UC Cooperative Extension, Orange County (UCCE) programs (4-H, EFNEP, Master Gardeners, and Master Food

Preservers) and the UC ANR South Coast REC teamed up with the Anaheim Family YMCA to organize a “Day at the Farm,” on Saturday, March 19th, 2016.

This event, a component of the Food Smart Families Grant, centered around hands-on nutrition based education for families – adults and youth. Parents participated in workshops facilitated by UCCE programs, as their children attended a health and nutrition carnival.

Examples of the activities include – nutrition games and sports activities instructed by 4-H Youth Development Program volunteers, testing their knowledge from previous EFNEP/FSF lessons taught through the YMCA Anaheim Achieves After School Program; Master Gardeners discussed the importance of fresh vegetables and

taught the youth how to plant vegetables in small spaces; a food safety and preservation class presented by the UC Master Food Preservers, where participants made and took home a jar of escabeche – pickled vegetables.

Additionally, a USDA ‘My Plate' workshop and demonstration was led by the UC Expanded Foods & Nutrition Program (EFNEP). With the meal that was demonstrated for these attendees, each family was sent home with the ingredients needed to create the healthy, and delicious, quinoa avocado salad recipe on their own.

Both the youth and adults took a tour of the Center learning about locally grown crops followed by a mock tasting of citrus demonstrating how researchers and growers obtain public opinion testing a varieties worthiness for market.

To finish off the day, the families had lunch while participation prizes (focused on healthy eating and living) were handed out.

Smiling faces were definitely in abundance for the day.