Fall produce is just as fantastic tasting as it is good for you. Right now at the farmer’s market or grocery store you should be able to find a variety of greens.

Greens include a variety of vegetables that are dark green and leafy, such as kale, collard greens, turnip greens and mustard greens. The great thing about greens is that they add color to your plate, making a meal look more appetizing. They are easy to fix and are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Greens are a great source of vitamins A, C, K and calcium. Vitamins and minerals support your body and the way it works.

Vitamin A helps to maintain good eye site and healthy skin. Vitamin C is needed to help your body heal from illness and injury. Vitamin K encourages your blood to clot during injury and maintains water balance in the body — important for us here in Florida. Calcium is essential for healthy teeth and bone growth.

As fantastic as greens are, they are not the only healthy and delicious produce local to the Panhandle this fall. Look for satsumas, sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli and sweet potatoes. To view or print a Panhandle Produce Harvest Calendar, or to learn more about preparing and storing Panhandle produce, visit www.panhandleproducepointers.com, or come to the extension office, 3098 Airport Road, Crestview.

Join the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the ribbon cutting for Miss Ruth’s Farmers’ Market, which is 10:30 a.m. Nov. 3 at 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd., Fort Walton Beach. The market is adjacent to the courthouse and softball fields. While you are there, pick up some Florida produce from local farmers and bring a jar (or two) of peanut butter to donate to local families in need.

And for a delicious way to use greens, try this recipe from the Panhandle Produce Pointers’ website.

SAVORY GREENS

3 cups water

¼ pound skinless turkey breast

½ cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 green onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 pounds mixed greens (collards,

turnips, mustard, and kale)

Place all ingredients except greens into a large pot and bring to a boil.

Wash greens and remove stems.

Chop greens into small pieces and add to stock. Cook 20 to 30 minutes until tender.

Serves six; 1 cup serving

Jill Breslawski is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Enjoy the benefits of fall produce

CRESTVIEW — Organization is necessary to accomplish goals. Minimizing clutter and waste allows us to succeed at what matters most.

While organizational skills are necessary, everyone is unique with which system works best. No complicated, color-coded system for life is necessary if something else works better.

Identify the best organizational strategy by addressing these issues provided by Bridgeway Center.

Waste removal. Keep track of activities for one week. Which activities tend to waste time? How can these be minimized or eliminated from the schedule?

Long-term goals: Have a clear long-term vision and goal. Does the way you spend your time reflect this goal? What are daily and weekly tasks to help you reach the long-term goal?

Optimal time: Identify the time of day you are most productive. Are you a morning or night person? As much as possible, use your optimal time to maximize your efforts.

STAYING ORGANIZED

Plan for the day: To avoid morning confusion, plan the next day the evening before. Consider laying out the day's outfit, packing a lunch or gathering needed files and books.

Weekly checkup: Have a weekly cleanup to discard, file or recycle papers and other materials. This will keep areas less cluttered, and no one loses valuable time searching for misplaced items.

Stick to one: We tend to praise multitasking in our culture, but this can actually prevent personal organization. Focusing on one task at a time is best and produces a better result.

Whether they are an inherent strength or a learned behavior, the benefits of organizational skills help people maintain order, peace and a less-stressed lifestyle, a Bridgeway spokesperson said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bridgeway: 6 tips for organization, stress reduction

CRESTVIEW — The Main Street Crestview Association and city’s annual Fall Festival attracted thousands on Saturday to the downtown area.

Numerous booths, with vendors such as artisans and local businesses, dotted Main Street. Smells of barbecue, sausages and funnel cakes filled the air.

In addition, there was live entertainment. Residents sat in lawn chairs to listen to music from the North Okaloosa Community Band as others browsed business’ booths.

April Meier owns Pawsitively Scrumptious, a Bark Bakery and Boutique on Main Street. Her store sponsored the Crestview Pet Parade and raised money for the Crestview Bark Park.

Jessica Donaldson and Sharon Thomas own online businesses and have recently started participating in festivals. Donaldson owns Memorable Designs and Thomas owns Flourish Creatively.

Sitting near Meier was Angie Nousiainen, owner of a 156-pound Great Dane named Daisy. Angie and Daisy were dressed as Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Daisy is the sister of Dozer, a therapy dog that recently retired as Walgreen’s greeter. Meanwhile, My Safe Place had dogs available for adoption.

They weren’t the only canines around; many costumed dogs walked with their humans around the festival.

An many folks enjoyed wearing costumes themselves.

Crestview resident Chaella Stockstill made all her family’s ocean-themed costumes.  Arian was a jellyfish, Kaiden was a shark, Owen was a turtle and Emmori was an octopus. 

At one booth, members were dressed as Disney characters. Children were dressed as Ghostbusters, action figures, bumblebees, pumpkins and Crestview cheerleaders.

Crestview High School’s Theatre Group promoted their next play, “Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells Batman Smells,” which is Dec. 8, 9 and 10 at the high school.

In addition, numerous Okaloosa County schools students promoted Students Working against Tobacco’s efforts and numerous churches sold baked goods.

Residents we spoke to said they enjoyed the event.

“We like to come out and support our local community,” Kathy Lewis said. “It’s nice how they hand out candy to the kids.”

James and Charlotte Shumaker said they enjoyed the festival with their two daughters. 

“We haven’t been in a couple of years, but we enjoy it,” Charlotte Shumaker said. 

When asked what her favorite part of the festival was, Shumaker’s 11-year-old daughter said, “The iced tea!”

That was in reference to Bayou Billy’s Sweet Dixie Tea, which she drank out of a large tin mug.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Fall Festival brings costumes, carnival food and entertainment (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — Here are North Okaloosa County's upcoming fall events:

• Annual Fall Festival, presented by the Main Street Crestview Association and the city of Crestview, is 1-6 p.m. Oct. 29 on Main Street. The event is free to the public and includes a costume contest for people and pets. In addition, there will be booths, vendors and games. See www.mainstreetcrestview.org for a vendor application.
• Trunk or Treat at First Baptist Church of Crestview is from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 29 (after the fall festival on Main Street) between the church and Burger King.
• Lifepoint Church’s Harvest Festival is 4-7 p.m. Oct. 30 at 400 S. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview.
• Central Baptist Church will host Trunk or Treat 6-8 p.m. Oct. 30 at 951 S. Ferdon Blvd. in Crestview. This event, featuring food, games and prizes, is free to attend. For more information, contact 682-5525, paula@centralcrestview.com or   alisa@centralcrestview.com.
• Trick or Treat meet and greet for kids is 3-4 p.m. Oct. 31 at Okaloosa Ophthalmology, 1299 Industrial Drive, Crestview. Dr. Tiffany Kruger and her staff will have candy and treats for all; attendees may wear their costumes.
• Halloween trick-or-treating is 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Crestview.
• Live Oak Baptist Church’s Fall Festival is 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31 at 4565 Live Oak Church Road, Crestview. The community may attend the free, family-friendly evening of decorated trunks and treats with a dunking booth, hayride, hotdogs, popcorn and boiled peanuts.
• Trick or treat with Gray Beard the Pirate and crew, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31, 2754 Lake Silver Road, Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Churches' trunk-or-treat among fall events

CRESTVIEW — Melanie Slinkey-Fuller and her family just want a reunion with Bruno, their Yorkie who has been missing since Oct. 24.

Bruno went missing between and 8 a.m. and 12 a.m. in the Trailwood Estates neighborhood near Stillwell Boulevard and Valley Road, Slinkey-Fuller stated in a Facebook message to the News Bulletin.

"My kids are very sad that he got out of the fence. He had a blue dog tag with his name on it," she said.

People with information on Bruno's whereabouts may contact Slinkey-Fuller at 928-551-0066.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Yorkie missing from Crestview home

CRESTVIEW — A Crestview girl has earned one first-place and two second-place finishes in the U.S. Kids Golf Tournament.

Gracie Grant, 10, took second place with a score of 39 on Sept. 25 in Gulfport, Miss.; first place, with 37 on Oct. 2 in Diamondhead, Miss.; and second place with 43 on Oct. 23 at Diamondhead.

Grant will participate in the rest of the tournament, which continues the next five weekends, followed by a championship tournament.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview resident places in kids golf tournament

CRESTVIEW — A Crestview senior living community will have a public ice cream social — and give away a flat-screen TV.

The event — 5-7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Katie Manor Apartment Homes, 639 Brookmeade Drive, Crestview — includes guided tours of the newly constructed apartments.

It is free to attend, but RSVP is required. Call 306-3559 or email katiemanor@wrhrealty.com to RSVP.

The names of those who RSVP by Oct. 26 will be entered into a drawing for a flat-screen TV. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Katie Manor ice cream social to feature TV giveaway

The Crestview Public Library offers a number of ways to help you with your family history and genealogy research.

Free one-hour workshop classes, followed by one-on-one help sessions, are offered monthly. The next classes are 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 here in the library meeting room. For questions, to reserve a one-on-one spot, or make an appointment, call 849-9468.

The library also subscribes to HeritageQuest Online, which patrons may access free with their library card number. The newly updated site can be used to:

•Search census records. Find ancestors in the complete set of U.S. Federal Census images from 1790-1940, including name indexes for many years.

•Search books. Find information on people and places described in over 28,000 family and local histories.

•Search Revolutionary War items. Search selected records from the Revolutionary War Era Pension & Bounty-land Warrant Application Files.

•Search Freedman’s Bank records: Search for individuals in the Freedman's Bank (1865-1874), which was founded to serve African Americans.

To get started with family research, try these tips:

•List what you already know — start an ancestral chart

•Interview relatives — make family group sheets

•Get death records — death certificates, obituaries etc.

•Follow the death-record clues — time and place of death lead to birth, marriage and other records

•Search census records — learn where ancestors lived.

•Search local sources — newspapers, local histories, property (land) maps, court and church records, tax lists and wills.

•Don’t forget family histories, immigration records, ship passenger lists and military records.

The Baker Block Museum, located at the corner of Highway 189 and State Road 4, is a great source for local history and genealogy research, especially if you have roots in this Northwest Florida Panhandle area.

This living history museum is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and the third Saturdays. Don’t miss their annual Heritage Festival held the first Saturday of November. For more information call 537-5714 or email bakermuseum@aol.com.

The Genealogical Society of Okaloosa County is another excellent source for research and searching support. Regular meetings of the GSOC are usually held at the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida in Valparaiso at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. There is no admission charge, and all are welcome.

An excellent monthly newsletter is usually published on or before the first Friday of each month; copies may be viewed at the library in the local history section of the reference area. For more information you may email the GSOC, gsocokaloosa@yahoo.com.

Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library's reference librarian. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Resources to research your family tree

CRESTVIEW — Need something to do this weekend? Check out these fun events:

1. CONQUER THE 'DIRTY 30' during the Boy Scout Troop 30 Mud Run, 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 22 at 8131 8th St., Laurel Hill. The 3.1-mile obstacle race includes a hosedown at the finish line, and snacks will be available for purchase. The kids' race starts at 10 a.m.  Tickets are $30-$40. Go to http://bit.ly/2ewGO8G to register.

2. GUESS WHO DID THE CRIME as Act4Murder presents "Mayhem at the Monster Bash," a Halloween costume party dinner theater, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Samuel's Roadhouse, 114 John King Road, Crestview. The dinner and show start at 7 p.m. General cost is $38 for the dinner, show, tax and tip. RSVP and see VIP packages at www.act4murder.com.

3. SPEND 'AN EVENING IN THE GARDEN’ from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 22 at Northwest Florida State College's Crestview campus, 805 U.S. Highway 90 E. The event includes music by Jones & Company, and gourmet cuisine by Mary Richards' A Grand Elegance. Semi-formal attire is requested. Tickets cost $60 per person at the door. Advance tickets are $45 at www.crestviewsistercity.org or call Janice Crose, 683-1247.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this weekend in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Main Street Suites, which leases executive office suites at its 550 N. Main Street location, is having its grand opening.

The opening is set for 5-7 p.m. Oct. 21, and starts with a ribbon cutting. Business persons may attend the event.

The company offers 140 square feet of space to potential clients.

"My goal is to provide all businesses that can't afford a large office an alternative, and basically to provide them an office with a shared receptions, a shared conference room, and all of the amenities of a large office. I also provide virtual offices for all businesses that need a professional address on Main Street and need somebody to sign for them," MSS owner and Crestview resident John Colby said Oct. 17.

Current tenants at MSS are the Crestview Redevelopment Agency and the Okaloosa County Early Learning Childhood Advocacy. 

For more information on what Main Street Suites has to offer area businesses, visit the website, www.mymainstreetsuites.com, or call 634-2550.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview company offers business site alternative