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ISSUE 76 - April 2024

Extending Knowledge Changing Lives

Growing Together:

Food, Family and Friends


This month we explore strawberries, which are in season in May. They are at their highest quality in terms of flavor. Strawberries usually are lower in cost at the grocery store in the spring and early summer. Later, check out “you-pick” farms for a fun family field trip.

  

Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist

Kim Bushaw, M.S., Family Science Specialist

EAT

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C. They provide fiber, and one cup of sweet, juicy strawberries has only 50 calories.


Strawberries are delicious fresh or in smoothies. They can be used to infuse water with their flavor, along with mint or basil leaves. Try fresh strawberries as a topping on pancakes or waffles, in spinach salads, in homemade ice cream or on angel food cake. Making strawberry freezer jam, strawberry-rhubarb sauce or fruit leather can become favorite family activities.


Store whole strawberries in the refrigerator. Avoid rinsing strawberries before storing them, because added moisture will speed spoilage.


You can freeze strawberries whole, sliced or crushed. See “Freezing Fruits” from NDSU Extension for more information.


Invite kids into the kitchen to help measure ingredients, and rinse, core then chop the strawberries. 

Strawberry Muffins


1 cup quick- cooking oats

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup Greek yogurt

⅓ cup oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus some extra for strawberries)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped strawberries


Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Add oats, brown sugar, Greek yogurt, oil and egg to a medium bowl and mix very well. Set aside for 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix the strawberries with 1 to 2 Tbsp. of flour in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Batter will be lumpy. Do not use a whisk. Fold in the strawberries with two to three stirs. Evenly divide the muffin batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.


Makes 12 muffins. Each muffin has 190 calories, 8 grams (g) fat, 6 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber and 210 milligrams sodium

Connect

No seed money? Try using what you already have! If you are cooking with tomatoes or peppers, remove the seeds, wash away everything that is not a seed and air dry the seeds on paper towels for at least a week. Save the dried seeds in airtight containers. Start them indoors, or plant them outside when the threat of frost is gone. Melons are a good option for first-time seed savers if you have enough space to plant them in your garden. Be sure to mark the containers so you know what is supposed to grow.

Even with seed packets and a garden map, use plant markers. Making plant markers is a fun family project to do as you prepare for planting. You can use what you have on hand. For instance, start with a base of wooden stakes, large craft sticks, smooth stones, plastic utensils from take-out meals or driveway markers from last winter. Add plant names with something that will endure all types of weather such as permanent markers or paint. Add ribbon, beads, plastic jewels, pretty stones or whatever your craft drawer holds. Add glitter last, outdoors -- always outdoors. Enjoy the family, the process and the uniqueness of every plant marker.

Birds and animals have an impact on our outdoor gardens. Bring binoculars on a “bird” walk with your family. Look for nests. If you find one, try to determine what it is made with. Look in books or online. Can your family build a nest? What would you use? How would you hold it together? Isn’t nature amazing? Consider cutting some yarn or thin ribbon into 6- to 8-inch pieces and hanging them on fences and branches where birds may build nests. Look for your ribbon and yarn incorporated into nests around the neighborhood. 


Savor (nature)

Go on a nature walks in the spring and throughout the summer. Enjoy the warmer weather and explore the blossoms of nature.


  • Do you have a step counter on your phone or do you have a pedometer? How many steps did you accumulate on your walk?
  • What birds or animals do you see?
  • Can you identify trees by their leaf shapes?
  • Could you help clean up a park if you see trash lying around?
  • Bring a snack such as trail mix or the strawberry muffins included in this month’s newsletter to enjoy at nature’s table.
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