Garden Coordinator Toolkit

1. Garden Coordinator Toolkit

2. Objective The purpose of this toolkit is to aide the Garden Coordinator in planning and implementing community garden classes with an emphasis on nutrition education and increasing community engagement through food.

3. Table of Contents • General Nutrition Information • Nutrition and Disease • Growing Seasons & Seasonal Recipes • Class Themes • Templates • Resources

4. General Nutrition Following a balanced diet can be as simple as building a healthy plate! The USDA has created the MyPlate diagram to help individuals make healthier food choices at meal and snack time. In this section, we will explore each food group and review recommendations that will help people make small changes in their diet that can yield big benefits.

5. Note to the Garden Coordinator • The amount of foods from each food group you need to eat depends on age, sex, and activity level. • The information and tips in this section are based on a general healthy diet. If people have specific nutrition concerns, advise them to discuss with their Primary Care Physician or a Registered Dietitian.

6. General Nutrition Make half your plate fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables provide many health benefits including: • Great sources of vitamins and fiber. • Low in fat and calories • Help you feel full and maintain a healthy weight • Increased intake can help lower risks of some disease

7. General Nutrition Make half your grains whole! Whole grainscontain the entire grain kernel which means they are packed with vitamins and fiber when compared to refined grains. In general, grains should take up a quarter of your plate. Examples of a serving of whole grains: • 1 slice of whole wheat bread • ½ cup brown rice • 1 packet of instant oatmeal • 3 cups of plain popcorn

8. General Nutrition Go lean with protein The protein group is responsible for helping us build strong muscles, bones, skin, and blood. The average American consumes more than double the recommended daily protein intake. Protein should make up a quarter of your plate, a 3 ounce serving is about the size of a deck of cards. Choose lean proteins or plant based proteins such as: • Chicken • Turkey • Fish • Egg whites Plant-based proteins include: • Beans, nuts, seeds • Tofu

9. General Nutrition Switch to fat-free or low-fat dairy The dairy food group provides a great source of vitamin D and calcium. Adults and children over the age of two should consume low-fat or fat-free dairy products because these options have less saturated fat than whole or reduced fat milk. Examples of low-fat or fat-free dairy products: • 1 cup fat-free milk • 1 slice of low-fat cheese • 6 ounce low-fat yogurt

10. Small changes can make BIG differences

11. Dietary Guidelines for Americans The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, released on January 31, 2011, emphasize three major goals for Americans: • Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight • Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood • Consume fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains

12. Nutrition and Disease Eating a healthy balanced diet can help prevent and reduce risk of illness and chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Obesity, and Hypertension. Note to the Garden Coordinator, encourage people to eat a variety of whole foods and limit saturated fats, sugar, and salt.

13. Limit Sodium • The Institute of Medicine recommends that Americans limit sodium intake to 2300mg per day. • Research shows that a diet high in sodium can increase blood pressure. • Processed foods and food prepared in restaurants are often very high in sodium. Eating more whole foods and limiting the amount of fast food you eat will help lower your sodium intake. Note to the Garden Coordinator, encourage people to toss the salt shaker! Many of our foods already contain enough salt, by limiting added salt, we can decrease our daily sodium intake.

14. Note to the Garden Coordinator, encourage people to try lean meats such as poultry or fish to help reduce the fat. Cut the Fat • Limiting saturated fat in our diet to less than 10% can help decrease risk of cardiovascular disease. • Intake of trans fat should be limited to as little as possible because trans fats tend to increase bad cholesterol levels. • Both saturated and trans fats are solid at room temperatures.

15. Check the Label Examples of Foods that contain Saturated Fats Examples of Foods that contain Trans Fats

16. Sugar Note to the Garden Coordinator, encourage people to limit sugar sweetened beverage intake like soda and fruit juice. These drinks have little to no nutritional value or fiber but they do have a lot of sugar and empty calories. Water is a better beverage! • Many processed foods contain added sugars. These added sugars provide additional calories to our food but no nutritional benefit. • Added Sugars in foods and beverages can contribute to obesity by increasing empty calories in our diet.

17. Community Garden and Healthy Eating • The community garden is a great setting and tool to help teach people about healthy eating. • Texas has four growing seasons which allows us to have access to fresh produce year round! • Teachable moments in the garden will show families where their food comes from and that eating healthy can be fun and easy.

18. Texas Growing Seasons

20. Seasonal Recipes- Winter • Carrot Cumin Slaw • Fennel Apple Salad

21. Carrot Cumin Slaw • ¼ to ½ head of green cabbage shredded (about 3 cups) • 3 carrots, coarsely grated (1 ¾ cups) • 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced • ¼ cup of canola oil • 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice • 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro • ½ tsp cumin • Salt and pepper to taste In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and jalapeno. Drizzle with canola oil and lime juice. Add cilantro and cumin. Serve immediately or refrigerate in airtight container. Serves 4

22. Fennel Apple Salad • 2 large green apples, julienned • 1 medium head of fennel, thinly sliced • 1 tbsp. olive oil • ¼ cup chopped parsley • 3 stalks of celery diced (about 1 cup) • 2 tbsp. mustard vinaigrette (add more to taste) • Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss until well mixed. Serves 8

24. Seasonal Recipes- Spring • Savory Spring Salad • Spicy Cucumber Side

25. Savory Spring Salad • Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half (about 2 cups) • 1 cup chopped broccoli, blanched • 1 tbsp. soy sauce • 1 tbsp. sesame oil • 5 basil leaves, chiffonade • 1 clove of garlic, diced Blanch broccoli and chill before adding into the other ingredients. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss until well mixed. Serves 4

26. Spicy Cucumber Side • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced • 1/3 cup green onion, finely diced • ½ cup radishes, thinly sliced • 2 tsp. chili pepper flakes • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar • 1 tbsp. olive oil Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Toss thoroughly and allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend. Serve as is or over rice.

28. Seasonal Recipes-Summer • Peachy Fresh Salsa • Watermelon Salad

29. Peachy Fresh Salsa • 2 peaches, diced • 2 roma tomatoes, diced • 1 green bell pepper, diced • ¼ cup red onion diced • Juice of ½ lime • 1 tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette Prep all ingredients and combine in large bowl. Serve as fresh salsa for dipping chips and veggie sticks, or over chicken, fish or rice.

30. Watermelon Salad • 2 cups watermelon, cubed • 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half • 2 Basil leaves, chiffonade • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette • ¼ cup feta cheese Combine all ingredients in large bowl, serve chilled.

32. Seasonal Recipes- Fall • Eggplant Pizza • Fall Pasta

33. Eggplant Pizza • 1 eggplant, sliced in ¼ inch slices • 1 cup tomato, diced • 2 eggs • 1 cup panko bread crumbs (can also use crushed cracker or cornflakes as coating) • 1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, beat egg. Dip eggplant in egg, then dip into breadcrumbs. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and spread out eggplant slices. Cook for 15 minutes, until breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Remove from oven and place a spoonful of diced tomato on each slice of eggplant and then add a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

34. Fall Pasta • Whole wheat rotini pasta • 2 roasted red peppers • ½ cup toasted walnuts • 2 cloves of garlic • 1 cup tomato • ¼ cup parmesan cheese • Olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Next, boil water to cook whole wheat pasta. Cook and drain pasta then set aside. Place whole peppers on cookie sheet and put in oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove peppers and place in a bowl and cover top with lid or aluminum foil. Set aside for 30 minutes, until peppers are cooled enough to handle. Skin of peppers will be wrinkled and easy to remove. Peel skin and remove tops and seeds. Cut into quarters. Place small sauté pan over low-medium heat, add walnuts to pan and continuously move so they do not burn. About 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted Next, combine roasted peppers, walnuts, tomatoes, diced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil and fold into cooked pasta. Top with parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

35. Community Garden Classes • Host a community garden class and provide basic nutrition education to help empower families to eat healthy. • Classes can be 30 minutes and include easy recipe demos or simple healthy eating topics that teach families about basic nutrition. • As the Garden Coordinator, facilitating a Community Garden Class will create a great learning environment and provide families an opportunity to learn about healthy eating from one another.

36. Tips and Tricks Tips on facilitating a successful community garden class: • Keep It Simple • Maintain a positive environment • Allow families to share ideas and experiences • Ask open ended questions • Correct misinformation and provide appropriate resources and or referrals • Active learning is more fun than passive learning! Include hands-on activities • Keep class on track by focusing on the objectives and key messages • Market the event and clearly state date, time and topic • Be open to feedback • Plan ahead, prepare for class and check the weather!

37. Community Garden Class Ideas • Cooking without the Salt • Seasonal Eating • Eat the Rainbow • Building a Healthy Plate Starts in the Garden

38. Garden Class- Cooking without Salt Objectives: Participants will be able to: • Identify one benefit of limiting daily salt intake • List one ingredient that would be a healthy substitute for salt. Key content points: • Fast food and processed foods contribute to added sodium in our diet. • Limiting sodium can help regulate blood pressure. • Using herbs, spices and citrus fruits will add flavor to foods without the effects of excess salt. Class activity ideas: Harvest fresh herbs from the garden and discuss recipes to use the herbs as an alternative to salt. Demo a seasonal recipe with fresh herbs instead of salt.

39. Garden Class- Eat the Rainbow Objectives: Participants will be able to: • Identify one benefit of eating the rainbow. • Describe the different colors of the rainbow related to fruits or veggies and the nutrients they provide that help our bodies grow. Key content points: • Brightly colored fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are beneficial to our health. • The different colors represent different nutrients and phytochemicals that are key components in our growth and development. • Eat the rainbow every day to ensure you are getting a variety of healthful nutrients from delicious fruits and vegetables. Class activity ideas: Play rainbow bingo Harvest the colors of the rainbow from the garden and make rainbow chili *recipe and materials attached

40. Garden Class- Seasonal Eating Objectives: Participants will be able to: • Describe what it means to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. • Identify one benefit of eating seasonally. Key content points: • Eating seasonally means eating produce that is grown within your local area during specific seasons. • If produce is not in season, it means that it is grown out of town can travel up to 1500 miles before it gets to your plate. The cost of shipping and distributing produce is passed on to the consumer. Class activity ideas: Make a chart of the different growing seasons in Texas and list vegetables that grow in each season. Plant seasonal vegetables in the community garden. Prepare a seasonal recipe

41. Garden Class- Build a Healthy Plate Objectives: Participants will be able to: • Identify each food group and examples of foods from each group. • List one benefit to eating a variety of foods from each food group. Key content points: • Eating a variety of foods will maximize the healthy nutrients in your diet. • All of the food groups have important vitamins, nutrients and fiber our bodies need. Class activity ideas: Review MyPlate diagram and list foods in each food group Discuss ways to make half your plate fruit and veggies and other creative ways to increase fruit and vegetable in the diet. Recipe challenge- work in groups to think of healthy meal recipes that include foods from each food group for under $10 dollars.

43. Templates and Marketing the Class • Use the following templates to help when planning and implementing garden classes and events. • All templates are editable to help you streamline the process. • Clearly advertise the date, time and location. • Market the event with flyers, email notifications, social media and cross promotion. • Create a BUZZ about class with teasers.

44. You’re Invited Join us for a Community Garden Class that will focus on gardening and healthy eating. Bring the whole family, all are welcome. • Class Topic: • Date: • Time: • Location: Questions? Please contact,

45. Come Grow With Us Join us for a community garden class where we will learn about the nutrition benefits that come from our garden. • Class Topic: • Date: • Time: • Location: Questions? Please contact,

46. Helpful Resources • http://myplate.gov/ • http://www.eatright.org/ • http://urbanharvest.org/