Chris Collins: Making a Difference

Chris Collins moved to Meriden, Connecticut four years ago with his girlfriend and her two children. In his professional capacity he serves as a substance abuse counselor at Rushford at Meriden, an organization that offers a variety of outpatient programs and services, including counseling young adults about substance use disorders. A longtime friend of Chris’ […]

Handling Food Leftovers

So, you know how to cook a turkey until it is safe to eat; but what about handling the leftovers? By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety   Even though many Americans are eating more meals out of the home and some are turning to “meal kits” to make it pretty painless to cook […]

Windham County 4-H Providing New Opportunities for Young People

By Marc Cournoyer Though traditional 4-H interest areas continue to thrive, additional audiences have been reached with the introduction of imaginative new programs. The last year has seen continued expansion in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education with the success of the Saturday Science Club, a home school based STEM club […]

How Clean is That Refrigerator of Yours?

By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety The invention of mechanical refrigeration was one of the most important developments in the history of keeping food safe (others include the pasteurization of milk and commercial canning).  Ask anyone who has suffered through the aftermath of a hurricane or ice storm without the benefit of […]

Spring: Egg Safety Time

Spring: A good time to remind you about egg safety By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety   Spring is here (at least officially) and it is always a good time to remind ourselves of how to safely handle eggs. Whether you are hard-boiling them for an Easter or Passover celebration, or looking […]

Will Food Label Confusion Go Away?

By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety   When teaching consumers and those who prepare food for day care centers, food pantries, shelters, and senior lunch programs, I always spend a bit of time talking about food labels. Not the nutrition labels, which can also be confusing to the average consumer, but the […]

Pumpkins are a Terrible Thing to Waste…

By:     Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH             UConn Extension Educator/Food   Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America. Early colonists learned of pumpkins from Native American Indians for whom pumpkin was a dietary staple. They would often cut strips of pumpkin and roast them on an open fire before eating. These resourceful people […]

Halloween Health Tips

Trick or Treat: Halloween is filled with sweet temptations and scary over-eating. Here are a few tips to help both adults and children avoid over indulging. Be a role model! Make sure your little goblins eat a healthy meal before trick or treating. Create a Healthy Family Halloween Tradition like Butternut Squash soup. Pair it […]

Conversations Around Food

Imagine running out of food, with small children to feed, and no food stamps for another week. Friday’s paycheck has to pay your utility bill, or they will cut off your electricity. Feeling panicked yet? Picture what it was like, over 40 years ago, to have someone from UConn Extension knock on your door and […]

4-H Volunteer Marcia Johnson

Twenty-eight years as an elementary school teacher has not dampened the enthusiasm of 4-H volunteer Marcia Johnson. She’s upbeat, energetic and clearly excited about teaching. Five years ago, Johnson created a school gardening program for her students at John Barry Elementary School in Meriden. When Johnson took a position at Meriden’s Nathan Hale School, she […]

Cut Food Budgets – Grow a Kitchen Garden

By       Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD             UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety Though some economic indicators are showing that things are getting better, there are many Connecticut citizens who still find tough going. The result has been that more and more people are growing food in their backyards or on patios, and some […]

Listeria and Fresh Produce

What is Listeria and why is it showing up in fresh produce? By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety   Yet another outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes has been attributed to fresh produce: bagged lettuce in this case. You may recall the 2011 outbreak associated with cantaloupe that turned out to […]

Volunteer Spotlight: Marcia Johnson

Teacher and 4-H Volunteer Brings Gardening, Nutrition and Fitness to Students in the Classroom and Beyond By Kim Markesich Originally published by Naturally@UConn on January 26, 2016   Twenty-eight years as an elementary school teacher has not dampened the enthusiasm of 4-H volunteer Marcia Johnson. She’s upbeat, energetic and clearly excited about teaching. Five years […]

CPR-AED Course at Hartford County Extension

Would you know what to do if someone in your office, meeting, class, program, or even your home became unconscious and had no pulse? Five more members of UConn Hartford Extension Center would. Weston Forbes, Diane LaBonia, Marilyn Diaz, Mary-Margaret Gaudio, and Christine Smith, participated in a training course on December 14th and are now […]

Year of the Pulse…As in Legume Seeds

By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Senior Extension Educator, Food Safety The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will conduct a variety of activities in support of this focus on a food product that is nutritious and sustainable. According to information on […]

Cross Pollination Adventure for Hartford County 4-H

By Stacey Stearns Hartford County 4-H members will have the unique opportunity to participate in a Cross Pollination Adventure this summer. They will partner with a Costa Rican outdoor education center as part of a Cooperative International Learning Experience. UConn Extension has partnered with CIRENAS (Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales y Sociales) in Costa […]

Pumpkin Season

Not only is it pumpkin flavor season….it’s real pumpkin season By:     Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD             Senior Extension Educator/Food   Pumpkin flavored lattes, candy, breads, donuts…just about everything seems to be available in the pumpkin variety at this time of year. But what if you are craving the real thing? Yes, the flavor […]

Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting & Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime

Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting and Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime By Nancy Wilhelm, Program Coordinator, 4-H Youth Development   Marjorie and Lynn Brown have spent a lifetime promoting and supporting UConn Extension and the 4-H Program. Both grew up on farms in Iowa where they were 4-H members – Marjorie participated in home economics […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

International Year of Soils

The U.S. Department of Agriculture kicked off its celebration of the International Year of Soils  to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and resilient farms and ranches. “Healthy soil is the foundation that ensures working farms and ranches become more productive, resilient to climate change and better prepared to meet the challenges of […]

Three Connecticut Projects Selected for RCPP Funding

“More than 600 pre-proposals were submitted nationwide. With so many strong proposals, the project selection process was extremely competitive,” said Lisa Coverdale, Connecticut State Conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. “We are so very proud that three from Connecticut have been selected for funding. This is such an amazing opportunity to work with some […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

4-H Mentor Memos

Fairfield and New Haven County 4-H Mentor Memos – A newsletter of helpful information for adults who mentor children 40 Developmental Assets researched by the Search Institute. Developmental Assetsare positive factors within young people, families, communities, schools, and other settings that research has found to be important in promoting the healthy development of young people. […]

Watch Out for Basil Downy Mildew

Photo and article: Joan Allen, UConn Extension Basil downy mildew, a damaging disease of sweet basil plants, has been confirmed on plants at big box store garden centers (non-locally grown plants) in the Northeast. The major symptom is yellowing of the leaves, often between the veins.  Dark, sooty-looking spores of the fungus-like pathogen (Peronospora belbahrii) are […]

Sustainable Landscapes

Dr. Carl Salsedo, UConn Extension Educator for Sustainable and Environmental Horticulture has been encouraging Connecticut residents to practice sustainable landscapes for years. Salsedo encourages everyone to practice sustainable landscaping as Connecticut residents look towards spring and warmer weather.   “I’ve been gardening sustainably at home in Burlington since before it was trendy,” Salsedo notes. “I use native […]

Stormwise

Two major storms that struck Connecticut and much of the northeastern U.S. in 2011 resulted in extended power outages and billions of dollars in property, and interior forest damage. As Connecticut seeks to lower future damage risk while sustaining the trees and forests that are so essential to our daily lives, management of infrastructure-adjacent forests […]

May is for Mowing and More!

May is for Mowing, Dividing Mints & Marsh Marigolds! Photo and Aritcle: Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Extension   Time to Start Up the Lawn Mower! We New Englanders have had a long, cold winter through early spring. The plentiful moisture and chilly temperatures these past few weeks have stimulated growth of our cool season turf grasses […]

Be A Scientist for a Day

UConn Extension is hosting a large-scale statewide science project on May 8th   On May 8, 2014, UConn Extension is asking the public to join our faculty, staff, 4-H volunteers, and master gardeners in a vast science project across the state, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of UConn Extension. One hundred years ago on […]

Environmentally Friendly Lunches

by Sherry Gray – Extension Instructor Nutrition Educator, EFNEP Supervisor  Foods and Nutrition They’re Healthy & Affordable With a little thought and preparation, it’s not hard to pack an eco−friendly lunch from home. You’ll end up with less waste and a healthier lunch. You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive lunch containers. Pack […]

Dr. Carl Salsedo on the Search for Sustainability

Ever smell a tomato plant? Dr. Carl Salsedo did, and it changed his life. He was three at the time, visiting a greenhouse in Thomaston with his father. One whiff of that singular scent launched a lifetime love affair with plants, gardening, and the interwoven mysteries of the natural world. At six, Salsedo had his […]