Community Partner Project Final Version (2)

FoCo Cafe Local Produce Recipe Book FoCo Cafe

McKenzie Galvin, Madison Tuggle, Breanna Dietz, Leah Cody December 09, 2015

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FoCo Cafe Local Produce Recipe Book Page 1 of 43

Table of Contents

Team & Work Distribution....................................................................................................................2

Team Members, Team Leader .........................................................................................................2

Work Distribution/Plan to Accomplish Team Project ...........................................................................2

Community Partner .............................................................................................................................3

Context: Target Audience & Community Description .............................................................................5

Problem Statement, Project Purpose & Brief Description .......................................................................6

Problem Statement ..........................................................................................................................6

Project Purpose...............................................................................................................................7

Description of Proposed Project .......................................................................................................7

Behavior Change Theory & Research Basis .........................................................................................9

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) Definition...........................................................................................9

SCT Constructs Selected for This Project & Rationale .......................................................................9

Research Basis ............................................................................................................................. 10

Lesson Plan Table ............................................................................................................................ 14

Evaluation Table ............................................................................................................................... 16

Logic Model...................................................................................................................................... 19

Presentation ..................................................................................................................................... 22

Summary of Findings ........................................................................................................................ 23

Reflection ......................................................................................................................................... 24

Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................. 27

References....................................................................................................................................... 27

Appendices ...................................................................................................................................... 30

Appendix 1: Post Cooking Class – Survey ....................................................................................... 30

Appendix 2: Recipe Tasting Questionnaire ..................................................................................... 32

Appendix 3: FoCo Cafe Recipe Book Survey .................................................................................. 33

Appendix 4: NHANE Food Frequency Questionnaire ...................................................................... 34

Appendix 5: Observation Checklist For Instructor Regarding Cooking Class ...................................... 39

Appendix 6: Sample of Recipes From FoCo Cafe Recipe Book ........................................................ 40


TEAM & WORK DISTRIBUTION

TEAM MEMBERS, TEAM LEADER

McKenzie Galvin – Team Leader – wrote Target Audience and Community Description

and completed the Logic table.

Leah Cody – edited and reviewed Part 1, 2, and 3, and wrote parts of Behavior Change

Research Basis, Acknowledgements, Reflection, and Summary of Findings.

Madison Tuggle – wrote Problem Statement, Project Purpose, and Brief Description,

completed the Lesson Plan table, and the Evaluation Table.

Breanna Dietz – wrote Community Partner section and wrote parts of Behavior Change,

Research Basis, and the Evaluation Table.

WORK DISTRIBUTION/PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH TEAM PROJECT

For Assignment 1, McKenzie Galvin wrote the sections on “Target Audience and

Community Description” and completed the “Logic Table.”

Breanna Dietz wrote the “Community Partner” section and wrote parts of “Behavior

Change and Research Basis,” parts of the “Evaluation Table” and the “Presentation”

summary section.

Madison Tuggle wrote “Problem Statement, Project Purpose, and Brief Description”

section, completed the “Lesson Plan” table, parts of the “Evaluation Table” and the

“Summary of Findings”.

Leah Cody edited and reviewed the sections and put the final versions into the template

along with parts of the “Behavior Change and Research Basis” section,


“Acknowledgements ,” Summary of Findings,” Reflection” section. Also put the final

version of the presentation together.

All members researched the community partner, the target audience, and planned and

discussed the project together. All members also aided in putting together the final

presentation.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

FoCo Cafe is a non-profit restaurant in Old Town Fort Collins. It opened on

Thanksgiving Day in 2014, and has been growing in reputation and customers since.

The restaurant has served over 18,000 customers, and typically serves about 92

customers per day during its hours of 11am to 2pm.1 The restaurant is based on the

SAME Cafe, a nonprofit restaurant in Denver.1 The mission of FoCo Cafe is “to build

community by providing nutritious and delicious meals to the people of Fort Collins.”1 It

is a strong belief that, by bringing people together with food, a better and healthier

community can exist. The major values of FoCo Cafe are:

Every human innately has dignity and should be treated as such

Every duty, volunteer or otherwise, has value.

Participating in a community nourishes the soul.

Everyone deserves to eat nutritional food.

All people need a hand up at some point(s) in their lives1


It is through these values that FoCo Cafe has strived to uphold its goal to “feed its

community”, not just with food but also with new knowledge and meaningful

experiences.1

Regardless of someone’s ability to pay, it is the belief of FoCo Cafe that

everyone deserves to have access to delicious, nutritious food. Food is a common

denominator of any community. As a way of putting this belief into practice, FoCo Cafe

offers more than just the basic standard method of payment. Customers have the option

to pay the amount in full, pay what they can, pay ahead, or volunteer by working at the

café to pay off their meal. A donation box, rather than a typical cash register, is the

highlight of the café’s payment system; customers can also use an electronic kiosk to

“pay what they can,” “pay what they usually do,” or “pay it forward” for their meal 1Unlike

most restaurants, FoCo Cafe operates through volunteers and donations.

The unique payment system of FoCo Cafe is significant in helping to build a

healthier community, especially since 19% of Fort Collins residents – nearly 1 in 5

people - live in poverty.2 The Fort Collins poverty rate is 5% higher than the state

average, and therefore food insecurity is a major concern of the community.2 FoCo Cafe

also prides itself in utilizing ingredients that are mostly local, organic, or sustainably

grown. By partnering with local farmers, FoCo Cafe is able to uphold its mission of

building community as well as its values of sustainability and using local ingredients.

Other community partners, including local businesses and nonprofit organizations like

“The Growing Project” are also crucial to helping make the café a success.1


CONTEXT: TARGET AUDIENCE & COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The target audience that the FoCo Cafe focuses on is the community of Fort

Collins. Although FoCo Cafe focuses on the community as a whole, the design of their

business helps those who are in poverty or are food insecure in the Fort Collins

community. FoCo Cafe is located at an “intersection of poverty”, sharing the area with

multiple homeless shelters, the Larimer County Food Bank, and a local elementary

school that has the second most students signed up for free and reduced lunches in the

Pourde Valley system. A closer look at poverty and food insecurity on the local, state,

and national level follow:

Local: 19% of the Fort Collins community lives under the poverty level, which is 5%

higher than the state and national average. In 2014, the average household income was

$56,464 – an average, which is subject to extremes - and the average age of residents,

was 30.2 years.3

State: The average number of people under the poverty level for the state of Colorado is

approximately 14%. Although the household income average for the state - at $58,433 -

is not much higher than Fort Collins, it is higher than the national average.4

National: The national average annual household income is less than both Fort Collins

and Colorado at $53,046 and the average poverty level is a little over 15%. According to

the United States Department of Agriculture – USDA - about 14% of the US population

was food insecure at some point during the 2014 year, and 5.6 % were considered very


food insecure. A large majority of these individuals and families did engage in help from

a nutritional assistance program.5

With this data, FoCo Cafe is the perfect place to help benefit these families and

individuals that fall below the poverty line or face food insecurity at any point. The café

is addressing these problems by providing these meals to anyone and everyone

regardless of their income, with no judgment or stigma to those who are unable to.

FoCo Café, by providing an equal place for all to enjoy meals brings together the Fort

Collins community through the common denominator of food.

PROBLEM STATEMENT, PROJECT PURPOSE & BRIEF

DESCRIPTION

PROBLEM STATEMENT Nineteen percent of Fort Collins citizens are living under the poverty line.3 This is

drastically high compared to the state and federal level of poverty at about 14%.4,5

Living in poverty is associated with being unable to purchase and prepare healthy

foods. The people in this population may not have enough money to buy vegetables or

have the knowledge to create healthy meals. Some lower income individuals may not

have access to a kitchen or home to cook meals. FoCo Cafe focuses on feeding the

community and providing nutritious meals to those who otherwise could not afford it.

FoCo Cafe hopes to use the recipe book to bring the community together and educate

them..


PROJECT PURPOSE

In an effort to help FoCo Cafe deepen their connection to the community, while

keeping nutrition in mind, our team will be developing a cookbook using recipes made at

the café . The cookbook will detail the importance of vegetable consumption for health

and ways to consume more vegetables daily. The purpose of this book is to help

educate the FoCo Cafe community on growing their own produce to cut costs and to

increase vegetable consumption when they are not having a vegetable dense meal at

the café. The book can be helpful for low-income individuals on how to obtain cheapter

protein. If FoCo Cafe can sell enough books to make a sizable profit they will be able to

stay open longer giving them a better opportunity to feed more people.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT

The recipe book will be organized into seasons and the vegetable harvested at

that time. The book will have a prelude that will explain why vegetable consumption is

important for health, why local produce is important to a community, and how to use

MyPlate to create a balanced meal. The cookbook will also offer some tips on how to

increase daily vegetable consumption and how to reduce the cost of produce by

growing it. The recipe book will have 24 featured vegetables accompanied with

information on how to grow them in a backyard garden. Along with the gardening tips,

there will also be a recipe including that vegetable and the nutritional analysis of the

recipe. The recipes are from FoCo Cafe and are the same ones they use everyday.

Each recipe will be assigned a color corresponding with the MyPlate food group it

contains. The goal is to guide readers into cooking balanced, nutritious meals by


choosing a recipe from each category. The cookbook will be sold in the café and at

fundraising events.


BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORY & RESEARCH BASIS

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT) DEFINITION

Coined by Albert Bandura, Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) “delineates the presumed sources and mediators of

behavior and behavior change. 6 It acknowledges that there are constant reciprocal interactions between personal factors,

one’s behavior, the environment, and that individuals learn through social observation.6 Personal factors include self-

efficacy and cognition. Behavior includes complexity and skill. The environment includes the situation a person is in and

models a person has previously been exposed to. Not only does SCT explain the mechanisms behind behavior, but it also

provides the basis for intervention strategies that target behavioral change.6

SCT CONSTRUCTS SELECTED FOR THIS PROJECT & RATIONALE

Self-efficacy is a person’s confidence in performing a specific behavior and over-coming barriers to achieve it.6

Most people do not consume local produce and do not have home gardens and thus will need information to overcome

initial barriers. The recipe book will provide not only recipes with local produce, but also information on gardening at

home. The cooking class will also provide participants with the information to cook the recipes and provide participants the

opportunity to express their opinions and concerns about the recipes.


Expectations are a person’s beliefs about likely outcomes or results of a given behavior7. Local produce has the

potential to increase a person’s fruit and vegetable consumption, but people must first overcome their preconceived

notions of certain vegetables. A cooking class will allow participants to experience the recipes in the recipe book and allow

participants to know what the recipe will taste like and if they and their family can accept it. If participants discover tha t

they enjoy a recipe, they are more likely to reproduce it at home.

RESEARCH BASIS **Complete this table for two selected research studies that support your project design**

Citation AMA format required;

include copy of article in appendices.

Setting & Participants

Intervention description (include

Social Cognitive Theory constructs)

Evaluation strategies (include

how SCT constructs were measured)

Describe study findings relevant to your project

outcomes

Based on their results, what can you expect

from your project?

Anderson E, Winett R, Wojcik J. Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectations, and Social Support: Social Cognitive Theory and Nutrition Behavior. Annals Of Behavioral Medicine [serial online]. November 2007;34(3):304-312. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA.

712 churchgoers from 14 Baptist and United Methodist churches participated in this study. Ages of the individuals ranged 18-92 years old. Out of all of the participants, 66% were female, 18% were African American, 64% lived in households with no children,

The intervention was based on health promotion surveys given to the 712 participants regarding their nutrition related behavior and the effects of different interventions. Data collected for this study included: psychosocial questionnaires, Block Food

Psychosocial questionnaires, Block Food Frequency Questionnaires, and food shopping receipts were all collected to analyze the intake of fat, fiber, fruits, and vegetables as well as evaluate participants’ social support, self-efficacy,

Participants with higher degrees of self-efficacy

reported more positive and fewer negative expectations

about healthier food choices and its outcomes. Additionally, individuals with favorable outcome expectancies and higher levels of self-efficacy were more likely to set goals for and plan and monitor their

healthier eating behaviors, particularly

This study indicates that self-efficacy is one of the most significant factors in health promotion. By providing encouraging advice in our cookbook and hosting food tasting and cooking sessions of our featured recipes, we hope to raise the levels of self-efficacy and favorable expectations of our


Accessed October 24, 2015.

79% were classified as overweight or obese, and 9% reported an annual income of $20,000 or less. The median annual income was $50,000.

Frequency Questionnaires, and family food shopping receipts. The data was related to social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation. The data collected in the study indicated that interventions that garner family support, increase self-efficacy, and refute negative outcome expectations of participants are more likely to succeed. It also evaluated the intake of fat, fiber, fruits, and vegetables based off of food-shopping receipts and food frequency questionnaires to determine the nutrition behavior of each participant and the impact of the intervention.

outcome expectations, and self-regulation.

with regards to fruit and vegetable intake.

target audience. Through this, we believe that we can increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the home.

Anderson E, Winett R, Shoppers were The pre-intervention 4 to 6 month follow- A higher intake of fruits From this study, we


Wojcik J, Winett S, Bowden T. A Computerized Social Cognitive Intervention for Nutrition Behavior: Direct and Mediated Effects on Fat, Fiber, Fruits, and Vegetables, Self-Efficacy, and Outcome Expectations Among Food Shoppers. Annals Of Behavioral Medicine [serial online]. May 2001;23(2):88. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 24, 2015.

recruited from 5 different grocery stores. 296 shoppers fully participated in the study, with 148 assigned to the NSL (computer-based, self-administered intervention) and 148 were assigned to the control group. Participants in the intervention group completed the NSL program on a kiosk in one of the 5 selected grocery stores. Before the study began, participants were asked to send in food shopping receipts, and complete both the Block95 Food Frequency Questionnaire and the NLS Beliefs survey to establish a baseline. Out of all the participants, 96% were female, 92% were white, and 12% reported an annual income of

surveys established participant’s expectations. The intervention was “Nutrition for a Lifetime System” (NLS), a self-administered computer program on a kiosk based on the principles of the social cognitive theory. The tailored information and self-regulation strategies were delivered in 15 weekly segments regarding fat, fiber, fruits and vegetables. Each weekly lesson involved 10 segments based on content and 5 segments targeted at behavior change. The NLS used graphics, pictures, and an audio track for communicating information and strategies regarding food planning and purchasing behaviors, meal preparation, meal

ups were used to determine the intake of fat, fiber, fruits and vegetables. The success of participants’ self-administered goals was also recorded. Participants were asked to send in food shopping receipts, and complete both the Block95 Food Frequency Questionnaire and the NLS Beliefs survey again. The follow-ups and post-intervention surveys were targeted at detecting changes in the participants self-efficacy and behavior change regarding nutrition in the home.

and vegetables, better food purchasing behaviors, and improved meal preparation were recorded in the intervention group. These improved outcomes reflect an improvement in expectations, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. Participants who experienced success with their self-administered goals showed the greatest improvement in these areas.

believe that including nutritional content and suggestions in our cookbook that targets behavior change regarding fruit and vegetable intake, purchasing, and growing will have positive results. Particularly, we hope that it will increase our target audience’s self-efficacy and expectations of fruit and vegetable intake, purchasing, and growing.


$20,000 or less.

portion sizes, and the recommended consumption of specific food groups - particularly fruit and vegetables. Nutrition topics included bringing high-fiber meals/snacks to work and how to increase the amount of vegetables consumed throughout the day. Goal-setting and self-evaluation over time were also recorded. Together, the goal-setting and intervention impacted the participants’ expectations, self-efficacy, and self-regulation.


LESSON PLAN TABLE

Specific 2010 Dietary or 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans emphasized: The 2010 Dietary Guidelines state Americans should consume 2.5 cups of vegetables per day8. Fresh vegetable intake is important to reduce the

risk of chronic diseases, prevent cancers, and maintain healthy weight. Consuming adequate amounts vegetable increases the concentrations of valuable nutrients that are not found in other food sources. Lesson Title Social Cognitive

Theory Constructs Nutrition or Activity Message(s)

Learning Objectives

Learning Activities Instructional Materials Evaluation Strategies for learning objectives

FoCo Cafe Recipe Book with gardening tips to increase vegetable consumption

The recipe book satisfies self-efficacy by providing customers with increased knowledge of cooking and gardening. The recipe book provides expectations of the recipes by providing photos and directions.

The goal of the recipe book is to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits through increasing purchaser’s knowledge of local produce and how to incorporate local produce into recipes. The recipe book will also provide information about how to create a home garden.

At the end of this lesson, participants will demonstrate increased knowledge about in home gardening and increased knowledge about how to incorporate local produce – and more vegetables – into their daily meals (appendix 1.) Both of these learning objectives will be measured with a survey at the end of the cookbook (appendix 3).

The anchor will be the forward in the beginning of the book detailing why vegetable intake is important and how easy it can be to incorporate more vegetables into daily life. The add will include 24 vegetables and their health benefits as well as how to grow them. They will be applied by having each vegetable paired with a recipe on how to use it. The Away will be an afterword message that summarizes all the information in the cookbook into a few simple messages.

The cookbook will contain a brief description of each vegetable featured in the book. It will also provide information on planting time and growing conditions, harvesting season, a recipe for the vegetable and the nutritional analysis of the recipe.

To determine if purchasers of the cookbook understand more about how to grow and incorporate local produce – and thus consume more fruits and vegetables - a survey will be provided at the end of each cookbook. Purchasers will be encouraged to fill it out once they have used the recipe book.

FoCo Cafe Cooking

The cooking class satisfies self- efficacy by building skills through

The goal of this cooking class is to increase vegetable and fruit consumption by

At the end of this class, participants will be able to properly make

The anchor with the cooking class will be a beginning presentation detailing techniques and

Our materials will come from the FoCo Cafe cookbook. We will use the tips

When each group is making their recipe we will be able to see them cooking and applying the


Lesson Title Social Cognitive Theory Constructs

Nutrition or Activity Message(s)

Learning Objectives

Learning Activities Instructional Materials Evaluation Strategies for learning objectives

Class demonstration on how to reproduce the recipes. The cooking class satisfies expectations because the customers will be able to taste the recipes that they make before making it on their own at home.

increasing participant’s knowledge of proper cooking technique. Along with cooking technique, participants will also be educated on the local produce being used in the recipes – such as growing season and growing tips.

recipes utilizing local vegetables which will be measured by a post-cooking class survey (appendix 1) and a tasting survey for each recipe (appendix 2.) Participants will also have an increased knowledge about local produce. This will be measured by with the post-cooking class survey as well (appendix 1). 80% of participants will indicate a score of 3-5 in question 8 when asked if the class increased their knowledge in the survey (appendix 1).

tips to making the recipes featured in the cooking class and for home gardening the local produce. The add will be done by demonstrating how to make each recipe. Participants will split into groups and will be able to apply what they learned by cooking one of the recipes we provided for the class. They will then be able to take away each recipe used that night along with a summary of the gardening and cooking tips.

complied for each recipe and vegetable in the cookbook.

techniques we taught them earlier in the class. We will complete an observation checklist (appendix 5) to determine if we have met certain cooking goals. Along with observation, participants will be asked to complete a post-cooking class survey and a tasting survey of each recipe (appendices 1 and 2).Participants will also be asked to complete a shortened version of the NHANES food frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the class so it can be compared to a food frequency questionnaire given to them 3-6 months after the cooking class. This will determine if any changes to their diet occurred possibly due to the cooking class.


EVALUATION TABLE

Process Evaluation (these are measures that will tie to the activities and participants you

outlined in your logic model)

Impact Evaluation (these tie to the learning objectives, behavioral intent, skill demonstrations, etc.,

listed in your lesson plan table and short term outcomes in your logic model)

Outcome Evaluation (these tie to the medium term outcomes listed in your logic model).

Definition (include reference) Process evaluation is used to help

researches ascertain whether or not the intervention was adequately delivered and whether

the participants were exposed to the intervention appropriately.9 This type of evaluation can also

be used to help organize an intervention to help improve the programs replication.9

Impact evaluation helps the

researchers determine whether the observed outcomes are a result of the intervention itself or

something else entirely.10 This type of evaluation determines how much of a difference – if any – an

intervention made.10 Any changes in behavior after an intervention are likely to be due to the

intervention itself if no outside forces are at play.

Outcome evaluation is to develop

and analyze the actual behavior change that occurred following the intervention. 10

Specific purpose of each type of evaluation for our project

To determine whether or not our interventions – the recipe book and the cooking class – were

adequately delivered and whether we exposed the participants to the intervention enough.

To determine if there is any difference in participants’ vegetable intake right after

exposure to the cookbook and cooking class, and to determine if these changes were a result of

our intervention, or some other external influence.

Outcome evaluation is used to identify the effectiveness of the cookbook through people trying

the recipes and people increasing their gardening skills. Outcome evaluation will also analyze the

impact of our cooking class in increasing the amount of vegetables consumed by

participants.

1 to 3 4-part objectives for each type of evaluation (action, population, measure of success,

time frame)

At the end of our cooking class, we will have involved each participant in the preparation of at

least one recipe and gained experience with cooking with vegetables as measured by

After the cooking class, each participant will fill out a survey (appendix 1) and will answer

questions about how they felt about each recipe (appendix 2.) They will also be asked whether

6 months after the cooking class, 50% of participants will indicate that they consuming a half-cup

more of vegetables in their diet as measured by a food frequency questionnaire (appendix 4.)


observation and a survey (appendix 5 and appendix 1).

or not they believe the class itself changed the individual’s behaviors about cooking with

vegetables (appendix 1.) After the recipe book is printed,

there will be a survey in the book for the customers to fill out (appendix 3.) This survey will ask

about the customers’ increased knowledge of vegetable growing and consumption. Participants will

also be asked whether or not they believe the book itself changed the individual’s beliefs and

behaviors about growing vegetables (appendix 3.)

6 months after the recipe book, 50% of participants who bought

the cookbook will indicate that they have made at least two seasonal recipes from the book

using local ingredients, as measured by a post-survey (appendix 3.)

Method/s used to measure each objective for each type of

evaluation

Survey (proposed questions included in appendix 1.)

Observation (proposed questions included in appendix 5.)

Survey (proposed questions included in appendix 3.)

A food frequency questionnaire (appendix 4.) given at the end of

the cooking class and 6 months following the cooking class.

A post-survey in the back of the recipe book.

Summary of actual results OR expected results from each type

of evaluation method described above

We expect that we will be able to deliver an exciting, worthwhile

experience such that 95% or more participants of the cooking class will stay throughout the

entire cooking lesson, through observation and the submission of a post-cooking class survey at the

end of the lesson. From our observational checklist, we hope that by the end of the cooking

classes we will have adequately taught all participants how to adequately dice vegetables and

demonstrated how incorporate vegetables into a variety of meals.

We expect that, if there is any positive change in vegetable

intake, 70% of these outcomes it will be due to our cooking class and/or recipe book interventions

rather than outside factors, as measured through surveys. Participants will be asked to

gauge their own learning from the cooking class and compare it to their knowledge before the class

(appendix 1). In a study measuring the effectiveness of Jamie's Ministry of Food Program,

statistically significant results showed that vegetable intake and

The theoretical outcome of preforming a cooking class is that

50% of participants now show implementation of .5 cups of vegies per day due to increased

knowledge.11 Previous studies have shown that cooking classes paired with eating with other

participants in the class results in gaining and retaining more knowledge than people who read

it from an informational text or sat in a lecture.13 Also, people who get the experience of participate

in actually cooking vegetables have a high success rate (p<.05)


We expect that 90% or more of customers who purchase the recipe book will indicate that the

content was easy to read and understand. We expect that, from our gardening tips specifically,

70% or more of the participants will have gained new knowledge about vegetable growing and

cooking. Additionally, the vegetable cooking tips from both of our learning activities will lead

to 50% of participants increasing their vegetable intake by at least a half-cup. In a study measuring the

effectiveness of Jamie's Ministry of Food Program, a 10-week long nutrition education program with

cooking and gardening components, the intervention resulted in 91% of participants

completing the program and a 0.52 servings/day increase in vegetable intake11. Since our

cooking class consists of only 1 class, we assume that our event will have a higher attendance but

have a lesser impact on increasing our participant’s vegetable intake.

cooking confidence with vegetables immediately after the cooking class increased.11

Because our post survey will be handed out at the end of each lesson, we assume that any

immediate changes in our participants’ dietary behaviors will most likely be due to our cooking

class and not an outside factor.

on increasing their daily intake of vegetables.14

Although there is not a specific journal that supports cookbooks increasing knowledge in adults we

expect that 40% of participants who bought the cookbook will indicate they have made at least

two recipes 6 months after buying the cookbook. These results are based off the idea if people pay

for a product, they are going to use it. Also, the cookbook will contain information that gives

buyers the confidence and ability to try a new recipe using local ingredients. We are assuming that

most people who buy the cookbook will not already have a garden at home and do not in

general cook seasonal meals. Although, we also know the payment for the cookbook also

contributes to a good cause so some people may not be buying it for the information it contains and

the population who supports FoCo café might already have home gardens so the information

may not be helpful for them. This is why we expect 40% to show behavioral changes.


LOGIC MODEL

Inputs Outputs Impact -- Outcomes

Activities Participation Short Medium Long


Inputs Outputs Impact -- Outcomes

Activities Participation Short Medium Long

Staff Volunteers Time

Technology Food Kitchen

Utensils Money

Conducted a cooking class highlighting recipes in the

FoCo Cafe cookbook.

The class will also included information about growing

seasonal produce. A tasting survey (appendix 2) and a post-cooking class survey

(appendix 1) will then be administered to gauge the

effectiveness of the cooking

class.

In the development of the

cookbook, we will gather recipes of dishes that are

currently served at the café

(appendix 6). These recipes will be separated by season, educating readers on when

the vegetable is in season and that it can be grown

locally in Colorado. Using

nutrition software, we will evaluate the recipe

regarding calories, fat,

sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, protein, and any significant micronutrient

(appendix 6). We will also note any beneficial effects of

the recipe (appendix 6).

Fort Collins Community –

specifically FoCo

Cafe customers that have

purchased the

recipe book. Low-income Fort

Collins families will

also be encouraged to

participate.

Participates should learn how to and have

the confidence to

create the recipes from the cookbook.

Participates should also learn more about

growing their own

produce and when certain fruits and vegetables are in

season.

Participant should

increase their self-efficacy through learning about

gardening and learning to cook the

recipes.

The combined

cooking class and

gardening lecture should motivate participants to

increase the amount of fruits and

vegetables they

consume.

The tasting survey will

provide opinions to what kind of vegetables

participants enjoyed.

Participants will begin to create the

recipes in the

recipe book, know how they taste, and be able to

explain ways to introduce more vegetables into

their diet.

This will be

measured by a survey (appendix

3).

Participants will

begin implementing more

vegetables into

their diet, as a result of the recipe book and attending

a cooking class.

Our participants will increase their vegetable

consumption significantly

as a result of the cooking class and recipe book as

measured by a FFQ

(appendix 4).

Our participants will begin

to grow their own produce as a result of the gardening tips of specific vegetables

in the recipe book.

Participant’s self-efficacy

will be increased in being able to create these

recipes. Their expectations

about a specific vegetable in a recipe will also change. Both will be measured by a

post-survey (appendix 3).


Assumptions: We believe that if we increase the participant’s

knowledge about recipes with local produce, and how to grow local produce, this will increase the participant’s intake of vegetables. FoCo Cafe is attempting to achieve these efforts by providing healthful meals

to everyone. We believe that the addition of our recipe book and cooking class will help FoCo cafe achieve this. We assume that everyone that is given our recipe book will make these strives towards healthy eating and

living.

External Factors: There are many external factors that will affect participants including the participant’s literacy level – if they have the

ability to read and understand the recipe book - where they live – if they are unable to grow produce where they live now, or if they don’t have access to a kitchen - their income – if they cannot afford the recipe book

or the supples to begin their own garden - their occupation – if they have time to recreate reciopes or to work on a home garden - if they have children – if their children won’t eat certain food items, or they need to

use their time to care for their children - and whether or not they believe that it is important to consume local produce. These are all factors the intervention cannot account for. Each person will have a different living,

family, and financial situation that will impact our program in either a positive or negative way.


PRESENTATION

Although each team in our group completed a separate project, the overall goals

of each team were virtually the same and the interventions designed to accomplish

these goals were quite similar. As a group, our goal is to increase the vegetable intake

of individuals in Fort Collins to meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines by increasing the use

of vegetable in meals, increasing confidence in cooking with vegetables, and increasing

gardening knowledge.

We will introduce our community partner, service learning experiences, and the

target audience. These elements help set up our reasoning for our goals and

interventions. Our community partner, FoCo Cafe, is a nonprofit restaurant in Fort

Collins, CO. We will explain that, although FoCo Cafe is a nonprofit restaurant, it serves

all residents of Fort Collins. The café is able to raise enough money to provide free

meals to low-income individuals, and our group also uses this indirect approach to

address community nutrition in our intervention. By promoting FoCo Cafe through the

cooking classes and selling the cookbook the café will be able to raise more money to

provide more free nutritious meals to low-income individuals. Additionally, by providing

the cooking classes, taste-testing events, and the cookbook we will be able to promote

vegetable consumption to individuals who partake in these interventions.

The bulk of our presentation will address our interventions. The primary learning

activity is the cookbook, which includes recipes, vegetable nutrition information, and

vegetable gardening tips. During our presentation, we will pass around small handouts

of one of the recipes that we analyzed to help show what the content inside the


cookbook might look like. Two additional learning activities include a taste-testing event

and cooking classes. Since we were not able to actually complete our interventions, the

bulk of our project is hypothetical. However, FoCo Cafe still plans to carry out some of

the elements of our project such as the cookbook and the taste-testing event in the near

future. To evaluate the success of the interventions, and our group’s performance, we

will use surveys. We will then summarize the hypothetical outcomes, including an

increase in self-efficacy and the use of the Trickle-Down effect to improve the vegetable

intake of the Fort Collins community. We will then address recommendations for the

project. Finally, we will acknowledge Jeff and Kathleen for allowing us to volunteer in

their café, as well as thank everyone else who helped us with our project.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Our project consists of a cookbook paired with a cooking class, which is

theoretical. The cookbook will not be published until later in the year meaning we do not

have findings to evaluate. However, it is possible to predict what could occur based off

similar interventions and their outcomes.

After analyzing previous research, we suspect our cooking class will positively

impact 50% of participant’s expectations about cooking and self-efficacy in the kitchen,

resulting in an increase of their vegetable by at least half a cup per day.12,13 Research

also suggests that by actually participating in cooking experiences, participants are

more likely to retain nutrition information.13 Also, participants that eat the vegetables

prepared in class are more likely to eat the same vegetable in the future.11 Furthermore,

participants of cooking classes were likely to impact others by sharing their new


knowledge.12 It is important to note in many of these studies, the participants were not

as randomized as our cooking class would be. However, based off the Jamie’s Ministry

of Food Program from Australia that consisted of adults, our perceived outcomes are

not unrealistic.11

We believe of the people who purchase the FoCo Cafe recipe book, 40% will

have tried at least two new recipes from different seasons before the recipe book survey

is returned. There were no found studies on the impact of cookbooks changing people’s

behavior so we are assuming purchasers of the cookbook intend to use it for cooking, at

least twice. It is also difficult for us to theorize the effect the recipe book will have on

people’s gardening habits due to lack of research studies. We can only base our

findings on what people self report in the recipe book survey (appendix 3).

REFLECTION

This project has given us experience in planning and implementing nutrition

interventions. From this project, we now better understand the components, the

challenges, and the actions involved in creating a program for a community

organization. This assignment has especially allowed us to understand how to tailor an

intervention to an audience, and to never assume about an audience. For example, we

went into our project thinking that because FoCo Cafe is set up to benefit lower income

individuals, and that we would be interacting primarily with those who did not have

much; however, as we began to volunteer at the café, it became apparent that FoCo

Cafe is truly a place for the whole community. We also walk away from this project with

a better understanding of the need for creativity in nutrition interventions. The project we


did for FoCo Cafe was to run nutritional analysis on selected recipes for a FoCo Cafe

recipe book. We did not initially understand how this would benefit our target audience –

which was lower income individuals – but had to understand that selling recipe books, to

primarily middle class individuals would benefit the café and ultimately benefit all those

coming to the café, including those with low income. Sometimes to reach a target

audience, indirect methods may be necessary. We also have a better understanding of

the amount of time that must go into a nutrition intervention. Despite spending a few

months on developing our intervention, we will not be able to implement any of the

plans we have because of time constraints; nutritional intervention is truly a long-term

commitment between planning, implementing, and analyzing the results.

The information from our project, if we were able to implement and evaluate it,

would provide community leaders information about the impact that a restaurant like

FoCo Cafe can make. Community driven restaurants are becoming more common in

cities and they could have the potential to impact local nutrition. Our project could also

add to the credibility of cooking classes on positively affecting nutri tion. The project

could potentially provide some information on the effect of recipe books on the

purchasers cooking and gardening behaviors. This project could be interesting for any

community, or community member, interested in beginning a community-based

restaurant in their own area.

There were a few minor limitations mostly in planning and determining what the

project was going to be. For example, while FoCo Cafe initially told us they wanted to

do the cookbook, they also proposed ideas for a compost lesson, an online recipe book,

a tasting event for the public, and nutritional analysis of all their recipes. Eventually, we


only did nutritional analysis of selected recipes and gardening tips for the recipe book.

There seemed to be a problem deciding what they wanted from us that eventually was

resolved. We also had only a theoretical project because the recipe book took the entire

semester. The planning complications prevented us from taking the project further than

we would have liked. Organization of the two groups for FoCo Cafe was also a bit

awkward because although we were in two groups, we worked on only one project.

If we were to repeat this project, I think we would work early on to make the

activities and lesson plans a reality. When we began the project, we did not understand

the possibilities of what we could do; early in the semester we were not working on this

project because our community partner initially gave us little to work on. Could we have

done this again, I think we would have planned with FoCo Cafe earlier in the hopes that

an actually activity could have happened.

Our project contributes to the field of community nutrition by taking a look at a

source of community nutrition that is very new. Community-based restaurants like FoCo

Cafe are currently uncommon and a relatively new idea. Our project looks at the

potential of these restaurants to impact their community through a nutrition intervention.

As these types of restaurants increase, there is great potential to reach a community

through them. FoCo Cafe is a unique nutrition source because it does not target a very

select population, but rather can make a nutritious impact on the entire Fort Collins

community. Community based restaurants could be a very valuable tool for community

nutrition to reach parts of the population that are usually not targeted through nutrition

interventions.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to acknowledge all involved in FoCo Cafe and specifically

Kathleen and Jeff Baumgardner for allowing us to work and volunteer with the café. We

would also like to acknowledge Amie Borra for coordinating the project with us and

being a constant source of contact and information. Kevin Leung deserves a special

acknowledgement for being the head of the larger group and being our primary liaison

with FoCo Cafe.

REFERENCES

1. FoCo Cafe History. FoCo Cafe Web site. http://fococafe.org/about/ Published 2015.

Accessed September 19 2015.

2. Fort Collins, Colorado. United States Census Bureau Web site.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0827425.html Published September 3, 2015.

Accessed September 22, 2015.

3. The Most Current, Easy-To-Consume Fort Collins Demographic. Fort Collins

Demographics Web site. http://www.colorado-demographics.com/fort-collins-

demographics. Published 2015. Accessed September 22, 2015.

http://fococafe.org/about/

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0827425.html

http://www.colorado-demographics.com/fort-collins-demographics

http://www.colorado-demographics.com/fort-collins-demographics


4. Colorado QuickFacts from U.S. Census Bureau. Colorado QuickFacts Web site.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html. Published 2015. Accessed

September 22, 2015.

5. Coleman-Jensen A, Rabbit MP, Gergory C, Singh A. Household Food Securty in the

United States in 2014. USDA – Economic Research Service. 2015.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896836/err194_summary.pdf

6. Anderson E, Winett R, Wojcik J. Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, Outcome

Expectations, and Social Support: Social Cognitive Theory and Nutrition Behavior.

Annals Of Behavioral Medicine [serial online]. November 2007;34(3):304-312. Available

from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 24, 2015.

7. Anderson E, Winett R, Wojcik J, Winett S, Bowden T. A Computerized Social

Cognitive Intervention for Nutrition Behavior: Direct and Mediated Effects on Fat, Fiber,

Fruits, and Vegetables, Self-Efficacy, and Outcome Expectations Among Food

Shoppers. Annals Of Behavioral Medicine [serial online]. May 2001;23(2):88. Available

from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 24, 2015.

8. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010: 2010. 7th ed. Washington, DC: U.S.

Department Printing Office; 2010.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896836/err194_summary.pdf


9. Branscum, P & Kaye, G. Process Evaluations for Multistic Nutrition Education

Program. Californian Journal of Health Promotion. 2012: 10:34-39.

http://www.cjhp.org/SpecialIssue1_2012/documents/34-39branscum.pdf

10. Food and Nutrition Service. USDA. Nutrition Education: Principles of Sound Impact

and Evaluation. September 2005.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/EvaluationPrinciples.pdf

11. Flego A, Herbert J, Waters E, et al. Jamie’s Ministry of Food: Quasi-Experimental

Evaluation of Immediate and Sustained Impacts of a Cooking Skills Program in

Australia. Kirk M, ed. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(12):e114673.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0114673.

12. Levy, J, Auld G. Cooking Classes Outperform Cooking Demonstrations for College

Sophomores. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.2004; 36:197-203.

13. Liquori T, Koch P.D, Contento I.R, Castle J. The Cookshop Program: Outcome

Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program Linking Lunchroom Food Experiences with

Classroom Cooking Experiences. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

1998;30(5):302-313. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3182(98)70339-5

http://www.cjhp.org/SpecialIssue1_2012/documents/34-39branscum.pdf

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/EvaluationPrinciples.pdf

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3182(98)70339-5


14. Campbell M, Resnicow K, Carr C, Wang T, Williams A. Process Evaluation of an

Effective Church-Based Diet Intervention: Body & Soul. Health Education & Behavior.

2006;34(6):864-880. doi:10.1177/1090198106292020.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: POST COOKING CLASS – SURVEY 1. Did you enjoy this recipe?

a. Yes b. No

2. Would you recreate this recipe at home?

a. Yes b. No

3. On a scale of 1-5 – 1 being easy - how would you rate the difficulty in creating this recipe?

4. On a scale of 1-5 - 1 being easy – how comfortable do you feel being able to

recreate this recipe at home?

5. Is there anything that you would change in this recipe? a. Yes

b. No If Yes, what?

6. Is there any additional information you need to be able to reproduce this recipe?

7. On a scale of 1-5 – 1 being low – how familiar were you with the vegetable being used in this recipe before the cooking class?

http://www.jneb.org/article/S0022-3182(98)70339-5/abstract

http://www.jneb.org/article/S0022-3182(98)70339-5/abstract


8. On a scale of 1-5 – 1 being low – how much did this cooking class increase your knowledge of the vegetable being used? I.e. cooking techniques, gardening tips,

growing seasons.

9. How confident would you feel incorporating this vegetable into another recipe

now that you understand how to cook it?

a. Very confident b. Somewhat confident

c. Not confident


APPENDIX 2: RECIPE TASTING QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Did you enjoy this recipe?

a. Yes

b. No 2. How did the food taste?

a. Very good

b. Good c. Average

d. Poor e. Very poor – did not want to eat

3. How did the food look?

a. Very good b. Good

c. Average d. Poor e. Very poor – did not want to try

4. How did the food smell? a. Very good

b. Good c. Average d. Poor

e. Very poor – did not want to try 5. On a scale of 1-5 – 1 being poor – what is your overall impression of the recipe?

6. Would you recreate this recipe for your family?

a. Yes b. No

If No, what would you change?


APPENDIX 3: FOCO CAFE RECIPE BOOK SURVEY 1. Do you have a home garden?

a. Yes b. No

If No, skip to question 5. 2. How often do you garden?

a. Year round

b. Most of the year c. About half of the year

d. Less than half of the year e. Very little

3. How many different types of produce do you grow in your garden?

a. 1-3 b. 4-6

c. 7-9 d. 10+

4. How much of the food that you grow do you or your family actually consume?

a. All b. Most

c. About half d. Little e. None

5. How much has the FoCo Cafe recipe book increased your knowledge of gardening?

a. Greatly increased b. Somewhat increased c. Not at all

6. Have you considered staring a home garden after purchasing the FoCo Cafe recipe book?

a. Yes b. No

7. If there were any change to your gardening habits, would you attribute this to

information you have learned from the FoCo Cafe recipe book? a. Yes

b. No 8. How much would you say the FoCo Cafe recipe book has increased your

knowledge of incorporating vegetables into a meal?

a. Greatly increased b. Somewhat increased

c. Not at all increaed


APPENDIX 4: NHANE FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE






APPENDIX 5: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST FOR INSTRUCTOR REGARDING COOKING CLASS

Observational Evaluation Check off completion for each participant upon viewing them demonstrate proficiency in an activity listed

below The participant:

1. ______ Has the ability to split into 4 different groups (winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) based off the

vegetable recipe they were given

2. ______ Is able to chop ingredients with a knife based off the techniques demonstrated in class

3. ______ Is able to dice rhubarb, parsnip, butternut squash, or tomatoes into a similar shape and

size as demonstrated

4. ______ was able to heat butter to desired point (melted or browned) without burning as

demonstrated

5. ______ Is able to measure out ingredients as specified in the recipe

6. ______ Is able to follow the recipe provided to make the desired product

7. ______ Is able to give an introduction about their recipe before the class taste tests it

8. ______ eats among the other people in the class and engages in conversation about the meal

9. _____ Indicated through verbal or visual communication that they enjoy the taste of the rec ipes

10. ______ Shows interest in taking home materials (recipes and tips on increasing vegetable intake)

provided in the class


APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE OF RECIPES FROM FOCO CAFE RECIPE BOOK Spring – Rhubarb

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable but is used in dessert and jam recipes as a fruit. The stalk of the plant is the only part edible because the leaves are very poisonous – do not eat the leaves!

Rhubarb grows best in cold weather and should be planted from February to April.

The harvest season is from early May to late September – depending on the summer heat. It is important not to harvest the rhubarb in the first year of life.

Rhubarb requires constant sun.

Rhubarb requires watering every other day especially in the summer.

The plant needs a mixture of compost or any other organic fertilizer that contains a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen during its first year of growth. Rhubarb will come back for multiple years.

Rhubarb is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber.

Rhubarb Crisp

(GF)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups fresh rhubarb, diced

2 cups sliced apples, strawberries, apricots, peaches, or raspberries

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup real butter, melted

1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour or potato starch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar with the rhubarb and other fruit, allowing a syrup to form and let

stand for 20 minutes. Separate the fruit from the syrup. Whisk the corn starch and the syrup.

2. Spoon the fruit into an 8-inch baking dish. Cover with the syrup corn starch mixture.

3. In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for 45

minutes or until bubbly and the fruit is tender. Serve warm or cold.

Calories 317.13. Total Fat 12g. Saturated Fat 7g. Sodium 10mg. Total Carbohydrate 52g. Dietary Fiber 3g. Sugars 35g. Protein 2g. Vitamin A 8%. Vitamin C 8%.

Summer -Tomatoes Gardening Tips

Tomatoes are frequently viewed as a vegetable but they are actually the fruit of a vegetable plant. They are mostly used as a vegetable and are frequently used in salads and soups.

They are a warm weather summer plant and should be planted when the temperature will always stay above 50 degrees. Frost will kill tomatoes so it is best to plant them in May or June and


harvested about 100 days after planting. Tomatoes will continue to grow as long as the weather is warm.

The plant likes to be in airy spaces and should be planted with some distance between other plants. They should be planted in full sun and watered every day if they are planted in a container, if they are planted directly into soil they require one to two fully soaked waterings per

week.

Nutritionally, they are high in vitamin C, biotin, and vitamin K. They have also been known to support cardiovascular health as well as an anti-cancer agent

Chilled Tomato and Vegetable Soup (vegan, GF) Makes 8 servings

Ingredients: 6 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped (see instructions below) 1 cucumber

1 red bell pepper, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 zucchini, diced

1/2 sweet onion, fine diced 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons organic cane sugar 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 3 cups tomato juice in addition to the juice captured from tomatoes salt and pepper to taste

1. For tomatoes, cut in half, squeeze out seeds into a fine strainer over a bowl to catch the juice. Chop

the tomato halves. Discard the seeds.

2. Combine all ingredients except the additional tomato juice in a large bowl. Use the additional juice to

achieve the desired consistency.

3. Adjust seasonings as desired.

4. Refrigerate and enjoy this soup that is really a salad!

Calories 110, Total Fat 4 gram, Saturated Fat 0g, Sodium 450mg, Total Carbohydrate 17g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 10g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A 15%, Vitamin C 90%

Fall – Parsnips

Parsnips are a cool-season vegetable, and they are part of the parsley family. This plant is known

for its sweet, nutty flavor. Parsnips are very hardy plants and develop a more pronounced flavor after they have grown in cold, frosty weather.

Parsnips can be planted from March to May.

Parsnips can be harvested from September to December. The root is ready to remove from the

ground when the leaves start to die down in late summer/early fall. They can be left in the ground until you are ready to harvest them, and will develop a more pronounced flavor if left in the ground until after a light frost.

Parsnips need about 1-2 inches of water weekly and should be watered regularly if rainfall is inadequate.

Parsnips grow best in cold, full sun conditions in well-drained soil. Since the plant tends to grow

deep, it is important that the soil be deep, relatively loose, and well-drained.

Parsnips are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, vitamin K, and manganese.


Calories 254, Total Fat 12 gram, Saturated Fat 7g, Sodium 590g, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber

5g, Sugars 7g, Protein 12g, Vitamin A 126% , Vitamin C 38%

Turkey, Potato, Carrot and Parsnip Soup

(GF)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

2 large onions, diced

4 carrots, large diced

4 parsnips, large diced

4 cups (32 ounces) turkey broth

2 1/2 cups potatoes, large diced

1 teaspoon thyme

1 1/4 cups half and half

1 1/2 cup of shredded roasted turkey

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden, stirring

frequently.

2. Add carrots and parsnips and cook 10 minutes.

3. Add turkey broth, potatoes, and thyme. Cover and simmer 30 minutes until potatoes are

tender, stirring occasionally. Puree half the soup and return all the soup back in the pot.

4. Stir in half and half and shredded roasted turkey.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup to a simmer, serve, and enjoy!

Winter- Butternut Squash

Butternut squash are a type of winter squash that have a sweet, nutty taste. It has yellow skin and orange, fleshy pulp. When it is ripe, it turns deep orange with a sweeter and richer taste. It grows

on a vine.

The growing season begins when any danger of frost has passed and the sun has warmed the

soil. 60-65℉ is their optimal temperature, as they will only germinate in warm soil.

Harvest season is December through March.

Butternut squash require full sunlight to grow.

Soil should be kept moist, but not soggy. If they do not receive at least an inch of rain per week,

they will need a long soak to permeate the soil and reach the roots. Avoid high water pressure and aim water towards the base of the plant.

Cultivation begins by forming the soil into a hill that is about 18 inches high. This allows the soil to

heat the seeds and roots.

These plants require heavy fertilization as they are heavy feeders.

They are a great source of fiber, potassium, niacin, beta-carotene, and iron.


* Nutritional analysis not currently available.

Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Tree Shaker Beer Soup

Makes about 1 gallon or 12 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 medium sized onion, diced

6 cups cubed butternut squash

1/2 package or 6 oz lean uncured bacon, diced

1 12 oz bottle of an autumn ale or cider (we prefer Odell Tree Shaker)

3 quarts (96 ounces) of chicken broth

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 pint heavy cream

salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat allowing butter to foam, subside, and brown,

add diced onions and cook on medium-high heat stirring frequently until translucent.

2. Cook bacon until slightly crisp.

3. Add 3/4 of the butternut squash to onions. Pour in the beer and stir in the cooked bacon. Include the

bacon fat if desired. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until squash is soft.

4. Add chicken stock, paprika, and nutmeg. Add heavy cream slowly, mixing as you do. Simmer for 30

minutes

5. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth.

6. Dice the remaining squash cubes and add them to the soup. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy this hearty treat!

* Nutritional analysis not currently available.

Documents

Community Partner Project Final Version (2)