Working on Wellness

in Hidalgo & Starr Counties, Texas

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Mark Fenton Helps Hidalgo County Create Livable, Walkable Communities

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Mark Fenton in S. McAllen Mark Fenton is a nationally recognized walkability expert with a background in public health, planning, and transportation. He was also the host of the “America’s Walking” Series on PBS Television.

 

Mark Fenton in Weslaco

He visited Weslaco, Penitas, and South McAllen in Hidalgo county to help create livable, walkable communites. While in Weslaco, Mark assisted the Public Work department and local high school students in re-striping a school crosswalk.

Mark Fenton in PenitasDuring the walkability workship in the Penitas community, Mark demonstrated to local citizens how to pilot test techniques to create supportive, walk environments.

 

Mark Fenton in S. McAllen

Mark ended his trip with a planning meeting in South McAllen. There he showed community members how to re-imagine local public spaces.

Breaking Ground For Katarina Park Walking Trail

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Video produced by Hidalgo County Department

Residents in the western portion of Hidalgo County will soon have a new walking trail in Katarina Park to complement a healthy lifestyle, thanks to a grant administered by Texas A&M Extension Service-Hidalgo County.

The trail is made possible due to a Centers For Disease Control (CDC) grant awarded to Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Services and Texas A&M University Health Science Center. The Working on Wellness in Hidalgo County (WOW) grant will be used for projects to improve the health environment of communities by increasing access to healthy foods and physical activity.

The walking trail, which will be funded by $30,000 from the grant, was promoted by a coalition of Peñitas residents, who determined the Precinct 3 county park would benefit from the creation of a walking trail. The WOW grant will go towards laying down crushed granite to provide a safe, smooth trail for Precinct 3 residents to enjoy.

The project is expected to be completed by mid-December.

Starr Summer Youth Camp

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Kids Learn the importance of physical activity and nutrition

Children trying a nutritious snack

San Isidro, Texas hosted a Summer Youth Camp. The camp focused on educating the young community members on fitness and nutrition. Six stations were set up at San Isidro High school with various physical activities and food demonstrations for the children. 125 youths of the San Isidro community were able to learn valuable information while having fun thanks to the 25 adult volunteers who came out in support.

Kids enjoying one of the six stations

Summer Cooking Workshops in Hidalgo County

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Working on Wellness (W.O.W.) presents Fresh Meals for the Summer, where community members in Hidalgo County have the opportunity to learn healthy recipes to help them eat fresh and keep cool during the summer! At the workshop participants learned a healthy diet is one that provides a variety of foods and the right amounts of the nutrients that we need to promote health and prevent disease.  A healthy diet also incorporates vegetables and fruits, they are an excellent source of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are special compounds found in fruits and vegetables that have been shown to promote health and reduce the risk of certain diseases. The more colorful fruits and vegetables you put on your plate, the more phytonutrients you will have in your meal.

A great example of a colorful recipe would be our Garden Fiesta Chicken Salad.

Garden Fiesta Tuna Salad – makes 6 servings

2 5-ounce cans chicken packed in water, drained
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup corn
1 green bell pepper (diced)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small red onion, diced (optional)
8 cups of mixed leafy greens
2 avocados, sliced
Whole grain crackers

 

In a bowl, combine tuna with beans, corn, bell pepper, carrot, and onion.

Add in lime juice, vegetable oil, salt and spices and mix thoroughly.

Place 1 cup of tuna on 2 cups of leafy greens.

Garnish with 2 to 3 slices of avocado.

Serve with whole grain crackers

 

Blue Corn in Starr County

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Blue corn is an ancient heirloom and it is up to 30% higher in protein than an average variety. In the United States, it is often associated with the Pueblo nations of the Southwest where it was grown for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish in 1540. Even today, New Mexican cuisine wouldn’t be the same without the iconic blue tortillas and chips that are also used in various other regions south of the border. Last winter, Vit Kaspar made a trip to New Mexico where he obtained some seed from the Red Willow Farm run by the indigenous people of Taos. This corn has an extremely reduced growing season due to the short summers in its region of origin, at the high elevation of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It was therefore expected to be potentially suitable for fall planting in South Texas. The preliminary trial resulted in a harvest within 60-65 days and yielded high quality kernels. After processing the shucked corn with lime (nixtamal), experimental tortillas were prepared at the Starr County Extension office. The Blue corn is now part of the Starr County Community Seed Bank and it will be made available to the public.

Lablab as a summer cover crop

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In an effort to reduce the amount of summer weeds that grow and fill the gardens while the students are away on summer break, we tilled the larger gardens in June and planted “Lab-lab”, an African bean plant traditionally used here in deer feed plots on hunting ranches. The bean grows well in the heat and after being watered for two or three weeks requires no additional watering. Due to its aggressive vining growth, “Lab-lab” fills in the row quickly and attains canopy cover within a few weeks and easily out grows most summer weeds here except the dreaded pigweed. We planted Lablab extensively at R.T. Barrera Elementary, and Grulla High School. Though we have had a hotter summer than expected, the Lablab grew swiftly. The plant did a great job beating the grassy weeds and caused to gardens to have very few weeds this summer. We are currently conducting “kill” tillage, a shallow tillage meant to kill all the weeds and plants in the garden and leave them near the soil surface while avoiding “planting” the weeds seeds with a deeper till. With a little rain in the next two weeks, the weed seeds will germinate, but can easily be killed with an additional tillage just prior to planting.

Testimonials

According to Mr. Muñoz, working in the Transforming Texas gardens teaches more than how to grow and sustain a garden.   While not all children will participate in building the garden in its early stages, every student who spreads compost, plants seeds, waters the garden, or harvests ripe fruits and vegetables, will see the product of their individual and team work.   He believes that the gardens teach students that with hard work and dedication you can grow your own personal success and proudly achieve your goals.   He is confident that the gardens cultivate more than organic produce, but actually cultivate a sense of pride and encouragement in the students that will transfer to other areas of their lives.

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Thank You

The WOW Coalition and community leaders, like you, are integral to the success of Transforming Starr County. Your support and assistance help ensure that the programs are effective and what the community needs!