Farm to School Newsletter
October 2022
DEAR FAMILIES & FRIENDS:
October is Farm to School Month! We are excited to share and highlight with you all of the exciting things we have been up to in the last month! We have been busy hosting Pop Up Farmers Markets across the counties, teaching Farm to School lessons in the classroom and making delicious food for taste tests!
In September, we hosted a Pop Up Farmers Market at Leland Public School alongside MSUE and had a great day filled with 4 H goats, smoothie bikes, fresh produce and local bread! We also brought back the Pop Up Farmers Market to Buckley Public Schools and were thrilled with the excitement from teachers and students surrounding the event! One vendor completely sold out of pumpkins!
We will host 2 more markets this month, one on October 11th at Courtade Elementary from 1:30-4:30 and on Friday, October 14th from 12:30-3pm at Northport Public School! The public is welcome!
Our Farm to School lessons in September took place at Buckley, Courtade and Northport. We focused on plant parts, exploring the garden and harvesting potatoes at all our schools! Even more exciting was using the potatoes for cafeteria taste tests! Students thought it was pretty cool to see the potatoes they harvested turned into a tasty recipe and tried by their fellow classmates! We love making these connections with students; the more they learn about where their food comes from the more respect and awareness they have.
Keep following us on social media to see what we are up to every month!
Marshall, Elena, & Marisa
Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD)
Farm to School & LifeSPAN Team
NEWS, UPDATES & COMMUNITY EVENTS
October is FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH! We love showcasing and celebrating Farm to School all year long, but this month we can give special kudos to all the hard work people across the nation are doing to advance food education, provide healthy school lunches and create and maintain school gardens. Check out the National Farm to School Network's guide to #f2smonth!
One way to celebrate Farm to School month is Apple Crunch Day! Register your school or yourself here!
Walk and Roll to School is also happening this month! Check out what Norte is doing and sign yourself up!
Ever wanted to learn more about soil? Come to the Grand Traverse Soil expo this Saturday, October 15th from 1-6pm to learn about the ways in which you can support native flora and fauna, fight climate change, and prevent erosion - all by improving soil health!
The weather is getting colder, so it is time for chili! Help support the The Traverse Area District Library on Sunday, October 23rd for their Annual Chili Cook Off! For more events at the library click here!
Check out the next Youth Mental Health Summit on November 1st!
There is a free Fall Festival happening on Friday, October 28th at the YMCA!
Love learning to cook new recipes? Or just honing your skills? Next month at Oryana, you can learn about Plant Based Indian cooking. Register here!
Do you have a sweet tooth? Come see what Chocolate Truffles & Mousse with the Grocer's Daughter is all about on Thursday, October 27th!
Pop Up Markets this Month!
Leland Pop Up Farmers Market
Vendors set up and ready for kids to shop!
Voting on the Fall Vegetable Salad!
MSUE brought their smoothie bike too!
Buckley Pop Up Farmers Market
Kiddos filling their bags!
We had a great turn out!
The apple cider press is so much fun for kids, plus the product tastes amazing!
Buckley Farm to School Lessons this Month
We played a plant part scavenger hunt! Looks like these two found a root!
3rd graders love digging up potatoes!
So many potatoes! We gave them to the school cafeteria!
Northport Farm To School Lessons this Month
Pulling up carrots!
Practicing mindful tasting!
Nasturtium is a deliciously spicy edible flower!
Northport Cafeteria Taste Test
Potatoes picked by 3rd grade on the salad bar!
Yummy lemon potato salad!
The students loved it!
Courtade Taste Test
Trying oven roasted potatoes harvested by the 3rd graders!
I think someone loves taste tests!
Everyone wanted seconds!
HARVEST OF THE MONTH
Farm to School
Email: mhrbal@northwested.org
Website: http://farmtoschool.northwested.org
Location: 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, MI, USA
Phone: (231) 922-6200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthEdFarmtoSchool/