Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Food safety is often a low priority for individuals living on a reservation where hunger and poverty are rampant. Community members regularly attend Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) events just for the meals that are provided. Children come into the library on campus without shoes, asking for any kind of food that staff can give. Emails go out campus-wide after meetings when food remains because it is likely that somebody is hungry for it. Food access often takes precedence over food safety, but this project aims to address both issues with the added benefit of improving food sovereignty. The Spirit Lake Tribe is regaining independence over its local food system and the CCCC Land Grant Extension (LGE) is an integral part of that revitalization. A recent study found that nearly 58% of individuals in the Spirit Lake community had incomes of less than $10,000 (Lindquist et al. 2018). These people faced increasing barriers in trying to access safe and affordable foods in the wake of thepandemic. As a result, a resurgence in interest in gardening, the farmers market/local produce, and food preservation occurred -- particularly of traditional foods or wild-forageable goods. The community decided that if they could not buy what they needed, they would make it themselves. This approach is starting to work. This year (2021) we accepted SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at our farmers market for the first time and, though staged as a small, pop-up market this year, we and our vendors still sold hundreds of dollars in SNAP goods alone. If more Native producers were trained in how to save and preserve their goods, safely, whether for their families or for sale, part of the gap in food accessibility could be filled. Changes/Problems:The department still struggles with staffing. We were without a full position for several months in 2023-2024. Then, Moriah Thompson, who was on deck to run the food preservation program, resigned her position. Because of this and other issues, we have allowed the focus of work to drift from in-person workshops and testing, to NDSU'sfully online course. It's not wasted effort, it's very good information, but it was not the original goal. This year will be spent refocusing on the in person teaching materials as well as the culturally-related aspects. Despite these personnel struggles, we have been able to host several preservation workshops and they have been well received. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Moriah Thompson and Gabe Nelson both attended an in person NDSU Extension training program for food preservation. There, they were taught by Dr. Julie Garden-Robinson on the safe ways to can. In addition, the team at CCCC has particicpated in FSMA webinars and meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The workshops and future course has been shared widely on the CCCC Facebook page, as well as being sent to the Board of Regents and Tribal Council via monthly reports. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next year, focus will shift from the online modules to creating an in person course that can be used to teach a series of workshops that include skill tests. We also need to create the framework that other tribes or cultural groups could use to focus the materials on their own cultural preservation methods and items.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A multi-module course was developed by North Dakota State University Extension with input and review from our collaborators at Cankdeska Cikana Community College in Fort Totten, ND, using Moodle software from the Extension Foundation. This self-paced course consists of five overall categories: freezing, pressure canning, water-bath canning, drying and fermenting, with specific foods provided by Candeska Cikana Community College staff and community residents. Each category has several short, narrated modules, with lessons, quizzes and handouts. The content from all modules was based on research-tested methods and evaluated by subject matter specialists and by 17 Extension agents throughout North Dakota. CCCC has solicited participants for several single-lesson food preservation workshops. These workshops have allowed us to refine teaching methods in the classroom. Some lessons were simple: changing the kitchen so that tools were grouped together with like items instead of always at each station. Some are more difficult, like tackling how to run workshops quickly so that students are able to attend. Especially for single-lesson workshops, we have found that best practice is to have as much pre-measured and cut as possible. Students still have to follow the recipe, and still learn all the steps in the process, but it removes the time waiting for ingredients to be passed around, or for those that are busy chopping. We have also found that instructors should either have at least one 'floater' to assist individualstudents, or not follow the recipe along with students. No student is the same, and the recipes come together faster for some than others. With the nature of preservation (especially canning), realistic in person lessons mean helpiang students at a variety of stages. To mitigate this, we've begun going over the whole recipe once, before students start. This way instructors can point out potential problems before students start, and help them have a smooth experience. We have also been collecting a variety of jargon, tools, and ingredients that are well known to cooks and preservation veterans, but new for novices. Understanding what a rolling boil is, how to read a candy thermometer, blanching. All of these things seem simple, but are gaps in knowledge. Our focus in the 2024 preservation season has been on what is ripe in the environment around us. With one exception, all workshops have used produce that is collected from the gardens and foraging spaces available on the reservation.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Food safety is often a low priority for individuals living on a reservation where hunger and poverty are rampant. Community members regularly attend Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) events just for the meals that are provided. Children come into the library on campus without shoes, asking for any kind of food that staff can give. Emails go out campus-wide after meetings when food remains because it is likely that somebody is hungry for it. Food access often takes precedence over food safety, but this project aims to address both issues with the added benefit of improving food sovereignty. The Spirit Lake Tribe is regaining independence over its local food system and the CCCC Land Grant Extension (LGE) is an integral part of that revitalization. A recent study found that nearly 58% of individuals in the Spirit Lake community had incomes of less than $10,000 (Lindquist et al. 2018). These people faced increasing barriers in trying to access safe and affordable foods in the wake of the pandemic. As a result, a resurgence in interest in gardening, the farmers market/local produce, and food preservation occurred -- particularly of traditional foods or wild-forageable goods. The community decided that if they could not buy what they needed, they would make it themselves. This approach is starting to work. This year (2021) we accepted SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at our farmers market for the first time and, though staged as a small, pop-up market this year, we and our vendors still sold hundreds of dollars in SNAP goods alone. If more Native producers were trained in how to save and preserve their goods, safely, whether for their families or for sale, part of the gap in food accessibility could be filled. Changes/Problems:We have had two major changes this grant cycle - first our Land Grant Director left the college at the end of 2022. The Assistant Land Grant director was there to step up to the plate, however the department remained a person short through the end of this grant period. Additionally, our Community Agriculture Coordinator, who was planning on teaching the classes, is leaving us on Oct. 6, so there will have to be some retraining of a new hire. Both of these have made progress slower than anticipated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Staff have attended many NCR FSMA and FSOP trainings. Additionally, we have sought out information from a variety of sources, including other FSOP recipients, community elders, and online sources. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We presented our project during an NCR FSMA session. Additionally we have been keeping the Spirit Lake Healthy Community Coalition informed of progress. They are an excellent way to connect with a large number of tribal programs in the same place. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In our next cycle we will be finalizing the curriculum and handouts, as well as running trial programs to make sure that trainers are comfortable and we are prepared for class questions. We will also be collecting information from tribal elders, especially about traditional drying practices. These will be included in the curriculum.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Working in conjunction with NDSU, we have produced rough drafts of water and pressure canning, as well as freezing materials. CCCC staff are in the process of reviewing the information for understanding and readability. We have reached out to several community members to get test groups in place to make sure that the lessons are understandable even for those that aren't used to food preservation. Trainers have also begun doing tests of the material, both to make sure it is easy to follow and to get comfortable with the process. We were able to create several batches of jams, jellies, and pickles, all made with produce that was foraged or grown by department staff.
Publications
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