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November 2023 E-Harvest Newsletter
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A Message from Commissioner Miller
Howdy Neighbors! Welcome to Your E-Harvest Newsletter.
Texas autumn is the time for getting a winter garden up and growing. You will need to make plans for covering the plants during winter freezes, but a winter garden will thrive in most areas in Texas. Get your garden ready for winter and plant those cold-weather crops like leafy greens. Thank you for supporting my Farm Fresh Initiative and remember...Texas Agriculture Matters.
Sid Miller
Texas Agriculture Commissioner
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TDA's Farm Fresh Cooking for the Seasons Recipe Book
Every month, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) spotlights a fruit or vegetable currently being harvested in Texas. November's Harvest of the Month is carrots. To spotlight this versatile vegetable, try baking these Carrot Muffins found on page 41 of the Farm Fresh Cooking for the Seasons Cookbook. As always, recipes have meal contribution information for each dish.
December Harvest of the Month: Spinach
Funding/Donation Opportunities
2024 Youth Garden Grant
KidsGardening.org has opened the application period for their Youth Garden Grant. Grants consist of cash prizes, garden tools, and necessary supplies. Past award packages have included assorted seeds, mushroom growing kits, work gloves, pruning shears, fabric pots, and more. Apply by December 15.
Learning Opportunities
Farm to School Census
Don't forget to fill out the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2023 Farm to School Census. The census gathers data from School Food Authorities (SFAs) to gauge the scope and impact of farm to school programming across the country. Find more information here: USDA Farm to School Census Quick Facts
Rainbow Days
Do you have a salad bar in your cafeteria? Are you interested in setting one up? Hosting Rainbow Days is a great way to get your students interested in using your salad bar. These events promote the idea of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. A rainbow in this case consists of three or more colors.
Learning with School Gardens
As a tool for classroom learning with a school garden, Agricorps.org has created a series of teaching materials to "cultivate learning with school gardens". There are materials for teachers, students, community members, and those who train the teachers. Visual aids include educational posters and cards with illustrations of plants with their Latin names.
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Farm Fresh Sharing is a feature where we spotlight CEs from Texas and across the country who take part in farm to school activities and answer questions from you. On a quarterly basis, we will feature an interview with a Texas CE or producer. The goal of this section is to make connections between CEs and producers, answer questions about Farm Fresh programming, and share success stories. If you are interested in sharing your experiences and inspiring other CEs, please fill out this survey.
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) in Madison, Wisconsin partners with a local nonprofit organization, Rooted, to manage a half-acre garden used for youth education. The Goodman Youth Farm is located next to an MMSD elementary school and serves as a field trip destination for all schools in MMSD. Students are given a cooking demonstration using produce from the garden and sent home from field trips with bags of vegetables, if the bags are allowed on school buses.
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Finding New Recipes
Did you know that TDA has a recipe book for CACFP? Standardized Multicultural Recipes was created for use in childcare centers, home childcare providers, and adult care centers. Recipes include meal pattern requirements for 3-5 year-old children but can easily be adjusted to meet other age requirements. Find an easy recipe for Gingered Carrots on page 61.
Funding/Donation Opportunities
If you operate a nonprofit care center in a rural area, you may qualify for funding to build a community garden. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers year-round funding through grants and/or low-interest loans for projects that will benefit rural communities. Find more information and see if you qualify here: USDA Community Facilities
Learning Opportunities
Save some money and show your students how to upcycle by making your own watering cans for garden irrigation. This article from BigGreen.org recommends half-gallon or gallon jugs, but small watering bottles can easily be made with water bottles or even empty milk cartons.
Building on the idea of repurposing, an idea seen recently was stacking old tires to create planters. If you need new tires, save yourself the disposal fee, ask for your old tires back, and stack them two deep. To create extra insulation against hot or cold weather, add some mulch in the interior of the tires. Fill them with soil and compost and plant your seeds or seedlings.
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National Rural Health Day
The third Thursday of each November is National Rural Health Day. Begun in 2022, this day is meant to raise awareness of the struggles faced by rural communities when it comes to both physical and mental health. Take care of yourself and protect your health on this and every day.
Funding Opportunities
USDA Drought
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated disaster areas in much of Texas due to drought. This allows the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to provide emergency loans to farmers and ranchers who have suffered losses due to drought conditions. For a full list of counties affected, check this page: Drought Assistance
USDA Disaster
Several counties have also been declared natural disaster areas due to excessive moisture and high winds. As with the drought designation, the FSA can give emergency loans to cover losses that occurred because of these conditions. Check the list here: Excessive Moisture and High Winds
USDA Labor Pilot
USDA has allocated $65 million to help farmers implement labor practices that provide safe environments for workers from the U.S. and qualifying countries covered under the seasonal H-2A visa program. Applications must be submitted by November 28.
Learning Opportunities
4-H Conference Information Webinar
From April 19 - 24, 2024, The National 4-H Conference will take place in Arlington, Virginia. There will be an informational session about the conference on Thursday, November 16, from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. Registration is open for the webinar now.
Youth in Agriculture
John "JC" Chandler is a 17-year-old in South Carolina who raises his own cattle. JC's family has been in the agricultural business since the 1700s, and he is the ninth generation to raise cattle. Read more about JC's journey and the growth of his herd on the Farmers.gov Fridays on the Farm blog.
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Getting to Know School Meals
Welcome to the second issue of the School Food Digest!
Last month, we presented an overview of school meal patterns and goals. This month, we're going to take a closer look at fruits in school meals.
Fruits come in many forms that qualify for school meals. Fresh, frozen, canned (in water, 100% juice, or light syrup), 100% juice, and dried fruit all count toward the fruit requirement for meals. Fruits can be served whole, cut, or cooked.
For a meal to be considered reimbursable (meaning the government pays the school for it), students must take a fruit or vegetable at each meal.
Depending on the age of the student, serving sizes vary. Preschool portions are smaller than elementary school, which are less than secondary schools. Different forms of fruit also have different serving sizes. For example, dried fruits generally count as twice their measured amount - 1/4 cup raisins = 1/2 cup serving size. The juice in canned fruits can also count toward the serving size. Find more information about fruit requirements and portions in this USDA guide.
Studies have shown that in schools where more fruit options are available, students are more likely to choose and eat fruits with their lunch. Students prefer cut fruits to whole fruits and fresh fruit to canned.
Encourage your child(ren) to try new fruits at home and at school. Teach them that fruits are good for their bodies; fruits supply them with vitamins to give them energy for the day and help protect them from getting sick in the future.
For a list of fruits, including some that may be new to you, check out the Food Group Gallery from MyPlate.gov.
Try this simple recipe to get your child(ren) to eat whole fruits, using only bananas: USDA Banana Ice Cream
Come back next month for a more in-depth look at vegetables in school meals.
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Farm Fresh Back to Basics
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Preparing for Winter
Winter is around the corner in Texas. If you have a school garden, it's time to think about prepping for colder weather and getting ready for spring. For tips on how to do all of this, read this article from AgriLife Today: 15 Tips to Prepare Your Garden for Winter
If you're handy and want to save money on winterizing your school garden to continue growing during colder months, check out these DIY greenhouse projects: 21 DIY Greenhouses
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Welcome these new producers to the Farm Fresh Network:
- Del Vecchio Foods - Houston
- Bluebonnet Meat Company - Trenton
- Vincent Farms - Point Blank
- Hoffpauir Grain LLC DBA HG Rice Mill - Bay City
- La Duni Baking Studio - Dallas
- Bill Brown Beef - Megargel
- Pacific Seafood of San Antonio - San Antonio
- Jeany's Caribbean Elixirs - Round Rock
- Oatmeal & Company LLC - Austin
- Raising 'em Right Beef LLC - Beeville
- Sweet Pasture Dairy & Creamery LLC - Gainesville
- Cowen Cattle Company LLC - Benjamin
- Yates Family Farms - Longview
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Contact TDA
Toll Free: (877) TEX-MEAL
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Connect with Others
Texas Farm Fresh Network Use this tool to connect with Texas food companies that currently sell or are interested in selling to schools, child care centers, adult care centers and summer meal programs. Company listings include contact information, product availability and distribution radius
Funding Opportunities Financial support from organizations may help establish or advance local Farm Fresh initiatives. This list includes opportunities from TDA, USDA and other organizations.
Interested in learning more about Texas products?
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This product was funded by USDA.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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