Farm to School Newsletter

We kicked off farm to school and nutrition lessons this month!

In nutrition lessons, 1st and 3rd grade students learned about proper handwashing and what it means to eat foods that are in season. They tried pumpkin dip as their tasting. The 5th grade students learned about MyPlate and the 5 food groups. They prepared confetti macaroni and cheese (with broccoli and cauliflower) for their tasting.

In farm to school, the 2nd grade students learned about the 6 plant parts, and the 4th graders learned about food miles and how food travels. Students enjoyed fresh, local vegetables with their lessons.

The November all school taste test was a pumpkin pasta!

We hosted two taste tests at Courtade this month, both with fresh garden produce! The first was a pumpkin pasta, made with pumpkin, garlic, and sage harvested from the school garden! The second taste test was a beet smoothie, made with beets harvested by the junior kindergarteners and 5th graders.

For farm to school lessons, the JK-1st grade students learned about the 6 plant parts that we eat. The 2nd grade students helped out in the garden by saving seeds to plant in the spring. The 3rd grade students planted garlic and learned about over-wintering plants. The 4th grade students learned about food miles, how food travels, and why it matters. The 5th grade students packed up garden sage and potatoes to distribute to families for holiday cooking.

In November, students at Creekside learned about how to find a recipe and make a grocery list, how to read a nutrition label, and healthy goal setting. With these lessons, students prepared sweet and savory hummus, smoothie bowls, veggie pizzas, and fall harvest muffins!

This month we began nutrition lessons at Northport. The K-3rd grade students learned about proper handwashing and preventing the spread of germs. They tried pumpkin dip as their tasting. The 4-5th grade students learned about MyPlate and the 5 food groups. They prepared confetti mac and cheese (with broccoli and cauliflower) for their tasting.

We had the pleasure of attending Northport's Thanksgiving dinner and passing out herb bundles to families and community members who attended. Rosemary, sage, and thyme were harvested, bundled, and dried by the 4-5th grade students in preparation for this event.

For the all-school taste test, we used butternut squash from the Northport hoop house to make maple mashed butternut squash. It was a hit!

In November, we hosted our first all-school taste test. The high school students tried sweet sun-butter fruit dip with local apples and a savory ranch hummus with local rainbow carrots. Overall, students preferred the sweet over the savory. Both dips were a big hit!

In the elementary-middle school cafeteria, students tried a ranch hummus with local rainbow carrots. Students were excited to try carrots of many different colors!