Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Nola Janeen Tramble
Major Program: Food Preparation
SituationAs a new agent in the county I wanted to offer programs to bring people into the office and to get to know people in the community. Also, our EFNEP assistant had recently retired so there wasn’t a lot of nutrition being taught in the community. Several agents had tried cooking through the calendar with the NEP food and nutrition calendars. I thought, everyone likes to eat and the best way the heart is through the stomach. Educational ResponseIn response, the &ldqu
Author: Linda Combs
Major Program: Food Preparation
Cooking 101 was developed and implemented at the direction of the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) extension council. Members of the council discussed that eating at home with the family unit promotes positive relations and the consumption of more nutritious foods. Cooking 101 began in late fall of 2018 and at the request of participants continues into fall of 2019. Cooking 101 is a “hands-on” monthly class where participants prepare recipes. The program is a colla
Author: Glenna Wooten
Major Program: Food Preparation
Due to an increasing interest in heritage skills, the Perry County Cooperative Extension Service set out to address one of these needs. Many individuals and agencies teach current, trendy classes, but the need for heritage skills classes exists and the pool of those with that knowledge is diminishing.The FCS agent attended a workshop in April to learn about sourdough bread making. The first workshop was offered in June in Perry County with 24 participants, again in August with 24 par
Author: Caroline Hughes
Major Program: Food Preparation
A recent study in U.S. children aged 7-13 years examined the relationship between MPOD and measures of cognitive function. The researchers hypothesized that macular pigment would be beneficially associated with performance on standardized cognitive assessments. Macular pigment is related to improved measures of cognitive function on select tests (intellectual ability and executive processes), supporting the hypothesis that lutein is linked to brain health and cognition. Th
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation
People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to research from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers found that when people cook most of their meals at home, they consumer fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and fat than those who cook less – or not at all. They recommend that people who cook infrequently may benefit from cooking classes and menu preparation coaching.In an effort to encou
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation
Morgan County residents have a record of consuming fewer fruits and vegetables, lacking ideas for healthier food preparation of fresh produce, having a more sedentary lifestyle, lacking skills in production of foods in smaller setting (raised beds, growing in back porch pots and harvesting fresh vegetables). Morgan County Extension agents teamed up to share "Cooking Through the Calendar" in the county. The program was offered in the evening and open to a
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Food Preparation
Families are often on the go and that means dinner on the go, in the car and out of a bag. The surge of Electric Pressure Cookers has helped in faster, healthy meal preparation.The Webster County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent held two classes on the use of Electric Pressure Cookers. The participants increased their knowledge regarding the convenience benefits of using electric pressure cookers in meal planning. They also developed knowledge of electric pressure cooker functions fo
Author: Deborah Shepherd
Major Program: Food Preparation
Cooking Matters was an eight week hands-on food preparation class to encourage families to cook healthy meals at home. Food, nutrition, kitchen safety, food safety, food storage, budgeting, knife skills, kitchen skills, were some of the main topics. Fifteen participants engaged in hands-on learning and cooking activities. All participants reported a better understanding of nutritional and healthy dietary needs. Participants also reported utilizing skills gained in creatin
Author: Deborah Shepherd
Major Program: Food Preparation
Asian Inspired Cooking held a total of (56) classes . Food, nutrition, budgeting, knife skills, kitchen safety, food safety, diversity were the main focus of these classes. Classes were trained and leader led. An average of eight participants per class attended. Participants reported a better understanding and appreciation of foods and cultural diversity. Participants also reports utilizing skills learned in class. All participants reported trying new recipes,
Author: Amanda Broderick
Major Program: Food Preparation
Many rural individuals harvest and utilize wild game meat in their daily diets. This is especially common for most of Eastern Kentucky and specifically Lewis County. Despite an abundance of game meat there is often a lack of knowledge about ways to cook these meats in a healthy manner. Game meats are naturally low in fat and cholesterol but traditional cooking methods such as frying are often resorted to due to a lack of knowledge about alternative ways to cook and use the meat. University of Ke
Author: Cathy Sparks
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Magoffin County Extension Office was without a Family and Consumer Sciences agent for a little over 3 years, after an agent transferred. Even though local homemakers made every effort to keep the county homemaker’ clubs active and vital, the numbers in each of the clubs dwindled away considerably. The total enrollment in homemakers got down into the 30’s for countywide membership. After the hiring of a new agent, many efforts have been made to increase the membe
Author: Deborah Messenger
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture offers an annual competition at the KY State Fair entitled Kentucky Farm to School Junior Chef. This cooking competition is statewide for high school students who compete at the county, area and state level. Junior Chef allows competitors the opportunity to learn and practice valuable skills in food preparation, marketing, recipe development, team work, public presentation and community involvement. Also, the competition showcases local agriculture and prod
Author: Lynnette Allen
Major Program: Food Preparation
Research shows that family traditions along will healthy life style choices are important in an individual’s resiliency. Tradition creates a since of belonging while cooking at home encourages healthier lifestyle choices. The Homemaker lesson Healthy Cast Iron Cooking combines these two important elements. Ninety-one participants completed a learning session of selection, care and use of cast iron cookware. The problem of rust and how to season or re-season cast iron wa
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation
People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research. Tufts University agrees, “restaurant meals, whether fast food or not, tend to be higher in calories and lower in nutritional quality than foods prepared at home.”The Kenton and Boone County Cooperative Extension Agents addressed this topic in coordination with the Family Mealtime initiative by hold
Author: Amanda Broderick
Major Program: Food Preparation
Meal Kit Lesson Provides Licking River Area Homemakers With More Food OptionsIt is estimated that 20 percent of adults in the United States have tried at least one meal kit delivery service. With the demand for convenience in our society, meal kits seem to be the answer for grocery shopping, meal planning, and meal preparation. Anyone who has not tried meal kits might be interested in learning how meal kits work and whether they are worth the investment for preparing and consuming more meals at
Author: Emma Robinson
Major Program: Food Preparation
Whitney Young Elementary School is the first Primary Years Program authorized international Baccalaureate World School of Kentucky. Ms. Nicole Clark, Family Resource Center Coordinator, wanted to present something new to her students that would be fun while learning. She reached out to 4-H agent Patrice Thompson and Friday Club Day was born. Each Friday Patrice Thompson, Jenie Carter, FCS agent, Turquoise Patterson and I, EFNEP Assistant , traveled to Whitney Young Elementary S
Author: Judith Hetterman
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Center for Disease Control estimated 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from food borne disease each year in the United States. The most common "cause" of food borne is attributed to people- mishandling food, abusing the time/temperature rule, and not washing their hands.The Northern Kentucky FCS Agents decided to present a program called : Mystery Dinner: The Uninvited Guest" to educate participants about safe food handling practic
Author: Sherri Broderick
Major Program: Food Preparation
The new electric pressure cookers are dominating the consumer small appliance market. Consumers see them as a way to streamline the cooking process. With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, and families, need tools and that support healthful dietary decisions. The versatility of the electric pressure cooker makes it an ideal cooking appliance tool for any household, but especially for those looking for quick and healthy ways to prepare meals.
Author: Kelly Burgess
Major Program: Food Preparation
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service’s recent Community Assessment identified sustainability of family farms, increased support for small businesses, and better skills for selecting and preparing healthy food as top priorities in Allen County. The Allen County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent partnered with Allen County Beekeepers Association to present “Cooking with Honey- Incorporating Honey into Every Aspect of Your Meal” at both an Allen
Author: Glenna Wooten
Major Program: Food Preparation
An agency for disabled adults reached out to Extension for help with teaching their clientele basic cooking skills. The agency transports the most highly-functioning adults to the Extension office to attend hand-on cooking classes. Clientele first learn about hygiene and the importance of proper hand washing and hair restraint. Then they were divided into small groups to work on skills such as reading a recipe, learning to use kitchen utensils, and demonstrating their use through pre
Author: Amanda Dame
Major Program: Food Preparation
In 2019 the Green River Area Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents continued to record video lessons for the Green River Area Homemaker Leader Lessons. The FCS Agent in McLean County and the FCS Agent in Webster County teamed up to construct and record a lesson on PASTA. In this lesson Homemakers were taught the history of pasta, how pasta is made, the different types of pasts, how to properly store pasta, and how to make healthier choices when eating pasta. Additionally, the agents reco
Author: Angie York
Major Program: Food Preparation
For many years herbs and spices have been used for medicinal purposes, but in more recent years they have been valued for their ability to add flavor to a dish while reducing the amount of salt. According to the CDC, Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Reducing the amount of sodium intake can greatly improve blood pressure numbers in those suffering from Hypertension. In an effort to lower salt intake among parti
Author: Mary Hixson
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent has been conducting Cooking Classes for the past seven years to reach clientele to teach about the skills of food resource management, food safety, and food preparation in order for participants to learn about affordable, healthy, nutritious food and make healthy choices when purchasing, preparing and consuming foods. A sampling of the participants in Cooking Classes both day and evening recently were contacted by phone to observe social distancin
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Food Preparation
Foodborne illnesses are a burden on public health and contribute significantly to the cost of health care. Each year foodborne illnesses sicken 48 million Americans (approximately 17% of people in the United States) and lead to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths (Source: Healthy People 2020). In an effort to combat this preventable and costly illness, Green River Area Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents incorporated food safety concepts into a Homemaker Leader Lesson.Individuals
Author: Cathy Sparks
Major Program: Food Preparation
During the Covid-29 Pandemic, Family and Consumer Sciences educators and extension as a whole, have been called to the forefront to approach education and learning in an entirely new way. Not being able to meet face-to-face with groups, has made it necessary to be innovative and creative in our approach to reach our clientele. In our office, the agents have alternated the preparation of Brown Bag Projects, in order to serve our clientele with educational opportunities. There ha
Author: Denise Wooley
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Graves County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Mayfield Middle and Mayfield Highs school's 21st Century Programs to teach "Basics in the Kitchen" from the fall to spring of the school year. Culinary classes occurred weekly at the high school and every other week at the middle school. The emphasis in teaching was on measuring correctly, using a knife, food safety, my Plate, microwave cooking skills and other hands-on cooking skills utilizing low cost
Author: LaToya Drake
Major Program: Food Preparation
About a third (31%, 2017) of Barren County residents are obese according to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Cooking at home may be one strategy that folks may implement to encourage weight loss. People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research. In an effort to continue programming in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and to encourage Barren County Resid
Author: Julia Wilson
Major Program: Food Preparation
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime. (Cooking With Your Children; Web MD; May 30, 2008.) In Marxh of 2020 the Edmonson County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent was approach by the Family Resource Center to assist with Adulting 101. A day where high school seniors are taught basic life skills.The FCS Agent selected fried rice as a hands on recipe the students could make. Students worked
Author: Matti Coffey
Major Program: Food Preparation
In light of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, Extension Offices have found themselves in an unprecedented situation. We need to protect our clientele and staff, but our resources are essential to many. The Whitley County Family and Consumer Sciences Program brainstormed ways to reach our clientele with useful information, while still being able to work safely from home and our closed office. Agent Matti Cornelius and Program Assistant Reagan Weedman decided that informational, and sometimes i
Author: Garrard Coffey
Major Program: Food Preparation
In partnership with specialist Martha Yount an outdoor cooking series was planned and executed on social media platforms. The plan was to show people now to use cast iron cookware over the fire as well as baking in cast iron dutch ovens with charcoal. The series is ongoing and has been a successful out reach to this point. The outline of the series is based on cooking everywhere from you backyard to backcountry campsites. The program content consisted of setup of outdoor
Author: Brooke Hogancamp
Major Program: Food Preparation
In a 2016 study by the CDC, it was reported that 26.6% of residents in Carlisle County were considered "obese" and 10.6% were diagnosed with diabetes. Health issues such as diabetes and obesity are often preventable and manageable with proper diet and nutrition. One way to make foods more enticing without compromising their nutritional value is by using a variety of herbs and spices in our food preparation. In March 2020, 15 men and women were able to expand their kno
Author: Sherri Broderick
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Centers for Disease Control estimates 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States.The University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Education Agents in Northern Kentucky partnered with the Northern Kentucky District and Three Rivers Health Departments’ sanitarians to stage “Mystery Dinner: The Uninvited Guest” in September 2019. The event was designed
