Congratulations to our recent UConnExtension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Meriden and Putnam. A few graduates are pictured below, but many more were also recognized. 3 out of 5 graduates were able to make it to the graduation in Putnam, due to bad weather. Sherry Curran (far left) read a short description of each grad and what they brought […]
Family
Get Ready to Guac and Roll!
By Catherine Hallisey FoodCorps Connecticut Service Member It all started with me holding up an avocado, screaming enthusiastically, “WHO IS READY TO GUAC AND ROLL?!” Unfortunately, my quirky pun did not elicit the response I had hoped for— instead students started groaning, “ewww that’s green” and “where’s the ranch?!” even “I am not touching that!” Although […]
Creating a Birdseed Bag Tote
Photo & Article: Susan Pelton for UConn Extension This has certainly been a very cold winter and so many of the feathered species that remain in Connecticut rely on backyard feeders for a good amount of their nourishment. If you are providing for the birds in your yard (as we are) you are probably […]
Price Study of CSAs in CT
2014 Price Study of Community Supported Agriculture Operations in CT By Molly Deegan and Jiff Martin, UConn Extension extension.uconn.edu *For more information about this study, contact jiff.martin@uconn.edu Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): an arrangement whereby customers pay growers in advance of the growing season for a guaranteed share of the season’s harvest. Background: In summer 2014 […]
Master Gardener Signature Outreach Projects
The UConn Extension Master Gardener Program is an educational outreach program that started in 1978 and consists of horticulture training and outreach component in the community. Master Gardeners are enthusiastic, willing to learn, and share their knowledge and training with others. What sets them apart from other home gardeners is their special horticultural training. In […]
See RED on Valentine’s Day
By Alice Henneman, MS, RDN Nebraska Extension Educator See “Red” on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year. Red fruits and vegetables contain many health-promoting phytochemicals including lycopene and anthocyanins. This color group may help promote: A lower risk of some cancers A healthy heart Memory health Urinary tract health Red fruits and vegetables include: […]
Privacy and Mobile Devices
By German Cutz, Ed.D. for UConn Extension Your Private Information: At Risk on Mobile Devices With easy access to mobile devices your personal and private information are at risk. Ninety five percent of Americans use one or more cellular phones, tablets, laptops, GPS (Global Positioning System), and other mobile devices. Most cell phone users […]
PEP Respect Campaign
Check out this great video that one of our People Empowering People (PEP) graduates created on respect.
Food Safety During a Power Outage
Visit the UConn Extension Food Safety website for all of our food safety preparations and tips for storms and power outages.
PEP Training
On Monday, December 8th UConn Extension’s People Empowering People (PEP) program hosted a training on changes to the program for 30 of our facilitators. — in Hartford, CT.
A Fair To Remember
Does the winter weather have you missing 4-H Fair season? Relive the 2014 Middlesex-New Haven County 4-H Fair with this video created by Connecticut 4-H volunteer Marianne Beckman and Cheshire Public Access.
4-H FANs IM Family Night
The 4-H FANs IM program has created this great video on Family Night that showcases what the program is all about. Connecticut Fitness and Nutrition Clubs In Motion, is a 4-H Afterschool program designed to reduce obesity rates in children ages 9 to 14, through sustainable interventions surrounding food and fitness. The program is a […]
10 Food Safety Resolutions for 2015
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety Food safety is not something we usually think of when we are making our New Year’s resolutions. In fact it is likely that you will promise to lose weight, exercise more, read more, spend less, stop smoking, start spending more time with […]
Garden Programs in Fairfield County
Originally published by Naturally@UConn on December 16, 2014 Written by: Kim Markesich Fairfield County gardening programs teach nutrition, integrated pest management and life skills The Fairfield County Extension Center Demonstration Garden The Fairfield County Extension Center hosts a variety of gardening programs, and the season just past was a successful and bountiful one. With the support of […]
Where to go for Food Safety Information?
By Diane Wright Hirsch UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety The late fall, early winter holidays can be a busy time for home cooks. Whether you are preparing a traditional holiday turkey, a favorite side dish of greens from your garden, or attempting something new like a goose or Connecticut oysters, the food safety implications of […]
PEP: Building Communities
People Empowering People (PEP) – Building Communities By Robin Drago and Cathleen Love for UConn Extension The People Empowering People (PEP) Program is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. PEP builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent and family […]
Holiday Plants, Holiday Safety
By Dawn Pettinelli UConn Home & Garden Education Center As we decorate our homes for the holidays with cheery plants, evergreen boughs and berries, it is important to take into account which plants and materials might be toxic to young children and pets. Many plants can pose serious threats to the curious two year old […]
Welcome Laura Brown!
We want to take this opportunity to welcome Laura Brown to UConn Extension as our new Extension Educator for Community Development. Laura has wonderful experience here in Connecticut where she worked with the Hartford Food System as their Director of Education and Community Outreach and then as a statewide Community Development Specialist at University of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
People Empowering People
UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) is offered in Correctional Institutions as well. Our volunteers now offer programs in York, MacDougal, Cheshire, Enfield, Radgowski and Garner Correctional Institutions in partnership with the Department of Corrections. The Program Coordinator is Peter Sage and he devotes an enormous amount of time to recruiting volunteers and visiting programs. […]
East Hartford PEP Graduation
UConn Extension PEP in East Hartford celebrated the graduation of 8 Spanish and 12 English speaking UConn Extension PEP graduates in June. Congratulations everyone!
Eat Seasonally: Enjoy Nature’s “Fast Food”
Originally Posted by Danbury News Times Heather Peracchio of UConn Extension is a registered dietitian who lives in Brookfield. But she’s happy to travel if there’s a chance to spread the word about healthy eating. This past Monday she gave two nutrition/cooking lessons, one in Bridgeport and one in Norwalk. Among her messages — the importance of eating seasonally. […]
MyPlate: New Dietary Guidelines
By Linda Drake – Nutrionist – State Director of EFNEP Every five years since 1980, the U.S. government develops Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) appoint an Advisory Committee to review scientific and medical knowledge and recommend revisions. Once the Dietary Guidelines report is released, […]
Inventing New Family Rituals
By Cheryl Czuba – Retired Extension Educator Community Development, Families This article was originally written around winter holidays, but we feel a lot of the ideas can be applied to any season. The holidays will soon be here and are full of special traditions. At this time of year we think about our own special […]
Jam 101
By Diane Wright Hirsch, UConn Extension Educator, Food Safety Photo: Clemson Extension One of the best things about June in Connecticut is strawberry season. And we have been waiting a long time for strawberry season this year in Connecticut! Most farmers will tell you that the cold spring and delayed picking as much as 2-3 […]
Tick Testing at UConn
By Heather Haycock for UConn Extension Summer in Connecticut is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. There are beautiful trails to hike, parks to visit with your children or dogs, and there is the simple joy of lying in the lush, green grass. Of course, the warm weather also comes with the […]
Sustainable Summer Fun
And All Year ‘Round, Too By Marc Cournoyer – 4-H Youth and Development Program Coordinator Summer is here and with that comes time outdoors, a few months out of school, and family vacations. As you plan your summer activities, think about how you can have fun and still practice sustainable living. How can you have […]
Decisions, Decisions
By Faye Griffiths Smith – Extension Educator Family Economics and Resource Management Making decisions about how we live our lives can be challenging. With so many products and options to choose from making the best choices for our families is often a complex task. With the internet, there is often so much information available at […]