Pulaski County Extension Office to expand garden, programming with second grant

With more grant funding than last year, the Pulaski County Extension Office is looking to expand their garden and educational programming.

The extension office has received two different grants for the raised garden — one for $2,000 and one for $5,000.

Extension family nutrition program assistant Deb Winter said the grant funding will be used to install a water line to the garden and adding more raised beds. A new agriculture educator will also get involved and Winter anticipates local Master Gardeners helping with planting.

“We are going to be doing more educational programs with it — teaching people to be self-sustaining if they grow a garden,” Winter said. “They will have some opportunities to receive a raised bed for their home, but we are still brainstorming there.”

The first year harvest produced more than 50 pounds of tomatoes, about half a dozen peppers, along with a few potatoes and onions. It was given to individual clients or frozen for classes for soups and pastas. Some of the produce was donated to the senior center, while other produce was taken to day cares as part of educational programs.

Winter said produce was also frozen and used for other extension educational programs.

The garden this year could consist of pole beans, cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, strawberries and herbs. Some growing has already begun as the strawberries that were planted last year are breaking ground.

As part of the educational programs, Winter said local students are just finishing up a six-week course in Medaryville. The youth group consists of middle to high school students who come from low-income families.

“They do the entire meal themselves from start to finish. They clean up after themselves,” Winter said. “We talk about manners and we talk about why we do things the way we do to stay healthy.”

Students also plan the meals for the next class.

Winter said the “Yummy” curriculum focuses on MyPlate that teaches healthy servings of fruits, grains, vegetables, protein and dairy. The “Yummy” curriculum is offered by Purdue Extension and promotes healthy eating and food safety.

“They have blossomed,” Winter said in regards of how students are enjoying the class. “We are trying to teach the family aspect of it too. We want the family to get involved. We are trying to teach them life skills.”

Many times the parents may not understand what healthy portions are.

“This whole project was inspired by the amount of poverty we see in our community. Our programs and projects which include the community gardens, food safety programs, healthy living programing, poverty education, youth cooking classes, etc., all are small pieces that are helping to provide youth and adults in Pulaski County with the skills and education they need to live healthier lives,” said Natalie Daily Federer, Pulaski County Extension Director and 4-H Youth Development Educator.

Not only were students treated to locally grown produce, but aprons were made for the class and other cooking utensils were given to them. Students will also be given cookbooks that were purchased by grant funding.

Winter said planning is already underway for classes in Star City and Winamac.

With the first year of the community garden and programs coming to an end, Winter believed it has gone well.

“We are going to start out slowly but hopefully more people are getting involved and more people are becoming aware. More people are volunteering,” Winter said. “If we can make people aware that we do have a poverty problem in our community then they will be there to help.”

Looking forward to the future, extension office staff have been brainstorming on the best way to use the grant funding.