Health
- NC State Cooperative Extension Health & Nutrition – Making healthy choices isn’t always easy. North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s educators help people sort fact from fad, providing research-based programs that promote a lifetime of good health. Programs cover a broad spectrum, from pesticide safety to indoor air quality, from childhood nutrition and physical activity to heart-healthy eating and food safety.
Nutrition
- Eat Smart Move More North Carolina& MyEastSmartMoveMore.com – Simple solutions developed in NC for helping others eat more fruits and veggies.
- Fruit & Veggies Matter – Recipes – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Fruit and Vegetable Program
- Fruit and Veggies More Matters – Produce for Better Health Foundation
Food Safety and Food Preservation
- Fall Garden Produce – (when and how to harvest and store)
- A Handbook for Beginning and Veteran Garden Organizers: How to Reduce Food Safety Risks
- Food Safety Culture Team – Food Safety for School and Community Gardens
- Growing Safer Gardens
- Food Safety in School & Community Gardens, recording of a 45 min webinar with Dr. Ben Chapman (Skip Forward to the 35 min mark)
Summary of Key areas to address
- Site Selection – Learn the Site History (official and community knowledge)
- Hand washing – Soap and Clean Running Water and Dry with Single Use Towel or wear single use gloves to harvest
- Water – Use treated water source
- Compost – Put the bin as far from garden as possible on the downhill side of the garden – don’t use raw manure in compost, ensure compost is heated to 130 degrees for 5 days prior to using in the garden
- Animals – Fence animals out.
- Sanitation & Tools – use one use gloves to harvest, put harvest in clean, sanitized containers.
Dr. Ben Chapman, Benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu, Twitter @benjaminchapman