We’ve all heard that we should be eating fresh fruits and vegetables as key portions of our daily meals – but at what cost? With food prices on the rise, preparing nutritious, well-rounded meals can seem like an extra strain not only on our available time but also on our wallets. Luckily, there are some strategies (and local resources!) that can help in getting the biggest bang for your buck in the grocery aisles.
Plan ahead: Start simple by taking a look in your pantry and fridge to see what you might already have hiding in the back of a cupboard. Then try to plan a couple meals that you’ll be shopping for – a great resource for tasty, healthy, and budget-friendly recipes is the OSU Extension Food Hero website. They focus on sharing recipes that use easy-to-find ingredients and easy-to-follow directions to make healthy meals a little more stress-free.
Consider meatless meals: Plant-based proteins like legumes, beans, lentils, or tofu are highly nutritious and often cheaper than meat at the grocery store. You might find that switching a meal or two each week to a plant-based protein like dried beans or legumes can help stretch your food dollars and still be tasty and satisfying. For preparation and cooking tips, Food Hero is a great resource, or a quick Google search will get you started.
Shop smart: Try to stick to the list you created – you might find that eating a snack before shopping will help reduce any hunger-induced impulse buying! Look for any generic or store brand items that may be cheaper and utilize available coupons or sign up for rewards programs at your local grocery store. When debating between two of the same items that are different sizes, consider how much of the item you need or will use. Buying the larger item (or “buying in bulk”) can be a better deal for the amount you receive, but only if it’s an item that you’ll be able to use completely before it expires.
Buy canned or frozen fruits & veggies: Fresh produce can make up a large part of a grocery bill, but canned or frozen fruits and vegetables can still provide plenty of nutrients for a better price. Just keep an eye out to avoid canned items stored in syrup or with added sugar or salt. For frozen items, look for those either stored without a sauce or labeled as “lightly sauced” to avoid extra sugar or salt.
Utilize local resources: Food Roots is a non-profit that provides local fresh fruits and veggies, dairy and meat products here in Tillamook County. They are part of the Double Up Food Bucks program so if you spend $10 in SNAP/EBT, then they will provide another $10 of goods at no extra cost. And as an added bonus, SNAP shoppers can receive free delivery of Food Roots items, check out their website to learn more: https://www.foodrootsnw.org/
Give yourself grace: There will always be weeks where things don’t work out quite as you hoped, and that’s okay! Remember to be kind and patient with yourself as you try out new things, and don’t feel like you need to change an entire lifestyle overnight – small steps can still have a big impact.
For inspiration, check out this quick weeknight dinner recipe from Food Hero:
Pasta with Greens and Beans
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
8 ounces pasta (try penne)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
10 ounces frozen spinach
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup grated parmesancheese
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and cook on low (250 degrees F in an electric skillet) until soft.
Add spinach, tomatoes with juice, beans, salt and pepper. Once the mixture bubbles, cook uncovered on low heat for 5 minutes.
Add drained pasta and parmesan cheese to spinach mixture. Toss well and serve.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Recipe Notes
Substitute cleaned and chopped fresh spinach (about 6 cups).
Try other greens, such as Swiss chard or kale instead of spinach. Be sure to clean greens well and cook them until soft.
Cook your own dry beans. One can (15 ounces) is about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups drained beans.
Between the winter weather, abundance of sweet treats, and chaos of coordinating family gatherings, it can be difficult to maintain your usual routines during the holidays. Check out some of these tips and tricks for finding the balance in enjoying holiday festivities from Lewis Martin, Nutrition Director at the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council, followed by a few creative “merry mocktails” for those looking to take a break from alcohol this season:
Healthy Holiday Hacks
Make Breakfast the most important meal of your day: Some people believe that by skipping out on food intake earlier in the day, they can compensate later on and load up on calories at a gathering without consequence. The truth is, this sabotaging practice can cause you to eat well beyond your daily needs in one sitting, causing spikes in blood sugar and prompting your body to store unneeded excess energy. Consuming a high protein, high fiber breakfast at the start of your day can help you better manage hunger, and give you solid control when dinner time arrives. Try options like eggs with whole wheat toast, lowfat Greek yogurt with high fiber granola, or oatmeal cooked in lowfat milk.
Brighten up your beverage choice: Soda, beer, and cocktails can sneak hundreds of calories into a meal without having any effect on how full you feel. Instead, enjoy sparkling water or a cozy hot cup of coffee/tea. If you’re hankering for something sweeter, you can even try diet or “zero” soda options, which don’t contain any calories or sugar.
Double up on veggies: If you’re hardwired to clean your plate, use your impulse to your advantage. Load up on non-starchy vegetables like roasted carrots, steamed green beans, or savory collard greens in place of stuffing, potatoes, or bread. Pair with your favorite protein choice, like turkey, and you have a seriously delicious meal.
Don’t stop moving: With great energy from calories, comes the great responsibility to use that energy! Squeeze in your fitness routine before heading over to or hosting a gathering; catch up with friends and family on a brisk walk before your meal; or start a new tradition by hosting a backyard Turkey Bowl!
Bring your own, healthier dessert: Holiday desserts are often the most calorie and sugar-dense options at gatherings, and can wreak havoc on your efforts to stay on track with your health goals. Preparing a lighter, lower sugar dessert can not only provide confidence that you’ll be sticking with ideal food choices, but will give you the chance to share something awesome with your loved ones. Head over to our Healthy Recipes page for more inspiration!
Rethink the drink: Many holiday parties have alcohol as an optional drink for adults. Did you know that more than 1 in 5 Oregonians drink excessively? Examples of excessive drinking include binge or heavy drinking. Excessive drinking is harmful to a person’s body and can increase the risk of certain cancer (breast, colon, prostate, etc.), increase the risk of heart disease, and can lead to changes in behavior or mood. To learn more about you risk, check out the Oregon Health Authority’s ‘Rethink the Drink’ campaign located at: www.rethinkthedrink.com.
The Merry Mocktail List
Take a break from alcohol or pace yourself this holiday season and try a Merry Mocktail! These drinks are a delicious substitute for alcoholic beverages. Be aware of the sugar content and look for low-sugar or sugar substitute options and fresh, natural juices. Each of the drinks below are poured over ice but can also be made as a martini or in a champagne flute. You can also find some delicious and refreshing nonalcoholic sparkling hops drinks in stores such as Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher, H2OPS Sparkling Hop Water, and Pelican Brewery Sparkle Hops. Cheers!
Mocktail Mule
Ginger beer or ale, cranberry juice, 4-5 fresh cranberries, 2 slices of lime, mint
Muddle mint and lime with ice, add 4-5 fresh cranberries and more ice, and fill half with ginger beer and half with cranberry juice. Top with fresh mint and lime.
Sparkle Razz
Razz-Cranberry La Croix, cranberry Kombucha, fresh rosemary, 2 slices of limes, 4 raspberries
Muddle raspberries, rosemary and lime at the bottom of the glass, fill with ice, fill half with Kombucha and half with La Croix. Top with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Orange Cinnamon Fizz
Sparkling cider or ginger ale, orange juice, 2 slices of lemons or limes, ½ teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 3 tablespoons sugar (or sugar substitute)
Rub a lemon or lime around the rim of your glass and then dip into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Fill the glass with ice, add orange juice and squeeze in lemon or lime. Top off with sparkling cider or ginger ale.
Although the names sweet potato and yam are used interchangeably, these tubers belong to separate plant families and are quite different. In fact, sweet potatoes aren’t even a close relative to potatoes.
This starchy root vegetable is long and tapered with a smooth skin that can vary in color from beige to orange, brown or purple. Pale beige or light golden fleshed sweet potatoes have a much drier texture than the darker fleshed orange variety and are also less sweet. This robust (dark or light) vegetable has a storage life of around three months if kept in a cool dry place.
The bright orange variety of sweet potato is what Americans are typically used to finding at the grocery store, and the variety we most often serve at our holiday tables. They are fluffy and sweet and delicious in both dessert and savory recipes.
As for the health benefits of sweet potatoes: Orange fleshed sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A (an antioxidant) in the body. Vitamin A supports vision and a healthy immune system. They’re a reliable source of B6, a regulator of metabolism, and are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Incredible that an average sized sweet potato contains only 135 calories.
Well, it’s not too soon to plan those holiday meals – especially if you’re the chief cook and bottle washer. So, back to the “quandary”; what holiday worthy sweet potato dishes might adorn our holiday tables without ruining all those glowing sweet potato facts I just shared with you? How about recipes that aren’t slathered in globs of marshmallow and brown sugar?
Following is a recipe for Scalloped Apples & Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts & Cranberries from my recently published Cookbook, “Thrifty Comfort Cooking for Challenging Times” where 100% of author royalties go directly to the Oregon Food Bank to assist folks dealing with food insecurity. The cookbook is available on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. It’s an eclectic cookbook to suit all diets and contains over 100 recipes. Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy these tasty original recipes.
Following is a recipe for Scalloped Apples & Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts & Cranberries from my recently published Cookbook, “Thrifty Comfort Cooking for Challenging Times”.
100% of author royalties go directly to the Oregon Food Bank to assist folks dealing with food insecurity.
The cookbook is available on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. It’s an eclectic cookbook to suit all diets and contains over 100 recipes.
Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy these tasty original recipes.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes & Apples with Walnuts & Cranberries
(Gluten free and vegan or vegetarian)
People seem forever looking for a better sweet potato or yam recipe; something simple and wholesome (sans marshmallows – please) yet lovely to look at and even better if it’s filled with both nutrition and flavor. Try this original recipe for spiced scalloped apples and yams (sweet potatoes) with toasted walnuts and Oregon cranberries. It takes about 10 minutes to prep and bakes without any checking and fussing. It makes an attractive (inexpensive) presentation for a special occasion, and you’ll be delighted with the simplicity and the taste.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon salted butter or vegan margarine, for baking pan
2 or 3 medium Oregon garnet yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in ½ inch thick slices
3 or 4 large Oregon apples (two types if possible: (Fuji, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious), cored, partly peeled (in strips) and sliced in ¾ inch thick slices
¾ cup walnut chunks
½ cup raw Oregon cranberries – unsweetened (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup salted butter OR vegan margarine, melted
1/3 cup real maple syrup OR honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom OR ground coriander
Directions:
Generously grease a 9” x 13” oven safe glass or ceramic baking pan with butter or vegan margarine. Preheat oven to 375º F. Place oven rack in center position.
Alternate yam and apple slices (scallop) decoratively, in rows, in prepared baking pan
Sprinkle walnuts and cranberries over yams and apples.
In the saucepan used to melt the butter, combine the butter with maple syrup (or honey) cinnamon, black pepper, salt, nutmeg and cardamom (or coriander). Pour syrup or honey mixture evenly over all in the baking dish.
Bake, covered with foil, at 375 F. for around 35 – 45 minutes. Remove from oven; uncover and serve. This is healthy, colorful and almost like eating dessert. A good side dish with poultry, pork, bean and rice herb pilaf or stuffed winter squash. Serves 4.
Area schools are integrating health and wellness in innovative ways. Nestucca School District is doing this through a science-based, school nutrition curriculum and on-site garden.They also recently received a grant for a school-based health clinic and are expanding outdoor play areas with bike paths and a bike skills park that will also be open to the public.
Tillamook County Wellness interviewed Nestucca School District Superintendent, Misty Wharton and K-8, CTE and Community Resource Specialist, Rachel Pettit, to learn more about their unique approach to whole-student learning.
Science & Nutrition Curriculum
With a full-time garden coordinator and K-5 science teacher, students experience hands-on education every day with a focus on agriculture, not only learning where their food comes from but also growing that food themselves. According to program coordinator Rachel Pettit, “Kids love the school garden and anything that takes them outdoors to learn.” Using art, journaling and scientific inquiry, students are developing critical thinking skills and enjoying the process of learning and discovery. Rachel notes that, during the year and over summer school, students were able to dig deep and build their observation and communication skills. “Now some of those students are asking incredible questions,” she stated.
In addition to the school garden, the science curriculum includes an outdoor classroom and wellness trail with native plants. Misty Wharton explains that the curriculum design means students are always learning, “Every environment is a learning environment, not just the classroom.” Wharton emphasizes the importance of students getting a well-rounded perception of their world. Through this approach, they become more aware of larger ecosystems and how to be good stewards within them. She goes on to say, “I always hope it ignites their curiosity about the world, maybe gives insight into career paths they hadn’t thought of before,” noting that students often aren’t aware of careers beyond becoming a teacher, police officer or firefighter.
Since September 1st, they have harvested 357 pounds of school garden produce that has gone to the cafeteria, including 80 pounds of potatoes harvested by classroom students and later enjoyed in breakfast burritos. Both Pettit and Wharton agree that students are having fun. They also note that, by growing the food themselves, students are willing to try foods they otherwise would not be willing to try. The school garden was relocated during recent renovations and with the garden gate now next to the school playground, students regularly visit and check on their garden.
Raising a garden takes a lot of time and attention. Rachel manages the garden, working year-round except for a break in January. This spring, she worked with a middle school class (Intro to Agriculture elective course) where the students came in one day a week, helped grow all of the transplants in the garden, and got to take extras home at the end of the school year. Rachel maintains the garden in the summer and works with kids to plant and harvest during the 4-week summer school program. “What I think is really exciting,” says Rachel, “is when kids are asking me what is growing in the garden and then help me harvest some cucumbers, and then I see the same kids in the cafeteria later that day and they’ve got a cup of cucumber slices off the salad bar, crunching away, talking about how beautiful the garden is.”
It was also noted that, even though we live in such an agricultural and naturally beautiful place, a lot of local students are not getting out and exploring the natural world. Many students don’t have easy access to these experiences and so having that on the school grounds and part of daily teaching reduces barriers and introduces students to new activities, skills and interests.
Outdoor Play & Physical Activity
In addition to the outdoor classroom environments, Nestucca School District has made significant investments in outdoor play areas. In the same way that nutrition is built into the science curricula, physical fitness is incorporated through activities kids can enjoy in and out of school. When asked why such a focus has been placed on creating outdoor movement opportunities, Misty says, “I grew up in this community, and there’s not a lot of structured environments for kids to play in a safe, healthy way. There was no existing playground that served the entire community before this one.” The new playground is open to the public, where kids can come after school, on the weekends, and in the summertime with their families. Going beyond the traditional school playground, they have had a bike skills park engineered and are fundraising to expand that project. According to Misty, “There’s no safe place for kids to ride their bike in this community, I was always shocked by how many kids didn’t have a bicycle.”
To change that, Nestucca is launching a fully-funded “All Kids Bike” project, part of a national PE curriculum where schools are awarded a fleet of bicycles for Pre-K and Kindergartener students. In addition to learning basic skills and safety precautions, the curriculum supports learning readiness in that bike riding strengthens the systems of the brain used in reading and writing. “So, we’re constructing a skills park, called a bicycle playground, and then on top of that, also using a large chunk of the acreage to develop mountain biking trails,” says Misty. “There’s a lot of excitement around it because it’s something people can do their entire lives.” The project has a lot of community support, including from the Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance (TORTA) which raised $11,000 for the project at a recent fundraiser. “As an adult, I’m excited for the skills park and mountain bike trails,” said Rachel, who went on to say, “I was an avid bicyclist before I moved to Tillamook and I don’t think I’ve ridden my bike in the almost 6 years I’ve lived here because the roads and highways aren’t safe. And I’m excited to learn how to mountain bike which I’ve never done before.”
The bicycle playground and trail system is a phased project. They will be seeking grants and people can also donate funds at the Nestucca k8 building (36925 hwy 101 s Cloverdale) or by calling 503 392 3194 ext 401.
Student Health & Well-Being
Increasing access to healthy habits at school is wonderful; however, according to local data, many students still struggle with getting enough sleep, managing screen time and overall mental health. The district was recently awarded a grant for a school-based health clinic, which helps to reduce transportation and other barriers to receiving timely care.
They conducted listening sessions last year and are incorporating that feedback into new programs. Misty goes on to say that they want to increase access to drama, theatre and dance, noting it is an area of opportunity to meet student interests.
Misty notes, “Coming out of covid, it’s been super important to get students involved outside of the school day. So, right now for our elementary aged kids, we’re offering two nights of soccer & two nights of flag football. We’re seeing vast increase in participation in the middle and high schools in activities and sports and part of that is we’ve done such an upgrade to our facilities. We have really nice places for the kids to play, they’re proud of it, they’re glad that they’re participating.”
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, Adventist Health Tillamook Director of Community Well-Being
Let’s be real, when we hear the term school meals, our thoughts might unintentionally drift to the Styrofoam trays with square cut-out pizza slices, piles of corn, and cold heaps of canned fruit cocktail from our youth. The truth however, is that school meals have come a long way in quality over the years, and are meticulously planned to make sure every plate is packed with nutrition and deliciousness. Speaking of which – did you know that recent research found that lunches brought from home have more calories, fat, saturated fat, desserts, and sugar sweetened beverages than school lunches? School meals not only meet the specific nutrition requirements highlighted by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but also give your child everything needed to do their best in class!
Let’s start with the most important meal of the day – breakfast! Improved academic performance, improved attendance, and improved focus are all linked to eating breakfast. Feeling as if there’s never enough time in a busy day? School breakfast programs not only take meal planning off your plate, they also provide a well-balanced powerhouse of nutrition to help your child fuel their day of learning. But, don’t take our word for it – Check out the science supporting why School Breakfast Matters.
School meals are carefully developed to demonstrate what portion sizes of each food group should look like, and ensure kids get the most bang for their bite in terms of nutritious, energizing, and well-balanced meals. In fact, most school food items are lower in sodium and sugar, and higher in whole grains and vegetables than those you find in stores! Schools work hard to serve a variety of foods, including those that are locally produced, such as dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains. In fact, school meals actually help students build healthy habits for life through their Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores, which have slowly been improving over the years. You can read more in the following article: School Meals are Healthy Meals. Lastly, The MyPlate guide to School Lunch gives a great example of what to expect on your child’s lunch tray, and the overall benefit that school meals provide to students and families.
What’s new for Tillamook County
Tillamook County is seeing some big changes in school meal programs this year, after several years of flexible meal service programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following video does a great job highlighting the changes. We also encourage you to check with your local school district for more details on your child’s school breakfast and lunch programs:
Tillamook School District Food Services: All enrolled students of Liberty Elementary, South Prairie Elementary, East Elementary and Wilson River School are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day. Your children will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay for meals or submit a free/reduced meal application. More information can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ECwO0zaKp54bTEiafUnDw2nxJ4tNMQM/view
As pointed out by the TSD Food Service Director, Richard Reidt, “We have been working really hard in all our schools, to bring the students as much variety and choice as possible. Providing options at meal times gets the students excited about making healthy choices for themselves, and is a great way to create good eating habits.”
Neah-Kah-Nie School District: “After a long interruption due to COVID-19, the Neah-Kah-Nie School District is so happy to bring back the “Offer vs. Serve” Program to Neah-Kah-Nie school cafeterias. “Offer vs. Serve” is the concept of giving students several choices in what they eat for lunch (fruits, vegetables, main dish) so that they are more likely to try new foods, more likely to get full, and shows to produce less food waste for school cafeterias. This is a win-win situation for students and school food programs alike.
We’re also starting a “Harvest of the Month” Program where we will focus on introducing a particular fruit or vegetable that is in season. We will serve that food in various ways for students to learn its full potential. For example, this month is apples. We are planning a tasting of two very different apple varieties for students to taste such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. It is fun for students to experience food in new ways which also makes them more likely to try a new-to-them food.
More importantly, the Neah-Kah-Nie School District is steering away from pre-packaged, processed food and cooking from scratch as much as possible. As Neah-Kah-Nie Food Service Director, I will continue to advocate for students and their need for healthy, filling meals prepared deliciously!” – Kris Troutman, Food Service Director
AUTHOR: Crista Hawkins, Senior Director of Youth Wellness at Oregon Dairy & Nutrition Council
After a long, snail-paced spring, we are finally in the season of bountiful garden harvests. For those of you who sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares from a local farm, or if you shop at a local roadside farm stand, you may be relishing all the summer produce. OR, you may be encountering vegetables that are unfamiliar to you and/or wondering how in the world you can possibly use that much zucchini.
A typical August CSA share will likely include carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, basil, zucchini (lots of zucchini!), and maybe an alien-looking orb known as kohlrabi. It can be a challenge to figure out what to do with too many zucchinis or with unusual vegetables that are not a part of your usual diet.
As part of our Community Wellness programs at Rinehart Clinic, we are fortunate to be a CSA member at Nehalem’s Moon River Farm each year. Throughout the growing season, we use the farm-fresh produce in our wellness classes and activities to help connect our patients, and other community members, to healthy foods.
Each week we develop recipe ideas for our class participants based on the vegetables we receive in that week’s CSA box. Some weeks it’s easy: a variety of greens, so we share variations on a vinaigrette for salads and recipes for braised kale. Some weeks we receive less-familiar items, like fennel bulbs, so we offer ideas for crunchy fennel slaw or caramelized fennel and onions (delicious, by the way). Some weeks it’s salad turnips and a variety of other root vegetables and we share tips on how to cold brine nearly any vegetable you can imagine.
As a home gardener and long-time “eat your vegetables” enthusiast, I count myself lucky to be a part of Rinehart Clinic’s veg-forward wellness programs. And I may be the odd person out, but my personal favorite summer crop? The ever-versatile zucchini! There’s not much you can’t do with summer squash: slice them into long-thin strips (or use a spiralizer) and use them in place of pasta (zoodles!); cube and sauté them with onion and garlic and use them as a taco filling; grill them; use a vegetable peeler to slice them wafer-thin and use them raw in a carpaccio-style salad; or throw together a ratatouille (a perfect late-summer dish featuring zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, red peppers, and lots of garlic). The possibilities are nearly endless.
If you are stuck on what to do with your vegetables, the Food Hero website (foodhero.org) is a great resource. It offers lots of easy recipes and you can even sort by ingredient. If you happen upon a vegetable that’s new to you in your CSA box or at the farm stand, do a little research! The internet will offer lots of ideas on what to do with it, but you might also ask the farmer(s) who grew it, or a Tillamook County Master Gardener. A kohlrabi landed in my farmers’ market bag last week and I had no idea what I would do with it – I just liked the way it looked. Turns out kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family and tastes a bit like a turnip. I decided to experiment: I diced it, baked it, spooned it onto a warm tortilla, sprinkled it with my favorite red chile powder, gave it a squirt of lime juice, and topped it with pumpkin seeds. Unusual? Very, but also quite tasty!
The abundance of late summer harvests also means it’s a good time to think about preserving food. The OSU Extension Service offers great resources; whether you want to make blackberry jam, pickle vegetables, or can tomatoes or salsa, there are publications that will help you preserve and store food safely. Visit https://beav.es/i6P to find booklets you can download for free. The OSU Extension Service also offers a Food Safety and Preservation Hotline: 800-354-7319. The toll-free hotline is open through October 7, 2022 (Monday – Friday from 9 am – 4 pm) if you have questions about preserving and food safety.
If you are interested in learning more about Community Supported Agriculture, or the farmers in this area, visit Food Roots (foodrootsnw.org), a Tillamook nonprofit working to connect people to local food and local farmers.
Enjoy this year’s harvest season! Sample something new, get creative with your vegetables, and try your hand at preserving the bounty.
AUTHOR: Leigh Ann Hoffhines, Communications Manager at Rinehart Clinic (soon to be Nehalem Bay Health Center)
