Under Pressure!

I’ve been feeling a little under pressure lately.  I suppose it is from things pushing at me from a few different directions, both at work and in my personal life.  I bet I’m not alone. We probably all have seasons of our lives that are more pressure filled. I think of the years I spent growing up on a farm north of Joplin.  This time of year seemed full of pressure trying to get the crop in, and when the weather wasn’t cooperating, it was worse. No matter the pressure of the season, the farm girl in me still loves harvest time.

Now that I’m an Extension agent, harvest makes me think of pressure in a different way.  People around the area are harvesting garden crops, and canning is underway.  If you are canning any low-acid foods, you’ll be using a pressure canner.  Pressure canners typically come in either dial-gauge or weighted-gauge.  A dial-gauge canner should be tested yearly to make sure it reads correctly, ensuring that you are not under-processing food.  Under-processing can result not only in reduced quality, but also in lower temperatures that allow some terrible things to grow in that jar of low-acid canned food.  Among the scariest and deadliest is botulinum toxin.  If you are doing canning with a dial-gauge canner, it is totally worth the 15 minutes at the Extension Office to get your canner gauge tested.  It absolutely beats botulism, which, if you survive, will take way more than 15 months recovery!

Most Extension offices test canners for free.  Extension also offers guidance and assistance for home canners.  Last year, I had the good fortune of being able to spend two days learning from Elizabeth Andress, an Extension Food Safety Specialist and the leading authority on home canning in the nation.  Dr. Andress explained the many testing procedures in place before the USDA authorizes recipes for home canning.  Reliable and tested home canning recipes and procedures can be found in the latest editions of So Easy to Preserve, the USDA Guide to Home Canning (which is available free for download on the web) and the latest editions of the Ball Blue Book and Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  MSU Extension also has Montguides available on our website with resources for the home preserver.  Any editions of the above sources from prior to 2006 should be discarded.  From elevation to product density to heat penetration to pressure, there are all kinds of science considerations in canning. Like all science, our abilities and equipment change over time.  You wouldn’t want a doctor relying on the science from 1930 to perform surgery on you, would you?  Yet, you’d be surprised at how many people still want to continue to use Great Aunt Edna’s Salsa recipe from that same decade!

If you need me to pressure you into using the most current canning methods, give me a call and remember to get your pressure canners tested this season.  

Additional Resources:
National Center for Home Food Preservation
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
Montguides on Food Preservation -- Download Free!

Summer = 4-H + FUN!

I know my last post was in June.  Are you wondering what the excuse is?  Get ready.  There is more than one and they are GREAT!

June 11-12
4-H Leadership Retreat

Twelve teens, four adults and lots of work, but balanced with fun, games, learning and activities -- all to plan a great 4-H camp experience.  I may be partial, but I'm always so proud of our 4-H camp counselors for planning the whole camp event, preparing great classes, games, activities, camp fires and ceremonies!

June 25-28
Teton County 4-H Fair -- A Class Act!

We had a great time with 4-H members from throughout Teton County exhibiting 832 projects during the fair. 4-H members are learning amazing skills and leadership.  The volunteers are so helpful and make such an important contribution to the lives of the youth, and really to the long-term fabric of our communities.  Training youth to seek out additional educational opportunities, to always look for feedback while honing their skills and to contribute to their communities has very long-range impact.

At the fair, we also enjoyed fun, food and frivolity with Baker Bob and Jona McNamee.  People of all ages and genders attended the demonstration style classes.  The McNamees have a great informal and informative style of teaching.  There has been plenty of demand for a repeat.

July 3-6
4-H Exchange Fundraising

This year, I'm involved in the 4-H Interstate Exchange program in a whole new way.  I'm a parent of one of the participants.  In addition to the ways I'm involved as an Extension agent, I get to be involved on a whole new level as a parent. Besides flipping burgers at the rodeo, I think 4-H Exchange cleaned the rodeo grounds three or four times over the Fourth of July weekend and the Choteau Pavilion a few times.  While these are paid endeavors for the 4-H members, it also is a service to the community to keep the events rolling throughout the weekend.  Plus, I heard several of the young 4-H members comment that it has made them more aware of putting their trash in the garbage, picking up after themselves and being respectful of the common areas and property.  Some good educational perks for fundraising!

July 8-11
Montana 4-H Congress

Each summer, I travel with the Teton County delegation to Montana 4-H Congress.  This year we had nine youth attend who were involved with projects and competitions from foods and nutrition to livestock evaluation.  The 4-H members performed well and enjoyed attending other classes at 4-H Congress, as well as doing a service project while there.

July 14-17
Teton County 4-H Camp

Sixty-two youth and ten adults from Teton County enjoyed several days and nights at Camp Rotary near Monarch for the annual Teton County 4-H Camp.  Camp had a medieval theme with many lords, ladies, knights and dragons arriving in the Clover Kingdom.  

Workshops during the camp included making magical medieval lanterns, stamping leather wrist bands, creating stained-glass cookies, making sidewalk chalk, writing notes on parchment, constructing catapults, shooting dragons in archery, braiding bracelets, using discs for a seven-strand braid, decorating candles, making tic-tac-toe boards, learning campfire songs, jousting with foam noodle swords and more!

The 4-H camp program strives to develop leadership and communication skills, especially through the teen counselor education and preparation for camp.  The 4-H camp program also strengthens a sense of belonging in youth who attend, strengthens independence, develops generosity and allows youth to learn new skills.  4-H members attending camp develop a sense of accomplishment.  Many of the 4-H members look forward to camp every year and enjoy the opportunity to make new friends.   

July 28-August 4
Teton County Montana 4-H Interstate Exchange with Cannon County Tennessee 

4-H Exchange was a week of sharing our great state with 4-H members, volunteer leaders and extension agents from Tennessee.  Our family hosted one of the 4-H members and I enjoyed reconnecting with Michael Shirley, 4-H Agent from Tennessee.  He and I had met at a national 4-H conference two years ago. The 4-H members enjoyed hikes to Hidden Lake, camping in Glacier, whitewater rafting, camp fires, state fair, rodeos and learning about each others' states.  It was an exciting time.  The 4-H members in the Exchange program are looking forward to southern hospitality when they travel to reconnect with their new friends next summer.

August 4-8
MSU 4-H Bioscience

Eight 4-H members, two coaches and I got to spend a week on the MSU Bozeman campus with the BioScience program.  I cannot say enough about this program and yet in one word I can describe it -- AMAZING!  It was great to learn lessons in infectious disease, metabolomics, and neuroscience.  It was awesome to see youth light up about science.  It was fabulous to see 4-H members get around campus to a number of different buildings and classrooms.  It was fundamentally valuable for building confidence.  My sincere appreciation to everyone who made this opportunity possible for 4-H youth!  

So, there are my excuses for being absent from this blog!  I hope you think they were worthwhile.  Throw in helping my own kids get fair projects ready and six summer weekends at swim meets with my family and you have a pretty full summer.  But I always say, "I'd rather have a full life than an empty one!"  

The Teton County 4-H Fair July 24-28

4-H – A Class Act is the theme of the Teton County Fair that will be held at the Choteau Pavilion and Weatherbeater Arena June 24-28, 2014. The event is filled with activities that showcase the talents of Teton County youth.

The fair starts on Tuesday with a horse show where members demonstrate their showmanship skills, riding and horse knowledge. The horse show is held at the Bouma Arena. On Wednesday, 4-H members from across the county will interview with judges about projects they have made and skills they have learned throughout the 4-H year. Projects over the past years have been amazing, ranging from spectacular photographs to quilts to woodworking, welding, cake decorating and everything in between. Following the judging, the projects will be displayed at the Choteau Pavilion for the public’s viewing enjoyment Thursday through Saturday.

On Thursday, the 4-H and Montana State University Teton County Extension Office will host guest presenters Bob McNamee, or “Baker Bob,” and his lovely wife, Jona McNamee, also an MSU Cascade County Extension Agent.  The two will be on hand Thursday evening teaching a variety of baking skills, including making homemade pasta; demonstrating two bread recipes -- a no-knead sourdough and no-knead brioche,  and to finish the evening, they will be showing how to make a variety of confections include fudge, divinity and brittle.  The demonstration-style classes will start at 5:30 and run consecutively through the evening.  Classes are free and open to the public.  You will be treated to taste-testing, as well as learn tried and true baking tips and tricks.  

New to the fair this year is a silent auction, being organized by the Prairie Stars 4-H Club.   As a tribute to the "great generation" and a memorial for Maxine and Doug Whinnery, a WWII Navy Veteran, the silent auction will be held to raise funds as part of Prairies Stars 4-H club efforts to sponsor local veterans on The Big Sky Honor Flight.  Items to be auctioned include art items by local artists, a professional blind hemmer sewing machine, and a charming collection of gently used Teddy Bears.  Items also include Shirley Sand's painting, Paige Watson Briscoe's custom copper jewelry, Bob and Leslie Burrows' metal sculpture, Andy Watson's pottery, Kirtland Briscoe's leathercraft mini-bag and Brad Ophiem’s woodworking.  Items will be displayed in the Pavilion and the silent auction will run from Thursday through the Chuckwagon Dinner on Saturday evening.

Swine, sheep, goats and small animal (cats, rabbits, dogs and poultry) shows will be held Friday. Friday evening, 4-H members offer a textile show, modeling outfits they have constructed and showcasing quilts they have made. The 4-H program is sponsoring a western dance class with Daniel Bitz on Friday evening.  Daniel has taught dance classes in Teton County two other times.  His classes are fun-filled and will leave you with plenty of new moves on the dance floor. 

Saturday, along with viewing projects at the Pavilion, people can enjoy the beef show at the Weatherbeater. As the fair concludes on Saturday, 4-H members sell their market animal projects at the 4-H Livestock Sale. 4-Hers in the market project learn a variety of aspects of animal husbandry and meat production. Anyone interested in purchasing 4-H-raised meat is invited to the sale and the Chuckwagon Dinner held from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, before the sale.

The Teton County 4-H program and the MSU Teton County Extension Office plan the county fair. To obtain more information, view the Web site at www.msuextension.org/teton. The county fair provides a great opportunity to see what a class act the 4-H youth in Teton County are

Hummus Among Us

Chickpeas pods from Teton County farm.

Many years ago, 18 to be exact, when I was a young Extension professional, I remember that a recipe came across my desk in a nutrition publication.  I took the recipe home and tried it out.  The recipe called for using a can of garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, pureeing them with a variety of other vegetables, liquids and seasonings.  The product was touted as a sandwich spread. It was delicious and filling, but low calorie.  I now recognize the recipe as a type of hummus. 

Chickpea pods and a single chickpea.

Hummus has been a staple food in many parts of the world for centuries.  However, hummus did not work its way into American culture until relatively recent history, and took a little longer to make it to the rural reaches.  Chickpeas, the base of hummus, have been used in salads and soups commonly in the U.S for quite a while.  Chickpeas are rich in protein and fiber.  They are considered a pulse crop and can be a rotational crop that fits well into wheat and barley farming operations, increasing soil fertility.  According to the Montguide, Growing Chickpea in the Northern Great Plains, a rotation of chickpeas may also disrupt cereal crop pest cycles.  While I don’t claim to have my finger on the ‘pulse’ of farming in the area, I do know some area farmers who are planting chickpeas.  Fortunately, a few have shared part of their crop with me and I’ve been experimenting with chickpea recipes in my kitchen.

Homemade hummus, served with carrots and celery.

Speaking of experimenting, last fall, the Choteau culinary class, under the direction of Tami Krone, experimented with creating their own hummus recipes.  Several hummus recipes were created and taste-testing followed.  The winning recipe then became part of a limited market-research experiment I conducted with the Choteau senior class.  I prepared five healthy food items for the senior class to taste-test and they ranked items by their probability of purchasing the items at a sports concession stand.  Sadly, the hummus recipe did not make it into the running as a likely purchase at concessions.  Nonetheless, several of the students did like the taste of the product.  The culinary arts hummus recipes are posted below, in case you’d like to do a taste-test yourself.

Chickpeas from planting to 4-H presentation!

This spring, one of our 4-H members gave a great demonstration on hummus, as her family had decided to “give peas a chance” as one of their crops last year.  The 4-Her was able to be involved from production to presentation!  She also created her own recipe, available at our blog, and started with dried chickpeas.  She cautions that a dried chickpea, when soaked overnight, will double in size, so be conscientious of the size of container used for soaking.  There should be plenty of room.  My family experimented with soaking dried garbanzo beans as well and enjoyed watching them expand.  Even after soaking, the dried chickpeas are not soft enough and will need to be rinsed and then boiled for a few hours to become soft.  Once softened, the chickpeas can be blended with any number of other ingredients including tahini, lemon or lime juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, curry, carrots, etc.  Often hummus is served with flat bread, chips, or pretzels, but it is also tasty when served with carrot sticks, celery or jicama.  It can also be served in a tortilla with salsa and greens, or as a sandwich spread on whole wheat bread. 

For those who do not want to make their own hummus, it is now available in many of our local grocery stores, as it is becoming more and more common in the Montana culinary experience.  For those who crave an individually crafted recipe, see our blog for recipes, photos and more information about the hummus among us!

Other resources for your use and enjoyment:

Growing Chickpeas in the Northern Great Plains
Healthy Concessions
Healthy Concessions in Teton County
Munch Code -- Guide for Concessions -- Teton County

Recipes:

And the winner is ...

Tangy Southwest Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. tahini
3 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

In blender or food processor, blend ingredients to desired consistency.

Hannah's Hummus

Water
1 c. dried garbanzo beans/chickpeas
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. garlic powder

Soak dried garbanzo beans in water in a large bowl overnight. Drain and rinse.  Add water and beans to a sauce pan and boil or simmer for a few hours until chickpeas are soft.  Cool slightly.  Add softened,cooled chickpeas to blender or food processor.  Add olive oil and blend.  If more olive oil is needed to blend, add more.  Add garlic, garlic powder and salt.  Blend until desired consistency.  Be sure to serve with breath mints!  It packs a garlic punch.

Classic Hummus

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas
1/3 c. tahini paste
8 roasted garlic cloves
1/8 c. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. cumin
Add garlic salt, white pepper and onion salt to taste

Drain liquid from both cans of chickpeas and reserve.  Use later if needed to reduce thickness in blended product.  Blend chickpeas and all other ingredients in a blender or food processor, pulsing for 60 seconds at a time.  Process until desired consistency is reached.  Transfer to serving bowl or platter.  Garnish and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika.

Other tips:

Hummus will taste better if allowed to sit in refrigerator for an hour or two before serving.  Consider adding sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and other flavorful ingredients.  Serve with pitas or fresh vegetables for dipping.

Protect Yourself from a Gold Digger -- Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 a.m.

The MSU Teton County Extension Office will be showing the video, Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State on Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Choteau Baptist Church.  The showing of the video on investment fraud is free to the public.  While no registration is required, a courtesy call is appreciated to plan seating.  The documentary, Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State, produced by the Montana Commissioner of Securities, tells the story of two of Montana's most infamous investment scams.

"More than two hundred years ago, prospectors flocked to what we now call the Treasure State in search of fortunes," said Lindeen.  "Though Montana's prospector days are long behind us, we have a new brand of gold diggers who would rather prey on our trust than dig for gold.  Modern day gold diggers are scammers and con-artists who can steal a life savings in the blink of an eye."

Narrated by award-winning actor Bill Pullman, Gold Diggers tracks two recent cases of investment fraud in Montana: the Arthur Heffelfinger case in Helena and the Anne Marie Schlenker case in Bozeman.  In total, the two scams robbed dozens of Montana investors of more than $3 million, leaving victims in financial ruin.  The film features interviews with victims, securities experts, and the regulators and attorneys who investigated and prosecuted the two scams.

"Education is the silver bullet when it comes to fighting fraud," said Lindeen.  "The more Montanans know about their rights and where they can turn for help, the better they can protect themselves from modern day gold diggers."

Lindeen's office produced Gold Diggers with a grant from the Investor Protection Trust, a nationally-recognized, independent organization that helps consumers make informed investment decisions.  All funding for the Trust comes from voluntary and court-ordered contributions from criminals who commit investment fraud.

Press release from:

The Next 100 years?

A few years ago, I was able to attend an incredible presentation by Steve Stark, a former Extension communication specialist from North Dakota.  As he shared about history, his lesson came alive in front of the audience.  The skilled lecturer and historian was also an artist. He covered one entire wall of a conference room with paper and while he lectured, he drew scenes and people with chalk. One person described it as having a giant story book created in front of you. His topic that day was the history of the Extension Service in the United States.

Stark giving presentation.  Photo by Kimberly Gressley, University of Arizona Extension. 

I’ve been an Extension Agent since 1996 and an Extension client since the 1970s.   In that time, I’ve heard many people throw around topics like the Morrill Act, the Hatch Act or the Smith-Lever Act.  Generally, these lessons were dry and boring and contained much information I should have cared about, but the delivery, and my learning were both lacking.  In contrast, Stark’s presentation was remarkable and he gave context as to other issues facing the nation and the connections of people with ideas while these Acts of Congress were being decided. 

In 2014, we are celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 which provided for the creation of Extension.  Thursday, May 8, officially marked 100 years since the signing of the Act.  The creation of Extension outreach education programs could not have been possible without the Morrill Act, which was signed into law in 1862.  Think of those years leading up to 1862.  During a time of tremendous struggle in the United States, key people had a long-term vision for prosperity and furthering access to education to provide equality in opportunities.  The nation was faced with an impending Civil War, yet key players recognized that to propel the nation forward we had to invest in education.  The Morrill Act established land-grant universities that would focus work in agriculture and engineering.  The leadership realized that agriculture and engineering would be fundamental in driving our nation forward.  The United States Department of Agriculture was also begun in 1862 and Lincoln called it the “people’s department.” 

Later, as land-grant universities were teaching agriculture practices, it became apparent that there was a lack of current research in agricultural knowledge across the different climate and growing conditions of the United States.  Again, Congressional leadership tackled the problem in a visionary fashion and in 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the establishment of agriculture experiment and research stations. 

Once land-grant universities were going strong and agriculture experiment stations were providing important research, leadership looked around again for a way to improve lives of citizens.  They realized that not everyone who lived in rural agricultural communities would attend a land-grant institution and thus the leadership decided to bring the information and education to the people. 

In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act provided for the establishment of the Extension Service.  Specifically, the Act stated, “Cooperative agricultural extension work shall consist of the development of practical applications of research knowledge or giving of instruction and practical demonstrations of existing or improved practices or technologies in agriculture, uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy, and subjects relating thereto to persons not attending or resident in said colleges in the several communities and imparting information on said subjects through demonstrations, publications and otherwise and for the necessary printing and distribution of information in connection with the foregoing; and this work shall be carried on in such manner as may be mutually agreed upon by the Secretary of Agriculture and the State agriculture college or colleges …”

The words of the Smith-Lever Act likely have not mattered to you nearly as much as the result of it.  A country that can feed itself and educate citizens is a nation that can further other accomplishments.  As the visionaries of this country know, we are all connected.  I am proud to be part of the great tradition of Extension.  Montana State University is your university and an educator from the land-grant university is assigned to your county to assist you, whether directly or indirectly, bringing campus to you. 

Our Extension classes in Teton County strive to provide a public value -- from the 4-H youth development program that trains our community and state leadership of tomorrow, to wellness classes that prevent diseases, keeping people healthier, active and vibrantly contributing to their communities longer thereby reducing public health care expenses.  Extension work encompasses agricultural management practices and community development. 

The original Smith-Lever charter statement remains true after 100 years, that the purpose of Extension is "better farming, better living, more happiness, more education, and better citizenship" for the "entire country."

For 100 years, MSU Extension has been educating in local communities. We should celebrate the past 100 years, but more importantly, we should be visionaries in planning for the next 100.  I encourage you to post a comment below to share your vision for your Extension program for the next century.  

Other Resources:

Steve Stark
More on Steve Stark
Morrill Act
Hatch Act
Smith-Lever Act