“Ruins Reborn”, Hugh Bailey offers revitalization strategies Posted on September 26, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Hugh Bailey, urban planner, columnist for the Connecticut Post, and member of UConn class of 1999, will be speaking on the issue of the post-industrial challenges posed by the numerous abandoned buildings in Connecticut’s urban areas. His presentation, “Ruins […]
UConn Extension
Did You Know: Climate Adaptation
One Size Fits All Won’t Work When the subject of climate change comes up, the first thing that comes to mind for many people is the impact of sea level rise on coastal communities. While the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy grab the headlines, with dramatic pictures of flooding, collapsed houses and […]
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 […]
Spirit & Sense of Place in Relation to the Naugatuck River Greenway
Posted on September 25, 2015 on Extension Community & Economic Development By John McDonald, Extension Intern The Romans advanced the concept of the genius loci, or protective spirit dwelling in a certain place. The same idea, minus the superstitious trappings of polytheism, is today reflected in the notions of spirit and sense of place. Spirit of […]
Did You Know: Lily Leaf Beetle
A Sustainable and Viable Non-Pesticide Alternative Release and monitoring of two distinct biological control agents (the parasitoid wasps Tetrastichus setifer and Diaparsis jucunda) for biological control of lily leaf beetle began in Connecticut in 2012 under the direction of Extension Educator Donna Ellis. These beneficial insects have also been released in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, […]
Get Healthy Connecticut
UConn Extension SNAP-Ed partnered with the Get Healthy CT Know Your Numbers campaign at Iglesia ‘El Olivar’ food pantry in Bridgeport, CT. Heather Peracchio provided healthy eating tips and recipes as folks were being screened for elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. For more info about upcoming screenings in Bridgport this month visit, http://gethealthyct.org/know-your-numbers/
Let’s Talk Trails
Originally Posted on October 23, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern The Let’s Talk Trails event held in October at Torrington City Hall was arguably a gathering of the most important people involved in trail development, construction and maintenance in the state of Connecticut. Bruce Donald, Chairman of the Connecticut Greenways Council and President of […]
Did You Know: Urban Agriculture
Learning in the Field and the Classroom Students in the Urban Agriculture and IPM Training program completed 180 hours of classroom instruction, and volunteered 1,603 hours. Volunteer time was spent working on the farm preparing the land, building raised garden beds, planting and maintaining an acre of organic vegetables, and selling produce at the Danbury […]
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 […]
Assessing the Potential Value of the Naugatuck River Greenway
Originally posted on September 25, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Greenways are multi-use trails that act as linear parks, often following the course of a river or former right-of-way such as a canal, railway or trolley line, or abandoned road. The Greenway movement gathered momentum in the United States through the 1980s and ’90s, […]
Ricard Honored by American Foresters
UConn Extension is pleased to announce that Dr. Bob Ricard, Senior Extension Educator, was presented the 2015 Technology Transfer Award from the Society of American Foresters (SAF). The national awards were presented at SAF National Convention held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, November 3-7, 2015, with the award presented during the November 5, Plenary Session. A […]
Brownfield Revitalization as a Community Development Catalyst
Originally Posted on October 30, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Brownfield redevelopment has become a hot topic of late. The issue can be examined through a number of different lens. A project in Middletown, Connecticut will focus on the health outcomes of brownfield conversion in inner-city neighborhoods. Middletown’s Department of Planning, Conservation and Development has […]
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 […]
Successful 2016 Connecticut Vegetable & Small Fruit Growers’ Conference
By MacKenzie White, UConn Extension Another great annual conference is in the books for UConn Extension and the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station. 266 growers, agricultural exhibitors, and educators came together Monday January 11th at Maneely’s in South Windsor for a session filled with valuable information in which growers will take back and apply to […]
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 […]
On the Training of Community Observers
By John McDonald, Extension Intern We have all heard or perhaps spoken the phrase “a fresh set of eyes”, meaning to obtain a second viewpoint or return later to a situation to see what has been missed due to fatigue or overstimulation. Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan makes the distinction between visitors and tourists, for whom a […]
FoodCorps Making an Impact
Our FoodCorps Connecticut service members are making a large impact across the state! Since September 1st: The 15 superstar service members have interacted with 6257 students! They have harvested 355.25 lbs of produce from school or community gardens! They have worked with 545 volunteers! CT Service members have also worked with 40 farmers! What amazing numbers!!!!
Warm December Weather May Spell Trouble for Plants
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center Usually this time of year the UConn Home & Garden Education Center is flooded with calls about the care of holiday plants. Not so this year. Instead many of the calls have been about the unusual plant behavior Connecticut residents are noticing in their gardens […]
Reflections on Community Development
By Laura Brown, Community & Economic Development Educator, UConn Extension Anyone who’s been in this field will attest that community development takes grit. Sometimes the day-to-day work is monotonous, exhausting, and trying. We’re challenged by conflicting personalities, politics and bureaucracies and given the charge of changing the status quo when the tides seem turned against […]
Cushman Joins UConn Extension
Jen Cushman joined UConn Extension as the new 4-H Extension Educator in Harford County. Ms. Cushman has an outstanding background in STEM programming, specifically environmental and agriculture education, having served as a Regional Agri-science Head teacher in the Glastonbury school system. She organized recruitment to increase the diverse student base in nine towns and cities surrounding Glastonbury. Jen […]
Casey’s Clean Air Week
As part of an outreach and education effort, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), along with UConn Extension’s Healthy Environments for Children Initiative, has developed a children’s book on air quality, titled Casey’s Clean Air Week (flipbook, pdf). The purpose of this book is to teach young children (approximately 4 to 7 years old) about […]
The Role of Greenways and Multi-Use Trails in Connecticut
Posted on September 20, 2015 on Extension Community & Economic Development By John McDonald, Extension Intern The concept of a network of trails in the state of Connecticut dates back to 1929, when the Connecticut Forest and Park Association established the blue-blazed hiking trail system (CFPA, 2006). In many cases, these trails follow steep ridge lines in […]
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 […]
Extension App Challenge Winner
Yaira Rivera Sanchez, a graduate student in the Computer Science Department, was awarded the top prize for the 2014-15 Extension App Challenge by Associate Dean Michael O’Neill and David Dickson (center). Yaira developed the Live Local! app for Jiff Martin and the Sustainable Food team at Extension, which allows users to locate sources of local […]
Make the Holidays Healthy
Extension educator Heather Peracchio was at Daily Bread food pantry in Danbury yesterday. She was providing clients with healthy eating tips during the holidays and food safety information. For 10 tips on Making Healthy Holiday choices, visit: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-healthier-holida…
Mistletoe: Why the Kissing? And more!
By Joan Allen Mistletoe is a popular Christmas decoration, not because it’s really all that showy, but because of the tradition of kissing associated with it (and maybe a bit because it’s evergreen). The origins of this tradition are a little fuzzy but it seems to be something that has been done in English speaking […]
Mary Concklin Recognized
Congratulations to Mary Concklin of UConn Extension and the UConn Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture on receiving the Award of Merit from the CT Pomological Society, “In recognition of outstanding service to the Connecticut Fruit Industry.” Well done Mary, we appreciate everything you do!
PEP Facilitator Training
In October, 19 people completed our two-day People Empowering People (PEP) Facilitator training, including two participants from Miami, Florida.
Fermentation: Preservation with Benefits
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Senior Extension Educator – Food Safety Believe it or not, winter is coming. This is a good time to think about preserving some of the vegetables that you may find in your cold cellar or at the fall farmers’ market. Cabbage, of course, but really, that is just the […]
Robots in the Greenhouse
CK Greenhouses in Cheshire gave a short demonstration of their robots, which are used to space their plants in both their greenhouses and outdoor mum fields. Here you can see them moving the pots from a pot to pot spacing to a final spacing. They have a rechargeable battery so can work for 12 […]
10 Tips for the November Gardener
Drain hoses and sprayers before cold weather sets in to prevent them from freezing and bursting. Wait to spread winter mulch until after the ground has frozen. Mulching beforehand can delay dormancy and makes a good home for voles. Do not store apples or pears with vegetables. The fruits give off ethylene gas which speeds […]
Freund’s Farm
Ben Freund of Freund’s Farm in East Canaan discusses crop insurance in this video produced by UConn Extension’s Agricultural Risk Management Team.
Ricard Receives Provost Award in Public Engagement
UConn Extension is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert M. Ricard, Senior Extension Educator; has been selected by UConn for the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Public Engagement in the Non-Tenure Track Faculty category. Bob has acquired a distinguished state, regional, and national reputation for his scholarship, teaching (formal and informal), and service. All three […]
Metabolic Family Day
Sherry Gray, Extension Educator in the Hartford County Extension office coordinated a Metabolic Family Day on October 18, 2015 at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield. The event was hosted by the Metabolic Clinics at UConn Health and Yale New Haven Hospital and was open to families of children and adults with metabolic conditions throughout the state. […]
Pledge to go 10% Local
The Live Local! App invites consumers to discover and experience Connecticut’s local food and agriculture. Take the pledge to spend ten percent of your food and gardening dollars on locally grown products. With the Live Local! App you can: Find out the season’s top ten Get the lowdown on food and farm events Share […]
10 Tips for the October Gardener
All houseplants need to be brought inside before the first frost. Connecticut had a frost over the weekend; if your houseplants aren’t inside, make a note on your calendar for next year. Pot up tulips, hyacinths and other pre-chilled bulbs and store in a cool, dark place until ready to force. Rosemary is not […]
Award Winning Grilled Cheese
Connecticut 4-H dairy members entered the Grilled Cheese Competition at the Big E in mid-September and won the top award against teams of 4-H members from across New England. Connecticut 4-H, which is part of UConn Extension, had two teams entered. The winning team consisted of Mikayla Durant, Victoria Footit, and Melanie Trotochaud. Mikayla and […]
Meet German Cutz
Dr. German Cutz is an Associate Extension Educator for Sustainable Families and Communities with a statewide appointment for UConn Extension. Dr. Cutz develops, conducts, and evaluates Extension outreach education programs. He is fully bilingual (English and Spanish) with more than 20 years experience working in community development in both developing and developed countries. In addition, […]
Riverbank Farm
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features David Blyn and Laura McKinney of Riverbank Farm in Roxbury.