During these tough economic times, volunteer organization around the country are hurting.  They need money and volunteers who are willing to step up and help their community.  On April 27th. 2013, which is Community Service Day, I became a Task Leader Volunteer for my job  and volunteer at Open Hand in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is Open Hand?  Open Hand is a strong fixture of the Atlanta Metro community and “they helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care™, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life.” – quote from the Open Hand Mission Statement.

It started with Michael Edwards-Pruitt who founded Project Open Hand in 1988, he and a few of his neighbors cooked meals for 14 friends with HIV/AIDS who were too sick to cook for themselves. This labor of love  for the community has continue over 20 years later with a full-time staff, providing nutrition education from licensed dietitians, as many as 700 helping volunteers per week,  preparing and delivering over 5,500 meals a day.  This organization is a very unique non-profit establishment.

I was so honored to be able to work with my team of volunteers and Team Manager Ms. Tyrone.  Our job for this day was to prepare help nutritious meals for low-income men, women and children who are dealing with a critical, chronic, or terminal disease; and homebound seniors.  We met with the Volunteer Service department staff who sat down and discuss with us the mission and the vision of Open Hand.  The mood at Open Hand kitchen was lively and the staff there was so friendly and positive. Food Safety is strictly enforced based on the clientele that Open Hand is feeding.  There are chefs that work  at Open Hand that were making fresh healthy dietary requirements meals from scratch for the assembly food line. Our group placed the food into a packing assembly line format where we package portioned foods into individual containers and snack bags for distribution.  The assembly line was pretty fast and very organized.  At the end of the 4 hour day of volunteering service, I am so happy to say that we have packaged and send out 2545 meals!  Can you imagine if we volunteered for a 8 hours, how many more meals we would have sent out!

So make every day a Community Service day!  Volunteer to to make your community a better one!

Spring is here and summer is around the corner.  This is the time to to catch up with all of your cleaning and to get rid of the things that you once hold onto but really do not need.  I had a chance to visit the Atlanta Home Show to see what are the new  products and home organizers that are coming out for the 2013.

I had a chance to hear a speaker name Tonya M. Williams  who is a HGTV Real Estate & Lifestyle expert discuss about the upward movement of real estate for both the seller and the buyer.  She gave us ideas on how to refreshes our home for the coming season and what are the best low cost ways to remodel our homes.  Indeed it was excellent information!

After hearing Ms. Williams, I then decided to walk around the Atlanta Home Show to see what are the new gardening items and home products.  I stop and saw  a beautiful  model industrialized kitchen that can be place any kitchen and not look too overpowering.  Easy to install closets organizers are being used in  wet rooms, walk-in closets and office rooms.  There were some unique water features  such as vases, brick waterfalls, ponds and fire lighting rocks. Outdoor lighting is very key particularly using it as a focal point for a water feature. Outdoor living is still very popular with different displays of outdoor fireplaces, kitchens and stainless steel grills.

Outdoor living would not be complete unless you have a garden with flowers, trees, ornamental, plants and herbs.  For your garden specifically use, companion herbs which can help you to get rid of any unwanted pests without using any pesticides.  Herbs such as lavender , thyme, chives or any member of the allium family can even deter larger pests, such as hungry deer.  It seems that to be that the strong aroma of certain herbs confuses pests and keeps them away from neighboring vegetables plants.  Having herbs in your garden can help reduce weeds.  Such as parsley which spreads and take over any empty spots before the weeds do.

So this summer enjoy your home both the inside and outside.  Start on your home repairs  and gardening right now!

The Buick Discovery – Food and Wine Tour came to Buckhead at the St. Regis Hotel and boy it was day filled of fun and food!!  The place was pack with a showcase of 3 top chefs in their field, a incredible sommelier expert and celebrity chef Michael Psilakis. What a great program!  

I spend this wonderful day with my hubby and we were able to taste  the wonderful spread of food prior to the tour.  Variety of cheeses, crackers and meats were available to eat.   There was a Kitchen Aid section where they demonstrated their new aged blender and mixer. 

Also the Olive Orchard – a 100% South African Olive Oil in different flavors was there to let you taste test with french rolls.  Delicious!

After this we had a chance to test drive the new line of Buick luxury cars and SUVs.  This luxury, style and comfort all in one in a wonderful and relaxing ride.  I love the ease of the turning of the steering wheel and the comfortable leather seating.  My favorite was the Buick Enclave SUV and the Regal.

The next place I stop was progressive Pastry Chef and Co-Executive of the Baume and Brix Restaurant  in Chicago  – Chef Ben Roche.  Chef Roche make edible print dessert at his restaurant and this evening he made a French Crem Yuzu Chiboust, Pastry Cream and Meringue and Ice Cream with Caraway Seeds made with Gelatin Sheets.  The taste of all of theses dessert was incredible and different.  Who would have ever thought that you can use Caraway Seeds into ice cream!

Next, I went to the Food and Wine Best New Chef Andrea Curto-Randazzo from Miami, Florida.  She is the a Chef/Owner of The Water Club, Talula Restaurant and Creative Tastes Catering.  Today she showed us how to cook a Pork Butt which is also called a pork shoulder.  Of course there were alot of butt jokes but that was all a part of the fun.   I learn alot from her especially making functional garnish.  Garnish should never be thrown out but be used as part of the meal.  She made a delicious pork butt with sauteed potato and collard greens with olive oil topped with lemon and lime garnish.  So the next time you go to South Beach you will have to check out her restaurants and catering business.

The next place I went  to was the main room which featured Micheal Green the incredible and very knowledgeable Sommelier and wine expert.  We had chance to taste the difference of burgundy and white wine and what types of food would taste good with them.  We had a chance of using lemons and the tasty Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.

Mr. Green then discussed with us the history of wine and alcohol over 20 years in a 20 minute speak.  There are 5 things that you must know about selecting a wine.  First is the  type of grape gives the taste of wine.  Second is the region of the wines.  The cooler place region offer a lighter, higher in acid and low alcohol wine.  The warmer place region offer a heavy, low acidity and high in alcohol wine.  Third is the type of soil and fourth is the vintage year.  Last is how it was made either in a vineyard or winery and aging wine which is usually not given on a label.  Another thing is the taste of the wine which we have to use the six “S”.  See – Hold from the stem or hook, Swirl – introduction of oxygen, Smell – the mine could be sweet, sour, bitter, salt and savory. Sip, Swish and Swallow.  Then in his closing notes he stated that there is no relationship with price and taste, if you it taste good to you than it is and last he made a quote from Thomas Jefferson “Wine is a necessity of life for me”.  What a great lesson!

Last but not least was the Iron Celebrity Chef and Chef of the Year for Food and Wine Magazine – Micheal Psilakis.  A Greek-American self taught chef was invited to cook a dinner for the President of the United States for Greek Independence Day.  He is the Executive Chef/Owner – Kefi, FISHTAG and MP Taverna Restaurants. Chef Pislakis took time to talk with us about his family history of cooking and how he was able to drawn inspiration from his family to become the chef he is today.  Chef Psilakis demonstrated a new spin of the Gyro Rub which consist of  a 1/3 of beef chuck, short rib and brisket meat.  He made it the Gyro as a hamburger which made is very juicy and full of flavor.

I was so honored that he signed his classic Greek cookbook “How to Roast a Lamb”.   Make sure you purchase this book today because you will learn the true essence of Greek cooking.  So the next time you see the Buick Discovery – Food and Wine Tour come to your neighborhood make sure you stop by and come to this very exciting event.

• vitamin C for healthy gums
• vitamin D to help the body use calcium
• calcium to build healthy teeth.

The recommended dietary allowance for calcium is 800 milligrams for adults and up to 1,200 milligrams for teenagers and pregnant or nursing mothers.

The When and What of Dental Health

When food is eaten has big effect on dental health.  Dentists recommend snacking less frequency  and avoiding foods that stay in the mouth a long time.  If you’re going eat these foods, they should be eaten as part of meals, since there is more saliva in the mouth both break down the sugars that feed dental bacteria and to carry them away.  Typical offenders are sticky, chewy or greasy foods such as candy, cookies, cakes, granola bars, marshmallows, dried fruits and French Fries.  Sipping sweetened soft drinks or sucking hard candies are likewise hard on teeth.

On the other hand, good snack foods include raw vegetables, plain popcorn, nuts, sunflower seeds and cheese.  Nuts and cheese seem especially to protect the teeth from decay, although they are high in fat.

Tips for a Healthy Smile

To keep your smile healthy, try these tips:

• Watch out for “hidden” sugar in processed foods, such as ketchup, canned vegetables and peanut butter.  It is often in the form of corn syrup in the list of ingredients on the label.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand for when the urge strikes.
• Snack less often and floss and brush after snacking.
• Avoid sweet snacks as bedtime, when saliva flow is low.

See your dentist for regular oral hygiene appointments, floss and brush daily and observe these dietary tips for dental care.  Your dental bills are bound to be greatly reduced and your smile as sparkling as ever.

As secretary for the Greater Carroll County, Georgia in the National Women in Agriculture Association, I had the pleasure of working a fantastic group of women on our first Outreach Meeting.   The National Women in Agriculture Association (NWIAA) is a empowering non-profit organization for socially disadvantaged women in rural and urban America in order for them to gain available local and federal resources.  Their purpose is to educate, develop and provide networking opportunities so that bonds of sisterhood may be created among all women.

The Greater Carroll Country, Georgia Chapter had its first Outreach Meeting at the Agricultural Center – Carroll County Cooperative Extensive Service.  The first speaker was Bill Hodge who had 26 years of Cooperative Extensive Service in Carroll County who discussed about the History and Present Time of Carroll County, Georgia Agriculture.  Carroll County had the first county agent in the United States and the 2nd highest number of small operating farm in the State of  Georgia.  The average size farm is 79 acres and the average age of age the farmer is 57.  After the presentation, Mr. Hodges then did a egg demonstration to show which eggs are farm fresh and which ones are not.  The darker yolk eggs are the true farm raised while the lighter color ones are not.  You should not go based on the shell’s color.

Then Dr. Jerome Brown from Gwinnett County – USDA – Black Emphasis Program discuss about the history of NRCS and explained about the demographics of the Georgia.  Women in agriculture is increasing based on the 2007 census and 16% of the Georgia operators are females.   There is a Multicultural Sustainable Agriculture and Leadership Conference which is a outreach program workshops on agriculture every  year.  Dr. Brown discuss about the high tunnel initiative that is used mainly for the soil usage.  This initiative has implemented over 4,000 nationwide and the crops have to be grown in the ground.  The program is not competing with the green house industry and its purpose is to conserve water  consumption and soil erosion.  Dr. Brown explained that USDA has funds available on historically under served groups who are 10 years of less in business.  For further information about this program check here.

The National Women In Ag. Association (“NWIAA”) in Greater Carroll County, Georgia program was truly excellent and I had learned so much about agriculture.  Next time I will be visiting Jackson, Mississippi for the Annual National Conference  for NWIAA and I will definitely let everyone know what happens then!  Check  out the pictures of the NWIAA Greater Carroll County, Georgia Program.  Click Here.

After finishing all of the wonderful Farm Tours,  I had the opportunity to check out the Georgia Organics Conference itself.  Early that morning I heard the Keynote Speaker Micheal Nischan CEO of Wholesome Wave (www.wholesomewavegeorgia.org )which is dedicated to nourishing neighborhoods by supporting increased production and access to healthy, fresh and affordable locally grown food for the well being of all.  Wholesome Wave use private funds to double the value of food stamps  when they are spent at participating farmers markets and farm stands across the country. Mr. Nishcan is a proponent of sustainable farming, local and regional food systems, and heritage recipes.  He also owns a homegrown restaurant in Westport, Conn, called the Dressing Room.  The Dressing Room is a community gathering place unlike the traditional restaurant.  Mr. Nishcan has long been a leader in the movement to honor local, pure, simple and delicious cooking.  His speech was excellent and very enlightening about the importance of strengthening local food communities.

Later that afternoon I had a chance t0 sit down and listen to a in-depth workshop seminar.  The one seminar that I found most interesting was the Traditional Healing & Vibrant Health with Herbs and Wisdom Health by Patricia Kyritsi Howell RH (AHG).  She discussed about the five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine which are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood.   She also talk about the Yin and Yang about the balance  and need of both.  The Yin are tonics type of herbs and the Yang activators herbs.  She explained about the using certain herbs for the Yin and Yang properties.

After the workshop  seminars the Georgia Organics Expo started to open up .  There were over 70 plus vendor at the expo giving out incredible healthy information.  Some of the vendors were Truly Living Well, The Turnip Truck and AgrAbility.  Truly Living Well (www.trulylivingwell.com) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia that builds communities by providing  healthy food, agricultural education and employment. They grow a variety of natural produce for people throughout Atlanta from urban food deserts to the city’s finest restaurants.  The Turnip Truck (www.turniptruckatlanta.com ) delivers local food such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products and other foods as well as specialty items to Atlanta’s finest restaurants, schools and institutions.  AgrAbility (www.farmagain.com) in Georgia is a free service program that focuses on promoting independence for members of the agricultural community who have disabilities.

There was a demo stage in the Georgia Organics Expo area where Holistic Health and nutrition counselor Cher McWilliams demonstrated quick and healthy whole food ideas with local, seasonal, organic produce.   Right after this presentation there was a cooking competition between two teams of master chefs.  These teams of master chefs prepared a three-course meal of healthy, local food to the tune and time of “Lynyrd Skynard’s “Free Bird”. Whole foods market , Chipotle, Frannie’s Gluten Free Muffins (www.franniesglutenfree.com) and Mushroom Mountain Pizza gave out free samples of pizza, chili, tacos and muffins which all very delicious and appetite.

So check out the Georgia Organics website:  www.georgiaorganics.org  see about coming to next year Farm RX Conference and check out all of the other events that they have through out the year.  Hope to see you there next year!  Check out the pictures of the Georgia Organics Farm RX Conference. Click Here

Farm tours are the best way to learn about farming so I had a chance to do a second farm tour at the Georgia Organics Farm Rx 2013 Conference.  The first tour stop was the Umurima, The Burundi Women’s Farm which was truly enlightening and inspirational experience.  Then second stop is Decatur’s Kitchen Garden at the United Methodist Children’s Home.  This facility is a Global Growers Project which offers market garden plots to more than 30 community producers, primarily from the nearby international refugee community.  Community producers come from cultures that include Nepali Bhutanese, Burmese Chin, Burmese Karen, and Burmese Zomi, and share their unique growing traditions and specialty crops in this 1.5 -acre garden and reclaimed fruit orchard.  Many of the refugees did not know how to do anything but farm when they arrived to America. They had faced genocide or lived for years in refugee camps in their native countries. When they arrive in the United States, they are often bewildered by the interstates and fast food lifestyle of metro Atlanta.  The Global Growers Network gave the refugees a comfort zone and provides a chance for them to make money and learn new skills and the American way of farming.

“This market garden is designed to foster community, offer education about healthy food traditions and growing practices and enhance biodiversity through cutting-edge sustainable resource management.”  Quote from Global Growers Project

The Decatur’s Kitchen Garden has a demonstration garden and a small orchard on the United Methodist Children’s Home grounds.   We had a chance during the tour to see the each gardeners garden plots and the types of foods that were being grown there.   This garden is located in the back of the sprawling grounds of the United Methodist Children’s Home next to a lake where the farmers use their specialized green friendly irrigation system. As we traveled through the muddy dirt path we had noticed that each farmer has their own plot which is tagged with the farmer’s name, their community location and language background.  The Farmers are allowed to plant their native countries fruits and vegetables on these plots and then have the chance to sell their produce to the local farmers markets and at the United Methodist Children’s Home. The Decatur’s Kitchen Garden successful cost effective format is based on having a self-sustaining green living garden.  The Farmers everything from the garden and there is no such thing waste here.  They use the different bins labeled as Compost, Landfill and Recycle and everything if possible is being reused for the land, for profit from the landfills or made as a gift for sale.

One of the items that were for sale was the baskets that were made from the wide spread grown problem weed called Kudzu.  Some of the Bhutaneses people basket weavers would take Kudzu, bamboo, local vine and made a distinctive  beautiful basket.

Another thing that the Farmers will do is to offset the cost by volunteering time with the Global Growers Network as part of the farmer’s teaching training program.  The Global Growers Network (GGN) does not charge any refugee farmer for their plots but a portion of the monies of the produce sold does go back to GGN programs.

Immediately following the second tour, The Spotted Trotter held a open house tasting of their cheese and cured, salted, and smoked meats.  It is a boutique charcuterie owned and operated by Kevin and Megan Outzs.  They work with local producers, like the Global Growers Network to ensure humane-treatment and sustainable practices are used in the production of all of their ingredients.  All of the food from the The Spotted Trotter was very delicious and tasty.

I truly had a great time at all of the the Georgia Organics Cultural Farm Tours.  I embrace all of these farmers styles of gardening and their love for the Decatur, Georgia Communities.  Since being on these Farm Tours I have now open my mind up to the green way of living and trying culturally diverse organic foods. So the next time you decided to come to a Georgia Organics Farm Rx Conference make sure you do a Farm Tour and be open to a new way of farming!  Click here for more photos of the Cultural Farm Tours.

Filed under: Cultural Diversity, Gardening, Green Living, Nutrition Tagged: baskets, Bhutanese, Burmese, charcuterie, community producers, cultural farm tours, cutures, Decatur's Kitchen garden, farm tours, farming, farms, gardeners, gardening, Georgia Organics, Georgia Organics Farm Rx Conference, Global Growers Network, global growers project, green living, Kudz, The Spotted Trotter, traditions, United Methodist Children's Home

I love Farm Tours, so when I heard that the Georgia Organics – Farm Rx 2013 Conference is having a cultural farm tour I definitely knew I had to go even though it was a very cold and rainy February morning!  The Global Growers Network is a local non-profit that works primarily with people who have been forced to flee their countries because of war and persecution.  Through a network of farms and gardens, many people who were farmers back home have an opportunity to share their traditional farming and local food practices with their new community  here in Georgia.

The first stop of the tour was the Umurima, The Burundi Women’s Farm, which began three years ago as a partnership with Global Growers founder Susan Pavlin and a community of Burundi farmers.  The Burundi women who fled the country of Burundi, an impoverished African nation, have been growing crops several years.   Once Burundi farmers came to Decatur, Georgia, they were at a loss as to how to make a living in a land of strip malls and fast-food restaurants.  When Susan Pavlin saw their plight, she then decide to find a little plot and worked out a deal with its owners to permit the families to farm there. Today, almost one acre is cultivated communally under the leadership of the Burundi women, who grow traditional East African crops as well as “American” produce for their families, the local markets, and the Global Growers’ Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.  There are 15 Burundi families that assist with the garden and they also make their own compost from green and brown matter.  It was great to speak with the Burundi women and hear how they did their own farming when they had lived in Burundi.  One story was during the start of making this garden was when the Founder Susan Pavlin was noticing that the Burundi women were not happy about some of the gardening tools that they were using for the garden.  One of the women request a hoe that would make it easier for cultivating the soil and kill the weeds.  So Pavlin found a gardening hoe and gave it to the women.  The women were mad and stated that this was not a gardening hoe.  Pavlin thought there was a lost of translation and repeated that this is a gardening hoe.  Her interpreter notice that Pavlin did not understand and started to explain and show what a Burundi hoe looks like.  Here is the picture below to see the different garden hoe tools:

Well, Palvin was in shock at what she saw and knew that there is no way that she can find something like this that was being sold here in the United States.  First the ladies was interested in getting someone to go the Burundi and purchase this very sharp blade flat hoe and bring it back in an airplane.  Well, TSA would definitely not like this.  So the women decided to make their own hoe and had a blacksmith make their own blade.  They were so happy that now other fellow gardeners are requesting to buy.  Hey this may be a new business venture for them.

Having the chance to visit this farm, I really learned to appreciate what these women do for their community and what I can do for my own.   Next week, I will discuss my second Farm Tour at the Decatur’s Kitchen Garden.  Click here for viewing the  Umurima, The Burundi Women’s Farm pictures.

This week is the last week for National Nutrition Month and today we are going to focus on Food Taboos from the book – Multicultural Manners – “New Rules to Etiquette for a Changing Society” by Norine Dresser.

Food Taboos

While some people know that eating pork is taboo for religious purpose of Jews and Moslems but few are aware of the condemnation against shellfish and fish without scales or fins to the Jewish and Muslim communities. It is important to learn what foods are taboo to any religious and culturally diverse groups.  Even if someone accidentally eats a taboo food, the repercussions are potent.

Many religions and ethnic groups have special dietary laws that outlaw the eating of foods on certain days.  Such as:

• The Roman Catholic Church prohibits eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
• In the Jewish faith – no leavened breads and no use of leavening agents during the eight days of the festival of Passover. Also according to Orthodox rules, there must be a six-hour space between eating meat and dairy products.
• Hindus don’t eat beef and Seventh Day Adventists don’t eat meat.
• Navajos don’t eat fish and some Puerto Ricans will not eat pineapple in combination with other foods
• Muslims, Hindus, Mormons and some Protestant sects do not drink alcoholic beverages.

There are many common food and drink taboos but it is important to respect each others cultural beliefs  and customs.  Everyone eat right in their own way every day.  So celebrate this final week of National Nutrition Month in your own healthy eating way every day!

In celebration of National Nutrition Month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics theme is Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day!  Have you ever wonder how some cultures use their food?  In the book Multicultural Manner “New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society” by Norine Dresser, explores the cultural do’s and don’ts of social interaction, food and body language of people from different cultures.  Here is some of the interesting food information that the author discussed in the book.

Food Medicine

Honey has long had a good reputation as a curative.  Many people from Central America and the Caribbean mix it with lemon as a tea for soothing upper respiratory problems.  Some Russian immigrants add it to warm milk, butter, and baking soda for sore throats.

There are a wide range of cultures use other foods as curatives.  Russian immigrants have been known to parboil cabbage leaves and place then on foreheads to draw out fevers.  Some Central Americans chew on cloves with lemon to ease toothaches.  Puerto Ricans often put tomato sauce on burns.

Jewish mothers and grandmothers have long been associated with chicken soup and this soup works better than any other hot liquids for relieving nasal congestion by increasing nasal mucus velocity.

The author encourages the healthcare professionals to discuss with patients about the home treatments they have been using.  It is important to have a discussion so you and the patient will understand each other and to understand that some folk remedies may or may not be harmful to their prescribed treatment.

Next week we will discuss about Food Taboos and learn more about what other culture’s “Eat Right, Their Way, Every Day!”