By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety When teaching consumers and those who prepare food for day care centers, food pantries, shelters, and senior lunch programs, I always spend a bit of time talking about food labels. Not the nutrition labels, which can also be confusing to the average consumer, but the […]
Agriculture & Farming
Ensuring a vibrant and sustainable agricultural industry and food supply
Produce Safety Training
Bruce Gresczyk, Jr., a Connecticut farmer and Produce Safety Alliance trainer teaches CT produce farmers about ag water and food safety at an Extension sponsored Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training yesterday.
Tick Testing
Warmer weather months in Connecticut are the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. There are beautiful trails to hike, parks to visit with your children or dogs, and there is the simple joy of lying in the lush, green grass. Of course, with the warm weather also comes with the New England […]
Going Back to Your Roots, or Tubers
Going back to your roots…or tubers…or bulbs…or corms Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator Corms? What are corms? This time of year, those of us who make an attempt to eat seasonally, “root” vegetables are a mainstay. Though most are available year round, roots are something that you can continue to find at […]
New England Dairy Conference Scheduled
Join us for the New England Dairy Conference on March 13th: CONFERENCE AGENDA 9:00 am – Registration, Refreshments and Trade Show 9:50 am -Welcome Dr. Sheila Andrew, Professor, UConn, Department of Animal Science 10:00 am – “New Milk Analysis Technologies to Improve Dairy Cattle Performance’” Dr. David Barbano, Professor, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 11:00 am – “Use […]
Import a Little Flavor in the Winter Months
By: Diane Wright Hirsch Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety OK, I admit it…. I just cannot eat totally “local” and “seasonal” during the winter. It’s just too hard at this time of year. And, also, so many cold weather menus and winter celebrations revolve around aromas, flavors and sensations that come from foods […]
Worker Protection Standard Training
UConn Extension is hosting EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS) workshops for agricultural pesticides. This training is for agricultural employers of farm workers and or pesticide handlers on farms, forests, greenhouses, and nurseries. Also for commercial pesticide application employers. The revised worker protection standard went into effect on January 2, 2017. There will be further requirements […]
Hydroponics at UConn Extension
Hydroponics is a growing area of agriculture that uses mineral nutrient solutions in a soilless system to grow plants. Rosa researches chemistry and water clogging of hydroponics in her greenhouse. “With the CARE project, a set of growers in Connecticut have problems with low quality water clogging systems,” Extension educator Rosa Raudales mentions. “Samples are […]
Partnerships Create a Food Safety Culture
Extension educators from throughout the Northeast consider collaboration essential to the success of their work with fruit and vegetable growers. In 2012, regional food safety specialists from the Universities of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Cornell received a NEED-NERA (Northeast Extension and Experiment Station Directors) planning grant focused on coordinating efforts to […]
NEMO Program to Help Communities Navigate the New Stormwater Permit
By Dave Dickson CLEAR’s venerable, award-winning NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) Program is embarking on a five-year program to assist Connecticut communities in complying with the state’s revised “General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems,” or the MS4 permit. Stormwater runoff is a major source of flooding, […]
Drought in Connecticut? Who Knew?
By Mike Dietz Connecticut is not the first place that would likely come to mind if I asked you to come up with a part of the country that experiences drought; the desert southwest and California might typically be first on the list. However, southern New England has received less than normal amounts of precipitation […]
Bridging the Gap Between Classroom & Cafeteria
By Catherine Hallisey, FoodCorps Connecticut Fellow | Nov 30, 2016 Originally published by: foodcorps.org Big things are happening with farm to school in New London. The school district has a team of administrators, teachers, principals, non-profit organizations, and FoodCorps service members who are working towards one shared goal: “Every New London student will graduate educated and empowered to grow food, eat well, and […]
CT 10% Campaign Reaches $3 Million Goal
BuyCTGrown, a project of UConn Extension with CitySeed of New Haven, is excited to celebrate reaching $3 million in locally grown products that were purchased and reported by residents and businesses through its website. Starting in August 2013, BuyCTGrown invited consumers and businesses to take a pledge to commit 10% of their food and gardening […]
Dehydrate Some Local Apples: Preserve The Flavor
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Extension Educator/Food There is nothing quite like a fresh fall apple, crunchy sweet/tart and delicious. Fast forward to that supermarket apple in April. Mushy, grainy textured, with significantly less crunch and flavor. The season for apple growing usually comes to an end in November in Connecticut. Through […]
Giving Tuesday
With the end of year and holidays approaching, consider making your gift to UConn Extension. Here are ways you can show your support: Make a Gift Online You can make a gift online by accessing the UConn Extension Online Giving Page: http://s.uconn.edu/extension There are three UConn Extension Foundation accounts featured on the site: The Cooperative […]
Become a First Detector
By Joan Allen The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) was formed along with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) in 2002. The mission of the NPDN is to enhance national agricultural security by quickly detecting and identifying introduced pests and pathogens. This is accomplished through the creation of a nationwide network of diagnostic laboratories […]
Put Local on Your Tray
To our neighbors across the ocean, lunch in American schools is evidence of our culinary inferiority. The fact that one third of the nation’s children are growing up overweight and obese leads many to point a finger at school food. But in reality, the age of sloppy joes and tater tots is steadily giving way […]
Making a Better Cheese
UConn Extension’s Dennis D’Amico works with Arethusa and other small businesses on food safety in their cheese and dairy production plants. Watch this short video from USDA Rural Development to learn more.
Water Solutions
Irrigation and plant pathogens, or infectious organisms, in water are recurring themes for Rosa Raudales, an Assistant Professor of Horticulture and Greenhouse Extension Specialist. Rosa’s first job was on a plantain irrigation project in Honduras. As an undergraduate, her thesis focused on pathogens in hydroponic systems, where plants are grown in a soilless system. Rosa […]
CYFAR Summer Experience at Auerfarm
By Sherry Gray The Auerfarm is a 4-H Education Center with 120 acres located in the northwest section of Bloomfield, Connecticut. The Farm was deeded to the non-profit Connecticut 4–H Development Fund in 1976; however; has a rich history dating back to the early years of the 20th Century. The farm served as a model […]
Creating a Food Safety Culture
A report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published in 2013 described the increasingly evident relationship between produce and foodborne illness: over a ten year period, from 1998 to 2008, produce was responsible for 46% of diagnosed foodborne illness where a source was determined. This often surprises consumers who normally consider meat and poultry […]
Pumpkins are a Terrible Thing to Waste…
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH UConn Extension Educator/Food Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America. Early colonists learned of pumpkins from Native American Indians for whom pumpkin was a dietary staple. They would often cut strips of pumpkin and roast them on an open fire before eating. These resourceful people […]
Plant Diagnostic App Available
The UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab has partnered with other university diagnostic labs led by Purdue University to create a plant diagnostic app for the iPhone and iPad. The app is available and the download is free. Users select the diagnostic lab of their choice (usually the closest geographically), complete sample information forms and submit up to […]
Open House This Sunday
Join our Windham County Extension Center for an open house this Sunday, October 23rd from 9 am – 1 pm at their office on Wolf Den Road in Brooklyn. There will be activities for all ages.
Pick Your Own Apples – Avoid Those with Bird Droppings
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Extension Educator/Food Safety Connecticut has an abundance of farms that open their gates to those who want to pick their own raspberries, apples, vegetables and other seasonal offerings. I have picked raspberries well into October in the past, though I am not sure how the hot summer and early fall have […]
10 Tips for the October Gardener
Ten Tips for the October Gardener: Remove, bag and trash any gypsy moth or bagworm egg masses or spray with a horticultural oil to smother them. This summer was very dry so continue to water ornamental plants up until a hard frost. Clean up any remaining debris from the garden beds but do not add […]
Auerfarm: Growing Opportunities
The 120-acre 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm is a private, non-profit education center located in Bloomfield. Over 15,000 students and family members participate in year-round 4-H curriculum-based school science programs, animal clubs, and Junior Master Gardening projects annually. Hartford entrepreneur and retailer Beatrice Fox Auerbach and her husband purchased the farm in 1925. Beatrice took […]
Vegetable IPM Class of 2016
Each year, UConn Extension Educator Jude Boucher helps commercial vegetable growers find sustainable solutions to pest problems. The program emphasizes healthy soils, balanced plant nutrition, proper pest and beneficial identification, scouting and monitoring techniques, preventative management strategies, reduced-risk pesticide selection application, and resistance management. Farmers apply to become part of the program, as space is […]
Deadline Extended – Become a UConn Extension Master Gardener
UConn Extension is accepting applications for the 2017 Master Gardener Program. Master Gardener interns receive horticultural training from UConn, and then share knowledge with the public through community volunteering and outreach efforts. Enrollment in the UConn Extension Master Gardener program is limited and competitive. “Gardening and the study of it is something we can do […]
Urban Ag Students
Our urban agriculture students, and Extension Educator German Cutz visited with Senator Richard Blumenthal at the Danbury Connecticut Farmers’ Market on Saturday, September 24th. Our students in the urban agriculture program complete extensive classroom hours, and hands-on learning in the field and markets.
School Districts Invited to “Put Local on Your Tray” This Fall
Just in time for National Farm To School Month in October, UConn Extension and its partners at the Connecticut State Department of Education, FoodCorps Connecticut, and the New England Dairy and Food Council are excited to announce an opportunity to participate in a new program called “Put Local On Your Tray”. Put Local On Your […]
Fermentation Workshop
We had a very enthusiastic group of participants at our fermentation workshop in North Haven on November 17th. Participants learned about food processing and safely, and are ready to tackle their own garden produce for enjoyment into the winter months.
Greenhouse Nutrient Management
Have your registered yet for the Practical Applications in Greenhouse Nutrient Management Program that will be held on Tuesday, Sept 27 at the CT Ag Experiment Station in New Haven ? Don’t miss this opportunity to: Update your ever needed skills on nutrient management Obtain 4.75 pesticide recertification credits Learn from leading experts in the field and […]
2016 Connecticut Dairy Farm of the Year
Each year the van of judges travels around the state of Connecticut, touring outstanding dairy farms recommended for the Green Pastures Program’s “Dairy Farm of the Year”. The judges are past winners of this award, sponsored by UConn Extension, as well as members of the dairy industry. The day long excursion this year finished at the […]
Bovay Joins CAHNR
Dr. John Bovay joined the ARE Department in August as Assistant Professor with 60% extension, 25% research, and 15% teaching responsibilities. We are excited to learn more about his extension and research interests. Can you share any prior Extension and outreach experience you have? Engaging with farmers and the public through outreach and extension has always been […]
2016 UConn Master Composter Program
Become a UConn Master Composter! The purpose of the Master Composter Program is to provide local compost enthusiasts with the tools and information necessary to educate and teach interested community members about composting and reducing the amount of solid waste sent to the state’s incinerators and landfills. Participants would attend classroom sessions at Auer Farm […]
Fermentation of Vegetables at Home
Fermentation of Vegetables at Home, A Food Preservation Workshop To Be Provided By UConn Extension Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. All over the world it is used for the creation and the preservation of food, including beer, wine, sauerkraut, kimchi, sour pickles, grains, yogurt, etc. UConn Extension is offering a […]
What You (Probably) Did Not Know About Food Recalls
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety Food recalls have become so commonplace that most consumers no longer pay attention. In the month of July alone, there were 46 recalls by food processors who are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and the US Food […]
UConn Cheese Wins Award
For the third year in a row the UConn Dept. of Animal Science Creamery’s cheese was recognized for excellence amongst 1,843 products from 260 companies in the 2016 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition. This year the creamery’s Chipotle Pepper Queso Blanco took third in it’s category making it three award in three years. We just received […]
Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut
UConn Extension and 8 statewide agricultural partners have received a grant from USDA-NIFA for their project, “Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut in Partnership with Agriculture Learning Centers.” The nearly $600,000 grant integrates the expertise and current training programs of UConn Extension with the Agricultural Learning Centers that provide targeted training, mentoring, and one-on-one […]