Menu Planning With Farm To School FOLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, FOLEY MINNESOTA Presented by: CHERYL PICK Menu planning with Farm to School has been both exciting and rewarding. The fall of 2012 was the beginning of something new for our students as well as staff.

DEMOGRAPHICS We are a small rural town of 2500. Our school district ventures into 5 different counties with bussing up to 250 miles per day. We have 3 schools on one campus: Foley High School 535 students Foley Intermediate School 734 students Foley Elementary School 540 students We have a child nutrition staff of 20 Foley is a small town in Central Minnesota 13 miles east of St. Cloud. Population of Foley is 2500. The school district busses travel into 5 different counties traveling in and out at least 350 miles per day. We have 3 schools on one campus. The High School has 535 students in grades 9-12. Intermediate School has 734 students in grades 4-8 and our Elementary School has 540 students in grades K-3. We have 20 Child Nutrition within our district.

HOW WE BEGAN We were on the Farm to School Task Force from 2008 to 2011 to learn more about how it works. Purchasing from Bix (local items) SHIP Grant ($ 2,000) November of 2011 Consulted with FFA Advisor and Science Dept. I was on the Task force of Farm to School as we started Farm to School in Minnesota. A few schools began the first year and continued to slowly grow in Minnesota. After 3 years I made the decision to leap forward and convince my staff that this was important to do for the students. Yes it is extra work, this is why staff were concerned, however moving slowly the first year made it to succeed to what it is today. We were purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables from BIX who is a distributor in Minnesota. They carry items that are local and some of the items came from a local farm in Foley. I thought, we can do this. I also received a small grant the fall of 2011 as well to start a small program. What can we do to get students and staff involvement. So I contacted the FFA Advisor and our science department for ideas on what the possibilities could be. Why Science? Foley school district has a Seeds to Forest Classroom outside. We felt we could maybe do something out there since they teach some classroom topics in the Spring and the Fall to the students.

HOW WE BEGAN May of 2012: Planted 10 Apple Trees Worked with Farmer on Sweet Corn Plot Donations of: Sweet Corn, Fertilizer and Herbicide Expenses of: Tractor Rental, Labor expense and bussing expense In May of 2012, we planted 10 Apple Trees with the 7th and 8th grade Science classes. The trees were in the area by the outdoor classroom, which I felt the students could monitor and understand how apples are grown. I also talked with a farmer with the help of the Ag teacher/FFA Advisor about a small sweet corn plot. We were able to find 1 ½ acres about 2 miles out of Foley. He asked FFA students if they were willing to help get this going as a summer project for them. A couple of students stepped up to the plate. We got donated seed, fertilizer and herbicide. Expenses of Tractor rental, labor and bussing the students back and forth was our only expense. We used some of our SHIP grant money towards this.

Planting of the Apple Trees Science classes planting trees in the area by the outdoor classroom. This activity gave the students a broader prospective of how fresh apples were grown. Some students do not have the opportunity to learn about this.

Heading out to the Field Agricultural Classes assisting with picking! Heading out to the field was an experience in itself. Getting off the bus, students were like “WOW”! Picking the corn gave them the opportunity to see how it is grown, how mature it needs to be to pick and the specifications and yielding per bushel and/or acre. After picking the cobs, they are counted and are monitored to see if there is any damage to them. Did any rodents get to the field. This is a learning experience again for the students the Agriculture teacher looks for and uses the field as a learning tool in his classroom.

Students assisting with Husking! Husking the corn for lunch! “I have never done this before” were statements lots of students shared with us during the husking party. We had students from the Ag Class as well as study hall helping to husk. Every moment can be a teaching moment. We just need to take the time to allow it to happen. My staff have also helped with heading up the husking events. We do need to have someone be in charge!

Local Farmers Stoney Brook Farms south of Foley 5 miles Novak Farms in Gilman north of Foley 7 miles We are very fortunate in Foley to have 3 local farmers within a 7 mile radius to us that grow local produce and deliver it to local grocery stores, our school and roadside stands. I work with Stoney Brook Farms and Novak Farms for ordering fresh produce for the students. I visit with them in the Spring about what items I am looking for to menu in the Fall. They are very accommodating to requests and needs that we have as well.

Enjoying farm fresh food at Lunch! What is better than having fresh watermelon, sweetcorn, cucumbers and tomatoes for lunch. Knowing that some of them helped with it—excitement. Great colors flowing together on their tray and staff seeing the expressions, knowing that it was grown nearby gives the customer satisfaction. That is something we strive for everyday. Staff have become very supportive in Farm to School now that students are enjoying it so well. “It makes it all worth the effort”. There are some times where I may need to add a few labor hours to Farm to School, however each year it is getting better and better.

Obstacles of 2013 Deer Raccoons Weather Obstacles can happen with anything we do. The summer/fall of 2013 had obstacles we needed to put behind us. The deer ate away at the apple trees, the weather was very wet at the beginning, so we needed to replant our corn plot. Replanting went well, the corn grew well, and then the raccoons decided to step in and have a carnival of there own in our patch. We had 1 meal out of it versus the 3 meals we usually get out of the plot.

SHIP Grant # 2 (Fall 2014) Purchased 2nd Robot Coupe, carts and blades The fall of 2014 we were again awarded another grant. We were able to purchase a second robot coupe along with a cart, dicing and slicing blades to make the Farm to School program more successful. On these pictures staff are dicing watermelon, tomatoes and shredding cabbage for coleslaw. Having this machine, and teaching the staff how to use it has given us more ideas on what we can do with Farm to School. Let’s add squash and carrots, which meet the red/orange vegetable group. Having fresh potatoes, seasoned with fresh or dried herbs with olive or sunflower oil, baked to perfection. Yum.

SHIP Grant # 2 (Fall 2014) Ag Class built 3 raised gardens for Herbs and other vegetables. We also purchased wood, screws and nails to construct 3 raised gardens to plant herbs and other fresh vegetables for our program. The agricultural/floriculture classes with their instructor came up with the plans and constructed them. The classes then filled them with black dirt and landscaped around them with rock. This is again a learning tool for students. These gardens are located outside the HS Cafeteria on the patio. This fall when they come back they will be able to watch vegetables grow and being harvested for the warm lunch program.

Raised Beds Growing These beds were planted on June 9th with our summer school students. Our goal was to plant fresh herbs, peppers and onions. For herbs we planted basil, oregano and marjoram for fresh spaghetti sauce, sage, rosemary and thyme for stir fry’s and pork roast. Cilantro, pepper and onions for fresh Pico as well as other recipes we need them for.

Raised Beds Growing After the Peppers and Onions are harvested, I am planning to plant radishes and maybe some lettuce in it to use for the program as well. This will all depend on the weather and how cool our fall will be. These beds are currently being watered and weeded by the Summer School Staff and Students. If a few items need to be harvested due to growth, I told them to use it as a teachable moment and harvest it.

Farm to School! Farm to School can be amazing. Here we have fresh cucumbers sliced up and made into a refrigerator pickle, coleslaw shredded from fresh cabbage and carrots and fresh cantaloupe, sliced into pieces. These items were all purchased locally. This is presented in a manner that will excite the students as they come through the line to eat lunch.

MN Dept of Ag Grant (2015) Awarded – 50% - 25% - 25% Tilting Braising Pan Small Wear Items New recipes New options for Farm to School Excited Children I applied for a grant last fall from the MN Department of Agriculture along with matching funds from Blue Cross Blue Shield for a grant to make Farm to School more successful for our district. We wanted to add Fresh Stir Fry’s to our menu as well as fresh soups and sauces to bring down the sodium amounts. We applied for a Tilting Braising Pan as well as some small wares for storage to make it easier when the fresh produce is prepped. The grant was awarded to us. Stir Fry’s are a request of our students. Staff would like to prepare more fresh soups and sauces as well. So with this in mind, we will offer new options, have new recipes and excited children! I feel it is very important to let students know what is in their food. If we have a new item, we will let them know by signage and announcements. We then go out into the lunch rooms and get feedback from them as well. I have 2 Cook Managers and 1 cook that cook with a lot of fresh herbs at home. It was their idea to try growing the herbs and using them in stir fry and sauces for the students. This will be a learning curve for this fall. This will be our BIG Farm to School Project this fall. We are so getting excited for this. They feel that by using the fresh herbs will season better without using the sodium. They will also do some harvesting of the beds as it matures. This is our first year for it and this also makes it exciting for them. I got the cooks/managers very involved in this project. As most of my cooks are parents or have grandparents of students within our district, they have a view of making the program the best it can be. I am very fortunate to have the staff that I have today. They share ideas with me, I listen, allow them to try it and see how it works. Some work great, some fail. It’s all part of a teachable moment.

“Take Home Moment” Contact your local farmers Revamp your menus to include the fresh, local foods. Teachable moments for students and staff Do not be afraid to begin…Yes it takes time. Contact your local farmers. Check to see what is available to get locally and revamp your menus to include those foods. Teachable moments are always available. If the opportunity is there – use it. Staff and students are willing to assist. They just need to be asked. Advertise that it is Local. Allow mistakes to happen. It a learning tool. It does not happen overnight.