By: Kelly Mosley, Clay County School District

On May 1^st, Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Ben Wortham, read to a large number of kindergarten to 5^th grade students through the Clay Virtual Academy Clay County  to kickoff Florida Ag in the Classroom’s Ag Literacy Day.

With the assistance of Clay County Virtual Academy (CVA) teacher, Carol Cochuyt, CVA Distance Learning Specialists Ruth Paine and Linda Schriver, and the coordination of State FFA Officer, Katilyn Donaghy, Healthy Florida Farms was read by Mr. Wortham in  a virtual classroom setting.  Florida Ag in the Classroom, Inc. provided the book for the special event.

A question and answer session with the students  was conducted through the messaging technology provided by the virtual classroom. Others were able to ask the Superintendent questions in his office through their microphones while they were at home.  The students were particularly interested in Mr. Wortham’s favorite vegetable, least favorite vegetable and what he was growing in his own garden.  The session concluded with the students taking a quiz using the Fresh from Florida Ag-Trivia Flash Card Game.

Growing up in Tennessee and being a former FFA member, Mr. Wortham had a lot of personal experience to share that made Ag Literacy Day extra special!  The session was video-taped and efforts are being made to make it available for other students to view.  Even though FAITC’s Ag Literacy Day was officially May 1^st, members of the agricultural community are reading in schools all over Clay County until the end of the school year in June.  If you would like to request a reader for your classroom or if you would be willing to read to students about agriculture, check out www.agtag.org.

photo credit: http://www.abetterbagofgroceries.com

As a competitive league tennis player, I often struggle to find ways to stay energized and pumped up during my matches.  Tennis, like many other sports, is a mental and physical game.  A lull in performance for just a few minutes can drastically change the outcome of a match from a win to a loss.  That is why victory usually goes to the person who is more focused and has more fuel in the tank.

It is important to be prepared for all physical activities, and that includes bringing food and drinks to consume before, during, and after the physical activity.  Only recently have I started incorporating locally-grown Florida fruit into my workout diet.  Instead of products that are overly-sweet or taste “artificially sweet” like sports drinks, energy drinks, and candy bars, fruits like bananas and oranges have the perfect, natural sweet taste that acts as a perfect pick-me-up.

I used to drink a cup of coffee or an energy drink before a tennis match and gulp down sugary sports drinks during a match, which left me feeling erratically jumpy throughout.  I would feel hindered and slowed down by my own body.  Since then, I have switched to eating a couple pieces of (Florida-grown) watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, and a banana before the match, and eating another banana during the match.  Together these fruits are high in anti-oxidants, beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and calcium.  Potassium for example is important for normal muscular function in both voluntary muscles like arms and legs, and involuntary muscles like the heart.  These fruits are naturally sweet and will keep your blood sugar levels stable without the crash afterwards.

After some grueling games I felt exhausted and the inside of my mouth was dry and tasteless.  While still drinking plenty of water, I remember vividly how refreshing the banana tasted during a changeover.  When play resumed I was pumped up and feeling dialed-in again.  Although eating the fruit doesn’t guarantee any outcome on the match, I felt that I had a lot more left in the tank than my opponent did when the match was over (I won, by the way).

So remember to refuel the right way.  Drink plenty of water and enjoy Florida’s nutrient-rich fruits before, during, and after any physical exercise.  Doing so will keep you alert and focused to perform at your highest level and put forth your best effort.   Besides, they’re good for your health, too.

http://www.juicing-for-health.com/healing-foods.html

Blueberry and Lemon Corn Muffins

Yield 12

Ingredients

• Paper muffin cup liners
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Florida blueberries, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F and line six muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Whisk in cornmeal, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest and a generous pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk and yolks, and add to flour mixture with half of blueberries, gently stirring until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among cups (batter will fill cups) and press remaining blueberries into tops of muffins. Sprinkle tops of muffins evenly with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake muffins on middle rack for about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden and a tester comes out clean. Remove muffins from cups and cool on a rack. Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Latin Spiced Florida Chicken with Cilantro and Lime Butter

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized Florida chicken breast cutlets (pounded thin or cut into thin even portions)
• Latin spice mix for sprinkling (1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Make sure your chicken cutlets are thin and even in thickness. Lightly dust both sides of the cutlets with the Latin spice mix.

Preheat a large sized sauté pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to preheated sauté pan. Add the spiced cutlets to the pan carefully without crowding the pan. Cook chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The chicken should be golden brown and cooked completely through. Insert a internal cooking thermometer into the chicken cutlet, it should read 165 degrees for correct doneness. Remove from pan and let cool slightly.

Turn the heat on the pan down to medium low. Add ½ cup of water to pan and stir to remove any bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the water in the pan by half (this should only take a minute or so). Add lime juice to the pan and continue to stir. Add the butter to the pan sauce while stirring constantly. The butter should blend with the pan sauce to form a thicker pan sauce. After the butter is combined to make the sauce, remove from heat and add cilantro. Taste pan sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken with rice and fresh vegetables for a complete meal. Spoon the pan sauce over the chicken. Garnish with extra cilantro and lime wedges.

Watermelon

The Fresh for Florida Kids Food Garden is producing so many fruits and vegetables right now. Here’s a recap of what we’ve seen so far!

There’s a sizable watermelon on one of the vines in the back of the garden! And a bunch of tiny melons are strung like Christmas lights along the vines. They’ll grow quickly with all the sunshine we’ve been getting.

The vines on the left side of the back garden are cantaloupes, and they are loaded with tiny fruits!

Our butternut squash are doing really well. We counted 6 squash, with one starting to turn cream-colored. They won’t be ready until around September though. By then we’ll have a truckload!

I saw at least 4 baby zucchini, 3 baby pattypans, and a dozen crookneck babies in the squash/cucumber bed.

Speaking of cukes, we’ll have those for a while. There are bunches of tiny cucumbers on the vines, and we picked 4 today!

The zipper peas, also known as crowder peas, are starting to come in. I picked some black-eyed peas and I saw 6 or 7 zipper pea pods. You can tell them from the black-eyed peas by the lack of the purple blotch on the bottom of the pod.

Potato

Every day a tomato or two ripens…go out there and grab one!

We also have potatoes…but they won’t be ready until the potato plants start dying off. Right now, the leaves are still photosynthesizing the sunlight, turning it into energy which it puts into producing big fat edible roots. Yum!

There are tons of eggplants growing too. We’ll have more than enough to last us for a while.

That’s about it for this week, I’ll have another garden update soon!

For more photos, click here!

Guava-Gin Runner

Yield

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ice cubes
• 2-3 ounces gin
• 1 ounce fresh Florida guava nectar
• 1 ounce fresh pineapple juice

Preparation

Put the ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass, add the rest of the ingredients, and stir gently.

Open Face Watermelon Sandwiches

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 medium-sized Florida watermelon, seeds and rind removed
• 1 handful fresh Florida mint leaves, chopped
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1/2 loaf of your favorite crusty bread, sliced thin
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Crumble chilled goat cheese into a small bowl. Lightly mix cheese and chopped mint. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.

Cut bread into 8 small slices and drizzle with olive oil. Toast bread slices until golden brown and crispy on top. Let bread cool slightly.

Spread cheese mixture on the top of each slice of bread. Cut watermelon slices into fun shapes and layer watermelon on top of cheese. Lightly season the top of the sandwiches with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Fruit Wine Sabayon Pound Cake

Yield 6 Servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 4 large Florida egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sweet Florida fruit wine
• ½ cup chilled whipping cream
• 24 ounces of your favorite Florida berries, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tablespoons natural sugar
• 1 bunch fresh Florida mint
• 1 16-ounce (preferably homemade) pound cake loaf

Preparation

Combine brown sugar, water, egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of fruit wine in medium stainless steel bowl. Place bowl over medium sized pot of simmering water (bowl should not be in contact with water.) Whisk until mixture triples in volume and kitchen thermometer registers 160° (about 4 minutes.) Place bowl inside a larger bowl that has been filled with ice and water; whisk sabayon lightly until completely cool.

Whip cream in another medium steel bowl until soft peaks start to form. Slowly add sabayon to the whipped cream and fold together. Cover and refrigerate.

Purée 3/4 cup berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon fruit wine in food processor. Pour purée into large bowl and stir in remaining whole berries until well-coated.

Cut and arrange 3 thin triangle-shaped cake slices on a plate. Spoon berry mixture over cake. Top with sabayon and fresh mint leaf.

Nutritional Information:

One serving contains the following: Calories 361; Total Fat 19g; Cholesterol 188mg; Sodium 133mg; Total Carbohydrates 44g; Protein 5g. High in Vitamin C.

Florida Zucchini and Parmesan Skillet

Yield

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium Florida zucchini
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Florida garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh Florida basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Preparation

Very thinly slice zucchini crosswise with a mandolin or other manual slicer.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté zucchini and garlic, stirring, until zucchini is just beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool 10 minutes. Add basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Melt remaining tablespoon butter in an 8-inch nonstick skillet and remove from heat. Arrange one fourth of zucchini mixture in a layer in skillet and sprinkle with one fourth of parmesan. Repeat layering 3 times.

Cook skillet cake over moderate heat until bottom of cake is well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Slide cake onto a large paper plate, then place skillet over cake and, holding plate firmly, invert cake back into skillet. Cook cake, shaking skillet frequently to prevent sticking, until underside is browned, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Slide cake onto a platter. Cut like a pizza. Serve and enjoy.

Albertson’s

• Baby Carrots 1 lb bags 2/$3
• Eggplant 2/$3
• Yellow Squash 10lbs/$10
• Zucchini 10lbs/$10

Bravo

• Cabbage $0.29/lb
• Plum Tomatoes $0.79/lb

Harvey’s

• Athena Cantaloupes 2/$4
• Green Boiling Peanuts $1.99/lb
• Sweet Corn Yellow or White 6/$1.99
• Watermelons $5.99 each
• Watermelon Slices $0.69/lb

 Publix

• Athena Cantaloupes 2/$5
• Sweet Corn Yellow, White, or Bi-Color 12/$3
• Seedless Watermelon $4.99 each
• Red Potatoes $2.99/5 lb bag
• Vine-Ripened Tomatoes $1.29/lb (1.49/lb in Atlanta Region)
• Watermelon Slices $0.49/lb

 Sedano’s

• Oranges $1.99/4 lb bag (Orlando stores only)
• Tomatoes $0.69/lb

Sweetbay

• Athena Melons 2/$4
• Cucumbers 2/$1
• Green Peppers $1.49/lb
• Red Potatoes $2.99/5 lb bag
• Seedless Watermelon $4.97 each
• Sweet Corn Yellow, White, or Bi-Color 4/$1
• Tomatoes $1.29/lb

Whole Foods

• Heirloom Tomatoes $3.99/lb

Winn Dixie

• Sweet Corn Yellow, White, or Bi-Color 8/$2
• Red Potatoes 2/$6