FoodWIse's Healthy Community Corner by Amy Macemon, FoodWIse Healthy Communities Coordinator and Nutrition Educator
Spring generates a sense of hope, of renewed life after the long winter. For the FoodWIse team, we enjoy talking with our organizational partners and participant learners about their gardening plans. Whether supporting partners in identifying and applying for garden grants, giving them ideas on how to teach about gardening or directing learners to resources for new gardeners, FoodWIse is proud to support gardening activities in the Kenosha community.
Gardening provides easy access to fresh produce and, depending on your gardening methods, can be a low-cost option. For example, the USDA states that for every $1 spent on food producing plants or seeds, there is a $25 value waiting to be harvested! Did you know that individuals can use their EBT, or food stamp, card to purchase food producing plants and seeds anywhere EBT is accepted? Please help to spread the news by sharing these posters! And if you’re interested in posters in English, Spanish and Hmong, please reach out to me directly at amy.macemon@wisc.edu. Currently, the USDA only offers the posters in English.
It’s not too late to plant a seed of hope and tend it for a spring, summer or fall harvest. Some vegetables, like kale and brussel sprouts, can even last through the winter!
Recipe Round-Up
If you’re a fan of perennial fruits and vegetables, that is, those that come back year after year, you may have already harvested some rhubarb or asparagus from the spring soil.
Visit the USDA’s seasonal recipe page for spring recipe inspiration! Whether you try Asparagus with Gremolata Sauce, Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, or a Spring Vegetable Saute, utilizing in-season produce, especially in the spring, will be a sure delight!
