Author Archives: jabel

A new twist on an old recipe. Two short-season Ingredients at the Farmers Market. Get them before they’re gone!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by jabel

By Julie Mendoza, Master Food Volunteer

When you close your eyes and think about early summer foods, what comes to mind first? Strawberries?

If so, I’ll bet you also associate it with a particular dessert. For me, strawberries are my early summer fruit and strawberry shortcake is my first memory (other than sitting in a field and just eating them right off the plant!) The light Angel food cake piled high with berries and whipped cream is a favorite childhood memory. This summer I’d like to suggest another equally old time favorite dessert as an alternative. I’ve rediscovered a recipe and have made it several times. I’m speaking of Strawberry Rhubarb compote. It’s so easy to make and is laser sharp in focusing on the ingredients: Strawberries and Rhubarb. In addition to taste, both fruits bring enormous nutritional benefits. They’re rich in B-complex vitamins as well as being high in fiber. Right now in our farmers markets – boxes of luscious strawberries are for sale. They are the sweetest sun ripened fruit you’ll find in the market this month and as fast as they arrived is as fast as we’ll find the season has ended. In another few weeks, if we’d like more, our only choice will the local grocery store. So seize the moment and celebrate the season now. The recipe below is an adaptation of one offered by David Lebovitz www.davidlebovitz.com

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

This compote is wonderful by itself in a pretty glass bowl or used as topping on Greek yogurt, ice cream and even Angel Food Cake!

1.5 cups water
2 pieces of candied ginger, minced fine (wonderful but optional)
½ cup sugar
1/3 honey (or use additional sugar)
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
1 pound strawberries, hulled and, depending on size, cut in half or quartered.

Combine water, sugar and honey in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil so the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add rhubarb and minced candied ginger. Cook over low heat until just tender. Depending on the rhubarb it may be only about five minutes or so.
Remove from heat and add the strawberries. The strawberries will gently cook as it rests.
Cool and either refrigerate for later enjoyment or serve.

Note: If rhubarb is sold in a different quantity, proportions can be adjusted. Amount of sugar may vary based on the sweetness of particular fruit.

Enjoy Dark Leafy Greens

Posted on May 12, 2014 by jabel

May is the time to buy fresh leafy greens at your local farmers’ market or grocery store in Virginia. Kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard and many more; leafy greens are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. If you have a spare spot of earth, consider growing your own, too.

The recent Master Food Volunteer cohort enjoyed making and eating a fresh kale salad. Kale is high is vitamins A, K and C, and provides potassium and calcium as well. Try this recipe for a tasty way to incorporate this powerhouse vegetable into your diet.

Kale Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Serves about 6, 1 cup per serving Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients

2 bunches kale (12-14 ounces)

For Dressing:

2 teaspoons green onions

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons, fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Wash and dry the kale leaves. Strip leaves from stems. Finely shred leaves with a sharp knife. Place in a serving bowl.
To prepare the dressing, mince green onions. Put all the ingredients in a glass jar with a lid, and shake until emulsified.
Add enough dressing to coat the kale lightly. Massage the dressing into the kale leaves with clean hands to soften the leaves.
Add your favorite salad fixings.
Can be made a day or even two ahead.

Notes

Use Tuscan, lacinato or dinosaur kale
Optional add-ins: toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, crumbled feta, chopped avocado, cooked quinoa.

Newly Minted Master Food Volunteers Graduate

Posted on May 1, 2014 by jabel

During March some 26 trainees gathered each Friday at Fairlington Community Center in Arlington to become Master Food Volunteers (MFV). Participants were treated to a variety of seminars given by a number of Family and Consumer Sciences Agents, with some travelling from as far as Roanoke and Blacksburg, to share their knowledge. Katie Strong from Arlington and Nancy Stegon from Prince William County led the course, which covered wide-ranging topics including nutrition, physical activity, safe food preparation, shopping on a budget and food allergies.

Cooking lunch was one of the group’s favorite activities each week. Trainees learned how to make nutritious meals, with an emphasis on using whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Instructors guided them on how to follow hygiene and food safety guidelines, right down to the correct way to wash dishes. Qualified volunteers provided much welcomed assistance during the four weeks of the course.

The trainees were a diverse group, although most seemed to share a strong predilection for quinoa. After all passing a test and the training hours requirement, the graduates are all set to provide at least thirty volunteer hours over the next year. They will assist with different activities around the region, such as nutrition education, cooking demonstrations and farmers’ market displays.

If you are interested in becoming a MFV, the next training course will take place in Fairfax, starting on October 3, 2014. See this link for more details http://offices.ext.vt.edu/fairfax/programs/fcs/MFV2014_Alx_Arl_Ffx.pdf

New Year, New Financial Program Offerings

Posted on January 22, 2014 by jabel

As we move into 2014 we are pleased to offer many new financial education programs, along with old favorites. On January 22 we will start the ninth year of offering Money Talk: A financial course for women at the Arlington Central Library. This five-week course provides sessions on financial basics, insurance, investing, retirement planning, and planning for future life events. This popular course has occasionally drawn comments from men along the lines of “why are we being left out?” Thanks to volunteer Megan Kuhn, the gents no longer have to sit on the sidelines. Megan started a co-ed Money Talk course on Jan. 15. It runs five weeks as well and takes place at Calvary United Methodist Church in Crystal City.

In October we trained a new corps of Master Financial Education Volunteers and they have been enthusiastically creating new presentations. The team of David N., Dana, and Janet have developed a presentation for high school seniors and their parents on financial skills that all students should have as they head to college. They will be starting to offer this presentation to Wakefield, Washington-Lee, and Yorktown parents and students in February.

Other volunteer teams are working on programs for recently divorced women, reverse mortgages, and financial education for veterans. We are happy to be able to expand our offerings to serve other target audiences that have not gotten much attention from financial educators in the past.

In February we will start our fifth year of providing one-on-one financial counseling at free tax clinics in Arlington and Alexandria. These services will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings through April 15. They will be followed by a series of money management classes for recipients of the services.

We also continue with our financial simulations for youth. On January 14^th we conducted a Kids Marketplace activity for 50 students at Ashlawn Elementary School. On the 24^th and 31^st we will be at Kenmore Middle School to conduct a Reality Store with all of the 8^th graders. We will also conduct a Reality Store on March 1 for the local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

In April, be on the lookout for the new Ask a Financial Expert program at the Arlington Central Library. Our volunteers will be available to meet with people one on one and answer their budgeting, credit/debt, saving, record keeping, and basic investing information questions. The library will sign up and pre-screen patrons for this service. This is an exciting expansion of our long-running partnership with Arlington libraries.

Also in the spring we’ll once again offer our Spring Personal Finance seminar series at Arlington Central Library. If you have a topic that you’d like to see covered in this series, please let Jennifer know by dropping her a note at jabel@vt.edu.

Wishing everyone a prosperous and financially healthy year!

Kids Marketplace teaches students to make wise spending choices

Posted on December 13, 2013 by jabel

On November 26 eighty third graders from Carlin Springs Elementary School participated in Kids Marketplace, a simulation in which students receive a job and monthly income in the form of play money and have to make spending decisions at stations like Housing, Transportation, and Groceries. The students said that the exercise helped them understand how different jobs pay different amounts of money and that they need to focus on taking care of their needs first in terms of spending and then think about their wants. They also said that it helped them to understand why their parents have to say no sometimes when they ask them to buy things.

On December 5, 25 eighth graders at Williamsburg Middle School got to participate in Reality Store, the cousin of Kids Marketplace designed for middle and high school audiences. These events mark the start of a busy season for these activities. We conducted Reality Store for the Arlington Mill high school continuation program on Dec. 12 and will be at Ashlawn Elementary School for Kids Marketplace on Jan. 14, Kenmore Middle School with Reality Store on Jan. 24 and 31, and several other spots in February, March, and April. We rely on our dedicated Master Financial Education Volunteers to help staff the eight stations at Reality Store and ten at Kids Marketplace but can always use more hands, so if you would like to help run these events please contact Jennifer at jabel@vt.edu.

Nyambo Anuluoha helps students at the credit union station to save money

David Edwards helps students choose health insurance at the Personal Care and Medical station

Virginia Cooperative Extension is looking for qualified applicants to become Master Food Volunteers!

Posted on December 12, 2013 by jabel

The next training starts in March 2014 and applications are being accepted now. Participants receive 24 hours of training over four days:

Basic nutrition
Meal planning
Cooking techniques
Food safety
Working with diverse audiences

At the end of the training, participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills to confidently help others improve their lives through balanced eating and healthy living. In return, participants commit to 30 hours of volunteer service within one year of the training.

Opportunities for service include health fair displays, food demonstrations at farmers’ markets, teaching food safety classes, submitting articles to the media on nutrition and wellness, assisting in running Extension nutrition programs for youth and adults, and much more!

The first 2014 training will take place over four Fridays in March: March 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 9:00-3:00 at the Fairlington Community Center. Application deadline: January 15. To learn more and to access an application, please go to:

http://offices.ext.vt.edu/fairfax/programs/fcs/MFV_training_2014_arl_ffx.html

Participants in the 2013 training prepare a healthy lunch

Program Showcase Draws a Crowd

Posted on December 11, 2013 by jabel

On December 6 the staff and volunteers of the Arlington and Alexandria Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) offices hosted a program showcase for local, state, and federal elected officials and other guests to highlight the contributions that VCE makes to the community. Six stations were set up to highlight each program area and volunteers staffed the stations and shared their experiences with elected officials and other visitors.

At the nutrition station staff and volunteers prepared and distributed samples of healthy smoothies. At the financial education station, volunteers talked about their experiences helping with Reality Store and Kids Marketplace simulations, teaching budgeting classes, and one-on-one financial counseling. At the Energy Masters station a large group of volunteers shared their experiences improving the energy efficiency in low-income apartments and showed the energy savings from using LED compared to regular holiday lights. At the 4-H station Alexandria 4-H agent Reggie Morris and one of his volunteers talked about the many new programs he has started since coming on board in May. At the Agriculture and Natural Resources station Master Gardener volunteers shared information about their many ongoing projects. And at the Master Naturalist station volunteers talked about their work.

Four of Arlington County’s five board members attended the event: Chair Walter Tejada, Jay Fisette, Mary Hynes, and Libby Garvey. Two Arlington school board members attended: Emma Violand Sanchez and Abby Raphael. At the state level Delegate Bob Brink, Senator George Barker, and legislative aide to Alfonso Lopez, Jason Stanford, attended. We were also very pleased to have retired senator Mary Margaret Whipple and retired delegate Judy Connally in attendance. Judy also served as mistress of ceremonies, acknowledging the diverse array of work that Extension does in our communities. At the federal level we were pleased to have the participation of Barry Londeree, aide to Congressman James Moran.

The showcase also highlighted the partnership of Virginia Cooperative Extension with Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. And we were delighted to host representatives from Virginia Tech National Capital Region including Deputy Director Nick Stone.

With more than 70 attendees this year’s event was the biggest ever. We look forward to hosting another program showcase at the end of 2014 and hope for even larger community participation.

Staff Megan Mauer and Haregowoin Tecklu prepare healthy smoothies to share with visitors

Mary Van Dyke (right) shares information about Master Naturalist programs

Mary Van Dyke (right) shares information with Emma Violand Sanchez (APS School Board Member) about Master Naturalist programs

Program Showcase highlights are also on the Virginia Tech National Capital Region website – click here http://ncr.vt.edu/highlights/Highlight-121113.html

New Master Financial Education Volunteers

Posted on November 15, 2013 by jabel

On October 26 twelve new Master Financial Education Volunteers completed their training and are ready to begin helping with financial education programs in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. Bill, Christy, Dana, Dave, David, Evelyn, Michelle, Patrick, Shauna, Tiffany, Vera, and Ximena join more than 200 trained financial volunteers who provide one-on-one financial counseling to individuals and families, help to teach classes on budgeting, debt management, and saving strategies, and help with the youth financial simulations that we do in the elementary, middle, and high schools.

The new volunteers have already leapt into their volunteer roles. Shauna and Evelyn taught a class on budgeting and saving to a group at the Nauck Community Center. Bill and Patrick will be teaching a class on Nov. 16 about credit and debt at the same location. Many of the volunteers have signed up to help with the Kids Marketplace and Reality Store events that we’ll be doing at Carlin Springs Elementary School and Arlington Mill High School Continuation Program in the coming weeks. Christy is working on setting up a series of classes on money management for recently divorced individuals. Vera is working on a program for veterans. Dave and Dana are going to be working with a previously trained volunteer—Janet—to put together a financial education program for teens who are about to complete high school and head to college.

We are grateful to have this new cohort of volunteers and are excited about their level of enthusiasm. If you are interested in becoming a Master Financial Education Volunteer or know someone who would be, please have them contact jabel@vt.edu. The next training for new volunteers will be held in April.

VCE Arlington Welcomes New Staff Member

Posted on October 24, 2013 by jabel

On October 10 Deb Toms-Helm began as the new Financial Education Program Associate in the Arlington VCE office. Deb takes over the position that was formerly held by Wendy Peichel before she moved to Minnesota. Deb is not new to VCE; she has been serving as a Master Financial Education Volunteer and in that role has provided financial counseling to individuals, helped with our Reality Store and Kids Marketplace financial simulations for youth, and has taught money management classes.

Deb has an MBA and a professional background in consumer products marketing. In her position as Financial Education Program Associate she will be coordinating the financial counseling piece of our program, helping to arrange continuing education opportunities for volunteers, helping to coordinate money management classes in the community, and assisting with spreading the word about our financial education programs. Deb can be reached at dthelm@vt.edu; 703-228-6421.

The Financial Education Program Associate position is a half time, 20 hour/week position that is grant funded. We currently have funding for the position through 2014 and are waiting for news on two grants that would extend it to 2016.

The next time you are in the VCE—Arlington office, please stop by to welcome Deb!

How to bring up a delicate subject (finances) to a loved one or friend

Posted on October 10, 2013 by jabel

By: Joan C. Smith/Volunteer Financial Counselor

A friend recently lost their main job. They had another job on the side providing a service to customers, however, their main job suddenly closed.

This person had two other housemates.

This friend had been concerned for some time about the increasing cost of utilities more specifically the electric, gas, and cable.

When they mentioned their job loss, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was possibly reducing the cable.

I knew that they had at least about 500 channels that they weren’t even watching.

Even though I’ve known this person for several years, I struggled with whether or not I should mention downsizing the cable as an immediate and quick solution to saving money.

Why did I struggle with mentioning this? Was it because I was familiar with their job loss and saw what could immediately reduce?

Was it because I was fearful of mentioning it to them as they would have to present the idea to the other housemates? By the way, the cable was in the friend’s name.

As economic times overall seem to be getting worse, at any given time, you may be faced with trying to assist a friend and/or loved one with some budget cutting solutions and/or financial decisions.

Are you prepared? Is there any real way to prepare for this?

The answer is Yes and No.

How can that be?

Let’s start with “No.” When we say no, there’s no way for us to predict the economic pulse, let alone our own future financial status. Who’s to say we won’t experience a job loss, lay off, reduction of work force, furlough, etc?

Now to “yes” in the sense of preparing ourselves to speak to a loved one or friend on this delicate subject.

If this is someone you know well, most likely you know their personality. Are they the type that is receptive to an open conversation? Or, are they more receptive to an article, website, or link emailed to them?

Are they open to something like” Have you considered reducing your cable” as opposed to “You need to call your cable company now and have them put you on another plan.”

Page two

Know the person and/or personality type that you are dealing with. That ALONE may eliminate some of the fear and/or anxiety in approaching them.

In conclusion, there are some options as to how to deal with a delicate topic such as finances and money with friends and loved ones.

You may be curious as to how I handled my own situation. Fortunately and miraculously, within a week of getting the news of the job elimination, this person got another offer from a longtime colleague in their field. To date, they are both working together regularly and business (thus far) has been good.