The Johnson County Senior SNAP-Ed Assistant and the Johnson County ANR Assistant partnered with Grow Appalachia to teach families gardening skills, heart healthy cooking, and options for harvesting and preserving vegetables. Monthly meetings were held from January 2021 through September 2021.  Thirty-two (32) families enrolled and participated in the program. Families were provided seeds, gardening tools, canning jars, and accessories. Six (6) pressure canners were also given out in a drawing. Monthly lessons included topics, such as: how to do a soil test, garden preparation, planting and fertilizing, weed and pest control, heart healthy cooking, food preservation, Fall cover crops, and garden clean-up.  The SNAP-Ed assistant demonstrated heart healthy cooking recipes and provided UK Extension food preservation publications. 

All thirty-two (32) families reported productive gardens with a wide variety of vegetables to harvest and preserve. Twelve (12) families produced enough vegetables to sell two days a week at the Johnson County Farmers Market, plus two additional days at a neighboring county’s farmers market. One family member stated that she was very impressed with all the information she received and used it to help her family have their first successful garden. She also said they are preparing the recipes and food preservation information to reduce grocery expenses for the fall and winter months.  All thirty-two (32) families said that they are looking forward to re-joining next year’s garden program.  Many participants plan to enroll in the Healthy Choices for Every Body program offered by the SNAP-Ed assistant.