Savannah Valley District

Cold Case: Seasonal Flu Illness

Christine Patrick, Clemson Extension EFNEP Agent With the flu bearing down on South Carolina, we are all looking for ways to avoid this miserable illness. Flu shots, washing hands, downing vitamins, drinking lots of water, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep are all ways to help build up your body’s immune system, especially during this […]

Modifying Holiday Recipes

Christine Patrick, County Extension Agent Enjoy a healthful guilt-free holiday by modifying the recipes for some of your favorite holiday foods to reduce the fat, sugar, and salt and to add fiber. These guidelines explain how to change certain ingredients and by how much. Fat You save about 120 calories for every tablespoon of oil […]

Plug-In Ingredients and Make Casserole

Christine Patrick, County Extension Agent Leftovers can be just leftovers, or you can jazz things up and turn them into something your family may start wanting more often. The idea is to plug ingredients into a casserole formula. You mix and match according to what you have in the refrigerator or on the pantry shelf, […]

America’s First Grape is Still a Favorite

Christine Patrick When it comes to grapes, we have Thompson seedless, Concord, and wine varieties like Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet. When it comes to a Southerner’s taste buds, however, there is a fondness for America’s first grape – Vitis rotundifolia. You know it better as the muscadine, that bronze or purple-black fruit that is native […]

Using and Storing Apples

Christine Patrick Using and Storing Apples South Carolina-grown apples are available from late August to November. Apples are: a good source of fiber. a source of potassium and vitamin C. low calorie—81 calories per 2½” apple. How to buy apples:  Apples should feel firm. If you can dent one with your finger, it is too […]

Use Native Plants in Holiday Decorations

Laura Lee Rose, Horticulture Agent The possibilities are endless when using the woods and roadsides to gather holiday decorations. Thanksgiving and harvest are celebrated autumn gatherings, so we will be looking for things with fall’s yellow, orange and red flowers, foliage, and fruits. Leaves and vines can be arranged in vases and baskets. Native grasses […]

Be Well Informed Program

Be Well Informed is a program developed by a team of Water Resources agents that provides information to well owners about best management practices for maintaining their well and protecting the water source. Approximately 20% of South Carolina residents rely on wells to provide drinking water in their homes. The water that supplies the well […]

Homemaker’s Column: It’s Easy to Be Nuts About Plain OL’ Pecans

Christine Patrick IT’S EASY TO BE NUTS ABOUT PLAIN OL’ PECANS Who isn’t nuts about pecans? Straight out of the shell raw, buttered and toasted, made into butter pecan ice cream or baked into that sweet Southern delicacy known as pecan pie Pecans are powerfully palette pleasing. European settlers were introduced to the pecan by […]

Homemaker’s Column: Saving Money on Groceries

Christine Patrick SAVING MONEY ON GROCERIES There are two ways to save money on your groceries: buy less or pay less. “Buying less” always sounds like you have to diminish your lifestyle. And “spending less” sounds like you have to go into the supermarket with a bag full of coupons. True, these are ways to […]

What goes in a three-day Emergency Food Supply?

CLEMSON EXTENSION SERVICE BY: CHRISTINE PATRICK COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT WHAT GOES IN A THREE-DAY EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLY? Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes – ice storms, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes. Each can leave you dependent on supplies you have at home for a short time. A three-day emergency preparedness kit will be useful for most […]