With farmers market season arriving today, just a reminder that you can use a debit card of a SNAP EBT card at the farmers markets in St. Lawrence County. Here's how....
healthy food - Economic impact of local food in school lunches - SIBEJO
Research findings from Cornell University's Community and Regional Development Institute indicate that a 50% increase in demand for fresh, local fruits and vegetables one day/week in school meals could generate up to $9.2 million for vegetable producers and $5.3 million for fruit producers. These findings contribute to the idea of creating incentives for school districts to purchase more local produce for school meals. Click here to view the policy brief.
healthy food - Farmers market season is here! - SIBEJO
With May right around the corner, visions of garden-grown meals have probably begun to engulf your every thought. Reveries of lightly roasted asparagus spears fill your consciousness, begging for the day when you can simply head to the farmers market for a generous share of this bountiful veggie. Never fear! It's just about market�and asparagus�season!
Starting May 13, the Canton Farmers Market will take place every Tuesday and Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Starting May 14, the Potsdam Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9:00am to 2:00pm. You can swipe your credit, debit, or SNAP card at the market manager table located at each market. Also, SNAP recipients will get double the amount to spend this year! (Example, if you swipe $5 on your SNAP card you'll get $10 in tokens to spend!) If you have any questions, visit the market manager at the farmers market, or email GardenShare at info@gardenshare.org.
The makings of a delicious spring meal are right at your fingertips!
Spring Dinner Meal Plan:
Start with a tossed green salad of mixed lettuce, arugula, and mustard greens, followed by a side dish of roasted asparagus with rosemary and lemon. A main course of chicken with creamy green onion sauce is a hearty staple, and for the vegetarians, the green onion sauce can be mixed over chickpeas and rice. Top it off with a warm rhubarb pie, baked with rhubarb straight from the farmer. The recipes are listed below:
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Rosemary
Showcase the rich flavor of asparagus by complimenting it with herbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 whole Lemon
1 bunch of asparagus
Handful of rosemary sprigs
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400�F. Thinly slice half of lemon.
- Along with the lemon slices and rosemary, spread asparagus shoots on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, as well as salt and pepper. Squeeze juice from remaining half of lemon.
- Roast in oven for 7 minutes, then carefully turn asparagus over and continue roasting for another 8 minutes. Watch for preferred doneness. Add additional time if needed. Total roasting time should be between 15-20 minutes.
- Serve warm.
(Recipe from http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/roasted-asparagus-with-lemon-and-rosemary)
Chicken with Creamy Green Onion Sauce
For the vegetarians, omit the chicken and instead pour the sauce over a mix of some chickpeas and rice.
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
6 medium chicken breasts3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
? cup chopped green onion
� cup chicken broth
� teaspoon salt
pepper
1-2 tablespoon Dijon mustard (to taste)
1 cup plain yogurt
Preparation:
- Melt butter over med. high heat.
- Stir in flour and cook until bubbly.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Stir in remaining ingredients except yogurt. Make sure you stir the green onions into the sauce at this point. The release of these flavors as it warms is what makes the sauce!
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (3 to 5 minutes).
- Stir in yogurt and heat through.
- Serve over baked or saut�ed chicken breast.
(Recipes from http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-with-creamy-green-onion-sauce-291657)
Rhubarb Pie
This recipe takes a bit more effort than the previous two, but will be well worth it in the end!
2 cups all-purpose flour� teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
? cup vegetable shortening, plus 2 tablespoons
6 tablespoons ice water
FOR THE FILLING
5 cups sliced rhubarb
1 � cups sugar
5 tablespoons flour
� teaspoon cinnamon
1 � tablespoons butter
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the crust: before measuring the flour, stir it to leaven with air and then measure out 2 cups. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Cut the shortening into the flour with a fork or pastry blender. Stop as soon as the sheen of the butter disappears and the mixture is a bunch of coarse pieces. Sprinkle a tablespoon of water at a time over the dough, lifting and tossing it with the fork. When it begins to come together, gather the dough, press it into a ball and then pull it apart; if it crumbles in your hands, it needs more water. (It's better to err on the side of too wet than too dry.) Add a teaspoon or two more water, as needed.
- Gather the dough into two slightly unequal balls, the larger one for the bottom crust and the smaller one for the top. Flatten the larger ball, reforming any frayed edges with the sides of your hand. Dust with flour and roll the dough, starting from the center and moving toward the edges. Take a knife or thin spatula and quickly work its edge between the crust and the counter top. Lift the dough to the side; dust the dough and counter top with flour. Roll again until the diameter is an inch or 2 larger than that of the pie pan. Lay the rolling pin a third of the way from one of the edges. Roll the crust onto the pin and then unroll the crust into a 9-inch pie pan and press it into place. Place in the freezer.
- Make the filling: in a large bowl, blend the rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Pour into the crust-lined pie pan. Dot with butter.
- Roll out the top crust. Dab the rim of the bottom crust with water to create a glue. Then place the top crust over the rhubarb; trim, seal and cut several vents. Bake for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles from the vents in the crust.
Written by Lanika Sanders, Intern at GardenShare
Visit us at www.gardenshare.org
healthy food - Farmers Markets Open This Week - SIBEJO
The Canton Farmers Market opens this Friday, May 13, on the green in Canton. This Market will be open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Tuesday and Friday until October.
The Potsdam Farmers Market opens this Saturday, May 14 at Ives Park in Potsdam. This Market will be open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Saturday until October.
Farmers Markets are held rain or shine.
In May at the Farmers Markets, you may find asparagus, lettuce, green onions, parsnips, dried beans, and rhubarb, among other things. In addition, the markets frequently have other food, wine, and craft vendors.
Both Farmers Markets are equipped to accept debit cards or SNAP-EBT benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps). To use these cards, the customer should visit the Market Manager's booth, where the cards can be swiped and tokens will be provided to spend with the farmers. GardenShare manages this service for the Farmers Markets and more information can be found at http://gardenshare.org/content/farmers-markets
This year, thanks to a generous grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, GardenShare will be able to double the value for anyone purchasing at the Farmers Market with a SNAP-EBT card. For each $5.00 charged to the SNAP-EBT card, the customer will receive $10.00 worth of tokens that can be spent for SNAP approved items like fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, or food plants at the Farmers Market.
In addition, SNAP-EBT customers will receive a frequent customer card. After visiting and purchasing food at the market five different days, the SNAP-EBT customer will receive an additional $20.00 in tokens to be spent at the Farmers Market for these food items. This benefit is also supported through the grant from Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield.
Shopping at our local Farmers Markets not only gives the consumer the freshest, healthiest produce possible, it also supports our local farmers and keeps that money in the local economy. GardenShare is pleased to be able to make the benefit of this healthy, locally-grown food accessible to our lower-income neighbors and especially grateful to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for funding the bonuses to those who rely on the SNAP program in order to feed their families.
For more information, visit www.gardenshare.org
healthy food - WASTING FOOD WASTE - SIBEJO
Commentary from the leaders of Washington's DC Central Kitchen on the growing interest in preventing food waste calls for a broader approach to the issue than that merely finding more efficient ways to redistribute food from one place to another. Simply dumping excess food at nonprofits and shelters is problematic for a number of reasons.
First, the irregular timing and quantities of food donation means nonprofits still face �feast or famine� cycles of donations that do little to improve their clients� food security. Second, most donations are simply measured in pounds. We must consider the hierarchy of food quality, and while daily donations of leftover breads and cupcakes have their place, a donation of lean protein or fresh vegetables is clearly more meaningful than one of empty starches. But while most food pantries are only equipped to move large quantities of shelf-stable canned and dry goods, handling produce and protein items requires significant refrigeration and processing capacity.
Finally, free food, no matter where it comes from, will never end hunger, because hunger is a symptom of the more pernicious issue of poverty. The authors challenge those trying to solve the food waste issue to base their models around expanding opportunity for our most vulnerable neighbors, not just moving food from place to place.
Source: Spotlight on Poverty, 5/3/16, Food Waste
healthy food - Webinar: School Garden Education for Children Experiencing Behavioral and Mental Health Challenges - SIBEJO
Slow Food USA
Tuesday, May 17, 2pm ET
School Gardens for students with behavioral and mental health challenges provide interesting opportunities to develop positive and empowering life skills. The Creeks School Garden in Portland Oregon integrates practical education theory and methods into tangible, thoughtful teaching exercises that results in dynamic behavioral changes. The Creeks School Garden team will describe: the learning characteristics of these special children, their school settings, the importance of community partnerships, and specific activities that help these student�s gain confidence and develop productive collaborative relationships. Learn more here.
healthy food - DO NUTRITION PROGRAMS MAKE TEENS HUNGRY? - SIBEJO
As any parent of a teenager knows, his or her child eats a lot. The new U.S. dietary guidelines estimate that teens need as many calories as their parents, and more than three times their younger siblings. While the dietary guidelines treat teenagers like adults, SNAP benefit calculations do not. The maximum SNAP benefit is based on the monthly cost of the USDA�s �Thrifty Food Plan� for a hypothetical (or �reference�) family of two adults and two children under age 12. By USDA�s own calculations, feeding a family of four with two teenage boys would cost $50 more per month than the maximum SNAP benefit available to the family. Reformulating the Thrifty Food Plan with the needs of teens in mind could help to reduce food insecurity and very low food security among recipient households with teenagers.
Nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast programs could also be revised to pay particular attention to the dietary needs of teenagers and children living in food-insecure households. Current calorie guidelines, developed to reduce obesity, result in male teens getting about 50% of their daily calories from school meals compared to elementary school children who can get up to 75% of their daily calories at school.
Source: Brookings Institution, 4/29/16, Hungry Teens
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