Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Edith Lovett
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
“Food Preservation” You can blame the COVID-19 Virus, the abundance of fresh vegetables available at the Farmers Market, or the empty food shelves at the grocery stores, but for some reason, pressure canner lids have been brought into the Extension Office daily to be checked out from people who are canning for the first time. Most of the Pressure Canners have been from owners whose parents, grandparents, or others who have given them the pressure canner
Author: Brenda Cockerham
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
After Covid 19, the way Extension does programming shifted due to necessity. Social Media has played a huge role in reaching people with important information. Traditionally it was normal for 5-10 people to come to a hands on workshop to learn about one of the areas of Food Preservation for example. This is the most expensive and labor intensive way to share information, but also very effective. A facebook post would have reached 25-30 people if they were interested enough.This year, a ren
Author: Cecelia Hostilo
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The 2020-21 KEHA year began with the Trigg County FCS agent presenting a lesson entitled “Fixing Funky Foods.” This lesson was chosen by the Pennyrile Area Homemakers because of the ever increasing selection of unfamiliar foods available in local groceries, even smaller stores.Our communities contain people from all over the world and our grocers want to meet their wants and needs, making those who have lived in those communities for many years wondering how to use these unusua
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
According to marketing research firm Modor Intelligence, the Unites States small kitchen appliance market is witnessing huge growth, innovation and consumer engagement. Consumer buying patterns include growth in the percentage of buyers purchasing housewares online. In addition, the trend of small kitchen appliances is gaining momentum among millennials, as they look for small space appliances that use less energy and are useful in smaller homes. Earlier research from Utah State University found
Author: Catherine Jansen
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension offices are usually busy places in the summer, buzzing with young people learning lots of life skills in day camps that cover cooking, gardening, sewing and a plethora of other activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has quashed all that, but extension educators believe if there’s a will, there’s a way. In a three county effort, the idea for a Day Camp in a Bag was implemented. In Carroll County the FCS Agent, 4-H Agent and the regional Sup
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
With the spread of COVID 19 in spring and summer of 2020, many more citizens grew home gardens. Information on safe and effective ways to preserve food preservation was needed as much as ever. Traditional in person and hands on classes, however, were out of the question. In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), many cases of foodborne botulism have happened after people ate home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods that were contaminated with toxin. The foods became
Author: Linda Combs
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The Covid-19 Pandemic caused many world-wide problems. The community of Lotts Creek in Knott County Kentucky was especially affected by the pandemic. Senior citizens could no longer safely shop for groceries and every day necessities. Daily essentials were in short supply. Community members were laid off from jobs and many close to retirement permanently lost jobs. They became isolated from neighbors, family and friends. Not only loneliness but a feeling of de
Author: Kenna Knight
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
With many finding extra time on their hands during the COVID-19 pandemic two things became very apparent to the Pendleton County Extension Office. The desire to grow their own produce and the need for educational resources for food preservation. The Extension Service listen and provide help for both. In the Spring of 2020 over 100 garden started kits were distributed to local residents and in Mid-Summer the extension service provided food preservation kits to most of those reci
Author: Hazel Jackson
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Food Preservation has a Resurgence during Stay-at-Home Order With more families at home during the Covid 19 pandemic, the Rockcastle County Extension Office had more than usual requests for Food Preservation information for the summer. The Extension Office distributed 68 food preservation kits to those who were preserving food from their gardens or from local farms. Clientele could pick up a complete set of canning guides with 2-3 small pieces of equipment needed f
Author: Alivia Faris
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Many individuals and families have taken an interest in Food Preservation in the last year. There is a lot of misinformation online about best practices for food preservation; safety when preserving food should be a priority and research based methods should always be used. With this information in mind The Lawrence County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent (Alivia Faris) conducted a Virtual Food Preservation Workshop. This workshop was conducted in collaboration with t
Author: Andrea Slone
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
For decades, food preservation has been used by families to preserve garden harvests. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, one in five households in the United States practice home canning or food preservation. The Center for Disease Control has stated that 30 percent of botulism cases from the past decade was caused by home canning practices.As by popular demand, the Floyd County Family & Consumer Science Agent held multiple food preservation virtual workshops. D
Author: Kayla Walton
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The Covid-19 Pandemic presented many challenges for our county programs. One challenge was to move our programming to a virtual format in order to safely provide information to community members. Another challenge from the Covid-19 Pandemic has been increased food insecurity and increased demand for self-sufficiency skills such as home food preservation. One successful program that met both of these needs was our Family and Consumer Sciences Food Preservation demonstration videos.Demonstration v
Author: Glenna Wooten
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Due to the pandemic, educational information had to be delivered differently. The Family and Consumer Sciences agent worked with community agencies to prepare materials appropriate for the audience and arrange for the information to be included in these multi-agency endeavors. The local health department sponsored a Drive Thru health fair reaching approximately 100 during the two hour event, the WIC office prepared a monthly mailout to their families enrolled in WIC and invited Extension t
Author: Sherri Broderick
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Due to COVID 19 restrictions in person Family and Consumer Science (FCS) programming typically held at the Extension Office were cancelled. Gallatin County FCS collaborated with Pendleton County FCS to host virtual food preparation classes. Participants pick up grab and go bags with program materials and recipe ingredients at the Extension Office. They then log on virtually to the class to participate and learn in their own kitchen. As an Extension Agent using a virtual
Author: Cecelia Hostilo
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Early during the pandemic, many people found their grocery stores temporarily out of certain food products. People were also concerned about contracting Covid-19 and tried to minimize trips to grocery store. As a result, they stocked up on groceries for their pantries, refrigerator, and freezer. A well-stocked pantry has benefits aside from emergency preparedness: It can increase the likelihood to cook, decrease the amount of prep time, reduce the need to use a recip
Author: Julia Wilson
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Each year during the gardening season, Edmonson County residents reach out to the Edmonson County Cooperative Extension Service with questions about food preservation. During the 2020 gardening and canning season many families had a renewed interest in home food preservation. Due to COVID restrictions the FCS Agent was not able to accommodate in person food preservation classes in Edmonson County. Due to this the FCS Agent created SOKY Home Food Preservation. A Facebook group moderated by
Author: Angie York
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Early during the pandemic, many people found their grocery stores temporarily out of certain food products. People were also concerned about contracting Covid-19 and tried to minimize trips to grocery store. As a result, they stocked up on groceries for their pantries, refrigerator, and freezer. A well-stocked pantry has benefits aside from emergency preparedness: It can increase the likelihood to cook, decrease the amount of prep time, reduce the need to use a recipe, sa
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells us that although our food supply in the United States is safe, disease-causing pathogens contaminate food and can cause foodborne illness. Millions get sick, are hospitalized and even die from foodborne illness and infection each year. Since it is so serious, it is important for individuals to know and practice safe food handling behaviors to reduce risk of getting ill from contaminated food. The topic of food safety for consumers is a ver
Author: Natalie Taul
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Research shows that people who prepare and cook meals at home are more likely to eat the recommended fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains needed in a balanced diet. Building skills and cooking knowledge increases the likelihood that people choose to prepare home-cooked meals. To encourage more home-prepared meals, the Grayson County Extension Office hosted a virtual workshop Savor the Flavor: Cooking with Oils and Vinegars. The Savor the Flavor program focused on cooking oils an
Author: Natalie Taul
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Around the winter holidays, there is generally renewed interest in preparing healthy, home-cooked meals. Many individuals are preparing meals for friends and family and are interested in learning about healthy cooking and food preparation techniques. This is an ideal opportunity to encourage and teach food preparation methods because research shows those who prepare and cook more meals at home are more likely to eat the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains neede
Author: Lora Davidson
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Surviving the Holiday Season, especially during a pandemic can be stressful and hard on families. They are looking for ways to feed and celebrate with their families safely. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Wilderness Trail Area Family and Consumer Sciences Agents partnered together to implement Holiday Cooking School in a Box to help alleviate the stress and provide them with tools and tips to get them through these unprecedent times.The program was conducted in B
Author: Lora Howard
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Surviving the Holiday Season, especially during a pandemic can be stressful and hard on families. They are looking for ways to feed and celebrate with their families safely. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Wilderness Trail Area Family and Consumer Sciences Agents partnered together to implement Holiday Cooking School in a Box to help alleviate the stress and provide families with tools and tips to get them through these unprecedented times.The program was conducted in B
Author: Matti Coffey
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Surviving the Holiday Season, especially during a pandemic can be stressful and hard on families. They are looking for ways to feed and celebrate with their families safely. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Wilderness Trail Area Family and Consumer Sciences Agents partnered together to implement Holiday Cooking School in a Box to help alleviate the stress and provide them with tools and tips to get them through these unprecedented times.The program was conducted in Bell,
Author: Heather Cheek
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
When one of the directors of the Mason County Family Resource Center reached out to Mason County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, they asked for an idea to help parents get their children to eat more fruits and vegetables. Mason County Schools were giving out food distribution boxes every week to families in the county who had children under the age of 18. Unfortunately, parents were saying that the fresh fruits and vegetables were going bad and their kids weren’t eating them. Mason
Author: Jane Proctor
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Consuming the recommended amount of vegetables each day is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. This equals 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, depending on age and gender. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 6.3 percent of adults in Kentucky meet the daily vegetable intake recommendations.In order to increase vegetable consumption in Kentucky adults, the Trimble County Extension office hosted the workshop Sensational S
Author: Andrea Slone
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
According to the United States Census Bureau there are 18,623 households in Floyd County, KY with an average of 2.37 persons living in the each household. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Kentucky is below the national average of fruit and vegetable consumption among youth. The Center for Disease Control states that adults in Kentucky are also below average of the national fruit and vegetable consumption.The Floyd County Family & Consumer Sciences Advisory Council and progra
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Programming in a year of a pandemic, required resourceful methods to reach families with research based USDA recommended practices for preserving food safely. 2020 was a unique year, home gardening grew by leaps and bounds as did the request for canner testing, food preservation materials and even denouncing many "inaccurate" Face book posts that people shared as "safe". Intervention with a local food group on Facebook led many to observe, request and practice saf
Author: Denise Wooley
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Since our clientele and communities are still adjusting to life during a pandemic and in-person activities are limited the local Family & Consumer Sciences agents organized "an old favorite" in-person event the "Spring into Green" conference virtually.Spring into Green: In the Kitchen, a virtual seminar was organized featuring speakers on the following topics:Savor the Flavor with Oils & VinegarsKnife Skills & Using the Correct Knife6 Practical Ways to Go Green in
Author: Leah VanMeter
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Per America’s Health Rankings report by United Health Foundation, 14.7% of Kentucky households struggle with food insecurity. In the same report, only 4.7% of adults are consuming the recommended rate of 2 or more servings of fruits and 3 or more servings of vegetables daily (https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/state/KY). In the Kentucky Extension Community Assessment 2019 McCreary County Report, 9.43% of respondents reported the need for better skills for selecting and p
Author: Jamie Dockery
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
When the pandemic struck, Fayette County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education assistant Jacqui Denegri and horticulture agent Jamie Dockery had to quickly redesign their summer gardening/cooking series for students with Down Syndrome. They had to take the entire program online. Families picked up garden packets Dockery made for them,that gave them the things they needed to grow tomatoes and peppers in their own yards. During the weekly sessions, he would answer questions they had
Author: Edith Lovett
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Clients at the Lake Cumberland Farmers Market were taught how to select tomato plants to meet the needs of their family. Different varieties of tomato plants were available for purchasing, and a tomato from the plant was available for the clients to look at before selecting their plants. After selecting the plants, they needed for slicing, canning, or other tomato recipes, the people were taught that the first thing they needed to do was get a soil sample from their local Extension O
Author: Diane Mason
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
With the spread of COVID 19 in spring and summer of 2020, many more citizens grew home gardens and many preserved their harvest for the first time. Critical home canning equipment (including canners, jars, and lids) and ingredients (vinegar) were in short supply. (https://source.colostate.edu/home-canning-can-be-challenging-for-first-time-produce-preservers/) Combine the bountiful harvest with limited knowledge and lack of needed supplies it was evident that education on reliable information on
Author: Sandra Bastin
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
New Extension Family and Consumer Science Agents, especially those without prior training, are in need of food preservation hands-on training and available related educational materials, equipment and supplies. This basic information in the form of an all-day hands-on workshop includes food safety, canning equipment basics, canning high acid foods, canning low acid foods, freezing and dehydrating. A rudimentary level of knowledge allows agents to have the confidence to train clients in their cou
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Daviess County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent offered a Basics of Canning workshop to four individuals who have never canned. One-hundred percent of the participants identified research-based methods of home food preservation as a result of the program. Following a pretest and the program, one-hundred percent of the participants could differentiate between high and low acid foods on the post-test. One-hundred percent identified signs of unsealed jars and signs of spoilage in home c
Author: Sandra Bastin
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Forty (40) landscaping professionals attended a zoom conference seminar with the purpose of gaining new nutritious ideas for bagged lunches or making better selections at restaurants nearby. Let's Do Lunch! Eating More Healthfully on the Run incorporated the following components: Nutrition for the Day, Perfect Portions, the Perfect Sandwich, Lunchbox Ideas, Healthy Meal Prep Ideas, Green Containers, Dining Out Healthfully, and Make it Happen! Participants were asked to look at their me
Author: Alyssa Cox
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Wolfe Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, Alyssa Cox, collaborated with Elliott County Extension, Elliott County High School, and AppHarvest to offer a food preservation workshop during AgTech Camp. A total of 7 high school students participated in the program to learn how to preserve the produce grown in their new AppHarvest Container Farm. During the program, various methods of food preservation were discussed, including boil water canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, and freezing
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
A new study by Tufts University researchers found that 50% of full-service restaurant meals and 70% of fast-food meals consumed in the Unites States were found to be of poor nutritional quality. The authors of this study recommended eating at home more often as one of their suggestions for healthier meal options.With these statistics in mind (from this and many other studies), the Kenton County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent developed and implemented a 6-part “One Pan Meals” seri
Author: Lora Howard
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Individuals during Covid were looking for nutrition good tasting options for food consumption. Families make choices to improve health and well-being to combat chronic diseases and obesity to improve and make healthy lifestyle changes. The homemaker leaders training Sensational Salads was presented Live via Facebook by the Family and Consumer Science Agent.Topics covered were nutritional value of salad greens, how to select, store and prepare salad, adding color texture to your meal,
Author: Shonda Johnston
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
As the pandemic restrictions began to lift in early 2021, the Clark County FCS Agent and the Clark County ANR agent began to brainstorm programing ideas for our first in-person meetings for the post-pandemic world. There had been a great deal of news coverage of possible food shortages and as a result and a renewed interest in growing your own food to address the possible shortages. To address this new concern, it was decided to host a collaborative gardening series, focusing on growing, process
Author: Andrea Slone
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, one in five households in the United States practice home canning. The Center for Disease Control has stated that 30 percent of botulism cases from the past decade was caused by home canning practices. As by popular demand in the county and the Floyd County Extension Council, the Floyd County Family & Consumer Science Agent held multiple food preservation hands-on workshops for the fifth year in a row for 40 individuals. As opp
Author: Hazel Jackson
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
During the pandemic, local families had a renewed interest in gardening and food preservation as a means to have food available to the family at all times. During the month of June 2021, the FCS agent collaborated with Kentucky Communities Economic Opportunity Council (KCEOC) child development center and KEHA to offer food preservation workshops. 6 childcare center parents attended and online zoom workshop on Pressure Canning Basics. The one hour workshop covered food saf
Author: Rita Stewart
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Because of in-person meeting restrictions, the Lincoln County Extension Office has moved to incorporate virtual options and independent study pick-up kits. This has allowed clients to stay engaged and provided new opportunities for Extension Programs to involve the entire family. All Lincoln County Extension Staff members worked together to plan and implement a week-long Pumpkin Palooza event for the last week of October. Families signed up in advance and received a kit with most of the supplies
Author: Tracy Cowles
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Due to the pandemic, traditional programming had to take a back seat and new programming ideas had to be developed. One technique that the Butler County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences used was social media. Since, families were not gathering during the holidays to celebrate as they did in the past, some were now going to be preparing those holiday meals for the first time. To help with this, Talking Turkey, a video series, was developed to show the process of purchasing
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Morgan County is a county where nearly all geographic areas experience food deserts. FCS agent and Wolfe County SNAP assistant worked collaboratively with Family Resource and Youth Resource Center coordinators, along with school personnel to plan and establish programming for youth to teach quick and easy snack ideas, promote KY Proud products, food safety, etiquette and life skills have in their development as responsible/self-sufficient individuals. &nbs
Author: Dayna Fentress
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
When the pandemic hit, all programs stopped for a short time. Within just a few months though, the Hardin County FCS Program and Hardin County Public Library decided to take their former monthly nutrition programs to a virtual platform. With more interest in local foods, preparing meals at home, and the need to learn new ways to prepare what's in your pantry for cheaper, a nutrition and appliance series began. Topics ranged from air fryers to electric pressure cookers, canning, dehydrat
Author: Deborah Shepherd
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Fourteen students participated in Food Preservation Workshops. Pressure Canning and Water Bath Canning were the main focus. Kitchen safety, food safety, food storage, knife safety, budgeting, food and nutrition were also topics covered. Participants engaged in a hands-on learning environment. Ten of the participants had never canned before. All the participants reported strong fears of using a pressure canner. All the participants reported replacing feelings of fear
