Homegrown Missouri food

Finally, spring is here! We can open our windows, plant our beans and potatoes, and light the grill! My mouth is already watering for Missouri strawberries and blueberries. It's almost time for Rhubarb pie and sugar snap peas.

Here in mid-Missouri we have lots of options for eating fresh, ripe, local produce all through spring, summer and fall. Perhaps the easiest place to find the harvest is the Farmer's Market. There are two markets in Columbia:

Columbia Farmers Market

• Saturdays 8 a.m.-12 p.m. (Apr-Nov)
• Mon. & Wed. 4-6 p.m. (May-Oct)
• Behind the ARC on the corner of Clinkscales and Ash Streets

Boone County Farmers Market

• Saturdays 8 a.m.-12 p.m. (Apr-Oct)
• Mon. & Wed. 4-6 p.m. (May 12-Sept)
• Parking lot of the Health Department Building, 1005 W. Worley Street

There are other ways to get local produce as well. CSAs (Community-Supported Agriculture programs) allow members to invest in the farm at the beginning of the growing season and then reap the harvest throughout the spring, summer and fall. Typically a CSA membership provides you with a weekly supply of food. By supporting a farm this way, members can give farmers the start-up funds needed to plant and grow, and members both share in the bounty when the weather is good and help take the fall if there is drought or crop damage. Pierpont Farms is an active CSA in Columbia.

To have the most fun, pick your own! There are many places in mid-Missouri to pick fruits and veggies, including Sunny Acres Farm, Pick-n-Pick and Grown in Paradise to name a few. Here's a great site that lists area U-pick farms: http://www.pickyourown.org/MO.htm. Terra Bella farm has a season-round stand and offers farm tours.

And, finally, to truly appreciate the source of your food, plant the seeds yourself. Create a garden in your backyard. If you don't have the yard space for this, you can obtain a plot through the Community Garden Coalition or Big Canoe. The latter also offers the option of working in already established gardens for food.

Of course, the most convenient place to get food is the grocery store. The Root Cellar offers locally grown food throughout the growing season, and you can get some local produce at Schnucks. You can also find local milk, eggs and cheeses at a variety of stores including Clover's and HyVee.

Graduate Education Week 2008

In 2006, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt signed a proclamation declaring that the state would designate a week every April to celebrate the accomplishments of graduate students and raising awareness of the benefits of an advanced degree. This year’s Graduate Education Week will take place from April 14–19 and Mizzou is hosting a variety of events to mark the joyous occasion:

Getting into Graduate School: the Basics & Getting into Graduate School: Making Your Application Stand Out

Tell all of your friends who aren’t in grad school to attend these two events, held on April 14 and 15 in Memorial Union S304 and Memorial Union N222/223, respectively. These seminars will help prospective graduate students to better understand the benefits of an advanced degree and how to get into graduate school.

Graduate School Open House

Come see where all the behind-the-scenes graduate school action takes place on April 17 from 3-4:30 p.m. in 210 Jesse. Learn who’s really responsible for tuition waivers and graduate student insurance—it can’t hurt, right?

Adventures in Education

This fun event, held from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday in Jesse Hall, includes interactive exhibits put on by graduate students that engage kids in the exciting world of advanced education. Exhibits this year include Colors of Chemistry, where kids can make their own slime, African Masks & Fabric Printing and What Happens When Cells Freeze? There will also be FREE tiger stripe ice cream!

Other events on campus

In addition to the Graduate School’s Adventures in Education Fair, there are other (non Graduate Education Week-related) events across campus on Saturday, April 19. The School of Veterinary Medicine will also be holding an open house that includes a petting zoo, the Budweiser Clydesdales and a scavenger hunt. Additionally, there will also be a Physics & Chemistry Open House that will include fun experiments for kids, demonstrations of science equipment and recipes for cooking with chemistry!

The Graduate School encourages you to get involved with Graduate Education Week, if only to give yourself a pat on the back for contributing some great research to the world of advanced education!

Pack Light This Spring Break!

For those of us lucky enough to be going somewhere this Spring Break, here’s a tip for you: packing light makes your life easier. I know that’s a tip I really could have used last summer as I lugged my 50-pound suitcase up and down the metro stairs across many a country in Europe. Learn specifically how you can pack less in this article (courtesy ZenHabits Blog via Lifehacker). In fact, this abbreviated packing list includes just enough items to fill one backpack. So carry on this vacation to reduce your stress and increase your fun! The Graduate School wishes all graduate students a relaxing and safe Spring Break.

International Week

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? The International Fashion Show takes place this Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium. Learn a little more about other cultures through their fashion and experience their dances and music through exciting performances. Read more about preparations for the event in this article in the Columbia Missourian before you go.

This event is sponsored by the MSA/GPC International Programming Committee.

Spring break close to home

Okay, I admit it. I envy those of you who will spend spring break (March 22-30) on a sunny island somewhere a tad closer to the equator. I really do. But what about the rest of us, who, for various reasons, are stuck in Columbia for part or all of spring break? Assuming Mother Nature is in a slightly better mood in a month, we can have some fun, too. Now's the time to make your local spring break plans.

Visitmo.com is a great place to start hatching ideas.

Here are a few possibilities:

• For some outdoor exposure, visit one of Missouri's beautiful state parks, float the Current River or go mountain biking in the Ozarks.
• St. Louis: There are plenty of things to do in the state's largest city, aside from going up in the Arch. Check out the Botanical Garden, the City Museum, art galleries, the zoo (free!) or riverboat casinos, to name a few.
• Tour Missouri's wineries.
• Branson: I admit I have not had a Branson vacation myself, but people do come from all around for the shows and attractions in that quirky southern Missouri city.

Of course you'll find many more ideas out there. There is fun to be had for the rest of us.

Write Meaningful Follow-Up Letters

This article (courtesy of Freelance Switch via Lifehacker), is especially useful to me today as I prepare to attend the College of Business Career Fair. I’ll probably meet at least a few recruiters who I’m interested in following up with, and chances are these same recruiters will receive countless follow-up letters from other eager students as well. So how do I make my correspondence stand out from the crowd and remind the recruiter of who I am? Following up quickly and including action items in my note are only some of the useful tips this post mentions.

You know you’ve sent out at least a few blanket “It was great to meet you last week” letters in your own professional life. Give these techniques a try and make your follow-up letters a powerful networking tool.

Share your research with kids

Think you know your research inside and out? Try presenting it to grade-schoolers! The Graduate School is looking for grad students to present their work in a fun, hands-on way to children in grades 2-6 at Adventures in Education on Saturday, April 19. This family-focused event at Jesse Hall is a part of our week-long celebration of Graduate Education Week April 14-19.

Please contact us at gradwebeditor@missouri.edu if you are interested in presenting or providing help with the event.