This is Travis Adkins from Red Bird Mission again.  I attended the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Training on Thursday, March 22nd. The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) awards grants to States, United States Territories, and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments to provide low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods (fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh-cut herbs) at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs. The majority of the grant funds must be used to support the costs of the foods that are provided under the SFMNP; State agencies may use up to 10 percent of their grants to support administrative costs for the program.

We had our First Grow Appalachia meeting for this gardening season Thursday, March 15th. The training covered garden planning and our speaker Ray Wilson from the Leslie County Cooperative Extension Office done an amazing job at bringing an awesome presentation to the training. We handed out Blue Goose – Kenny Bee seed potatoes. Everyone was happy to get their potatoes.

Red Bird Mission Garden Planning Training. 3/15/2018

Red Bird Mission Garden Planning Training. 3/15/2018

Red Bird Mission Garden Planning Training. 3/15/2018

Red Bird Mission Garden Planning Training. 3/15/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on April 4, 2018 I attended a training and received a Certificate of Sampling All Samples from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.  This will be utilized at our Farmer’s Market this year!  This will allow me to offer samples of cooked, processed, raw, and uncooked products to customers.

One last exciting item to share is the use of our Commercial Kitchen.  On February 21-22, 2018 the Early Childhood Development Program for 3 and 4 year olds utilized the newly opened Commercial Kitchen to teach the children about dehydrating apples. Enjoy a short video of this experience by clicking on this link:  https://youtu.be/xboZTPM-A9Q.