Something wonderful is happening in Whatcom County schools which involves locally grown foods. At a time when, paradoxically, childhood obesity and childhood hunger are on the rise in the U.S., a Whatcom organization is working to introduce local ingredients into school lunch programs to help improve nutrition and educate kids and their families about healthy eating.
Whatcom Farm-to-School (F2S) is a relatively new project designed to help introduce children, teachers, parents, and school food service staff to the advantages of eating local food. Launched in 2009 by the Whatcom Community Foundation's Sustainable Whatcom Fund Advisory Committee, the F2S Support Team's goals are straightforward:
- Provide children with more fresh, nutritious foods;
- Improve children's health;
- Encourage lifelong healthy eating habits;
- Support Washington's farmers with local markets for their crops;
- Reduce negative environmental impacts including energy use, waste, and climate change pollution by decreasing food packaging, refrigeration, storage, and transportation;
- Help preserve our rural communities;
- And promote awareness of how food choices impact our health, our communities, and the environment.
They're trying to achieve these goals by developing and using new models and ways of getting food into the shcool and reaching out to educate community.
F2S began by gathering information and contacting Food Service directors at public and private schools throughout the county. Next, small grants for pilot projects were made available by the Sustainable Whatcom Fund of the Whatcom Community Foundation. The pilot projects were designed by parents and teachers to develop and test new ways of getting local food into the schools and reaching out to educate the community. For example, the Bellingham School District started a Farm-to-School Advisory Group, and in January 2011, that group helped the district start a program called Harvest of the Month. Now Harvest of the Month has expanded and all eight public school districts in Whatcom County are participating.
For Harvest of the Month, a different seasonal local food product is featured each month. The schools agree to serve at least one school lunch menu during the month which includes that ingredient. F2S has designed flyers, posters for lunch rooms, PowerPoint presentations, and other educational materials for students, teachers, and parents. Teachers are also being encouraged to plan in-class activities to go along with the theme ingredient. According to F2S, "Harvest of the Month provides a great opportunity to try new foods, talk about food choices and think about where our food comes from."
Harvest of the Month information and educational materials are available online from the F2S website at: whatcomfarmtoschool.org
To achieve their goals, F2S partnered with many organizations, including the National Farm-to-School Network, the Health Department, and WSU. F2S recently organized a hands-on training workshop with Chef Garrett Berdan, a teaching/consulting chef from Portland, Oregon, who works exclusively with schools and food service staff.
Chef Garrett offered a six-hour workshop focused on cooking with fresh local produce. knife skills and preparation of recipes he developed for each Harvest of the Month item. All Whatcom school districts were able to send at least one staff member to the event except Ferndale. Ferndale is unique because it is the only district in the County which hires a contractor (Sodexo, Inc.) to provide school lunch service. The rest of the districts have lunches prepared by in-house employees. Ferndale is participating in Harvest of the Month, however.
Ultimately, according to coordinators Mardi Solomon and Holly O'Neil, Whatcom F2S would like to see children eating more fresh healthy local foods, which the children would select themselves because they understand why it's a healthier, tastier choice. Kids would also take what they learned home and help improve their home diets as well. Also, F2S aims to help make it easier for schools to have access to local foods.
All I can say is bravo! And many thanks to the F2S staff, those who donate funding, and the school district employees, teachers and parents who are making sure their schools take advantage of what's being offered. It's win-win for local farmers and local kids.
If you'd like to help, you could start by encouraging kids you know to try the Harvest of the Month ingredient when it's offered at their school. Encourage parents to let their kids eat school lunch on those days. The more kids actively participate, the more the schools are motivated to change. Finally, you can contact the F2S Support Team by emailing info@whatcomfarmtoschool.org and ask about how to volunteer.
Today's locavore recipe is as simple as it gets, and also wonderfully delicious. A variation was served at schools in January when the Harvest of the Month item was potatoes. For a rustic look, leave those nutritious peels on your potatoes.
Potatoes can be stored throughout the winter, and are a perfect ingredient for warming winter dishes. Ideally raw potatoes are stored just above freezing and away from light. Light can cause potatoes to turn green, which indicates the presence of a toxin called solanine. Any part of a potato which looks green, or badly bruised, should be cut away. Sprouts should also be completely removed.
ROASTED POTATO WEDGES
Ingredients
2 large russet potatoes (Moondance Farm, Acme)
1/4 stick butter, melted (Breckinridge Farm, Everson)
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (home garden)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice the potatoes into 1/2 by 3/4 inch sticks the length of the potato. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes and melted butter. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer (on parchment paper, if you have some). Sprinkle half the rosemary over them.
Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the potatoes over, sprinkle the rest of the rosemary over them, and bake for another 15 minutes or until done. Test doneness with a fork. Potatoes should be soft inside and crispy outside.
Serves 2.
LOCAVORE RESOURCES
You'll find Whatcom County foods at these stores and farms. Many outlets have seasonal hours. We recommend you call or check websites for current hours.
Acme Farms + Kitchen
Appel Farms Cheese Shoppe, 6605 Northwest Road, Ferndale; 360-384-4996; appel-farms.com
Artisan Wine Gallery, 2072 Granger Way, Lummi Island; 360-758-2959; artisanwineclub.com
Bellingham Farmers Market, Railroad at Chestnut; 360-647-2060; bellinghamfarmers.org
Boxx Berry Farm Store and u-pick, 6211 Northwest Road, Ferndale; 360-380-2699; boxxberryfarm.com
Cloud Mountain Farm Nursery, 6906 Goodwin Road, Everson; 360-966-5859; cloudmountainfarm.com
Community Food Cooperative, 1220 N. Forest St. and 315 Westerly Road, Bellingham; 360-734-8158; communityfood.coop
Everybody's Store, 5465 Potter Road, Deming; 360-592-2297; everybodys.com
Ferndale Public Market, Centennial Riverwalk, Ferndale; 360-410-7747; ferndalepublicmarket.org
Grace Harbor Farms, 2347 Birch Bay Lynden Road, Custer; 360-366-4151; graceharborfarms.com
Green Barn, 8858 Guide Meridian, Lynden; 360-354-1008
Hopewell Farm, 3072 Massey Road, Everson; 360-927-8433
Lynden Farmers Market, 514 Liberty St., Lynden, fiveloavesfarm.blogspot.com
Pleasant Valley Dairy, 6804 Kickerville Road, Ferndale; 360-366-5398; facebook.com/pages/Pleasant-Valley-Dairy/161872142667
Red Barn Lavender Farm, 3106 Thornton Road, Ferndale; 360-393-7057
Small's Gardens, 6451 Northwest Road, Ferndale; 360-384-4637
The Islander, 2106 S. Nugent Road, Lummi Island; 360-758-2190; islandergrocery.com
The Markets LLC, 3125 Old Fairhaven Parkway and 1030 Lakeway, Bellingham; 8135 Birch Bay Square St., Blaine; 360-714-9797; themarketsllc.com
Terra Organica, 1530 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham; 360-715-8020; terra-organica.com
