Wildcat Connection April 2018 | Page 7

Barbara Ames

Nutrition, Health,

and Food Safety

“Healthy Cooking Styles” Was a Topic at FCS Workshop

Have you ever tried to saute with water or prepared a boiled salad? It is easy to get in a rut and prepare the same foods in the same way. However, those attending our recent FCS Workshop session “Healthy Cooking Styles”, learned how to change things up a bit and use different cooking styles to vary the flavor and texture of food they prepare. They also learned some culinary knife skill tips, and several commented that they learned something new from my demonstration on cutting up an onion.

In addition, the session included a cooking demonstration and food tasting compliments of Master Food Volunteer, Linda Dunekack, who artfully demonstrated and served samples of a boiled salad much to the delight of participants.

Co-leading Dining With Diabetes Instructor Certification Workshop for Kansas FCS Agents

Diabetes is one of the most serious and costly health conditions in Kansas. More than 50 percent of spending on type 2 diabetes is for treating health problems that could have been prevented with better diabetes management.

That’s why, for the past two years, I have chosen to be involved with promoting the Dining with Diabetes (DWD) curriculum at the local, state, and

Miner’s Hall Museum Hosts “Home Canning History and Safety” Program

It’s no longer your grandma’s world and, just as in many other fields, lots of things have changed with home food preservation. From January to March, Miner’s Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas hosted a series of programs they called “From Garden to Table”. I was privileged to be the speaker in March with the topic “Home Canning, History and Safety”. Participants were reminded about a bit of what was in the past and learned a lot about currently recommended canning techniques, recipes and equipment as well as why using updated methods is so critical to a safe jar of food.

A video by Karen Blakeslee, K-State’s Rapid Response Center, explained the importance of knowing the acidity of foods before canning, and our discussion also explored reasons why “just because it seals, doesn’t mean it’s safe”. Lots of questions were answered during the presentation and several participants even lingered awhile after the program to get more information. Canning season is almost here. If you know of a group that could benefit from brushing up on their home canning skills with this program, please give me a call.

This month's radio program:

Can you stop the clock?