Since the Food Stamp Act passed in 1964, qualifying low-income Americans have had access to benefits to buy groceries. Known now as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also provides nutrition education and obesity prevention under its SNAP-Ed component. The goal of SNAP-Ed is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with dietary guidelines. Oregon SNAP-Ed supports this goal by providing evidence-based educational programming, using social marketing, and supporting or implementing policy, systems, and environmental changes that affect the food and activity environments where people live, learn, work and play.
The Oregon State University Extension Service developed the Food Hero initiative to support the State’s SNAP-Ed program. On the Food Hero website at www.FoodHero.org you can find information on food safety, how to cook for a crowd, cultural toolkits, activities for kids, instructional videos, recipes and much more. All recipes on the website go through testing. In addition to being tested for overall flavor, color, and texture, recipes with low-cost and easy to find ingredients, easy to follow instructions, and a reasonable preparation time are selected. Each recipe is tasted and rated by several people before making its way to your kitchen.
In addition to the Food Hero site, a monthly newsletter called Food Hero Monthly has great information that is helpful for the season like how to freeze garden veggies in the summer, or healthy holiday dishes in the winter. OSU’s SNAP-Ed also provides in-person classes and talks. Take a moment to check out the site and you can become your own Food Hero.
Spring is just around the corner! You may be using this time to clean out last year’s garden beds, or to collect seeds for this summer’s harvest. But many of us lack the space or flexibility around our homes to enjoy the process of growing our own vegetables. This is where container gardening comes in – many plants can actually grow well in containers placed on a porch or patio, a method that also allows you to extend the growing season. You can start your garden indoors in the spring, move the containers outside during the summer, and then shift them back indoors in the fall to protect them from frost.
So how can you get started with a container garden? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Choosing a Container: It’s important that your containers have holes in the bottom so that water can drain out. Most vegetables will do best in containers that hold 2 to 5 gallons of soil and are at least 12 inches deep. You can use a variety of things as a container: barrels, flowerpots, milk jugs, bleach bottles, window boxes, baskets, tile pipes, cider blocks, etc.
Adding Soil: It is recommended to use commercial potting soil for container gardening, but this may be too lightweight to provide adequate support for plant roots. You can try adding soil from the ground or compost to provide bulk and weight to your potting soil.
Planting Your Seeds: Carefully clean out the container and fill it with your soil, leaving a ½ inch at the top with a slightly dampened soil. Plant your seeds and water gently, taking care not to wash out the seeds.
Keeping Your Plants Healthy & Happy: Check your seed packets to see how much sun and space your plants need, and make sure to water your containers whenever the soil feels dry. Container plants tend to dry out and lose nutrients faster than plants in the ground so it is important to keep up with watering and fertilizer. Try using a water-soluble fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
There are some vegetables that grow particularly well in containers. Oregon State University in partnership with their Food Hero program has collected a list of these vegetables, along with some growing tips:
Beans and peas: Plant one sprouted seed or seedling in a 5-gallon container for best results. Provide a pole or trellis for pole beans and peas.
Beets: Choose a container at least 12 inches deep.
Carrots: Choose a shorter carrot variety and plant in a container at least 12 inches deep.
Cucumbers and summer squash: For best results, choose a bush variety rather than a vine variety. A pole or trellis in the pot will help support the plant and allow air to flow around the leaves.
Herbs: Many herbs grow well in containers, including basil, chives, cilantro, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.
Peppers: All peppers like to have support, but it is especially important for varieties that produce large peppers. Use a stake or tomato cage to keep them upright
Potatoes: Containers should be at least 18 inches wide and 3 feet deep to allow the most potatoes to grow. Look for varieties of certified seed potatoes that mature in 70 to 90 days.
Radishes: Containers 4 to 6 inches deep work well for this cool-season vegetable that grows quickly.
Salad greens: These cool-weather vegetables can be grown from spring to fall but may need shade during the heat of the summer. Cut the outside leaves when young and they will grow back for another harvest.
Tomatoes: For best results, plant varieties designed for containers. They may have the word dwarf or patio in their name. Provide extra support with a stake or tomato cage.
It could end up feeling a little overwhelming to have dozens of pots on your front porch, but you might find that you enjoy having one or two vegetables in easily accessible containers. There’s a simple joy in being able to pick a few cherry tomatoes from your front porch the next time you’re putting together lunch.
8 to 16 cups fresh or frozen vegetable scraps (see Notes)
herbs and spices (optional, see Notes)
water
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Put vegetable scraps and herbs and spices, if desired, in a large saucepan or cooking pot. Add enough water to cover them.
Heat pan on high until water boils, then cover pan and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes or until all scraps are soft. Stir a few times and add more water, if needed, to keep scraps mostly covered.
Turn off heat. Scoop out as many scraps as you can with a spoon. If you want, press on scraps to remove more liquid. Throw away or compost them.
Fill a large container or clean sink with ice and some water to make an ice bath. Put pan into ice bath for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to release heat. If you were unable to remove all scrap pieces, pour broth through a strainer into another large pot.
Stir in salt to dissolve. Use broth for soups or stews, or in place of water for cooking grains or beans.
If not using broth right away, store in refrigerator or freezer. To freeze, pour into recipe-sized freezer-safe containers and label with date.
Broth can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. For best quality, use frozen broth within 2 to 3 months.
Notes
Label a freezer container with “Broth Scraps” and the date. For the next several days or weeks, after preparing vegetables for any use, save scraps in the container until you have enough for making broth. Also wash and save any vegetables that have passed their peak freshness but are still safe to eat.
Vegetable scraps to save include ends, peels, stems, leaves and pieces of vegetables and herbs such as carrot, celery, garlic, leek, mushroom, onion, tomato, parsley and thyme.
Vegetable scraps to limit or avoid:
Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and leafy greens can add a bitter flavor if too many are used.
Beets will add a dark color and bitter flavor.
Potato, sweet potato and winter squash flesh can make the broth too thick.
Scraps that are moldy, slimy or otherwise unsafe to eat should never be used.
Optional herbs and spices:
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 or 2 teaspoons peppercorns or a dried chile
4 to 8 cloves unpeeled garlic
1 leek or unpeeled onion, cut in large pieces (if not included as scraps)
The calendar doesn’t say spring, but gardeners are ready to go. Turning vegetable seeds into plants helps satisfy the urge to put hands in the soil. And the seed catalogs are showing up in mailboxes.
It’s best to seed cool-season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, kale and broccoli in flats in late February to early March in western Oregon. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant should be sown in late March to early April.
Back up your seed-starting date from the dates when you want to transplant, for most crops that would be just after the last frost date in your area. In Tillamook County that is generally Mother’s Day, but there are various “micro-climates” in the county. For example, closer to the beach there is less likely chance of frost after the end of April, but up the river valleys, there could be a hard frost in mid-May. Check with the OSU Extension Office in Tillamook for more information about seed starting.
Germination starts when the seed takes up water, a process called imbibition.
During this fragile time in the life of a plant, it’s critical that seeds receive appropriate amounts of water, oxygen and light. At this point, starting seeds becomes a balancing act.
Seeds need enough water for imbibition, but if they get too much it can suffocate the developing seed or lead to root rot. If the soil temperatures are too cool, the seed won’t germinate and cold soil temperatures could also lead to damping-off, a disease caused by soil fungi.
To successfully start seeds, first select and clean the right container, such as plastic flats or repurposed yogurt containers with adequate drainage. Sterilize the containers if they have been in contact with soil in a bleach solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. It is possible to grow seedlings in biodegradable pots fashioned out of newspaper or eggshell cartons, but the material takes a long time to break down in the soil after transplanting and the plant starts might not become well-established.
Next, find a seed starting mix at your local nursery or garden supply store. These mixes are not actually soil, but rather a sterile growing medium used to support growth, generally consisting of organic materials such as peat moss or coconut fiber and perlite. The seeding material will retain water for seed germination and seedling growth and also drain well. Place the flats on a seedling heat mat, which can be purchased at nurseries and garden supply stores. The mat will heat the seeding material to promote quick germination.
It’s important to have enough light. Use high-input grow lights or standard shop lights with fluorescent bulbs. Position the lights about 2 inches above the flat and move the shop lights up as the seedlings start to grow.
To tell if the seeds are getting enough water, the growing medium should always feel damp to the touch just under the surface. Using a spray bottle is the most efficient way to water.
As they get larger some plants like tomatoes and melons should be “stepped up” from flats into a 4-inch pot and then potentially into a gallon-size pot prior to transplanting.
Local garden coach, Master Gardener Karen Matthews, has been teaching seed-starting workshops at Alder Creek Farm for more than a decade. For a comprehensive video about her tried and true methods for seed starting, see the video below for tips and how-tos: https://youtu.be/kYB-ocGihBc
The OSU Extension guide also offers additional advice on starting seeds and a calendar of dates for planting various vegetables. Explore more resources from OSU Extension here.
Source: Kym Pokorny, OSU Communications
AUTHOR: Laura Swanson, Tillamook County Pioneer Editor
1 ½ cups corn (canned and drained, frozen, or fresh cooked)
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Cook ground beef, onion and green pepper in large skillet over medium heat (300 degrees F in an electric skillet) until hamburger is no longer pink. Drain excess fat from pan (see Notes).
Add water, rice, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, tomatoes with juice, corn and beans.
Cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is soft.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
Garnish this dish with a tablespoon of low-fat sour cream.
Flavor boosters: green chilis, jalepeños, more garlic, and other seasonings.
Make extra! Leftovers make a great filling for tacos, burritos, filling for stuffed bell peppers, or as a topping for baked potatoes.
Use whole grains! Use brown rice instead of white rice and increase cooking time to 45 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Cook your own dry beans. One can (15 ounces) is about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups drained beans.
Pour fat from cooked meat into a metal container. Let it cool, then dispose of it in a garbage can.
Commonly made with a mouthwatering selection of cured meats, cheeses, olives, dried fruits, nuts and spreads of every kind, charcuterie boards are a very popular treat. But can they be “healthy?” Absolutely! Here is a step-by-step guide to crafting a holiday charcuterie board with a variety of nutrient-dense foods and a manageable amount of calories and salt. And it doesn’t have to break your wallet!
The Breakdown of a Board:
The Platter & Dishes
You can use anything from a cutting board to a baking sheet tray, the important part is how you are going to fill it. This is where all those old jars you’ve saved over the years really shine, pick a few smaller ones to display pickles, olives, or soft cheeses and jams for dipping. A matching set looks great, but the eclectic aesthetic of mismatched glassware can create a unique character.
The Cheese
Cheese is packed with protein, calcium, and vitamins A and B12. Choose cheeses that suit your price and taste. Cheeses with distinct flavors pair well with the other elements of the board. For example: sharp cheddar and fig jam. Pick firm cheese and soft cheeses for several texture options. Make sure each of the cheeses has its own personality such as a mild cheddar, a bold Manchego, a sweet brie, and tangy goat cheese. The Oregon Cheese Guild is a wonderful resource for locally produced options (https://oregoncheeseguild.org/).
Note:
Precut cheese if you’re about to serve your board and want to avoid having your guests handle the cheese.
Foods on your board should not be left sitting out for more than two hours to preserve quality and safety.
Store your leftover cheese in parchment paper in the fridge to maintain its flavor and prevent spoilage.
The Produce
Including fresh or frozen vegetables (thawed) and seasonal, canned and dried fruits boosts the “healthy” rating for your board by adding all the nutrition vegetables and fruit provide — antioxidants, vitamins and fiber — and not excess salt and calories. To really nail down the holiday theme, present seasonal items with bold colors and flavors like radishes and persimmons. If this season has your budget cut short, grocers of all sizes in the region encourage SNAP participants to shop with them. Food Roots is a great source of healthy and affordable options. They accept SNAP and run the Double Up Food Bucks program so you can buy local options at a two for one price (https://www.foodrootsnw.org/).
The Meats
Charcuterie, or cured meat, is traditionally the backbone of a board. Favorites include a savory salami to complement any cheddar, a peppered option for a taste adventure, and a soft and mild choice like prosciutto to pair with fruits and jams. Cured meats need a little caution, however, due to sodium and preservatives. Consider these flavors to be the support team for the other foods on your board rather than the stars of the show. Another healthy choice is local favorites like smoked salmon and canned tuna.
The Crackers
Look for strong crackers that can withstand spreading and stacking without crumbling in your guests’ hands as they build their bites. Keeping it simple and classic will help to highlight the flavors of the fruits and cheese. Consider whole grain options to boost fiber. Thinly sliced baguettes are a good choice for spreading soft cheeses and pairing with sliced fruit and meats.
The Dips
Dips are the glue that unite the elements. Hummus is a tasty protein choice and just a small spoon of mustard will brighten up any vegetable. Here’s a cranberry salsa recipe using fresh cranberries:
AUTHOR: Erin Washbon, OHSU Dietetic Intern
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
