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Notes from New Hampshire
Farm to School Month:
October is National Farm to School Month!Throughout the month, schools and preschools across the country will celebrate the local food served in their cafeterias, the gardens in their schoolyards and the food and agriculture education happening in their classrooms. Everyone who fills out a membership form and/or a "Share Form" on the Farm to School website during October will be entered to win a drawing for $1,000 to spend on a farm to school project in their community! Five additional drawing winners will also be eligible to apply for a free Project Learning Garden™ lesson kit from Captain Planet Foundation that is valued at $1,000; however, winners must have an existing elementary school garden to qualify.
Grant Opportunity:
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Visit NHAITC
at These Events:
National Education Association - NH
Fall Instructional Conference
October 10th
Bow High School
Londonderry Middle School Career Day
October 15th
New Hampshire Science Teachers Association
Fall Conference
November 2nd & 3rd
Mills Falls
Meredith, NH
New Hampshire Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
November 7th and 8th
Fireside Inn & Suites
West Lebanon, NH
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Contacts
Debbi Cox
State Coordinator
[email protected]
(603) 224-1934
295 Sheep Davis Road
Concord, NH 03301
Deb Robie,
Grafton County Coordinator
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Fall Fruits With the leaves changing and the temperatures cooling, we prepare for fall. At the center of some of our activities, we find apples and pumpkins. Families often enjoy apple picking, school field trips visit local farms, pumpkins appear in pies and as decorations. So lets take a few minutes to learn more about them and how related lessons can be incorporated into the classroom.
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Pumpkins
On May 6, 2006, pumpkins became the state fruit of New Hampshire thanks to students at Wells Memorial Elementary School in Harrisville, NH. Now these fruits are celebrated every fall with pies, jack-o-lanterns and giant pumpkin contests.
In 2012, with an estimated 1,200 pumpkins per acre, over 728,000 pumpkins were harvested in New Hampshire! They are members of the gourd family which include watermelon, cantaloupe and cucumbers. Pumpkins can weigh from less than a pound up to a record 2,032 pounds. Some are so large that you can hollow them out and float in them like a boat! Starting from a yellow flower on a vine, with some help from pollinating insects, they are ready to eat in about 90 days. Pumpkins have the unusual feature of both male and female flowers on the same vine with the male flowers appearing a week or two prior to the female flowers.
Although they are 90% water, pumpkins are a great source of nutrition. They provide fiber, low fat, low calorie, high protein, high iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B, a variety of minerals, plus beta-carotene (an antioxidant) which makes the fruit orange in color. Even the seeds and flowers are edible. Any leftover on the ground are left there for animals to eat or to breakdown and nourish the soil.
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Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away for a reason. They are fat free, sodium free, cholesterol free, high in fiber and offer plant-based antioxidants along with a variety of vitamins. This helps to reduce the risk of cancer and high blood pressure.
Apple growers have over 2,500 varieties to choose from when starting or adding to their orchard. Popular choices include Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Gala and Fuji. Some are better for eating, others are better for baking and cooking, so you need to have an idea of your ultimate purpose before planting. Two-thirds of the apples grown in the United States are eaten raw and the other third is processed into juice, pies and other items.
Once the trees are planted, it takes 4 to 5 years before the first apples grow. In the spring, pink and white apple blossoms appear attracting bees to pollinate the flowers. Once the blossoms are pollinated, they fall off and an apple begins to form in their place. By fall, the apples are ready to be picked by hand and enjoyed right away or packed and shipped to grocery stores.
Apple trivia:
- apples are members of the rose family
- it takes about 36 apples to make 1 gallon of cider
- the average person consumes 36 apples each year
- apples are 25% air, which is why they float in water
- most of an apple's antioxidants are found in the skin
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Classroom Connection
There are some great resources to bring apples and pumpkins in to your classroom listed on the left under "Lesson Links". The NHAITC also has some books available for loan:
"Pumpkins" by Ken Robbins (P-3)
"Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie" by Jill Esbaum (P-3)
"How Do Apples Grow?" by Betsy Maestro (K-3)
"Apples for Everyone" by Jill Esbaum (P-3)
If you are interested in any of these or locating additional resources, just get in touch with the NHAITC office.
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Out and About
Belknap County School-to-Farm Days
Belknap County Farm Bureau invited local 4th graders to Ramblin' Vewe Farm in Gilford for a day of learning about the importance of agriculture. Farmers and other professionals presented mini-lessons and demonstrations on topics such as dairy, beekeeping, wool, sheep shearing, eggs, oxen, garlic, forestry and soil ecology. These field trip was a great opportunity for students to learn hands-on about the source of their food and fiber.
 
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