Favorite Fall Recipes from Dietetic Intern Maddie

…crisp, produce like winter squash, apples, onions, and leafy greens showcase the seasons best flavors. Fruity desserts, warm soups, and savory sides can compliment warm and cozy memories with your friends and family. Let these fresh autumn recipes kickstart your fall menu planning for this season and dig in! Autumn Glow Salad This plant-powered salad includes arugula, feta cheese, and nutrient-dense lentils. Also in the salad is the seasonal loca…

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of May 25

…ws up to enjoy the feast. You’ll need the following supplies: empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes peanut butter birdseed string First, spread a thin layer of peanut butter all over your paper tube. Next, roll the tube in the birdseed to cover. Thread a string through the paper tube and tie the ends together, leaving enough string to make a loop to hang the feeder from. Hang your feeder outside on a tree branch and enjoy watching the birds visi…

School year filled with farm to school success using online learning for special education students

…t local product into the 80 schools of the three districts. All three also participate in the NC Department of Agriculture Farm to School program, getting NC product into our schools. In partnership with Buncombe County Child Nutrition Director Lisa Payne and the child nutrition staff at North Buncombe and Fairview Elementary schools, ASAP has been conducting monthly cafeteria taste tests. Kids at these schools get a taste of a locally grown produ…

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of April 27

…only be seeded/transplanted into the garden after the danger of frost has passed. It’s also important to note that some seeds grow best when they’re planted, or “sown”,  directly into the garden soil. Other plants grow best when started in trays or cups and then transplanted into the garden as seedlings after the soil warms.  Seed Type Cool or Warm Season Crop Direct Seed or Transplant Green beans Warm Direct seed Collards, kale Cool Transplant …

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of April 13

…ning, improving your soil, organic weed and pest control, and more.  Purchase seeds: Flower, herb, fruit, and vegetable seeds can be purchased online from our friends at Asheville-based Sow True Seed.  Purchase plant starts: If starting your own seeds seems daunting, you can simply purchase seedlings to transplant directly into your new garden. Seedlings, also known as plant starts, can be purchased from local farmers markets, including the ASAP M…

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of March 30

…reate their own “window rainbows” to brighten the spirits of neighbors and passersby.  Want to get the creative juices flowing? Set the mood for your rainbow arts and crafts session by joining Kermit the Frog for an online sing-along of the Rainbow Connection. After you post your handmade rainbows, go for a walk and see if you can spot any other rainbows in the neighborhood.  Take the lesson further and make a “rainbow connection” to food. Talk to…

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of November 23

…great way to use your seeds from your pumpkins! You can make dyed pumpkin seeds (see instructions below) or you can have children color the seeds with markers. Include a writing prompt to make the turkey’s story come alive for older children. Supplies: Pumpkin seeds Glue Markers or crayons  Googly eye (or draw one) Construction paper, cut into circles, one for the turkey’s body and one for the head. Use additional craft supplies you have on hand…

Growing Minds @ Market Edible Scultpure

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of June 22

…for June! Common varieties include zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and patty pan squash. Summer squash are members of the cucurbit (or gourd) plant family, along with winter squash, pumpkins, watermelon, cucumber, cantaloupe, chayote, bitter melon, and more. Plants in this family are grown in tropical and temperate areas and are usually frost-sensitive. The annual vines feature sticky, curling tendrils that help the plants to climb up trellise

Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of December 7

…cts butterflies and is the only plant that Monarchs lay their eggs on). These seed balls do not need watering or to be broken apart; they just need to be thrown in the yard somewhere sunny. Visit NASA’s Climate Kids website to find more tips for making seed balls.  Make a Mini-Garden Help your child learn about sprouting seeds by making a mini-garden in a glass jar. Buy some wheat grass or grass seed from a local hardware or garden supply store. S…

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Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of March 15

…can still be seen today in fields and along roadsides. Visit the National Park Service website to learn more about historic barn types, and how these barns are maintained and preserved. Books for Monday, 3/15 Bess the Barn Stands Strong By Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia Beam by beam and board by board, Bess the barn is built by able hands to keep the farm’s animals safe and sound. Through many seasons and celebrations, that’s just what she does, until s…

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