Bloom

There’s a song with a line that goes, “they say all good things must end someday.”

And so, it is with me.

This is my last column for the Chieftain as a nutrition educator for the Oregon State University Extension Service. I will officially retire the end of this month after almost 18 years with OSU. To say it’s been the experience of a lifetime would be an understatement.

I’ve met some amazing people over the years; some I am now happy to call friends. I’ve learned a great deal, too. When I started with Extension, I didn’t know what the word “riparian” meant. Now, I do. When I started, I didn’t know the finer points of delivering a calf — now I do, the basics anyway. I’d still call the vet. But now, I have a starter for dinner parties when there is a lull in the conversation. Thank you, Jill.

Did I get it all right, all the time? Hardly. I made plenty of mistakes along the way; we all do. It’s part of learning. A teacher I greatly admire, who is now retired, had a sign in her classroom that read: F.A.I.L. It means First Attempt In Learning.

I have had the honor and privilege of having worked with some remarkable people. It would be hard to thank, impossible really, each person without running the risk of leaving someone out (plus there is a limit to these columns).

So, one “thank you” will have to suffice, and I’m sure those people know who they are anyway. I’m grateful for the support and love of my family, for the faith the OSU Extension Service showed by hiring me (and keeping me) and for all the encouragement and help I received along the way from all the teachers and staff with whom I worked. You are a wonderful and amazing group.

In reflecting on my time as a nutrition educator for OSU Extension, I have been asked some interesting questions over the years. A few come to mind. One student wanted to know if illegal substances had calories. I had to throw the teacher under the bus on that one.

Someone else wanted to know what food group you put a coconut in. It’s not a nut, so it doesn’t go in the protein group where other nuts go. The “milk” inside isn’t really milk, so it doesn’t go in the dairy group where other milk products go. So, what is it? It turns out that a coconut is categorized as a fruit, because it has more of the vitamins and other characteristics of the fruit food group. It’s also botanically considered a seed and a nut. It gets a little confusing to explain all that to a third grader, so we just say it’s a fruit and let it go at that.

A kindergartener wanted to know why butterflies had blue wings. Not necessarily related to nutrition, but something to ponder, nevertheless. One question I’ve been asked every September for 17 years, when discussing the food groups, is whether a tomato is a vegetable or a fruit. For the record it is both.

According to www.healthline.com, botanically the tomato is a fruit since it forms from a flower and contains seeds inside from which another tomato could form. Squash are also considered fruits. On the other hand, vegetables are also the leaves, stems and roots of plants such as lettuce, spinach and beets, which we eat

From a culinary or cooking standpoint, the tomato is regarded as a vegetable — used in salads, sauces and soups, etc. They are usually paired in cooking with other vegetables in savory dishes, such as stews and pastas.

The Healthline website goes on to say that this was the justification used in 1893 by the US Supreme Court during a legal dispute with a tomato importer who argued his tomatoes should be categorized as a fruit in order to avoid paying the higher tariff assessed for vegetables. The court ruled otherwise and decided, for the purposes of the tariff, the tomato would be categorized as a vegetable based on its culinary application as a vegetable, not its botanical categorization as a fruit. It is unknown if the importer decided to pay the tariff.

And there you have it.

To my students, I hope you have learned a thing or two over the years about nutrition. If anything, I hope you have learned that there are no good or bad foods, it’s all food. It’s about making healthy choices (as in it’s OK to have one or two cookies, just don’t eat the whole bag at once). That it’s important, in addition to eating a healthy diet, to get enough physical activity. And, to enjoy your food. Eating good food is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Of all the things I will miss, I will miss you, the students, most of all. You are the reason I wanted to get up every morning to go to work for the last 17 plus years. You made it fun, interesting, challenging, funny and, at times, even heartbreaking. Working with you was never dull. I’ll miss the “I love yous,” the hugs and the sound of your voices and laughter. I’ll miss the sound of your feet running down the hall. I’ll miss seeing your artwork along the walls. I’ll miss your funny stories and jokes.

I’ll still be around, though. As we all know, once Wallowa County gets into your soul, it never leaves. I’ll be writing and I’ll be doing some traveling. So, in closing, as my favorite news anchor, Lester Holt would say — “please take care of yourself and each other.”