Nutrition Education Outreach November 2017 Submitted by Heather Peracchio SNAP-Ed programs: Nutrition outreach at the Danbury mobile pantry reached 265 families on November 8th and the mobile pantry in Bethel on November 29th reached 183 families. EFNEP: The Soccer and Nutrition program reached 22 children and adults on Friday November 3. Adults and children participated in the program which follows the Cornell University […]
UConn Extension
Laura Irwin: 4-H Alumni Spotlight
It was never a question of if Laura Irwin of Hartland would join 4-H, but rather, when she would become a 4-H member. “My mom always wanted to be a 4-H member, and never had the opportunity,” Laura recalls. “So, she made sure her children did. I joined when I was 7-years old, and I’m […]
Cold Storage: A Sustainable Way to Preserve the Harvest
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety A young couple I know if looking to buy their first house. She prefers older homes with character, he wants space for a big garden. They came upon an older home with a dirt basement floor….I immediately thought that it might be a good candidate for a […]
Lifelong Learning Classes in December
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in December, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus. Tuesday Dec 5 Origins, Measurement, and Management of Stress and Anxiety 1:15 – 2:45 Wednesday Dec 6 Medical Marijuana and Cancer: What’s the Evidence? 1:15 – 2:45 Thursdays, Dec […]
Jessica LaRosa: 4-H Alumni Spotlight
The UConn 4-H program fostered a passion for animals in Jessica LaRosa of East Windsor. While in 4-H, Jessica discovered she loved teaching the public and others about agriculture. “My passion for both animals and teaching other about agriculture is what led me to find my major at UConn,” Jessica says. Jessica joined the Merry […]
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 […]
The First HardCORE CT Apple Challenge
The First HardCORE CT Apple Challenge with Put Local On Your Tray! October is special for a few reasons. Everyone is getting back in the swing of things at school, the foliage outstanding, and the many varieties of delicious crisp apples are ripening atop trees in orchards across the state. The combination makes a perfect […]
Nutrition Education in Windham County
By Dianisi Torres This has been an exceptionally busy year for Nutrition Education. In addition to the EFNEP (Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program) being held at public schools and libraries including Windham, Moosup, Putnam, North Grosvenor Dale, and Killingly, the SNAP Ed program offers nutrition assistance to millions of low income families in need. […]
Windham Master Gardener Program
By John Lorusso We have had a great year educating our new crop of Master Gardeners in Brooklyn this year. The group began classes in the dead of winter in January and have been diligently working on their plant identification and diagnostic abilities all summer. In addition to those actions, they have been very busy […]
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 […]
Biosecurity Workshop Provides Healthy Discussion
By Joyce Meader How would a dairy or livestock business survive if a Foreign Animal Disease arrived in the United States? Using Foot and Mouth Disease as an example, participants of this week’s Biosecurity Work shop heard from Dr. Richard Horowitz about the New England Secure Milk Supply’s steps to maintain a permit to ship […]
Are You Storm Ready?
By Karen Filchak Being storm-ready means advance planning and preparation in the event of power outages, evacuations or property damage. Many in Connecticut have assembled a “Go Pack”, “Bug-Out Bag” or some other type of emergency grab and go bag that can be easily accessed in the event of a power out age or the […]
Deadline Extended for Master Gardener Program Applications
Do you love gardening? Are you interested in expanding your knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others? Applications for the 2018 Master Gardener Program through UConn Extension are now due by Friday, November 17. Master Gardener interns receive horticultural training from UConn, and then share knowledge with the public through community volunteering and educational outreach […]
November Lifelong Learning Classes
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in November, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus, from 1:15 to 2:45 unless otherwise noted. Memoir Club Thursdays 10:15 – 11:45 Wed Nov 1 The Origins of Christian Fundamentalism Tues Nov 7 Programming Love Wed Nov 8 […]
Extension Educator Chet Arnold Honored
Washington, DC — Cooperative Extension (Extension), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced winners of their 2017 Excellence in Extension and National Excellence in Diversity Awards. NIFA and Extension have sponsored the Excellence in Extension and National Diversity […]
CT Trail Census Update
By Kristina Kelly, Connecticut Trail Census Statewide Coordinator Fall is a busy time for the Connecticut Trail Census team as we are nearing the end of our pilot year. We are so excited to have this important data finalized and ready for release in January 2018 so that our local communities can begin to put […]
Apply to Become a UConn Extension Master Gardener
Do you love gardening? Are you interested in expanding your knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others? Applications are now available for the 2018 Master Gardener Program through UConn Extension. Master Gardener interns receive horticultural training from UConn, and then share knowledge with the public through community volunteering and educational outreach efforts. Enrollment in the […]
Healthy and Homemade Meals in Fairfield County
Healthy and homemade meals and seasonal vegetables were part of nutrition education outreach conducted by Extension educator Heather Peracchio in September. Heather works with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and is based in the Fairfield County Extension Center. She reports on her programming for […]
CT Trails Symposium
UConn Extension educators Laura Brown, Kristina Kelly, and Emily Wilson are presenting at the CT Trails Symposium on Thursday, October 19th. The CT Greenways Council, in partnership with Goodwin College, encourages you to engage in conversation about why and how to put your local trail systems to work for your community. Speakers and panels will use […]
Extension Internship Leads to Career Path
When Julia Cobuzzi of Monroe transferred to UConn from Stonehill College in Massachusetts at the beginning of her sophomore year, she was not sure what she could do with a major in Allied Health Sciences. “I took Introduction to Nutrition with Stacey Mobley, and it has been my favorite course by far in my college […]
October Lifelong Learning Programs
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in October, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus,from 1:15 to 2:45 unless otherwise noted. Memoir Club Thursdays 10:15 – 11:45 Wed Oct 4 Putin vs. the World Tues Oct 10 Everything You Wanted to Know About the […]
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 […]
Lifelong Learning Program on Immigration
Over 50 people came to hear Dr. Ann Jarosznska-Kirchman, Distinguished Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut State University speak on the History of Immigration in Connecticut as part of our Lifelong Learning program. See the full list of upcoming programs at http://clir.uconn.edu.
Economic Impacts of Connecticut Agriculture
You are cordially invited to the release the Zwick Center’s new ag econ impact report on Friday, September 29th at 9.30 AM at the Legislative Office Building (room 1-B) in Hartford. Speakers include U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, the Commissioner of Ag Steven Reviczky, and Dean Cameron Faustman.
Brush Hill Farm – CT Dairy Farm of the Year
Brush Hill Farm – CT Dairy Farm of the Year 2017, UConn Extension Green Pastures Program By Joyce Meader Looking for cows at Brush Hill Farm? Look no further than the pasture. Other than a few hours a day when the cows are being milked in the barn, they enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and lush […]
Citizenship Washington Focus
By: Jessica LaRosa, Hartford County 4-H Member This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Citizenship Washington Focus with 38 other 4-Hers from Connecticut. The trip was held in Washington D.C., and focused on our nation’s Legislative Branch in government, along with looking at how to become better leaders and citizens in our […]
Sheep Shearing School
The Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association Inc. in conjunction with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service are again offering a one-day shearing school. Saturday, October 14, 2017 UConn Beef Barn (Livestock Unit 1) Horsebarn Hill Road 8am-4:30pm This program is offered for those individuals who have a strong interest in learning how to […]
Worm Day
Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Fairfield County Extension Center from 10 am to 1 pm. Want to learn more about invasive earthworms in Connecticut? Ever thought about making a worm bin to recycle kitchen scraps into rich vermicompost? Join us for Worm Day! It is free and open to the public. Following presentations on […]
My 2017 Climate Corps Summer Internship
By Nikki Pirtel The shoreline community of Westbrook, Connecticut, situated halfway between New Haven and New London, is home to approximately 7,000 residents while supporting seasonal tourists with numerous beaches and shopping stores in the town’s outlet. It is also the municipality I was assigned to research and create a vulnerability assessment for during my […]
UConn Extension Encourages Water Conservation with the 40 Gallon Challenge
By Angie Harris UConn Extension is inviting all Connecticut residents to join the 40 Gallon Challenge and take on new practices to increase water conservation. The 40 Gallon Challenge is a national call for residents and businesses to reduce water use on average by 40 gallons per person, per day. The challenge began in 2011 […]
Welcome New Trail Census Coordinator Kristina Kelly!
We welcome our new Trail Census Coordinator Kristina Kelly! Kristina has experience coordinating volunteer data collection programs such as DEEP’s Riffle Bioassessment by Volunteers (RBV), and has developed a passion for citizen science as away to involve the community in environmental education, protection and advocacy. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Geography […]
Healthy Homes an International Conversation
Dr. Hyun-Jeong Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Housing and Interior Design, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea, and Sohee Moon, Graduate Student, visited the University of Connecticut on August 24, and will be visiting University of Georgia and NIFA in Washington, D.C. to learn about the Department of Extension housing programs. Team members of the […]
Why Farmers Are Pleading: Leave Your Dogs Home
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety Over the years I have worked with many fruit and vegetable farmers, as they have become the focus of new food safety regulations. Some of these farms sell their product through pick-your-own (PYO) operations, some at an on-farm stand; others have CSA (community supported […]
Become a Master Composter
Become a UConn Master Composter! The purpose of the Master Composter Program is to provide local compost enthusiasts with the tools and information necessary to educate and teach interested community members about composting and reducing the amount of solid waste sent to the state’s incinerators and landfills. Participants would attend classroom sessions at the Fairfield […]
Food Safety for Artisan Cheesemakers
Dr. Dennis D’Amico has been working with North Carolina State University to convert his cheese food safety workshop into an online program. They recently launched the online course: Food Safety for Artisan Cheesemakers. The course will be offered at no cost until the end of the year by using the code INTRO-FREE. To enroll : https://foodsafety.ncsu.edu/food-safety-basics-artisan-cheesemakers/. The […]
Lifelong Learning in September
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in September, most in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot Campus: Memoir Club Thursdays from Sept 7 10:15 – 11:45 An Introduction to the Socio-Cultural Roots of Climate Change Sept 11, 18, 25, 7:00 – 8:30, at CLiCK […]
Benchmarking and Risk Management
Farmers: Learn more about benchmarking and risk management http://s.uconn.edu/3th with Extension educators and Farm Credit East.
So, You Want to Preserve Your Famous Salsa…
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Extension Educator/Food Safety Every year, about this time, I am spending time on the phone, talking people out of canning. Well, not exactly. I strongly encourage canning as a way to preserve summer tomatoes, peaches, apples and cucumbers (often as pickles). But, invariably I will answer the phone and […]
Keeping Farm Fresh Veggies and Fruits Fresh
Keeping those farm fresh veggies and fruits fresh By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety Recently I had a call from a mom asking if she should wash her berries before storing in the fridge. Her 30-something daughter, who, of course, knows everything, insisted that she should wash first. The mom wasn’t […]
Elsie Woolam Named 2017 National 4-H Hall of Fame Inductee
By Nancy Wilhelm Congratulations to Elsie Woolam for her selection as a member of the 2017 National 4-H Hall of Fame. The National 4-H Hall of Fame honors 4-H volunteers, extension professionals and staff employees, donors and others who have made a significant impact on the 4-H program and /or 4-H members through the contribution […]