Cooking skills worth learning
There has been renewed interest in home cooking thanks in part to the Food Network and the tight economy.
I hear from many working moms that they don’t cook, not so much because of time constraints, but because they never learned how.
The 4-H program is working to ensure that the next generation learns this important life skill. Through 4-H food projects, children learn about nutrition, food safety and how to shop. 4-H is the youth program of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
A popular 4-H activity is the Food Challenge, which is patterned after TV cooking competitions. In the Food Challenge, participants have 45 minutes to cook a dish and prepare a presentation for judges. Boys and girls love it. In this contest, they learn about nutrition, cooking techniques and public speaking.
Once the young people are old enough to drive, parents can send them to the grocery store to shop. Here are some tips for saving money in the grocery store that all ages can benefit from.
>> Check store sales in the newspaper or the store sales circular. Some stores have extra circulars on site or post it on a bulletin board. It pays to spend a few minutes checking it out.
>> Buy fresh produce when in season. This is when it is abundant and cheap.
>> Buy the store brands of canned goods and stock up when they’re on sale.
>> If a store brand is not available for an item you want, buy it with a coupon or when it is on sale.
>> Buy frozen fruits and vegetables when they are on sale and pack the freezer full. (Use frozen produce within 3-6 months for the best flavor.)
Another Extension program that offers food classes for youths and adults is the Better Living for Texans food stamp nutrition education program. Participants learn how to make their food budget stretch, how to eat more nutritiously for less and how to prevent food-borne illness. Classes are free.
For more information about theses programs, contact Hidalgo County Extension Agents Doug Denny or Adelita Munoz.
Nora N. Garza is a County Extension Agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Hidalgo County, a part of the Texas A&M System. She can be reached at n-garza@tamu.edu.
