Home Gardening, Food Preservation, and Food Preparation
Accessing Nutritious Foods
Wooten, Gibson, May
Food Preservation
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Home & Consumer Horticulture
Situation:
Perry County ranks 118 among Kentucky’s 120 counties on the health risk and outcomes listed in the 2013 County Health Rankings report. Obesity threatens the quality and years of life and Perry County’s obesity rate for adults stands at 38% and 17% for high school youth. Thirty-six percent of adults in Perry County report lack of physical activity. Increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic. These conditions promote chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers. As a result, more are dying from heart disease and cancer and have a lower life expectancy (less than 78 years of age).
Extension helps families gain access to food and to stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods.
Long-term Outcomes:
Save money by preserving produce from gardens or farmer’s markets
Save money by preparing foods at home
Increase family income by growing and selling produce at the Farmer’s Market
Construct a building that will house a Commercial Kitchen that Perry County residents can use to preserve and sale food
Intermediate Outcomes:
Identify and utilize correct method of canning for low acid and high acid foods
Identify and purchase healthier foods
Expand orchards and gardens to offset family food cost and to sale extra produce at the Farmer’s Market
Initial Outcome:
Learn how to increase fruit and vegetable consumption
Learn how to make wise choices in selecting foods
Learn production practices, for fruit and vegetables
Initial Outcome: Learn correct, research-based information.
Indicator: Number of participants reporting change in knowledge.
Method: Workshops
Timeline: 2016-2020
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Long-term Outcome:
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Learning Opportunities (repeat as needed):
Audience: County clientele
Project or Activity: Food Preservation workshops
Content or Curriculum: Food Preservation curriculum
Inputs :Agents, specialists
Date: Spring – summer 2017
Audience: Homemakers, General Public, Youth
Project or Activity: Cooking Schools
Content or Curriculum: UK Curriculum
Inputs: Agents, specialists, community partners
Date: 2016-2020
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Farmer’s Market Nutrition Education
Content or Curriculum: UK developed materials
Inputs: Agents, NEP assistants
Date: Summer
Audience: NEP/Snap Eligible Families
Project or Activity: Lessons for program families
Content or Curriculum: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Inputs: Agents, NEP assistants
Date: 2016 - 2020
Audience: Processors and Micro-processors
Project or Activity: Homebased Microprocessor Training
Content or Curriculum: UK curriculum
Inputs: Specialists
Date: Spring
Audience: Fruit and Vegetable Producers
Project or Activity: Fruit and vegetable production workshops
Content or Curriculum: Training will be provided on production practices, marketing, pest and disease control
Inputs: Agents, Specialist
Date: Spring 2017
Author: Glenna Wooten
Major Program: Food Preparation
Calendar CookingThe Perry County Family and Consumer Sciences agent started a hands-on workshop for grandparents raising grandchildren to encourage them to prepare different recipes for their families. The 2018 Nutrition Education Program calendar was the resource used for recipes with additional information given relating to the recipe. This program was started in July and has continued monthly with an average of 6 grandparents attending. The Autumn Sweet Potato Chili was an unusual r
Author: Charles May
Major Program: Youth Fruit & Vegetable Access
Children living in Perry and surrounding counties served by UK’s Robinson Center (RCARS) rank at the absolute bottom of the Robert Woods Johnson County Health Rankings for overall health outcomes. Perry County ranks #116 from 2018 data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list childhood obesity as a contributing factor to many health issues. The CDC states that one way to combat childhood obesity is to consume a diet high in vegetables and fruits. RCARS along with Perry Co
Author: Glenna Wooten
Major Program: Food Preparation
The Perry County Family and Consumer Sciences agent started off the 2019 year with Calendar Cooking to introduce participants to healthy recipes. The first recipe in the 2019 NEP Nutrition Calendar was Citrus Kale Salad. Eighty percent of the participants had never tasted kale and would never have considered preparing the recipe for their families. After working in groups to prepare the salad, participants then tasted the recipe and discussed the recipe: how it tasted, looked,
Author: Charles May
Major Program: Food Preservation
Over the past decade, people have taken more interest in where their food comes from and what is in their food. This is very much the case in Perry and surrounding counties, interest in heritage skills has increased as a way to preserve skills of grandparents as well as extending their food dollar and taking pride in creating food for their family. This can be seen by the popularity of country ham programs for youth and adults in Kentucky.The Perry County Agriculture and Natural Reso
Author: Charles May
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
This spring the Perry County Extension Service in cooperation with the Perry County Conservation District conducted its’ annual series of fruit and vegetable grower’s workshops. Since beginning this series, seven years ago, the workshops have continued to grow to the point people had to be turned away the last five years because of space limitations. More than 150 people attended the workshops. The Perry Count