Since 1969, the Extension Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has addressed critical community concerns influencing nutrition and physical activity behaviors of resource-limited and low-income families, particularly those with young children. Of course, some program elements have changed over the years, but our basic 101 nutrition still stands firm. Whether we offer virtual or in-person classes, the Pima Community Nutrition EFNEP educators are enthusiastic about teaching important topics such as food security, food safety, label reading, menu planning, shopping on a budget, and eating healthy. Most recently Arizona EFNEP has joined forces with the American Heart Association and will be teaching “Healthy for Life” for families and adults starting in 2022.

EFNEP is housed under the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it is made available via 76 Land-grant Universities throughout the United States, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, including at the University of Arizona. EFNEP exemplifies NIFA’s commitment to implementing science-based knowledge to achieve tangible positive outcomes for families, communities, and society. In Arizona, we are fortunate to have active Cooperative Extension EFNEP programs in Pima, Maricopa, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise, and Graham counties. Our Pima Community Nutrition EFNEP Program produces the EFNEP Bite newsletter to keep people connected and runs a host of classes such as the recently developed “Eat Well Be Well” series. EFNEP’s success can be tied to its dedicated staff of professionals, peer educators, and volunteers; support from champions and partners; and the commitment of youth and adult participants who change their lives and are now contributing in other ways to their families and communities. PCCE is excited to offer EFNEP, with its community-based and hands-on educational approach, to our Pima County citizens and to help them address economic and food insecurity challenges, and to seek better health and well-being.

You may know that 4-H Tucson Village Farm (TVF) is a working urban farm built by and for the youth of our community, but did you know it also hosts a plethora of unique events to encourage youth skill-building, family learning, and just plain old fun? We are so excited to announce TVF's first-ever music festival designed and curated by teens, Tunes Under the Moon! This family-friendly musical event was designed by the 4-H teen club, The Healthy Living Ambassador (HLA). The mission of the HLA club is to give young people life and leaderships opportunities and empower them to lead happy and healthy lives. 4-H believes in the power of young people to take action and this event is a good example. Featuring six amazing bands, this fest is going to be a blast! While the bands (Stefi King, Imogen Rose, Public Freakout, Mutual Friend, Sparky's Grease Fire, and The Three Inshuti) are entertaining on the beautiful grounds of the 4-H Healthy Living Center (2201 E. Roger Rd), you can enjoy beautiful views of the Catalinas, with the full Sonoran moon on display. There will also be delicious goodies for purchase such as Chef Becky’s famous farm-fresh burritos, soft pretzels, moon pies, and (non - alcoholic) beverages.

Purchase tickets online ($2 discount) or at the door.

Earlier this year PCCE shared that our Garden Kitchen and Master Gardener programs collaborated with several partner organizations on a project called "Food Resilient Futures." The project was awarded a UArizona grant from the Arizona Institutes for Resilience to promote edible desert-adapted and native plants. Project partners including the Mission Garden, The Tumamoc Desert Lab, Borderlands Restoration Network, and the UA Southwest Center all lead workshops on seven plants with distinct culinary, cultural, and climatic attributes. We are thrilled to announce that an informative and colorful booklet, Desert Foods For a Resilient Future, is now available online. With this new resource, you will learn how to cultivate, harvest, prepare, and enjoy a variety of desert plants all year round. Learn to make Wild Chile Cheese, Cholla bud wheat berry salad, and prickly pear popsicles among other delicious treats. The booklet also offers history and context for the plants. For example, did you know that Chiltepín wild chile has been used for food and medicine for over 6,000 years and remains an important economic crop in Sonora Mexico? Being mindful of the ongoing drought and rising temperatures, it’s high time to make these plants not just a part of your landscape but your diet. Take a bite out of climate change and check out this wonderful, new, multi-purpose and beautiful booklet.

Desert Foods for a Resilient Future Publication, English | Spanish

Now is a great time to adjust your watering for our Tucson winter season. As the days grow shorter and the nights get colder it is important to be sure that your landscape plants are receiving irrigation less frequently than they were during the high heat of summer. Frequency is the only adjustment to make. Maintain the same duration of watering but schedule more time between events. For example, if you have an irrigation system with a timer programmed to water for 45 minutes every 3 to 5 days in the summer, you may be able to reduce the frequency to every 10 to 14 days during the winter, depending on the specific plants in your landscape. Ideally, gardens and landscapes are “hydro-zoned” meaning that plants with similar water requirements are planted together. Do not water in the evening-especially cactus and succulents. Continue to routinely inspect your irrigation equipment for cracks, leaks, rodent gnawing that could be wasting water and underserving your plants. Keep frost cloth or old sheets handy to cover cold-sensitive shrubs, ground covers, and other plants when freezing temps and below are forecast overnight. Be sure to uncover them the following morning so that the sun can naturally resume heating their leaves and the soil around them.

Check out Cooperative Extension’s “Frost and Cold temperature Resource Page”