First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary Tom Vilsack Visit HealthierUS School Award Winner

This morning Secretary Tom Vilsack joined First Lady Michelle Obama at Hollin Meadows Elementary School to recognize their Silver Meadal achievement in the US HealthierUS School Challenge.

USDA established the HealthierUS School Challenge as a way to recognize schools that are creating healthy school environments by promoting good nutrition and physical activity. Silver Medal winners offer a different fruit every day and fresh fruit at least one day per week, as well as have at least 70 percent average daily participation for lunch.

The First Lady and Secretary Vilsack passed out fresh fruit to students before joining other classes in the garden for a fall harvest.

Students at Hollin Meadows enjoy gardens planted by parents five years ago not only during recess, but also during class. Science classes learn about hydroponic plant growth, math classes measure creatures living in the gardens and students plant peanuts as they learn about Virginia history.

 

 

 

Permalink  |  Posted: 08:27PM Nov 18, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [2]

USDA Celebrates Food and Nutrition at the Inaugural Fall Festival

Halloween has passed, but here in DC the fall leaves are still beautiful despite all the rain we’ve been having--and last Friday USDA had a great end of season party.

At our first fall festival, people visited the last USDA farmers market of the season, saw cider made in our very own People’s Garden, and sampled homemade butternut squash soup. Check out photos from the event here.

Our event mirrored those happening all over the country as farmers markets become more and more popular as places to gather, buy fresh food, and where you can literally get to Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food. In fact, according USDA research, among the top five reasons that people shop at farmers markets are: access to local food, support for local agriculture, and knowing how food is produced.

While we are celebrating growth in farmers markets—more than 5,200 are operating this year—can you believe that 14 markets have been in continuous operation for more than 100 years? There are even a few markets that have been around as long as America itself. Every Friday from June to November for the last 14 years, USDA has held the outdoor market in a parking lot at its headquarters. Customers are a mix of USDA and other federal employees, tourists and people who live in the area—an average of 2,500 hundred of them each week during the peak season. Click here to find a farmer's market near you!

We’re proud of our market, and along with the General Services Administration, we’ve written a guide on how other federal agencies can start markets of their own. To access the booklet, find a farmers market in your area, and learn a lot more about farmers markets and direct marketing research, visit our Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing website.

In contrast to the market, the People’s Garden is just finishing up its first season and the first year of the 3-year transition period to becoming certified organic. I had the pleasure of dedicating the Garden back in April, on Earth Day, and since then we have harvested more than 300 pounds of produce and donated it to the DC Central Kitchen. The Garden also provided the setting for summer-long Healthy Garden Workshops that taught people everything from how to make compost to creating window boxes.

And although our outdoor activities are winding down, we’ll start our indoor farmer's market on December 2. Who says all good things must come to an end?

- Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan 

Permalink  |  Posted: 02:36PM Nov 02, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [1]

Enjoy Your Garden Year-Round: Try Home Canning

This year, USDA has been encouraging folks to try local food production and consumption. The People’s Garden has been an excellent example in connecting people to where their food comes from. And many of you followed suit, planting gardens of your own.

This autumn, we hope you have reaped the benefits of your garden. But did you know that you can continue to enjoy your fresh fruits and vegetables all year long? Home canning is a great way to preserve the food you’ve grown and produced.

USDA wants to make sure you are able to can and store your garden harvests in a safe and healthy manner. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning has been updated to reflect the most current canning techniques. The book discusses canning equipment, ingredients and procedures and how to use them to achieve safe, high-quality canned products. It includes hundreds of canning recipes for fruits, tomatoes, vegetables, red meats, poultry, seafoods and pickles and relishes. This guide is available for purchase from Purdue University Extension by calling 1-888-EXT-INFO or you can download a pdf copy online.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has also funded the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia. This center was established to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods. Publications and resources are available from the center, and their Web site has useful home canning seasonal tips to ensure you use proper techniques.

Home gardens are a great way to produce healthy, nutritious foods. But healthy eating isn’t just something we can do when local fruits and vegetables are in season. With these resources, you can get the nutrients you need all year round to lead a healthy life.

Permalink  |  Posted: 11:32AM Oct 30, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

Gering Ever Green House - Building and Renewing a Rural Community

In Gering, Nebraska (pop.8000 ) over the Oregon Trail Park, right next to the high school football field lies the Ever Green House. A project of Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska, the Ever Green House is a family and community development center featuring a community garden, a greenhouse, and a farmer’s market. With a mission of building community through gardening, horticultural education, community beautification and environmental stewardship, the mission encompasses many of the goals that the USDA is promoting.

The property was originally used by the local high school until it fell into disrepair. A dedicated group of volunteers and gardeners wanted to strengthen their community by building a place where families could come together. Echoing the themes of President Obama’s United We Serve initiative, the Ever Green House now serves as a beautiful garden sanctuary and the volunteers are active at beautification efforts in the town of Gering.

Projects like the Ever Green House are vital to our rural America, because they bring people together under the common goal of making their communities stronger, better places to live. In recognition of that hard work and vital role in the community, the Ever Green House will receive Recovery Act funding to replace the roof on their building so that residents can garden and cultivate new relationships and ideas year round.

What started as a small project has expanded with the Ever Green House now operating a weekly farmer’s market. With 7-18 vendors per week all local to the Gering area, Ever Green House is a working example of the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative. This farmer’s market gives locals access to healthy fruits, vegetable, and other from the farm goods and provides the local producers with a new market and income opportunity.

What an honor to tour the Ever Green House. Clearly the seeds of change and renewal are growing in the town of Gering, Nebraska.

Permalink  |  Posted: 04:17PM Sep 29, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]