In the hour before the rain, we met at Stony Loam Farm, an organic vegetable farm two miles down the road from our school. It was our first harvest & process day in what we hope will become a series, and develop into a full-sized farm-to-school program.  But like all crops, growing a new food program, starts with a sprout: a small group of families, an accommodating farmer, committed teachers and administrators and a passionate food service director. On day one, we picked green beans and cherry tomatoes.

Given an opportunity to pick, to squat between the plants, and to allow a hand to detour away from the bucket and up to the mouth, kids eat vegetables.  They really do. So much so, that we had to cut them off, as painful as it is to tell kids to stop eating delicious, organic vegetables, our task was to bring fresh produce back to school for the lunch program.  Creating the opportunity for kids to be a part of the growing, harvesting, and preparing of their food, cultivates a greater appreciation of freshness, local producers, and the time, work and energy required to grow it.  From this stems a willingness to try new things, to waste less, to feel a stronger connection to place and local community - all while enjoying fresher, healthier, tastier lunches.

We proudly met our school cook with 36 pounds of green beans and another 20 of cherry tomatoes at the school kitchen.  With crates flipped upside down to help the smallest children reach the sink, the green bean washing team was immediately in full swing.  Meanwhile, parents sorted the cherry tomatoes: some for fresh eating the coming week, others for freezing for use in polka dot soup in the winter.

Looking ahead, we have plans to pick apples and make applesauce, to gather potatoes, and to puree and freeze pumpkins and winter squashes for use in wintertime soups, casseroles, and baked goods.

To share the experience, the locally harvested crops were offered as taste tests to all students, and to track our sourcing, we planned a food mapping project.  Starting with the local, in-season foods on the menu this fall, and photographs of the farmers who grew them, we launched our farm-to-school map on the cafeteria wall on Food Day, October 24. These are fledgling steps in enhancing school lunch (a daily part of a child's experience), which can simply feed, or can be developed as an opportunity to expand palates and extend learning.

Deirdre Holmes is a natural health and nutrition consultant who can be found at http://planithealthier.wordpress.com/

Photo Credit: Deirdre Holmes