My ten-year-old daughter Megan has been involved in the farm to school program at Ferrisburgh since Kindergarten. She and her classmates have been gardening, harvesting and helping prepare food in the cafeteria. Maintaining the garden has become important to the culture at her school. She's a 5th grader now and loves kale chips. What a wonderful thing!  

Last summer, I attended the Nutrition Education Institute* at Shelburne Farms. The activity that I remember most was a collaborative one: making our own lunches. I was nervous because I am not the main cook at home. I chose the "Kale with Garlic" team because that dish had only a few ingredients, but no one on our team was thinking about the volume of food we had to prepare. The recipe called for fifteen heads of garlic. That's a lot of garlic to slice! We had limited time and were falling way behind the other teams. Just when we were ready to call it quits, other teams sent reinforcements to help us so that we all could eat together. The experience gave me renewed appreciation for the daily work of school food service staff in building a strong farm-to-school program, and for the teamwork it requires throughout a school.

Katie Boyle

October is National Farm to School Month 

In 2010, Congress designated October as Farm to School Month and Vermonters are celebrating! Students, parents, farmers, food service professionals, and teachers across the state are harvesting the last of their school gardens, cooking and serving up taste tests, and planning celebration meals. It's not too late to plan a celebration. Visit VT FEED's website for celebration ideas and a sample media alert.  

The National Farm to School Network also has lots of free resources.  

The week of October (15-19) is also National School Lunch week. To find out more about how your school can showcase what's cooking in your cafeteria, check out the School Nutrition Association's website.  There is no better time for food service in Vermont schools to cook up farm-fresh harvest meals than October.

Northfield High School's fledgling farm to school program is testament to what can be done in a short amount of time with a dedicated team of teachers and volunteers. In one year, they transformed an expanse of sod into three raised beds, two cold frames, and a 20 by 30 foot production garden for the school cafeteria with over 38 types of crops!

The catalyst for the garden project was a VT FEED Food Studies course held during the 2011-2012 academic year. Three of the teachers that attended, Luke Foley and Judy Knapp, of the alternative education STAR Program, and Amy Urling, science teacher, took action immediately.

Luke and Judy began with gardening to get students outside working with their hands.  "It was amazing, all these people came out of the woodwork to help." The community donated lumber, mulch, seeds, and hours of labor. A grant from the Central Vermont Food Systems Council paid for soil and garden equipment.

They started with a "3 Sisters" garden of corn, squash, and beans and expanded to other crops such as broccoli and kale. For an experiment, students compared a vertical "square foot" garden to the raised beds to see which was more efficient in growing food. Now they are researching how long into the fall season they can grow crops in two cold frames built along the science wing.

In Amy's Farm to Table science course, students analyzed the current food system and its impacts on health, environment, culture, and the economy. As a final project, they selected a curricular area, like math, and researched ways to connect it with the garden. The ideas were shared with teachers to encourage them to use the garden to deliver content and develop skills.  

 Enthusiasm for the garden expanded into other areas of the school. Harvested crops were processed by family consumer science classes and transformed by food service into dishes such as beet coleslaw and minestrone soup. Special education classes helped with garden maintenance over the summer. Students are often seen in the garden during their free time. 

As Luke shared, "Our goal is to get as many kids involved in the garden as possible. We want kids to be invested in their education and inspired about the future." Northfield has a high rate of children who receive free and reduced lunches and the teachers want kids to learn that eating healthy, locally-produced foods does not have to be a luxury. It must be working as a student was overheard saying, "This was really cool. I'm going to have a garden when I'm older and have my own land!"

Do you know a middle school or high school student looking to show off their skills in the kitchen? Applications are now being accepted for the 6th Annual Jr. Iron Chef VT, Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex.  

Jr Iron Chef VT invites teams of students to create delicious dishes using seasonal, local ingredients that can be served in school cafeterias. Winning teams will have an opportunity to feature their recipes in the Vermont Statehouse Cafeteria. Teams accepted on a first-come, first serve basis. Download application at jrironchefvt.org. For more information or to sponsor the event contact: info@jrironchefvt.org.

Jr Iron Chef VT promotes healthy eating habits and increases awareness of Vermont agriculture. All proceeds from the event will strengthen Farm to School programs across the state, supporting the health of families and farms in our communities. It is hosted by the Burlington School Food Project and Vermont FEED.

Vermont Farm to School Grants  

Fall Deadline Approaching 

The deadline for Vermont Agency of Agriculture's Vermont Farm to School Grant Program is Wednesday, October 24th. This program provides Vermont schools with funds to integrate local foods in school cafeterias, classrooms and communities. The program is now in its 7th year and has contributed to the success of many farm to school programs across the state! 

Planning grants are available for up to $5,000 and Implementation grants for up to $20,000. More details and applications on the Agency of Agriculture website.    

The grant program is made possible by collaboration between the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Health and VT FEED with funding from the Vermont legislature. 

We recently said goodbye to Erica Curry, long-time VT FEED and Shelburne Farms staff member and inspiring advocate for farm to school efforts and improving food systems worldwide. She will be missed here on the East Coast but will continue to carry the torch at  FoodCorps in Oregon, training the next generation of food and farming educators. If you have any memories of working with Erica, please share them on our Facebook page.  

VT FEED staff give Erica a proper "send-off"!

• Webinar on new nutritional guidelines and school lunch programs 
• October 17th, 2:30-3:30  
• Child Nutrition: The Heart of Learning - School Nutrition Association of Vermont's Annual Conference 
• October 18 -19, Stowe, VT  
•  National Food Day 
• October 24th - across the USA! 
•  Raising Healthy Kids - VT Farm to School Salon 
• October 24th, 6:00-9:00, Charlotte, VT   
• Free Screening of HBO Documentary: The Weight of the Nation 
• November 1st, 5:30-8:00, South Burlington, VT
• VT Association for Health, PE, Recreation and Dance 2012 Conference 
• November 8th, Stowe, VT  
• Richmond Community Harvest Festival 
• November 10th, 11:00-3:00, Richmond, VT