Tag Archives: vegetables

Fresh produce more accessible for low-income Michiganders

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More fresh produce will be available to low-income Michigan residents. (supplied)

By Barbara Bellinger
Capital News Service

LANSING — A program that gives low-income Michigan residents fresh fruit and vegetables and a path to healthier nutrition recently got a $2 million boost from state lawmakers.

That’s up from the $900,000 they allocated last year for the Double Up Food Program. The program gives participants a dollar-for-dollar match on fresh fruits and vegetables. Families receive twice the quantity of produce for half the price.

“It feels as if when this program was started, it was just a crazy idea,” said Alex Canepa, the policy manager for the Fair Food Network, which manages the program. “Now it’s time has come. Both Lansing and D.C. (legislators) are talking about the importance of nutrition security.”

Michigan’s Double Up program launched in 2009 as the first state in what is now a 29-state program run by the Fair Food Network based in Ann Arbor. The program has grown from five Detroit-area farmers markets to around 250 farmers markets, mobile markets, food stands and independent grocers.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the food network a four-year, $12.5 million grant in 2019 for program expansion. But to get the money, the program needs a 50% match, Canepa said.

“The state money allows us to draw down the full remaining balance,” Canepa said.

This added benefit is necessary for a state that has 1.9 million people who are food insecure, according to a Food Security Council report. 

“One administrative change the state made early in the pandemic was to eliminate the $20-per-day limit for Double Up Food Bucks,” Julie Cassidy, the senior policy analyst for the Michigan League for Public Policy, wrote in an email. “This helped families stretch their food assistance dollars as far as possible when so many were suddenly struggling, food prices were skyrocketing, and local pantries were pushed to the limit.”

“It gives customers really good options,” said Courtney King, the manager of King Orchards in Kewadin and Central Lake in northern Michigan. “I love that it’s just for like fresh produce, which really helps us and them.”

Michigan farmer markets and farm stands are part of the Double Up Food Bucks program. (Supplied)

Becoming a Double Up Food Bucks retailer requires a lot of accounting, but it’s a great way to provide fresh produce to people who might otherwise think it is too expensive, King said.

“It’s a multi-pronged process,” said Joe Lesausky, food access director for the Michigan Farmers Market Association.

Farmers markets and farm stands first apply to be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a vendor for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Then they must contact the Michigan Farmers Market Association to apply to become a Double Up Bucks retailer.

The program is in 67 of Michigan’s 83 counties and adds about 10 new sites a year, Lesausky said. Officials say they hope to reach all of the state’s counties in the next three years. 

“We saw an increase of Double Up spending before the pandemic in even middle and upper-middle class communities,” Canepa said.

“Nutrition insecurity isn’t always where you expect it to be.”

ABOUT BARBARA BELLINGER

Barbara Bellinger

Barbara Bellinger is a master’s student in journalism at Michigan State University. Her journalistic interests include undocumented immigration, international journalism and the criminal justice system. She hopes to become a reporter for CNN, NPR or a local Michigan news outlet.

Noodle your veggies

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Pasta made from zucchini noodles—zoodles, as they’re called—has about a quarter of the calories you’d find in regular noodles. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Want to get more veggies into your diet but feeling bored with the same old side dishes?


Making noodles from vegetables is the answer. They’re a great substitute for high-calorie, low-fiber traditional pasta and work just as well as a base for your favorite sauces.


While it’s possible to use a sturdy vegetable peeler to turn carrots or zucchini into noodle-length strips, a tool called a mandoline will cut your prep time in half. Just be aware that the mandoline blade has very sharp edges. You’ll want to hold the pusher accessory as you run the length of your vegetables across the blade. In addition, wear a thick kitchen glove to protect your fingers.


Zucchini is perfect for the mandoline because it slices easily. You can make the following sauce ahead of time. It yields enough for another meal.



Zucchini Noodles With Marinara Sauce

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Red chili flakes to taste
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine or broth, any variety
1 basil sprig
2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive, safflower or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the garlic in two tablespoons of oil for two to three minutes. Add chili flakes, the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt and black pepper and stir. Next, add the wine or broth and the basil. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.

Wash the zucchini. Cut off the stems and discard. Insert the fine tooth blade into a mandoline and tighten the screw to hold it in place. Press the pusher into the center of the first zucchini and hold the pusher as you run the vegetable over the surface of the mandoline to form the noodles. Repeat with the other zucchini.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the tablespoon of the oil of your choice. Add the zucchini noodles and cook two to three minutes, stirring often until they soften. Top with marinara sauce and toss well. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Making Fruits and Veggies a Priority

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By Dawn Ware, RD, Dietician

 

What if we ate more fruits and vegetables in our diet? What would the benefits be? Here are a few good reasons:

  • You would get more nutrients like calcium, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. This would also save on the cost of paying for supplements.
  • They are convenient. Grab a pack of carrots, snap peas, cut up cucumbers, an apple, banana, pear, cherry tomatoes or other fruit and veggies to take on the road for extra crunch and flavor.
  • More fiber and less trips to the doctor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, heartburn. Fiber makes you feel full, so you are likely to eat less, and take in less calories to prevent weight gain.
  • Fruits and veggies can be eaten in different forms: dried, cooked, raw, 100% juice, and canned, so you don’t get bored.
  • They are naturally low in calories, higher in water and have zero cholesterol.
  • You can grow them. This teaches kids where they come from, and they taste better (less or no pesticides can be used).
  • They can be bought in season, so they are less expensive (see list below).
  • You can have fun with them. You can kabob either fruit or veggies and have them with dip or on their own. A fun kid and adult idea is “ants on a log.”

Get started now! Here is an example of a short list of fruits and veggies in season thisfall, which means more flavor, better cost and ideas for fall recipes:

  • Fruits: pears, cherries, cranberries, plums, grapes, passion fruit, persimmon, pineapple, pomegranate.
  • Vegetables: butternut, buttercup, acorn squash, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, butter lettuce, cauliflower, artichoke, jalapeno pepper, ginger, garlic, mushroom, lime, sweet potato, turnip.

For more information on fruit and vegetable cooking tips, seasonal fruit and veggies list, storing them, and other useful information, click here.

 

Reprinted with permission from Cherry Health.

Meet the folks of Full Hollow Farm

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Photos courtesy of Full Hollow Farm website

 

There’s a small family farm in Belding, Mich. where a wide variety of vegetables and an ever-expanding selection of fruit grow. It’s called Full Hollow Farm and it’s an understatement to say that owners Jamie Wibraham and Brad Smith aren’t afraid of hard work. They use only earth-friendly, sustainable growing practices, and biodiversity is encouraged. The farm is working towards Organic Certification.

 

Over the years, Wibraham and Smith have worked on seven different vegetable and fruit farms. They began their farming career in Michigan, moved through Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and eventually returned to West Michigan. Now in its second year, Full Hollow Farm is well-rooted and thriving. You can see, smell, touch and taste their produce at the Rockford Farmers Market when the market is in season.

 

Check out Full Hollow Farm’s website for photos, recipes and more. To visit their Facebook page, go here.