By Kathryn B., Farm to School Manager
This past year had so many amazing moments we want to share as we get excited to plan for 2020! Check out our photos from some of the great programs we offered youth and families last year, and make sure to scroll down to the bottom for some of our featured recipes for this month to kick off the year with healthy eating!
During 2019 we were grateful to expand our team of Educators and our reach, with extended programming in all of the Poughkeepsie City School District schools. In addition to our after school education, internships, and farm visits, we have grown our Farm to School program with our Harvest of the Month initiative, including getting those fruits and vegetables on to local school menus and into cafeteria tastings!
In August we hosted our annual Summer Institute for Educators at the farm, with educators from multiple districts joining to learn about topics such as garden-based education, culturally responsive STEAM, multicultural children’s literature, and how to “grow” healthy eaters! This Fall, as part of the Farm to School program expansion, we attended an inspirational conference in New Orleans with the USDA Farm to School grantees from around the country, where we got a first hand look at the youth- led farm, Grow Dat Youth Farm, and heard about projects happening across New York and the Northeast as schools commit to getting local produce on the lunch menu.
In 2019 we extended the length of our After School Program at all the Poughkeepsie schools AND added on our very first Summer Program! Students in the program also were able to participate in a family cooking workshop where parents and guardians were invited to cook a farm fresh recipe with the group. In Food Power Club we were able to do spring and fall gardening this year, and students learned about the seasons, garden mapping, seed saving, and herbs!
In the culinary component they learned food preservation through quick pickling, and prepared seasonal recipes focused on local produce as well as different cultures - including veggie filed Tacos, Jollof rice, and my favorite, Okra Gumbo. Students enjoyed reading books on the history of farming, including about George Washington Carver and activists Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, as well as practicing mindfulness and meditation.
The Summer Program at Poughkeepsie Middle School was made up of elementary students from all four schools coming together to focus on curriculum around gardening, cooking and pollinators! We made a vegetable dish to go with our shared lunch each day, and students also planted a pollinator garden, made seed balls for their own neighborhoods, and learned how to do watercolor painting with Ms. Lala and Ms. Chris!
In honor of the New Year, and our January Harvest of The Month, Apples, give these healthy kid-approved recipes a try, and check out our new bilingual coloring sheet!
Kale Apple Salad
Apple Coloring Sheet
Apple & Squash Hash
Kohlrabi & Carrot Slaw
Happy 2020, and here's to growing more healthy kids in Poughkeepsie this year!
Kathryn