Since closing our offices to the public in March, Pima County Cooperative Extension (PCCE) faculty and staff have become experts in the art of home office stagecraft; converting our dining rooms into classrooms for cooking classes, gardening talks, and more. It has been both challenging and rewarding.

Two flagship activities of our Master Gardener program, the Gardening Talks and the Plant Clinic were early adopters, pivoting to online service in May and January of this year. Since going virtual, Master Gardener volunteers have hosted over 50 Gardening Talks to over 5,000 people on Zoom. The Plant Clinic’s new online inquiry form has responded to over 1,800 tickets - helping the public with a wide array of home gardening and landscape questions.

Developing online programming and curriculum has been a central focus at PCCE this year. 4-H Tucson Village Farm has re-imagined their much-loved Growing Forward farm field trips to become their Healthy Habits virtual field trips. “With schools unable to visit the farm, we wanted to provide a safe and engaging alternative,” says 4-H Agent Liz Sparks. "Suddenly we’re all screenwriters, set designers, actors, and composers, making new lessons and even a new theme song,” added TVF co-founder Leza Carter. Another example can be found in Pima County Extension Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), which converted all their youth and adult curriculums to be effective in a virtual setting. Program Lead Joanie Contreras reflected. “It’s been an adventure; all of our experiences have been an educational, but also a successful journey.”

Having a safe and nurturing place to build youth culinary skills and teach the principles of seed to table self-reliance has been a long-term goal of 4-H Tucson Village Farms (TVF. For the last several years, the 4-H TVF team has put in countless hours to create a certified teaching kitchen where youth and families can learn how to prepare healthy meals together. We are excited to announce that the finishing touches were put on The Angel Charity for Children Culinary Education Center this summer. This new kitchen is outfitted with a state-of-the-art walk-in and freezer, a pantry for storing dry goods, two dishwashing areas, a large prep station, and a teaching classroom. It is certified by the Pima County Health Department and will be a resource for Pima County for years to come. We are very grateful to the Angel Charity for Children, UArizona Cooperative Extension, and our many donors for making this a reality. Although in-person programming is currently suspended due to COVID 19, we are hosting virtual culinary programs that can be accessed right in your home. Check out what’s cooking via zoom at Tucson Village Farms.

Being part of 4-H can be a life-changing experience for youth and for families. Throughout Pima County, our 4-H clubs are actively re-enrolling and recruiting for the new 4-H year, which runs from October 1, 2020, to September 31, 2021. Despite having to move most 4-H activities to virtual programming during the past year, we are hopeful that health advisories will allow us to have more in-person interactions soon! Now is the time to explore the many projects Pima County 4-H has to offer and find a club near you. Our 30 Pima County 4-H Clubs support projects varying from the traditional livestock and home economic projects, to skateboarding and clogging!

If you have any questions about joining 4-H or are interested in starting a new club or project email Kalee Hunter.

Club enrollment - open until December 15^th 2020.

Find a 4-H Club near you!

The holidays are about celebrations and gatherings, which usually includes entertaining with food. How do we stay healthy while also enjoying these special events? Here are some ideas!