Leelanau County schools celebrate Farm to School Month

From staff reports

Schools throughout northwest Lower Michigan are cooking up locally grown foods for lunch this October as part of National Farm to School Month celebrations. In 2010, the United States House of Representatives declared October National Farm to School Month, recognizing the strong role Farm to School plays in promoting good health and strong economies.

Over the past decade, the farm to school movement has exploded across the United States, reaching millions of students in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. From school gardens and farm field trips to local food on cafeteria trays, farm to school practices help children connect with their food and make healthier choices while also creating new markets for local and regional farmers.

“By instilling healthy eating habits early in life, we’re preventing a health crisis and saving on healthcare spending along the way,” says Anupama Joshi, executive director of the National Farm to School Network (NFSN). “There are economic benefits as well. Buying from local farmers means more money stays in your community.”

National Farm to School Month is also providing area schools with the perfect opportunity to showcase their stepped-up efforts this year to purchase and feature locally grown foods in school meals and activities, said Diane Conners, who directs farm to school programming for the nonprofit Michigan Land Use Institute.

Farm to School Events:

• Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., FoodCorps service members Katie and Meghan will lead lessons on plant parts and creating a “whole food experience” tasting of local apples for TCAPS’ Traverse Heights elementary students.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16, TC Days at Traverse City Area Publics Schools. TCAPS schools will be serving Maxbauer hot dogs and Bardenhagen potato salad in their cafeterias.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Michele will lead a classroom activity on potatoes and conduct a cafeteria taste test of the fresh, seasonal potato salad from Bardenhagen farm at TCAPS’ Blair Elementary.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16 11a.m. – 1p.m., Pam will conduct a cafeteria taste test of the fresh, seasonal potato salad from Bardenhagen farm at Leelanau County’s Glen Lake Elementary.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16 11a.m. – 1p.m., Meghan will conduct a cafeteria taste test of the fresh, seasonal potato salad from Bardenhagen farm at TCAPS’ Traverse Heights Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct. 17, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., FoodCorps service members Katie and Meghan will lead lessons on plant parts and creating a “whole food experience” tasting of local apples for Benzie County Central’s Platte River elementary students.

• Thursday, Oct. 17 1:00- 2:30p.m., Meghan will facilitate Antrim County’s Central Lake Public Schools Farm to Community Connection Tour Assembly. It will feature presentations and product tastings from local farmers, and showcase the local food products they will be selling as part of a fourth-grade fundraiser to fund expenses for field trips throughout the school year.

• Thursday, Oct. 17, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Michele will lead garden-based lessons on how to plant “seed tape” and installing low tunnels at TCAPS’ Central Grade Elementary.

• Friday, Oct. 18, 8:30a.m. – 3 p.m., Fourth graders from Antrim County’s Central Lake Elementary will participate in the Central Lake Farmer to Community Connection Tour, where they will tour Shetler Dairy, Bluestem Farm, and Wagbo Farm and Education Center. Students will participate in hands-on activities and become familiar with the farms they will be promoting as a part of the third-through-fifth-grade fundraiser for future field trips.

• Tuesday, Oct. 22, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Pam will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Leelanau County’s Leland Elementary.

• Tuesday, Oct. 22, 11:30 a.m., James Beard Award-winning Food Writer Michael Ruhlman speaks at Lobdell’s as part of a PigstockTC fundraiser for the local 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms initiative.

• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Pam will be lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Leelanau County’s Northport Elementary.

• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Katie will be lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Benzie County Central’s Betsie Valley Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct. 24 National Food Day/ Michigan Apple Crunch. Local foods distributor Cherry Capital Foods of Traverse City is coordinating a Michigan Apple Crunch celebration in which school children throughout the state will be biting into a Michigan apple all on the same day.

• Thursday, Oct 24, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Katie and Michele will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Interlochen Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct 24, 1 – 4 p.m., Meghan will lead lessons on plant parts and creating a “whole food experience” tasting of local, seasonal produce for Benzie County Central’s Crystal Lake Elementary.

• Friday, Oct 25, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Meghan will lead lessons on plant parts and creating a “whole food experience” tasting of local, seasonal produce for Antrim County’s Central Lake elementary students.

• Friday, Oct 25, 4 – 6 p.m., Katie and Meghan will participate in Make a Difference Day working with students, administrators, teachers and community partners to build a garden shed at TCAPS’ Traverse Heights Elementary.

• Friday, Oct 25, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Michele will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Benzie County Central’s Lake Ann Elementary.

• Tuesday, Oct 29, 1 – 3 p.m., Katie will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Frankfort Elementary.

• Tuesday, Oct 29, 11a.m. – 1p.m. Meghan will be conducting a fresh, seasonal cafeteria tasting of local cauliflower at Traverse Heights Elementary.

• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Katie and Meghan will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Traverse Heights Elementary.

• Wednesday, Oct 30, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Michele will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Blair Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct 31, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Pam will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Suttons Bay Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct 31, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Michele will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Central Grade Elementary.

• Thursday, Oct 31, 9a.m. – 3 p.m., Katie and Meghan will lead nutrition and garden-based lessons at Platte River Elementary.

More events in each of these schools are planned in the month of November, including a garden open house celebration on Nov. 1 at Central Lake Elementary in Antrim County and a fall carnival at Betsie Valley Elementary in Benzie County. The garden open house will feature taste tests of produce grown in the garden, afterschool programming, and much more.