Spectacles

When I was young my mother informed me that when you reach a certain age, your eyesight will start to go.  I was convinced this happens to other people, definitely not to me.

As I approached the birthday she assured me my eyesight would begin to fail, I felt a sweet victory that my eyes were still functioning and glasses were not needed. The following birthday brought an even sweeter victory, I was still glasses free! 

By the next birthday, I recognized that an interesting phenomenon had occurred. Somehow in the previous 365 days, my arms had shrunk.  I realized this while trying to read.  My arms no longer could hold the book at the distance necessary to see the words on the page. How could this be? 

A visit to my eye doctor quickly cleared up any confusion. My arms had not shrunk. Instead, my eyesight was failing me. Reading glasses were a must. I selected the prettiest pair of spectacles and accepted by fate.  I get the growing older part of life, but why is it that my mom is ALWAYS right?

September is Healthy Aging Month and one way to age in a healthy manner is to take care of your eyesight.  The National Eye Institute has a number of excellent resources regarding keeping your eyes healthy as you age and tips for seeing well for a lifetime. 

Part of my wardrobe of spectacles.

Fishing for a Good Meal?

What’s low in fat, high in protein, vitamins, and nutrients AND can lower your blood pressure and help reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke? FISH! The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week as part of a healthy diet. Fish is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids. These essential nutrients keep our heart and brain healthy.

Recently, our Healthy Cuisine Cooking Class series featured an entire menu of healthy seafood dishes. Among the many we tried was a recipe for coconut shrimp.  This was a hit!  Hope you enjoy!

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It Takes a Village

We all know the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." I was reminded of this recently as one of my youth programs, The Meadowlake Kids Club, capped off a week of activities by visiting the Albuquerque Zoo.

Some ready to board the train.

A trip to the zoo may not seem like it would be that much of an event to schedule and plan.  Due to geographic, economic, and logistic challenges,
it took a village.

The children, ranging in age from 4 - 15, earned
money to attend the trip by participating in a county road side clean up. After this, the "village" took over.

Our group enjoying lunch.

Extension offices in two counties loaned us
large passenger vans to help in transporting our
youth. A co-worker generously gave up time to
drive a combined total of over 400 miles to assist
as a driver/chaperone. An agency loaned us a gated parking lot to house one of our vans overnight. Community members volunteered to drive their personal vehicles to help deliver our group to the train station so our youth could experience their very first train ride.

It didn't stop there.

Waiting for the seals to be fed.

A train employee gave us a deep discount on our train passes when she learned of our adventure. The Belen Methodist Church donated drinks, two of our Extension Association of New Mexico members, Carolyn and Dee, donated oranges, chips and cookies, and Tom, a volunteer, donated water. A kind zoo employee, Antoinette, gave us a great deal on our last minute group passes.

There were a lot of smiles!

Most generous of all might have been the early morning commuters on the train who were so patient with our very loud, very excited and very large group.  One commuter stopped me as I was walking up and down the aisle passing out snacks and said, "What a neat experience you're providing for those kids."

I smiled and said thank you. But in my head I thought, what a neat experience for which I get to be a part. And in my heart I felt overwhelming gratitude for volunteers, co-workers,
parents and even strangers who make up the village that
raise our children.

Knock, Knock, Tap, Tap, Thump, Thump

Nothing brings people together like the watermelon display at the local grocery store. I was reminded of this recently while watching two men, from, in my stereotyping mind, two VERY different worlds come together and engage in a very animated conversation over watermelons.

Man 1: Do you know how to pick a good one?

Man 2: Yes, I do. (Picking up watermelon) You've got to knock on it like this (knock, knock, knock)

Man 1: I thought you were supposed to tap on it like this (tap, tap, tap).

At this point a third man found his way to the watermelon display and joined the "watermelon band" already in session.  His comment, "You need to thump on it like this (thump, thump, thump)."

Man 1, clearly the genius in the group, interrupted the knocking, tapping, and thumping when he asked, "What is it we're even listening for when we're knocking, tapping and thumping?"

Good question!  Follow these tips below for selecting the perfect watermelon (almost) every time.

Symmetrical and Dark Green

1.  Choose a dull looking, dark green watermelon.
   
2.  Look for uniform shape.  Search for a firm, symmetrical watermelon free from bruises, cuts or dents.  If the watermelon is lumpy or unsymmetrical, it may mean that it received irregular amounts of sunshine or water during growing, which can cause dryness or inconsistency.

3.  Pick it up.  Big or small, it should feel heavy for its size. The weight indicates it is full of water and therefore nice and ripe.

Bee Stings Indicate Sweetness

4.  Look for bee stings.  Small raised orbs or buds
on the watermelon rind can indicate a bee has stung
the melon.  This is a good sign as bees want sweet.

5.  Turn it over and check out its bottom.  The
"ground spot", where the watermelon sat on the
ground while it soaked up the sun, should have a
creamy yellow spot.  If that spot is white or
greenish, your watermelon may have been
picked too soon.

A Creamy Yellow "Ground Spot"

Watermelon Perfection!

From the Kitchen of....

Need a quick and easy idea for dinner?  Loretta Torres, a friend who is a Master Gardener and an amazing cook, emailed this recipe to me.  It sounded so good, I had to share it with you. Should you decide to make it, give me call!  I'll be at your house for dinner AND I'll bring a salad!

Enjoy!

Loretta's Loaded Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

Loretta, Cook Extraordinaire!

1 lb ground round

1 medium hot Italian sausage crumbled (remove casing)

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 medium carrot sliced thin

1/2 cup salsa

1 pint chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)

1 TBS fresh basil

1/2 large red pepper, chopped

1 small onion

1 small zucchini, sliced & halved

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 lb penne pasta

Directions:

Saute ground round with sausage and garlic till browned. Add carrot, salsa, tomatoes, basil, and salt & pepper. If too thick, add 1/2 cup water. cook 20 minutes.  While cooking, put water to boil for pasta. Once boiling, add pasta to cook. Add red pepper, onion, zucchini to meat mixture.  Cook till pasta is done (12-14 minutes).

Notes from chef Loretta:  Total time for cooking and prep was about 30 minutes. "I made the sauce a bit thin so it was more summery with lots of flavor. This was a perfect amount for two hungry people but if you added a salad, it would be good for three or four."

Notes from Laura: Over half of the items used in this recipe can be found at your local growers' market!  If you shopped the markets in Valencia County, you'd be able to meet Loretta there! Nothing tastes better than produce right from a local garden and keeping your dollars in your community.

Office Perks

Hugs and smiles from
cuties like this.

A couple of years ago Huffington Post reported on elaborate office perks some companies provide to their employees.  Perks included things like snowboarding season passes, a significant stipend for overseas vacations, housekeeping services and climbing walls.  As an extension agent with New Mexico State University, I get some office perks as well. Below you'll find some of the perks I've had just this past week. Climbing walls or all of this?  I'm pretty sure I've got the better gig (although housekeeping services would sure be nice)!

Enjoying a class with my program participants.

A cookbook collection
donated by a client.

Beets fresh from a co-workers garden.

Red Geranium from a
Master Gardener.

Local honey from a client.

A fab new accessory from a 6 year old.

You Just Can't Beat a Beet!

Beets Fresh from the Garden

Beets have been a recent theme in the office. It started with a co-worker bringing me beets from her garden because she didn't know what to do with them.
Read More: Beet Preparation Methods

Then, I received a phone call inquiring as to what one could do with an abundance of beets the client had told her husband "not to plant in the first place." Can you freeze them?  You bet!
Read More: Freezing Vegetables

Arugula Beet Salad

Shortly after that, the Valencia Community Garden donated beets and other gorgeous produce as they do throughout the growing season to support our cooking programs. I'm so grateful for their generosity and impressive gardening skills.

I continued with the theme yesterday by having my Healthy Cuisine class participants prepare a delicious beet salad recipe. It was a hit with even the beet skeptics. Seriously friends, you just can't beat a beet!

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Beet Skeptic Becomes Beet Lover!

For more information on beet recipes, nutrition information, selection and storage tips click here.

What are you favorite recipes that call for beets? I'd love for you to share your ideas in the comment section below!