UF/IFAS Leon County Extension

In anticipation of International Cake Day on July 20, here's a sweet slice of cake history. An upcoming webinar explains how to sell cakes in Florida See link below ⬇️

📸 Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat

Doubling or tripling a favorite recipe is a smart way to save time and reduce effort in the kitchen. Cooking in large batches means you get several meals from one session and use your ingredients more efficiently, with less waste. Dishes like soups, stews, casseroles, pasta, and rice freeze especially well for easy future meals.

🔗For more information about freezing, click here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze

Weekly Contribution: $25

Food is never just food.

Last week, our teens explored the history of food because understanding today’s global food systems requires understanding how they were formed.

Through recipes rooted in diverse culinary traditions, we explored how food reflects geography, trade, culture, and the social connections that shape everyday life. What began in the kitchen became an interdisciplinary exploration of history, sociology, science, and community.

Teens cooked collaboratively, engaged in Socratic dialogue, and developed practical skills such as food safety, knife skills, and cooking techniques. They also explored the gut microbiome, the importance of fiber, and the question of how nutrition, health, and access to food are shaped by larger social and environmental systems.

At the heart of this program is a simple idea: food is a bridge. By integrating history, sociology, microbiology, and hands-on cooking, we use food as a lens to understand culture, health, community, and the human experience.
We are proud of these curious and engaged learners who spent the week asking questions, sharing meals, and discovering that to understand food is to understand people.

We are deeply grateful to Cafe de Martin and Halisi Africa who welcomed us and helped bring these lessons to life. Your hospitality and knowledge turned meals into meaningful learning experiences for our teens.

This commitment to fostering cross-cultural understanding and preparing young people to engage thoughtfully with global challenges recently earned our program a state-level award for excellence in global citizenship. We are honored by this recognition and inspired daily by the curiosity and compassion of our young people.

Because when young people learn about food, they are also learning how to become thoughtful global citizens, one question, one conversation, and one shared meal at a time.

Applications for the Leon County Master Gardener Volunteer program are due June 30th, two weeks away! What do the Master Gardener Volunteers do? They educate the citizens of Leon County on topics such as pollinators, wildlife, vegetable gardening, and soil nutrients. They maintain our Demonstration gardens, answer horticulture questions, identify plants, remove invasive species, and help extend the mission of Extension to our citizens. If you would like to join our MGV program, please get an application from our office, or visit https://bttr.im/pa54y. You can reach our office at 850-606-5200 or email [email protected].

You know the saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure." You'll be surprised at what you can find for a fraction of the cost. Not only are you saying your wallet, but also practicing sustainability.

Check out this newspaper article about the clothing industry: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/home-garden/2025/06/30/behind-the-seams-second-hand-shops-offers-sustainable-fashion/84340848007/.

Weekly contribution: $24

If you would like to know more about the Master Gardener Volunteer program in Leon County, we will host an informational webinar tomorrow, Thursday, June 11th at 6:00 pm on Zoom to discuss the program and how to apply. Link to event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/becoming-a-master-gardener-volunteer-2026-tickets-1990019944223
Applications are due by June 30th. To receive an MGV application call our office at 850-606-5200, or email us at [email protected]. Or you can go to our My Impact website here https://bttr.im/pa54y and create a new profile and fill out the application.

Becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer 2026 Learn more about what it takes to be a Master Gardener Volunteer in Leon County.