I explained in a previous post that I am attending UC Berkeley Extension for Visual Art. As a photographer I wanted to take a deeper dive into the fine art world and to learn the history of photography as well as the aesthetic attributes for taking great photos. I have also added graphic art and design classes to my studies. I am taking classes at night in San Francisco and get to ride the BART every day and hop off at Embarcadero where there are some great casual restaurants especially in the Ferry Market. I feel very lucky for this opportunity and at the end of a year I have learned a ton! Hopefully you will notice the aesthetic changes as I share more of my work and continue to better foodandhealth.com as well as the products we offer at nutritioneducationstore.com.

A post-baccalaureate certificate program is a valuable way to learn very relevant skills especially with design and computer software and I highly recommend it for adult learning.

This week we are creating festival posters and I crafted a beautiful apple festival poster for my design class. And after researching about so many apple festivals in the US to create the poster, it dawned on me that since an apple festival is so much fun maybe all of my readers would like to have this activity idea. You could use an apple festival theme in a wellness fair booth, a classroom, part of an ongoing class, or virtually on a website or in social media. Apples are so versatile! It is fun to learn about different varieties, taste them, cook with them, and have recipe cookoffs with them. I coule even envision an Iron Chef type of cookoff where participants have a mystery basket and create apple dishes in front of the audience. Or they participate in a recipe contest.The apple festival poster idea all started with an experimental apple photo that I created for my photography portfolio. I used wine-colored rice paper and Gala apples for this photo which has selective focus and an emphasis on negative spacing.Then I decided to use it for the festival poster in my graphic design class (repurposing is the best thing for any student!).Here are 2 jpeg versions as plain apple festival posters for you to download and brand into your own event:Large - that you can print (you can add your own information onto it).Small - you can use this one online for a website or social media.Some apple activity ideas:

• Apple tasting - see if participants can guess a flavor and type of apple or they can taste samples and choose their favorites
• Cooking demos
• Cookoff contests
• Recipe contests
• Apple FAQs to tweet and share all month like apples are a member of the rose family and Americans eat more apples per capita than any other fruit.
• Apple nutrition facts:
  • One medium-sized, 6.5 ounce apple contains just 95 calories (compared to 6 ounces of potato chips or chocolate chip cookies, which ring in at about 840 calories for the same sized serving)
  • One apple contains 4.5 ounces of fiber, which is about 17% of a daily supply for most people and this helps you feel more full.
  • Apples contain quercetin and catechin, two beneficial phytochemicals, which may help lower the risk for certain cancers  as well as have an anti-inflammatory or anti-oxidant effect.
  • They are a good source of potassium, which can be beneficial for the heart and for lowering blood pressure as part of a heart-healthy, low-sodium diet.
• Kitchen hacks for apples:
  • store them in the refrigerator but eat them at room temperature (heat for 30 seconds in the microwave or carry in your backpack)
  • when apples are past their prime and a little wrinkled they are perfect for baking or for making microwave applesauce. To make the latter simply cut them off the core, and microwave covered with a little water and cinnamon - no need to peel them.
  • Sliced apples make a great topping for roasting chicken and pork. Simply top them before putting them in the oven and they will bake and impart their delicious flavor and juices to your entree.
  • Grate them into salads and slaws for more flavor
  • Toss cubed apples with Greek yogurt for a Waldorf style salad or dessert.
  • Dice them and add them to oatmeal before cooking so you have a delicious home-made treat to start the day.