Category: EFNEP

Christine Patrick, Extension Agent The recipes for fruit pie fillings all use a modified food starch called Clear Jel®. This starch produces the correct thickening, even after the fillings are canned and baked. Other starches, such as cornstarch, break down and result in a runny filling. Clear Jel® must be used as the thickener in […]

Christine Patrick, County Extension Agent When the weather gets cooler and the leaves start turning beautiful colors, you may look forward to eating warm, rich, and hearty comfort foods. Unfortunately, they can wreck your diet and cause you to pack on extra pounds unless you modify your recipes or limit your portions. Research shows that […]

Christine Patrick There’s nothing quite like those tart little sassemanesh berries to add zest to meals at Thanksgiving. What’s that? You’ve never heard of sassemanesh berries? Well, maybe you know them better as cranberries. Sassemanesh is one of the names given to the fruit by some eastern Native American tribes. The Algonquin called them atoqua, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Michelle Altman, Rural Health Extension Agent – Hampton County FoodShare SC is an organization based out of Columbia, South Carolina. FoodShare SC’s vision is to ensure access to fresh produce for all in our communities. FoodShare SC’s goal is to enhance the quality of life by creating access to fresh, affordable food. FoodShare SC partners […]

By Christine Patrick, Health Extension Agent Root vegetables are in season during this time of the year. For those of you who are considering canning and pickling them, you’re in for a pleasant surprise! Beets – Pickled Beets Ingredients 7 pounds of 2- to 2½-inch diameter beets 4 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity) 1½ teaspoons […]

Christine Patrick Parents and children seem to have more struggles over vegetables than any other kind of food. Vegetables should be offered in the same matter-of-fact way that all other foods are offered Start vegetables in infancy. Talk to your doctor or WIC program about how and when to begin solid foods. Some nutritionists recommend […]

Akendra Jackson has 12 years of experience with Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service (EFNEP). She serves Berkeley and Charleston counties as a Nutrition Educator. She works in the community and with other agencies to assist limited-resource audiences in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed behavior necessary for nutritionally sound diets, and improvement of the […]

Christine Patrick We all know that cleanliness in the kitchen is crucial for the prevention of foodborne illness. Constant cleaning and sanitation of counters, appliances, and utensils is a requirement. While most of us are good at keeping the obvious kitchen items clean, there may be germs lurking in places that you haven’t thought about. […]