FCS April Newsletter
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April 2023 FCS Newsletter
Dates
April 1 Don’t be Fooled!
April 3 Green River Area Homemaker Council
April 9 Happy Easter
April 10 Early registration deadline for KEHA state meeting
April 13 Oh Baby! Celebration
April 15 Owensboro Regional Farmers Market Opens 8:00 a.m.—noon
April 17 Tune in to WBKR!
April 20 Calendar Recipe demo on Facebook
April 22 Cookie Tasting
April 24 Deadline for KEHA state meeting
May 6 Derby Day
MAY 9-11 KEHA State Meeting in Louisville
May 14 Happy Mother’s Day
May 15 Tune in to WBKR
May 18 Calendar Recipe demo on Facebook
May 29 Happy Memorial Day
Opening day for the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market is Saturday, April 15th! Make plans to attend and stop by our booth for a sample of a delicious recipe and produce coming in season soon! The market will be open 8am-12pm, located at 1205 Triplett Street in Owensboro, Kentucky at the corner of East Parrish Avenue and Triplett Street.
Be sure to check out the Daviess County Extension Facebook page on the 3rd Thursday of the month for a cooking demonstration of the monthly recipe from our SNAP Nutrition Calendars!
April will feature Rainbow Pasta Salad and May will feature Easy Tortilla Breakfast Pizza!
If you have not picked up one of these FREE calendars, be sure to stop by the Daviess County Extension Office!
Also be sure to tune into WBKR 92.5 every 3rd Monday around 8:10am to hear our SNAP assistant, Catherine Dowdy, talk about the monthly recipe while Chad samples that month’s delicious recipe!
Plan Ahead for Canning Season
Now is the time to start preparing for canning season. It is always a good idea to purchase your supplies early so you are not running around hunting for supplies at the last minute. You can buy canning supplies at many grocery stores, home goods and farm supply stores, hardware stores, big box retailers, and online.
Begin by taking an inventory of your supplies. See what you have on hand and what you need to buy before heading to the store. Inspect gaskets on pressure canners and make sure your racks are in good condition. Now is the perfect time to take your dial gauge canner to the Extension Office and have agents check it for accuracy. Gauges should be checked once a year, and this service is free. Don’t forget to check your jars too. You can reuse canning jars year after year as long as they are not chipped, cracked, or have nicks along the sealing edge. You can also use ring bands over and over if they are not rusted.
When purchasing new jars, buy mason-type jars specifically made for canning. Other types of jars such as storage jars or craft jars are not suitable for canning and may break under the high temperatures of processing. You will also need lids and rings to seal the jars. Experts recommend two-piece lids (flat lid and ring band). If you cannot find two-piece lids, you can buy one-piece lids for use in a boiling water bath canner. Do not use one-piece lids in a pressure canner.
Get more information on canning, including research-based recipes, by contacting your local County Extension Office.
Source: Annhall Norris, Food Preservation and Food Safety Extension Specialist
Rain Barrels
Climate change is affecting weather patterns across the globe as witnessed almost daily by reports of floods, droughts, wildfires, and landslides to name just a few weather-related incidents. As weather patterns become more unpredictable, water conservation becomes more of a concern for all parts of the country (see fall 2022).
You can take water saving steps such as doing laundry when you have a full load for the washer, taking shorter showers, watering your lawn at optimal times of the day, turning the water off in the sink when you brush your teeth or while shaving. You can also install a rain barrel to help you save water which can also save you money on your water bill. Finally, it can help conserve water for the larger community.
By collecting water in rain barrels, you will have a source of water to use on your yard or in your landscaping. But you shouldn’t use the water on everything in your yard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following to help prevent illness, “To lower your risk of getting sick, consider using rainwater only for uses such as watering plants that you don’t eat or washing items that are not used for cooking or eating. Avoid using rainwater for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth, or rinsing or watering plants that you intend to eat. Instead, use municipal tap water if it is available, or purchase bottled water for these purposes.”
Don’t use the water from the rain barrel directly on plants that you plan to eat because the rain picks up chemicals from roofing materials, gutters, and down spouts. Additionally, there is a risk of bacteria and parasites from bird droppings on the roof.
You can buy rain barrels online, at home and garden stores, and possibly through your local city or county government programs. Once you have bought your rain barrel, follow the instructions that come with it, or you can find many online resources. Go to the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Environmental and Natural Resources website to see two examples:
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/henv/henv201/henv201.pdf
https://water.ca.uky.edu/waterconservation
By using a rain barrel, you can save water, money, and it is a good use of a natural resource, rain water.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/rainwater-collection.html
https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-barrels
https://kydep.wordpress.com/2017/03/15/make-a-rain-barrel-to-celebrate-water-week/
Source: Hardin Stevens, senior Extension associate, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, November 2022
HOMEMAKER HAPPENINGS
Lesson for the Month
Savoring the Eating Experience: The Art of Eating Mindfully
-This is a Food, Nutrition, and Health lesson
Roll Call
April is National Volunteer Month. What is your favorite way to volunteer?
Thought of the Month
“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.”
—Sherry Anderson
FOYER DECORATIONS
Trinity shared the luck of the Irish with us in March.
Homespun, you are up for April.
Save the Date!
If you are a Daviess County Extension Homemaker then be sure to mark June 30th on your calendar for the County Annual Meeting!! More details to come later!
The Green River Area Homemaker Council will meet Monday, April 3rd at 4:00pm. The council will meet at the Henderson County Extension Office.
State Meeting Information May 9-11, 2023
For more detailed information go to: https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/state-meeting-information
NOTE: State meeting is utilizing a new pricing structure this year. You may register for the full conference or two days. Discounted early bird rates are available until 4/10/23. Late registration must be postmarked by 4/24/23 at the latest. Session selections are first-come, first-served, so register today!
Lodging Information — Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Expo Ctr
830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40209
866-888-0620 (group code PZ5 for conference rate)
Standard Room $124 + Tax (1-4 people)
