The Pike County Family & Consumer Sciences program has worked cooperatively with the Pikeville Farmer’s Market and our Agriculture & Natural Resources program to provide Plate It Up: Kentucky Proud recipe samples during the 2017 market season. Kentucky adults rank among the 10 highest for poor consumption of fruits and vegetables. Locally grown produce can provide an important access point for fresh fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet. Research shows that consumers are more likely to purchase fruits & vegetables they may be less familiar with if they taste them and understand how to utilize & store them.  The PIUKP recipes feature in-season Kentucky produce prepared in new and exciting ways.

            Over the 2017 Pikeville Farmer’s Market season, our sampling and recipe promotion activities reached over 5,000 market shoppers.   Market shoppers also received Kentucky produce availability guides, nutrition reinforcement items (vegetable peelers/scrubbers, grocery lists, paring knives) to aid in the preparation of their purchases. Our FCS team’s presence at the market also engaged shoppers in questions about food safety, food preservation, recipe adaptation & other topics. Market shoppers report purchasing ingredients and preparing the PIUKP recipes and increasing their consumption of local fruit & vegetables.