Want to start a garden but don’t know how?  Heart of Hutch will be offering: Organic Gardening 101. This free class will be offered at the McLeod County Fair Grounds educational building on April 18th from 7-8:30 PM.
Two local organic vegetable and fruit farmers, Laura Frerichs and Irene Genelin, will take you through the basics of organic vegetable gardening in your yard, community garden plot, or in pots.  We will cover site selection, soil preparation, fertilizers and compost, good crops and varieties to try in your garden, mulching, organic pest control, and much  more.  Come with your questions! Class is free, but please RSVP to Laura: loonorganics@hotmail.com

Don’t have enough yard space for a garden?  You can rent a plot of land from the city.  The city garden plots are across from Evergreen Apartments.  This year, Heart of Hutch worked with the City of Hutchinson and Southwest Initiative Foundation to create additional garden space for rent.

Aside from rentable garden plots, additional land at Southwest Initiative Foundation will be used to create Hutch’s first Community Garden.  The community garden was created in a partnership between Heart of Hutch and Hutchinson’s Chamber Leadership program.  All produce grown will be given to the Hutch and Glencoe Food Shelf.  The leadership program is looking for people interested in volunteering time to help weed, pick, and distribute the produce.  Interested?  Contact the Leadership team through sending an email to: carter.bethany@gmail.com.

It’s exciting to see our community working together to create healthy food choices for all!

Ingredients

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour (I use 3/4 c whole wheat, 1/4 c white)

1 T. baking powder

¾ t. salt

2 t. chopped fresh sage plus 12 leaves

1 c. milk or dairy substitute

1/2 c. honey

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Heat 10-inch cast iron skillet in oven 10 minutes. Whisk first 4 ingredients and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, honey, and egg in medium bowl to blend. Remove skillet from oven; add 1/2 c. butter. Swirl until butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into egg mixture. Add whole sage leaves to butter in skillet; toss to coat. Arrange leaves over bottom of skillet, spacing apart. Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined. Pour batter over sage leaves in skillet. Bake until browned around edges and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Invert onto plate. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you could use a regular baking pan. Just melt butter on the stove and continue with instructions.

*Adapted from Epicurious website

In just a few short weeks, you may start seeing a lot of fluorescent lights shining from basements around our community. Why? Many gardeners and farmers like to give their plants a jump start. Because Minnesota springs tend to be cold and unpredictable, many people begin growing their plants in their basements in early spring, using florescent lights as a heat and light source. This way, once the final frost has come and gone, gardeners transplant their “seedlings” into the ground. It is an excellent way to expand our growing season here in Minnesota. It is also an excellent way to fight off those late winter blues. Digging your hands in dirt is a great way to remind us all that spring is just around the corner!

So what do you need to begin growing plants in your home? Plastic trays with dividers can be purchased at many different home stores. Also buy seeds, potting soil and florescent lights. You will want to water your plants, even before you begin to see any growth. You will want your fluorescent lights to hang from the ceiling, either by chains or rope.  The fluorescent lights begin close to the trays of freshly planted seeds. As the plants begin to grow, simply raise the fluorescent lights up. You do not want the light to ever touch the plants, but be close enough to them to provide heat and light.

Once the final frost has come and gone, slowly transition your plants to the outdoors. Begin by placing them outside in the afternoon for a few hours of sunlight, and then bring the starters back in before the cold of night sets in. After you have done this for several days, it will be time to transplant your starters into the ground. Before doing so, read the package information from your seeds. Make sure you provide a spot with adequate sun (or shade) depending upon the needs of the plant you are growing.

              Gaterade, Powerade, MiO -you have heard of them- and probably drank them.  Did you know that very few people actually need the supplementation that sport drinks provide?  Sport drinks supply your body with electrolytes.  The primary electrolytes people tend to think of are sodium and potassium.  They help our organs function properly.  When you sweat, you lose water and electrolytes which can throw your body off-balance. This does not take place, however, until someone has been constantly aerobically exercising for at least 60-90 minutes.  Aerobic exercises are jogging, running, swimming or cycling.

Sport drinks replenish your body of lost electrolytes.  When exercising for these long periods of time, sport drinks become important.  Not only will you feel better, you will have more energy to continue on your workout.

When you use sport drinks without long periods of exercise, you are essentially just drinking sugar water.  Be a smart consumer- drink it when you must.  What should you drink the rest of the time?  Water.  Pure and simple, water.

Need a quick snack for yourself or your family?  This healthy snack idea yeilds 20 bars in no time!

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup butter or coconut oil

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups oats or quinoa flakes (or combination)

1 tsp vanilla

Filling:  1 jar (10oz) jelly or jam

INSTRUCTIONS:

• combine all ingredients by hand or mixer to form a coarse meal
• press one half of the mixture into a foil lined, sprayed 9 X 13 pan
• spread jelly over the crust
• crumble the remaining mixture over the top and press down onto the jelly lightly
• bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
• allow to cool completely.  Using a pizza slicer, cut pan lengthwise and then across for 20 bars.

It’s that time of year!  We are all setting out to make New Year’s Resolutions.  And as many of us know, weight loss tends to rank pretty high on New Year’s Resolutions.  Let’s set our focus on improving our overall nutrition and portion control.  Let’s make lifestyle changes so that this year becomes different from all the rest-we’ll lose the weight, and keep it off!  Sustainability is key. Here’s some tips to get to you on your way:

1)      At every meal, make ½ your plate fruits and vegetables.

2)      Pay attention to serving sizes.  A serving size is how much of the food item you should be eating.  A portion size is how much you are actually eating.  Our portion sizes are typically significantly larger than a serving size.  Aim to make your portion sizes the same as the serving sizes.

3)      Use a smaller plate.  When we use a smaller plate, we tend to eat less food- helping us stay within a serving size.

4)      Be a smart consumer- read food labels.  See how many servings are in a dish and try to eat just one serving.

5)      Incorporate more whole grains into your diet.  Eating whole grains helps create more HDL (good cholesterol) in your body.  Whole grains are also high in fiber, which helps promote a healthy digestive tract.  Aim for at least ½ of your grains to be whole.  Easy switches can be eating brown rice instead of white, or wheat instead of white bread.

6)      If you go out to eat, look for healthier options.  Once your meal arrives, have the waiter/waitress put ½ in a “to go” box. 

7)      Looking for some accountability?  Try an online food log.  It’s simple.  You enter the foods and amounts you eat, and the program informs you how many calories you ate, ect.  For a FREE, user-friendly food log, I recommend the USDA’s tracker at: https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/default.aspx

We are flooded with information about prostate cancer.  Different sport teams wear ribbons to draw attention, and of course, there is Movember.  But this year, let’s do more than raise awareness.  With a few lifestyle changes, we can help prevent prostate cancer.  Here are some simple dietary changes that can add years to your life and mine:

1)      Increase Omega 3 fatty acid (like what is found in fish).

2)      Eating less meat- dare I say, becoming a vegetarian, or have set aside days each week where you only eat a vegetarian diet.

3)      Eating a low fat diet.

4)      Decreasing alcohol consumption.

Prevention is extremely important, but as we are diagnosed with prostate cancer more than any other cancer, early detection is also essential.  We all need to make a commitment that starting at the age of 40, we will have a yearly prostate exam completed by our physicians.  A blood work test (PSA) can also help determine potential prostate cancer. Catching cancer as early as possible can potentially save lives.

Let’s take back our health! 

For more information on this or other health related topics, check out: http://health.hutchinsonhealthcare.com/library

Cranberries are a very nutrient-heavy, healthy fruit.  Packed with Vitamin C and fiber, cranberries help boost your immune system and can help improve your cholesterol.  They are in season this time of year, which makes them a great choice for anything, from a holiday party to a brunch on a Saturday morning.  Here are a few of our favorite Cranberry recipes.

eat_smart_recipes_holiday season

In case you missed the last Food Demo/Tasting Day at the Farmer’s Market, click here for the great pumpkin recipes we had.

eat smart_october recipes