healthy food - Scholarships for Young Farmers Conference - SIBEJO

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture  is offering a limited number of farmer scholarships to the 2016 Young Farmers Conference on December 7, 8 and 9. Scholarships cover the cost of conference registration only; recipients are expected to cover the cost of lodging and travel expenses to and from the conference.

For more info and an application, please click here. Applications are due by 5PM EST on Saturday, August 20, 2016. 

healthy food - BANNING SNAP USE FOR �JUNK� FOOD IGNORES REALITY - SIBEJO

Maine Governor Paul LePage threatened to end his state�s participation in SNAP unless Maine was permitted to ban recipients from using their benefits for �junk� food. The average SNAP benefit for a household is just $254, but healthy food costs more than low�nutrition options, leaving low�income families struggling to afford quality meals. Denying them SNAP benefits would only exacerbate this problem. But many strategies have been shown to improve nutrition among low�income and SNAP households:
? Increasing monthly SNAP allotments provides households the purchasing power to make healthy food choices. A recent study found that $30 more per month can improve consumption of vegetables and other healthy foods.
? Incentives promoting fruit and vegetable purchases increase consumption, as evidenced by programs that allow SNAP households to get more for their SNAP dollars at grocery stores and to use their benefits at farmer�s markets.
? Enhancing nutrition education and healthy food practices in local communities improves attitudes, knowledge, and behavior, resulting in increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Source: Center for Law & Social Policy, 7/22/16, Junk Food 

healthy food - August Veggie of the Month - Beets! (Beetroot) - SIBEJO

This month's veggie, as featured on Gloria's interview on 95.3 The Wolf this morning, is beets.

Beet facts:

?     Related to swiss chard, also in-season

?     Helps prevent heart disease and stroke

?     Matures in 50-60 days

?     Top greens are also edible

?     Red Beet juice is a very effective dye

Recipe: Red Flannel Hash

?     A traditional New England breakfast

?     Includes three vegetables in-season! - onions, potatoes, beets

?     Great way to use up leftover corned beef

?     Requires cooking some ingredients beforehand

Ingredients

?                  4 Tbsp butter
?      1 cup chopped onion
?      2 cups chopped cooked corned beef
?      1 1/2 cups chopped cooked beets
?      1 1/2 cups chopped cooked potatoes
?      1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, and use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce if cooking gluten-free)
?      1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh parsley (optional)
?      Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook a couple minutes.

2. Add the corned beef, potatoes, and beets. Stir in the pan to combine, and spread out evenly in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Don't stir, but just let cook until nicely browned on one side, then flip it with metal spatula to brown other side. If the mixture sticks to the pan too much, just add a little more butter.

3. When nicely browned, remove from heat.

(Optional) Sprinkle in some Worcestershire sauce, fresh chopped parsley, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve plain or with fried or poached eggs.

Alternate recipe: Roasted beet and goat cheese salad

Beets and goat cheese are a popular combination. This recipe involves a little more investment than the typical salad, but it�s well worth it.

Ingredients

�         2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into wedges

�         1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

�         1/4 cup red wine vinegar

�         1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

�         salt and black pepper

�         Vegetable oil, for frying

�         1/2 cup all-purpose flour

�         2 large eggs, beaten

�         1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

�         Three 4-ounce goat cheese logs, cut into 12 slices

�         1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

�         Pinch of sugar

�         12 cups mixed greens

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the beets on a baking sheet. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary and some salt and pepper. Reserve one-quarter of the dressing for the salad and pour the rest over the beets. Roast until the beets are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

While the beets are cooking, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Coat the goat cheese slices first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the slices until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Whisk the mustard and sugar into the reserved dressing, then pour over the greens in a large bowl and toss to coat. Divide the greens among 6 plates, add the beets on top and place 2 fried goat cheese slices on top.

Sources:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beets.html

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/25-facts-about-beets.html

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/red_flannel_hash/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/roasted-beet-and-goat-cheese-salad.html

healthy food - FOOD SAFETY NET SHREDS IN SUMMER; DISAPPEARS AFTER GRADUATION - SIBEJO

Summer marks a serious gap in the nation�s food safety net for children. Of the 22 million students who receive free or reduced�-price lunch in U.S. public schools, all but 3.9 million of them lose access to those meals over the summer, according FeedingAmerica. Whether it is because they can�t get to community summer meal sites or don�t know about them, more than 18 million children go hungry over the summer. A bipartisan group of senators introduced the Hunger �Free Summer For Kids Act last August to give communities more flexibility for summer meals programs.Their proposal would allow communities to deliver packaged meals to families or distribute electronic benefit transfer cards to eligible children over the summer, allowing their families to buy extra food from retail stores.

Yet, while students in K�12 schools lose access to reliable food sources during the summer, high school students lose access completely when they graduate and go to college. Graduates lose access to the School Lunch Program, and SNAP work requirements make it difficult to go to college. Campus surveys have found nearly 40% of undergraduate students in the City University of New York system are food insecure as well as 21% of students in the California State University and University of Hawaii systems. Colleges and states are starting to pay attention. As of July 5, 2016, there were 339 active member institutions of the College and University Food Bank Alliance. And the California legislature is considering a bill to help local food banks coordinate with college food pantries and require both public and private colleges to participate in restaurant meals programs in their counties.

Source: Education Dive, 7/28/16, Food Safety Net for Students

healthy food - Building community at the food pantry - SIBEJO

As a Christian, I highly recommend "Take This Bread" by Sara Miles for those working on food ministry projects.  The author was raised an atheist and experienced a conversion when she walked into an Episcopal Church one day.  At the church, she founded a food pantry, housed right in the sanctuary around the altar, and practiced the "client choice" model.

One of the things she writes about is the community that was created around their food pantry, as most of the volunteers ended up being clients of the pantry.  She saw this ragtag group formed into a community around the need for food, but more important, around the need for human connection.

She expresses it so much better than I, but I came away more convinced than ever that the only way we will solve the problem of hunger is by building community, bringing together those who need help and those who can help in meaningful relationships.

Food for the body can draw people into a food pantry or soup kitchen, but the food for the soul created by being part of something larger than themselves is what keeps them, and in some cases, changes them for the better.  In the North Country, our free will dinners do this well - they don't call themselves soup kitchens and they welcome all to be part of the community.

I highly recommend this book to any Christians struggling with what the call to "feed my sheep" really means.

Gloria

healthy food - Farmer Friday - Lazy River Farm - SIBEJO

 Intern Amanda is back with another profile of a local farmer...

There are some people in life that you just immediately connect. This is how I felt when I met Mike Watkins at his farm, Lazy River, in Hermon. His patient demeanor coupled with his knack at reading someone�s personality makes for good company. What is more, I was impressed by his immaculate gardens. They leave a person to believe Mike hires help, but in reality he does the majority of the work himself with a little help from his son, Raymond, and brother, Bill. When I complimented Mike on his success, knowing how much time (at least twelve hours/day) and effort he puts into each plant, he modestly responded, �Oh, I putter around.�

21 years ago, Mike Watkins oversaw the growth of a thousand pheasants on only two acres of land. He moved to the North Country, searching like David Rice for that perfect slice of land to satisfy his desires, a hunting preserve and a quiet place to fish. He quickly discovered lending his land to seasonal hunters was not enough to sustain his family. �When you have five hungry kids and a wife that works part time, you learn to do a lot of things,� he quietly commented. Mike began picking fiddleheads and leaks for the spring sale. He used to ship over 800 lbs./week, but the demand was too much as he juggled other jobs. Now Mike sells 200 lbs./week to a company in Vermont. He also has personally cut, sawed and delivered lumber from his hardwood lot to make ends meet.

For 18 years now, Mike has grown a wide range of vegetables. He had no prior experience in farming; nonetheless, his work ethic gleamed in the sun�s rays reflecting on his 200-acre farm. The growth of his vegetables was through a process of trial and many errors. At one point the grassy spots surrounding the house used to be tilled for vegetable cultivation; however, the lack children�s hands permitted grass to grow. Even so, Mike�s sizable beds and three greenhouses make a person wonder if hides extra hours in his day somewhere.

Mike�s success is an upshot of his keen business oriented mind. He can state how many markets worth of produce are in a given row (generally four), and his math skills are quick as well as calculated.  Any excess produce he donates to community members as well as the local food pantry. Mike�s generosity outshined his prickly beard as he encouraged me to take home sweet onions, yellow beans, and blueberries. �Take what you need�do you want anything else?� he kept asking. His kindness isn�t just an after thought or a neighborly gesture either. For example, Mike harvests his watermelons and cantaloupe at a smaller size because he recognizes often commercial size melons spoil before elderly can consume their juicy summer flesh. He also grows sweet corn at the request of Farmers Market customers, even though doing do costs him money.

Mike is what I call a �thinker.� He �tries to make the most with what [he] has.� For example, he

built his greenhouses out of repurposed materials. On the 16� x 90� he only spent $300 to build, using his own lumber and labor. The other greenhouse is two pre-made greenhouses from Tractor Supply Co. put together after they failed to make the growing process worthwhile. He braced the metal poles with three foot stakes, 2�x 6� cedar boards and recycled last year�s plastic from the 16� x 90�. �Desperation is a great provider,� he remarked. That is not to say Mike is desperate or in need; he simply lives a life of innovation and logic.

Management wise, Mike uses the least amount of chemicals necessary, but occasionally will treat his plants with Bull�s eye, Miracle Gro, or CaMg+. To prove wife�s tales are sometimes true, he also spreads dog hair around the garden because deer do not like the scent. Forage oats planted between rows during the summer serve as a cover crop, returning needed nutrients into the ground and cutting unwanted weeds. On a side note, I was surprised at how lush Mike�s gardens appeared. Many farmers are struggling with irrigation as a consequence of this summer�s dry season. Yet, Mike�s sandy soil has withheld fairly well. He bent down to show me this, squeezing a handful of dirt to show how the moisture caused the particles to stick together.

The visit to Mike�s farm reminded me of how life is a process. We often forget when eating a meal that someone, somewhere (hopefully nearby) grew that eggplant or tomato. Someone spent countless hours freeing onions from weeds, milking cows, or planting new crops. We take for granted farming is not only a hobby, but also an occupation. Supporting local food systems is critical for people like Mike who rely on our community for his income.  I left Lazy River Farm feeling like I do after a long conversation with my dad: settled, comforted and informed. I also left with a job blueberry picking�and how could a girl turn that down?

healthy food - SNAP ASSET LIMITS HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES - SIBEJO

SNAP asset limits aim to target government resources and program benefits to people with the greatest need. But they may discourage low�income households from building a savings cushion that would help them weather economic shocks, such as a job loss or an unexpected car repair or medical bill. A new study finds that relaxing SNAP asset limits increases low�-income households� savings (8% more likely to have at least $500) and participation in mainstream financial markets (5% more likely to have a bank account). It also reduces SNAP churn (households cycling on and off SNAP due to fluctuations in their income) by 26%. Taken together, relaxed asset limits increase households� financial security and stability by increasing savings and reducing benefit fluctuations, and they can decrease government administrative program costs when fewer people cycle on and off the program.

Source: Urban Institute, 7/26/16, SNAP Asset Limits