real life. UConn Extension programs have evolved over time, and as our state has changed, so […]
10 Tips for the September Gardener
1. Get a jump on next year’s lawn and gardens by having a soil test done through the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory. 2. If the pH of garden and flower beds needs to raised, wood ashes may be used. Wood ashes have a pH of 11.0 and also contain phosphorous, potassium, and calcium. […]
Using Water Wisely
By Faye Griffiths-Smith – Extension Educator Family Economics and Resource Management Did you know that the average person in the U.S. uses 100 gallons of water every day? Drinking, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, gardening and lawn care — with its many uses, water is essential to our lives […]
Youth Internet Masters
Standing (left-right) Dr. German Cutz, UConn Extension Youth Internet Master’s (YIM) instructor, State Representative Dan Carter, Marlene Ho-Yen and a representative from the Ecuadorian Civic Center (fourth from the left) were our special guests at the Youth Internet Master’s (YIM) graduation ceremony. YIM is a UConn Extension program that teaches Webpage design by introducing students […]
CT 10% Campaign Celebrates 1 Year
UConn Extension with CitySeed of New Haven and its BuyCTGrown.com project are excited to celebrate their first full year growing the ‘buy local’ movement. Since its launch in August 2013, the CT 10% Campaign’s consumer and business pledgees together have tracked over $800,000 spent on locally grown (raised and caught) products. With over 400 consumers and 100+ business partners, the movement is […]
The Basics of Composting
By Dawn Pettinelli – Extension Instructor Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Did you know that almost 25 percent of a typical household’s waste can be recycled right in the backyard? Recycling reduces the amount of solid waste being trucked and dumped into landfills, and the end product of this process, compost, is beneficial to the […]
Teach Our Children PEP Graduation
The UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) program participants from Teach Our Children graduated on August 1st. Thirteen of the fifteen graduates were able to participate in the activities. One who recently arrived from China was unable to attend – she was in New York, and one parent from Sudan who has been in the country eight […]
New Guide to Help Fish, Shellfish and Seaweed Growers Manage Risks
New Guide to Help Fish, Shellfish and Seaweed Growers Manage Risks GROTON CT—A new 285-page illustrated manual, the Northeastern U.S. Aquaculture Management Guide, has just been published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center. Edited by Tessa L. Getchis, Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension aquaculture specialist, the manual is a […]
CLEAR Keeping Track of Stormwater on UConn Campus
Although UConn is in the midst of a pastoral setting in the quiet corner of northeast Connecticut, we sometimes have problems like a big city. This is because the buildings, roads, parking lots and sidewalks that make up the core of campus do not allow water to pass through into the ground. Instead, rainfall is […]
Fighting the Good Food Fight
Connecticut Farmers, UConn Fighting The Good Food Fight By Jessica Griffin On August 24, 2014 As processed foods loaded with fat, sugars and salt, become increasingly cheap and convenient for Americans, the fight to maintain health and nutrition becomes more and more relevant. In the spirit of spreading awareness for the importance of making good […]
Barnum School Garden
The Barnum School 4-H Garden Club in Bridgeport built a compost bin for their garden:
4-H Recognition
Connecticut State Representative Dan Carter was our special guest at the Robotics and Technology recognition night. Two groups of children and youth from Danbury completed a 10-week pilot program. Participants built and programmed robots using laptops and artificial intelligence bricks. Before this program none of the participants was a 4-H member. At the end of […]
Get Your Money’s Worth in Food
By Sherry Gray – Extension Instructor Nutrition Educator, EFNEP Supervisor Foods & Nutrition In many urban and very rural communities, there are fewer supermarket choices making it even more difficult to buy nutritious foods at affordable prices. Food prices have been going up dramatically over the past few years, making it hard for anyone to […]
10 Tips for the August Gardener
1. Fertilize container plantings. 2. Pick summer squash and zucchini every day or two to keep the plants in production. 3. Pick up and destroy any fallen summer fruits/vegetables to reduce pests and disease for next year. 4. Continue to stake tomatoes and allow them to ripen on the plants for the best flavor. The […]
People Empowering People in Enfield
UConn Extension‘s People Empowering People (PEP) program had a Community Conversation project where we talked about how to help the Hispanic community in Enfield. In the other pictures, we were helping Latino parents and kids how to read books in Spanish, the District III Mayor Scott R. Kaupin from Enfield CT was there, also David […]