 Photo credit: Project Bread / Kids loved the watermelon at a new farmers market site in Greenfield, MA
As the days grow cooler, and children across the country head back
to school, we want to send a huge thank you and congratulations to
summer sponsors and their partners who kept kids healthy, nourished, and
active all summer long.
This summer, we received a variety of stories: urban, rural,
large, and small programs that were serving delicious local foods,
providing fun, hands-on activities, and engaging the whole family in
developing healthy habits.
As our attention turns to the new school year remember: it’s never
too early to start planning for summer! Here are some resources to keep
on hand as you think about summer 2017:
Find all of these, and more, on our farm to summer website.
Wheres the Beef? Giles County, VA
This year, Giles County, Virginia featured local beef in their homemade chili,
hot dogs, and meat sauce in the summer meals program! Collaborating with the district's Agricultural
Land Lab, the summer meals program supervisor, Christy Lawson, was happy to
use over 500 lbs of student raised beef in over 4,000 meals. Student-grown
vegetables have been on the menu for a few years now, and Ag Lab manager, Ben
Woods, saw an opportunity to process one of the cattle at a USDA inspected
facility, and included his students in the process. The beef received rave reviews from students
and the pilot has been so popular that there are plans to increase the amount
of beef to 3,000 lbs for next year.
Thanks, Giles County for sharing how local meat works in summer meals!
Don’t want summer to end?
Summer's
harvest can be served in cafeterias all year long! Many schools want
to serve local produce throughout the year, but find it challenging in the
winter months when little is harvested. You can celebrate National Food
Safety Education Month by learning how to safely preserve the local harvest so
that it is available year-round. The Office of Food
Safety offers a comprehensive guide to freezing fruits and vegetables.
When it is freezing outside, frozen produce is a great way to continue bringing
the farm to the school!
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The new MyPlate Guide to School Lunch for Families clearly outlines the meal requirements and ways for parents to get involved. The fact sheet highlights four ways school lunch helps families:
- Provides a balanced meal.
- Helps kids learn where foods come from.
- Saves time.
- Supports learning at school.
Check out this new resources and get parents engaged this school year!
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By Kate Seybold, Farm to School Coordinator, Minneapolis Public Schools
What better way to ring in the new school year than by celebrating
the bounties of local produce that farmers harvest during the
back-to-school season? Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is hosting its Fifth Annual Farm to School Community BBQ
– a community event built around fresh food, families and fun! The
event brings together MPS students and their families, school staff,
local farmers and vendors, True Food Chef Council members and other community partners in celebration of Minnesota Farm to School Month and our farm to school program.
It’s also a great opportunity to give the community a taste of our
school food! This year, we expect around 1,000 attendees to join our
local food celebration, which generates student excitement and family
awareness about the abundance of local fresh fruits and vegetables that
farmers grow in our area and that we serve on school salad bars and in
delicious, made-from-scratch recipes featured on our school lunch menu!
The evening will be filled with tons of roasted corn and other farm to
school foods – along with dozens of fun activities and live music. The
highlight of the night is the corn-shucking contest to see who can
shuck the most ears of corn in only a few minutes.
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