Farm to School

Two Farm to School Stories Inspire the Vermont Farm to Plate Network

Sarah — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 15:09:25 +0000

Two Farm to School Stories Inspire the Vermont Farm to Plate Network Sarah Tue, 02/04/2025 - 10:09

“During my garden internship in 2023, Vermont had a very big flood. It took out our school garden, and my learning went from focusing on how to maintain and clean the garden to how to become a leader through adverse times and creating a future plan. I want to work with like-minded people who want to keep the land for future generations and preserve it now.”

–Edwin Lynds, Senior, Woodstock Union High School’s C.R.A.F.T. Program (Community and Climate Resilience through Agriculture, Forestry & Technology)

The 2024 Farm to Plate Network Gathering brought together over 300 of Vermont’s food system champions to explore making meaningful changes to meet the strategic goals of the Vermont Farm to Plate Investment Program:

Increase sustainable economic development and create jobs in Vermont’s food and farm sector
Improve soils, water, and resiliency of the working landscape in the face of climate change
Improve access to healthy local foods for all Vermonters

But, this work isn’t just relevant to the adult attendees, as these outcomes affect the present and future of Vermont’s youth, too. Two groups demonstrated the power of engaging students during the gathering’s storytelling hour, as they shared their experiences connecting learning and school meals with Vermont’s agricultural community.

C.R.A.F.T.: Learning Through Interdisciplinary Partnership

Students from Woodstock Union High School’s C.R.A.F.T. Program (Community and Climate Resilience through Agriculture, Forestry & Technology) shared how hands-on, food systems courses are informing their career goals and shaping their understanding of the role they can play in building a more sustainable future.

Storytellers: Janis Boulbol, Educator; Abbie Castriotta, Gardens & Greenhouses Manager; Luca Morris, WUHS senior; Edwin Lynds, WUHS senior

Educator Janis is Boulbol is an alumni of our Education for Sustainability Immersion program. Read more about her work.

From Cartons to Community: The Power of Organic Milk in Schools

“The culture that Vermont has around food is profound and amazing. We have a unique sense of pride. We live next to some of the best farms in the world. In my district, our school motto is ‘Vermont food for Vermont kids.’ And we're really blessed that we have Universal School meals here in Vermont, because it enables us to do what we do wholeheartedly and really lean into things like this and the next big idea.” –Harley Sterling

Discover the story behind a groundbreaking partnership between Miller Farm in Vernon, VT and Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, where innovative thinking and shared values are bringing local organic milk to schools. Farmer Pete Miller and School Nutrition Director Harley Sterling share how this collaboration is reducing waste, supporting local agriculture, and reshaping the future of school nutrition.

Storytellers: Harley Sterling, School Nutrition Director, Windham Northeast Supervisory Union; Pete Miller, Organic Dairy Farmer & Processor, Miller Farm

Windham Northeast Supervisory Union is a district-wide alumni team of our Northeast Farm to School Institute, a partnership program with NOFA-VT.

Sarah Webb

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Meet a Changemaker: Educator Janis Boulbol

Professional learning alumnae Janis Boulbol and Kat Robbins spearhead climate education and action in their school.

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Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Vermont Teacher of the Year Aziza Malik explores how food, like storytelling, connects us all.

Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

A case study in empowering students—and reducing waste—from Norwich, Vermont’s Marion W. Cross Elementary School.

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January 21, 2025

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New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast

Sarah — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:06:06 +0000

New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast Sarah Fri, 12/06/2024 - 17:06

As part of our food system education work, we facilitate the Northeast Farm to School Collaborative, an active group of innovators working within their states and regionally to advance farm to school through networking, peer sharing, collaborative projects, policy, and convenings.

The Collaborative has launched a podcast exploring the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the Northeast.

But, what exactly is farm to school? It’s a big concept. To find a common thread, podcast creator Dinah Mack asked eight people working in the movement to share their definitions. Among the interviewees are Betsy Rosenbluth and Dana Hudson, two longtime Vermont farm to school champions.

Read on for excerpts from Dana and Betsy, and listen to the full episode below:

New episodes will be released monthly. Learn more and tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.

Betsy Rosenbluth, Co-Director, Vermont FEED & Farm to School Director, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools

"I describe farm to school as “making food real.” It's connecting students to where food comes from, and what it does for them: for their bodies, their communities, and their local economies. And through farm to school, they know how to grow and cook food, and what happens to waste; they know the food on their plate is tied to energy, poverty, land, water, social justice, and so many other global issues."

Dana Hudson, Coordinator, Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network

"I’ve always felt that the term “farm to school” isn't the right term, but it's the best term we have. It casts a wide net, and everyone's here for different reasons. Someone might be here because they really care about children's nutrition. Someone else is here because they worry about farm viability. There are people that are here because they were hungry as children, and they want to make sure other people aren't hungry. There are people here that are more concerned about climate and sustainability.

Farm to school really is the most powerful beginning to changing the food system as a whole. I really believe that farm to school is the path forward to really rectify a lot of the broken elements of our food system."

Sarah Webb

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Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

A case study in empowering students—and reducing waste—from Norwich, Vermont’s Marion W. Cross Elementary School.

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

In celebration of National Farm to School Month, U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts visit Montpelier High School to see their food systems education firsthand.

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Farm to School Director Betsy Rosenbluth and Justine Reichman discuss how we can transform the lunchroom into a place of nourishment, community, and joy.

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December 6, 2024

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Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

aestey — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 15:04:48 +0000

Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story aestey Thu, 12/05/2024 - 10:04

A case study in empowering students—and reducing waste—from Norwich, Vermont’s Marion W. Cross Elementary School

Chrissy Morley (left), environmental and experiential education coordinator at Marion Cross Elementary, and some of the fifth grade students who spearheaded efforts to reduce and divert food waste in their school.

Sixteen pounds of watermelon. Fourteen pounds of cheeseburgers and buns. Six pounds of waffle fries. This, students calculated, was the amount of food waste generated during a single lunch period at Marion W. Cross Elementary School. On average, each lunch service resulted in 33 pounds of food waste. “That’s only slightly less than the weight of one second grader,” says a fifth-grade student.

America throws away almost 40 percent of its food supply each year, with major environmental consequences. If wasted food goes to the landfills, it produces methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. The production of this wasted food generates the equivalent of 32.6 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

In food waste, the students, staff, and administrators of Marion Cross found an opportunity to take meaningful climate action. “For kids to feel empowered that they can actually do something about climate change is super important,” says Chrissy Morley, environmental and experiential education coordinator at Marion Cross in Norwich, Vermont. “If we use food as a way of empowering kids to be part of the change that we need to see in the world, we’ll have young people that feel like they have some agency.”

In her role, Morley brings K–6 science standards to life through all kinds of experiential learning, including learning in the school’s sugarhouse and garden, pictured here. “I already knew that teaching with food fosters connection—with the living world, with the curriculum and across disciplines, and with each other and the wider community,” says Morley.

Morley and teacher Devin Burkhart used food waste to involve their students in advancing a district-wide climate action plan. “Kids don’t have a lot of power over what kind of vehicles their parents drive or what kind of windows or insulation go into our buildings. But what does involve kids is food,” says Morley.

Below are the steps that Marion Cross’ fifth graders took to audit their school’s waste; to better understand their food system; and to spread their findings and make change in their school and community. Use these steps as inspiration for involving your own students in climate action through food.

Researching the Problem and Connecting to Global Issues

Fifth graders at Marion Cross identified a problem: their school produced a lot of food waste. On par with the average American, students tossed one-third of the food they were served. Compost buckets overflowed with all kinds of scraps, and often entirely uneaten items. With further investigation, the problem got more complex.

Students learned that their food waste was often highly contaminated with non-compostable items like wrappers and plastic bags (pictured). The group also discovered that their waste was being used to make compost that “caps” landfills (i.e., covers trash). “This was definitely not the spirit of our composting efforts,” says Morley.

Morley and Burkhart’s fifth graders learned about the environmental impacts of food waste on soil health and watersheds, and why composting matters. And they made connections between other topics they’d explored in science class—nutrient cycling, eutrophication, ecosystems, and decomposition—back to the food system.

Students were fired up, and they developed a hypothesis: Education about food waste for students and staff plus improved food quality in the cafeteria would result in less waste. In students’ words: “We could then compost or divert the waste we do produce, and help save the planet!”

Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data

To quantify the problem, fifth graders conducted a food waste audit using EPA guidelines. They collected two weeks of data on lunch food waste, categorizing and weighing every item that was thrown out compared to the total weight of food served.

There was qualitative data collected, too: Students conducted post-lunch interviews with their peers as they exited the cafeteria to better understand which items were most popular, why items were thrown away, how students would rate the quality of food they were served, and how they’d suggest improving school lunch.

The data showed that, in one student’s words, “We make a lot of waste.” Students eating school lunch—about half of the 337 students at Marion Cross—generated 60 gallons of compost each week. Add in waste from lunches brought from home, snacks, breakfast, and kitchen prep, and the amount only grows.

Meeting with School and Community Partners

Source: EPA

To inform their next move, students consulted the EPA’s food recovery hierarchy, which prioritizes the actions organizations can take to prevent and divert wasted food. “When you look at the hierarchy, we know composting is not the complete answer. What you really want to do is to not produce so much food waste to begin with,” explains Morley.

Students formed an environmental club so that they could devote more time to working on the problem. The group interviewed Marion Cross’ food services manager to better understand school lunch requirements and guidelines. “Food systems are complex and highly interrelated, so building a strong team for this kind of work is essential,” Morley says. The conversation revealed an opportunity to educate students and staff about food waste, and to shift to “offer versus serve.” In food service, “offer versus serve” is the difference between offering students a choice of what goes on their tray (while still meeting nutritional guidelines) rather than loading all available food options onto their plate. Offering instead of serving can dramatically reduce food waste.

Students presented their ideas to the Norwich school board. Said one student: "Our future matters."

Based on their findings, the club generated a list of recommended next steps—and presented their ideas to the Norwich school board. Says student Stahv of the experience, “I really liked how the environmental club brought lots of different people together around a shared passion: saving the Earth! And I like making presentations to people outside of the school about our work, especially to the school board.”

“We teachers could have presented to the school board, but because the kids did the presentation, it was heard so much more loudly. They spoke with such passion, and they were so fired up,” says Morley. “For them to feel like their voices have been heard on this issue was great…students’ voices really do have power.”

Taking Action

Vermont master composter Cat Buxton talks with Marion Cross students around their old on-site compost system. This system could only handle about 10% of the school’s waste; come 2025, a new system will handle all campus food waste.

The school board and food service staff listened, and changes began to happen quickly, including improved communication and clarity in the cafeteria around “offer versus serve.” Says Morley, “Starting the next day, kids were offered a clearer choice for what went on their tray.” Students also launched a peer-to-peer education campaign about why food waste matters, what choices they have for what goes on their tray, and what belongs in the compost.

There’s a major shift underway in how Marion Cross composts, too: Rather than sending the majority of their waste across state lines, Morley and her students are working with Vermont master composter Cat Buxton through the Upper Valley Super Composter Program to establish an advanced composting system right on school grounds. Marion Cross is one of ten schools in the region to get a post-and-beam structure, large capacity compost bins, and material support and expertise. When it’s completed in 2025, the structure will handle all campus food waste. “The compost we make will be used to grow more food, allowing us to come much closer to our goal of ‘closing the food loop,’” explains Morley. In addition to the cafeteria, every classroom is now composting; fifth and sixth graders help empty the compost around the building into the on-site system every day. “I like getting my hands dirty with the compost!” shares student May. “I love food, so that feels important.” Adds student Etta, “I am most excited about teaching other kids at our school about the stuff we’ve learned, like how and why to compost.”

Another significant shift implemented at Marion Cross this year was flipping the school’s schedule to put recess time before lunch. “That was a huge identified source of food waste, that kids were throwing away almost their entire lunch in order to get out to recess,” explains Morley. Research confirms that this simple schedule switch helps increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Morley says collaboration continues with food service staff to get more local, culturally-relevant, and kid-prepared food in the cafeteria. Occasionally, students will harvest items from the garden and prepare them for the cafeteria’s salad bar, like basil pesto and pickles; the principal will give these items a shout-out in morning announcements. And, the school just received a grant to support getting more locally-grown, kid-prepared foods in the school lunch program.

The work continues this school year and beyond. Morley aims to redo the food waste audit with students to see how they’ve moved the needle, and report the results back to the school board. She’s also exploring ways to get unserved food to local families in need, and to local farms to use as animal feed. On students’ wishlists for the coming year: getting chickens to help eat food scraps, adding more vegetarian choices to the lunch menu, and taking a field trip to see a larger composting operation in action. “I’m really excited to be part of the compost project and I’m proud that the work we did in the environmental club made that possible,” says student Theo M.

“We still have work to do, but we have a team that feels mutually supportive,” Morley says. “It’s exciting to see the progress.”

Chrissy Morley presented this work at the Northeast Farm to School Institute in Summer 2024.

Find out more about the Northeast Farm to School Institute

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Strengthening Farm to School with Community Partnerships & Youth Voice

What really matters when it comes to youth voice and Farm to School? We spoke with a NYC 2020 Farm to School Institute team to find out what has proven successful for them.

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Nutrition, Taste, and Cost: Balancing Priorities in the School Cafeteria

School nutrition professionals gathered with Vermont FEED to consider how to feed students nourishing meals on a budget — that they will actually eat.

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Getting REAL: A Framework for Climate Change Education

Climate change education specialist Joan Haley writes about the best practices of equity-centered climate change education—and shares hopeful stories of the educators and learners already doing this work in our region.

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December 6, 2024

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

Sarah — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:31:34 +0000

Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience Sarah Wed, 10/23/2024 - 09:31

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools Farm to School Director Betsy Rosenbluth, and U.S. Senator Peter Welch join Montpelier High School students for a local lunch. Photo by Sarah Webb

“What’s so inspiring to me is you’re solving big challenges by creating a local agricultural economy and a cleaner, more sustainable environment. It takes work, it takes effort. It takes more than just saying you want a solution—we all do—it’s about doing it.” –U.S. Senator Peter Welch

In celebration of National Farm to School Month, U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts visited Montpelier High School (MHS) to see the farm to school program firsthand and understand how the school integrates food systems education throughout the curriculum and school meals. The event was organized by the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network, of which we are a member.

Sarah Webb

Students show Senator Welch the greenhouse where lettuces are being grown for the school cafeteria salad bar.
Sarah Webb

U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts share remarks following the student tour.

MHS students toured the Senator and Secretary through the greenhouse and gardens, pointing out the colorful greens destined for the cafeteria salad bar; ripening peppers students will cook down into hot sauce and bottle for sale; and abundant beds of kale, squash, herbs, and more for the student-run crêpe cart business, which raises money for student travel scholarships.

“We run the crêpe cart at the Capitol City Farmers’ Market,” explained Student Manager of the cart, Veda Gahagan. “We source most ingredients from our school gardens and the market itself.” Students learn all aspects of a small business, including budgeting, foodservice, marketing, and cooking. “I met a lot of farmers, and I know where all the ingredients are coming from,” shares Veda. “It’s special meeting so many members of this community, and I feel connected to Montpelier and Vermont.”

French teacher Brigitte Savard and students prepare lunch in the crêpe cart, a student-run operation that raises funds for student travel scholarships. Photo by Sarah Webb.

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts shared his admiration for the students’ work, “They’re learning how to take the food they grow, make it into a product, sell it, make a business plan, and develop relationships.”

The MHS farm to school efforts have not been without challenges, including recent flooding that devastated their gardens and infrastructure, but the teachers and students worked through the obstacles. “Food systems are complex, and that brings in rigor, constant critical thinking, and problem solving,” explains educator Tom Sabo. “When things go wrong here, it is an educational opportunity, a whole new lesson plan.”

“Everything that we saw here, the students did,” Senator Welch remarked following the tour. “The environmental champions in our society are the young people. And Montpelier students are showing us that it isn't just about advocating and having the expectation that someone else will solve a big problem. It’s about taking on the responsibility yourself.”

Every student participates in farm to school at some point during their time at MHS. Whether it’s working in the greenhouse, keeping bees, making and selling value-added products, tending to the school’s flock of chickens, taking culinary skill-building classes, or maintaining the pick-your-own community food security garden, students have ample opportunities to explore sustainable food systems.

MHS student Sam Boyce presents student-made hot sauce and honey to guests Senator Welch and Secretary Tebbetts. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“The Food, Farm, and Society class has really helped me to understand what a food system actually is and how everyone contributes to it,” student Sam Boyce shared. “And, being able to work in the gardens has taught me a lot of life experiences, especially because it was technically the first job that I’ve ever had.”

The benefits run deep; students may not always be interested in farming as a career, but they value a local agricultural economy. “We create educated consumers,” Tom Sabo continues. “Consumers that understand that the price tag isn't the only cost associated with the food we buy. Consumers that are willing to pay a fair price for food that benefits the environment, local farmers, and the local economy.”

Vermont schools spend 20 million dollars annually on school food, and the farm to school movement is working to include more farmers in that economic opportunity. The Vermont Agency of Education’s Local Food Incentives program and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets’ farm to school grant programs have supported the expansion of Vermont products served in Vermont schools. “Now, we have over 100 Vermont farmers and producers selling to school meal and early childhood programs,” shared Network Coordinator Dana Hudson.

Following the tour, the teachers and students sat down with the Senator and Secretary for lunch in the cafeteria. On the menu: fresh-off-the-griddle, student-made buckwheat crêpes with local tomato, pesto, and mozzarella.

“[The Vermont delegation in Washington] is proud of Vermont’s Farm to School program and Universal School Meal program. The implementation is what you’re doing here, and you’re seeing the benefits,” noted Welch. “Montpelier High School is such an inspiration. If my colleagues and I could learn these lessons of cooperation and effort, I think we’d be better off not just in Montpelier, but all around the country.”

Montpelier is an alumni of the Northeast Farm to School Institute, a program of Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and NOFA-VT, and was recently awarded a Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets grant to support the purchase of a new food trailer to expand their culinary entrepreneurship offerings.

Watch event coverage from My Champlain Valley

Learn more about the statewide programs supporting schools and early childhood programs in deepening student connections to local food systems:

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets (VAAFM) Farm to School & Early Childhood Capacity Building Grant provides financial and technical assistance to schools or early childhood education organizations looking to develop or expand their farm to school programs. Application due November 14.
The VAAFM Farm to Institution Market Development Grant supports market development opportunities for local food producers and processors, with a focus on Vermont institutional markets. Application due October 23.
The VAAFM Farm to School and Early Childhood Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Grant reimburses early childhood education providers and after school programs for the cost of a CSA share. Applications open in early 2025.
The VAAFM Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant supports innovative projects that engage youth in addressing contemporary problems through farm to school and early childhood activities. Applications open March 2025.
The Vermont Agency of Education Local Foods Incentive Grant provides a financial incentive to school districts and supervisory unions that meet local purchasing targets in their school meal programs. Application due December 9.
Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and NOFA-VT’s Northeast Farm to School Institute, a unique year-long professional learning opportunity for selected school, district, or early childhood teams from New England and New York. Applications open later this year.
The USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program supports launching new farm to school programs or expanding existing efforts.

Sarah Webb

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Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Montpelier High School's inaugural Solon Soup for the Soul stands as a testament to the enduring power of collaboration, compassion, and the simple act of sharing a meal.

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Farm to School Director Betsy Rosenbluth and Justine Reichman discuss how we can transform the lunchroom into a place of nourishment, community, and joy.

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Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

June is National Dairy Month, and we're highlighting a longtime program connecting farmer and students: Dairy in the Classroom.

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October 23, 2024

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Sarah — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:17:43 +0000

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast Sarah Mon, 10/21/2024 - 11:17

Photo by Ben Hudson.

"School meals are part of the education day."
–Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School

By changing school culture and elevating the school meal experience, we can empower students to see the cafeteria as an extension of the classroom, where they can learn about nutrition, explore new flavors, and take pride in the food that fuels their growing bodies and minds. Justine Reichman of Essential Ingredients podcast speaks with Vermont FEED Director Betsy Rosenbluth about how we can transform the lunchroom into a place of nourishment, community, and joy.

Read on for excerpts, and listen to the full interview below:

Justine: I imagine in every city or every state, [the farm to school programs] may change based on the demographic. How do you tailor the programs for different communities?

Betsy: The whole approach to farm to school [is about integration]. You’re not layering it on top of a crowded curriculum or what schools already have to do. Rather, you’re asking, how does it help you to achieve your goals? And that's the most important adaptation.

So when we work with other states, or we work with any school, it's understanding their priorities, and then how does farm to school help you them do that? Maybe they really want more parent engagement, or they want to reintroduce indigenous foods, or whatever it might be. We're really about a process that supports people in achieving their goals.

Justine: As part of this advocacy, what challenges do you face while supporting new schools and communities in building farm to school programs?

Betsy: There's so much on schools right now: Labor shortages, staff shortages, and lots of other demands. Whether you're the school nutrition person in the cafeteria, a teacher, or a principal, the thought of one more thing is just too much. So it's hard to get the school's attention.

It's difficult to overcome the challenges we're in as a system that really doesn’t yet support local food as it should. But once people dip their toe in, they get excited and are able to move forward, especially with the resources and support we can offer.

Justine: What were some of the things that you’re working towards now?

Betsy: We’re always working on making school meals are part of the education day. In some ways, the cafeteria is the biggest classroom. And yet we treat it like kids should just rush through and get out the door to recess.

One of the things we want to do is change the culture in the lunchroom. In our partnership with Hunger Free Vermont, we decided to work towards universal free breakfast and lunch—but not just any "free" meal, but a delicious, nourishing meal with local food. And a school culture where kids feel a connection to their local farmers through education. It's sort of a tall order.

We call it “Farm Fresh School Meals for All”, and we're working on that nationally. And it's going to take a while to get there. I'm encouraged that at least one of the presidential candidates is talking about universal meals. Who would have ever thought that on a national stage we'd be talking about school meals? But there you are. So I remain hopeful. Eight states around the country, including Vermont, have passed legislation for universal meals, but we still have a long way to go in this country to take away the stigma in the lunchroom and give kids the meals they need to succeed in learning.

Interested in bring farm to school to you community? Applications for our Northeast Farm to School Institute will open in the coming months for New England and New York school, district, and early childhood teams. Our Farm to School Institute Adaptation Program applications open in early November.

Sarah Webb

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Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Montpelier High School's inaugural Solon Soup for the Soul stands as a testament to the enduring power of collaboration, compassion, and the simple act of sharing a meal.

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Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

We’re sharing a look back at some of our projects, collaborations, and campaigns that helped to propel the farm to school movement forward in 2023.

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Let's Make Pickles!

Find some pickle-making inspiration to bring food systems learning to your earliest learners.

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October 21, 2024

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Wheat Berry Salad

Sarah — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:42:07 +0000

Wheat Berry Salad Sarah Tue, 10/08/2024 - 09:42

Photo by Sarah Webb

October is National Farm to School Month, a time for honoring and supporting the educators, school nutrition professionals, farmers, students (and more!) who connect youth with where their food comes from. Food is central to the work, and celebrating its successes!

Dig in with Wheat Berry Salad, a favorite recipe from New School Cuisine, our first-of-its-kind cookbook for school nutrition professionals. It features kid-tested and approved recipes scaled for school cafeterias that incorporate local, seasonal produce.

Farm Fresh School Meals for All

Every day, over 28 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program. The program is one of the largest food expenditures using public dollars in the country, and has the potential to support student health and local economies when fresh, local food is on the tray.

Learn more

How to use this recipe: Shelburne Farms Chef Matthew Merrifield has scaled the original recipe for homecooks and in-home early childcare programs. The original ingredients are listed first, faithful to the New School Cuisine recipe geared for kids’ palates and school nutrition standards. Below that, Chef Matthew shares additional ingredients to use in your own kitchen, where you might not have to prioritize pleasing young tastebuds.

Are you a school nutrition professional looking for a scaled up version of the recipe? Download the original recipe and download the full cookbook for free.

Cooked wheat berries are tender and chewy, and lend a nutty flavor that pairs nicely with root vegetables and winter squashes (like sweet potatoes, being peeled by Chef Matthew Merrifield). Photos by Sarah Webb.

Wheat Berry Salad Recipe

Original, Kid-Tested Ingredients

Yield: about twelve ½-cup servings

2 cups dried winter wheat berries (Nitty Gritty Grain Co. is a great local producer)
1 sweet potato
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
A *tiny* pinch ground nutmeg (or omit)
¾ cup dried cranberries
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Other Additions/Ideas

Instead of wheat berries, consider using hard lentils, farro, or groats as the salad base.
Use any root vegetable or winter squash you like or have one hand. We used a mix of parsnip and sweet potato. Autumn frost would be delicious! You’re looking for about 1-1 ½ cups of diced produce all together.
Kids love sweet foods, and we added a few more savory notes for balance:
- A few sprigs parsley, chopped
- A quick vinaigrette, combine and emulsify, and mix into the salad before serving:
  - ¾ cup olive oil
  - ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  - Salt and pepper to taste
- Generally, more salt — salt throughout the process, tasting as you go.
We also added spices to the roasted vegetables that complement the original recipe:
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
Play around with the spices to change up this very flexible base recipe (for instance, Mexican flavors (cumin, coriander, chili powder, etc.)).

Method

Optional: Soak the wheat berries overnight. This will break down the hull, allowing for a shorter boiling time and a more even cook.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add wheat berries and cook until tender and starting to split, about 40–50 minutes (if you soak the wheat berries overnight, start checking them around the 25-minute mark). They should be tender and chewy.
Drain and rinse the cooked wheat berries in cool water until the water runs clear. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, peel sweet potatoes (or whatever vegetables you’re using) and cut into 3⁄8-inch dice.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss the sweet potatoes, oil, cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg (and any other additional spices) in a medium bowl. Spread evenly on a half sheet pan and cook until tender and browned, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the cooled wheat berries, roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss.

Sarah Webb

Farm to School

Recipes

Mac 'n' Trees from New School Cuisine

A favorite recipe from our Farm to School cookbook, New School Cuisine, scaled down for a family-sized portion.

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Montpelier High School's inaugural Solon Soup for the Soul stands as a testament to the enduring power of collaboration, compassion, and the simple act of sharing a meal.

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A Savory Cheddar-Chive Scone Recipe

A recipe by Brooklyn-based culinary arts instructor Dylana DeGannes, and how cooking can empower youth.

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October 8, 2024

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Let's Make Pickles!

Sarah — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 15:20:19 +0000

Let's Make Pickles! Sarah Tue, 08/20/2024 - 11:20

When children are learning about and eating nutritious foods at an early age, it makes a difference. Ninety percent of the brain is developed by age five, and healthy food is vital to brain development in young children. “Rather than teaching students about tomatoes for the first time at age seven, if you introduce these foods at age two, that child’s relationship with healthy eating has four plus years of exposure and depth to it once they enter kindergarten,” Educator Jed Norris shares.

Late summer is a great time to weave more learning into your students’ and families’ meals — the gardens are bursting with produce for all sort of hands-on activities, like quick pickles. Find inspiration for your own pickle making in the video below (starting at 6:57) and get our pickle activity from Cultivating Joy & Wonder.

Farm to Early Childhood Activities: Dress Up a Plant & Quick Pickles

Extend the Learning: Do you know the bean plant’s super power? Try “Dress Up a Plant”, an interactive game to teach young learners about a plant’s parts, what function each plays, and how a bean goes from seed to fruit.

More Farm to Early Childhood Activities

Watch the full series on the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network, including buttermaking, flatbreads, and more.

Sarah Webb

For Educators

Activities For Students

Early Childhood

Farm to School

For Educators

Activities For Students

Early Childhood

Farm to School

The Joy & Lessons of Butter Making

June is National Dairy Month, and we’re sharing a new how-to video showing one of our favorite activities: making butter!

For Educators

Activities For Students

Farm to School

Three Garden Activities for Early Learners

Garden Olympics, soundscapes, and planning activities from our collaborators at Mass Audubon.

Food & Farming

We Are the Starter Cultures of Social Change

We share author, food activist, and fermentation guru Sandor Katz's fervor for getting everyone involved with the food we eat. Inspired by Katz's work, we brought fermentation into the outdoor classroom with our preschoolers.

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August 16, 2024

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Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Sarah — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:32:27 +0000

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food Sarah Thu, 06/20/2024 - 11:32

“Wow, it really does look like Hogwarts,” a student remarks, impressed, walking into the school gymnasium. Set end-to-end, four long stretches of tables span the room, one for each grade (“Harry Potter style”). The bleachers and mats are strung with twinkling lights, pushed aside for the schoolwide lunch. It’s March 2024, and Montpelier High School’s first-ever Solon Soup for the Soul is just kicking off with 400 students and staff sitting down to share a meal together.

Educator Sam Bromley serves soup to students during the inaugural Solon Soup for the Soul lunch. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“We have events like this in the fall and spring, and we were thinking how we should have one in the winter, too,” explains senior Meg Voisin. She and fellow senior Anika Turcotte are the creators of the event, named for the school’s mascot, the Athenian philosopher, Solon. The duo organized with teachers, the school nutrition team, and administrators to give their peers time to connect with one another following the isolating years of the pandemic.

“Only half of the school would come in the morning, and the other half came in the afternoon,” Meg remembers back to those days. “So we were coming in as freshmen, and there's like these big scary seniors, and you can't see if they're smiling at you because we've all got masks on, and there are temperature guns as you walk through the school… It was really isolating.”

As restrictions eased, the school created a spring event, Pizza for the People. Students gathered in between class sessions to eat freshly baked pizza from the outdoor oven, play lawn games, and have a moment of normalcy. “The event was designed to combat that isolation,” shares Meg, “and that’s what we want for Solon Soup for the Soul, too.”

But the road to Solon Soup took a team, and time. Last summer, three teachers — Brigitte Savard, Matt McLane, and Sam Bromley — formed a team with Meg and Anika and were accepted into the Northeast Farm to School Institute, a year-long program supporting schools across the region in deepening connections among the classroom, cafeteria, and local agricultural community.

Andy Duback

A portion of the Montpelier Northeast Farm to School Institute team at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn develops their action plan for further embedding food systems education into their curriculum.
Andy Duback

Youth team members Meg Voisin (left) and Anika Turcotte (right) dream up the Solon Soup for the Soul event during the Northeast Farm to School Institute at Shelburne Farms.

The Montpelier team went into the kick-off retreat with some significant assets. Pizza for the People, and the school’s longstanding Fall Harvest Celebration were already highlighting how Montpelier’s sense of community is synonymous with a shared meal. Out behind their school, a greenhouse, gardens, apiaries, and a flock of chickens were helping students connect good food to its source.

“We just really needed that dedicated team time to dive into this work,” shares science teacher Sam Bromley. “I feel like in the school setting, it's really hard to bring stakeholders together and have the time and space to get in the mindset to think creatively.”

Students and teachers shared in the planning. “I can't imagine not having students as part of the team,” Sam adds. “If we can get students involved right away, they can build excitement. Their voice builds teacher buy-in and longevity.”

It was during the Institute’s opening retreat at Shelburne Farms Coach Barn that Meg and Anika envisioned Solon Soup for the Soul. “It was a time and space for our team of teachers and students to all be together, completely focused on this one thing,” recalls Anika. “I remember sitting in the back of that nice, big barn… just being surrounded by all these people who are really excited about bringing good food into our schools. It helped focus us. That barn is a good place for ideas.”

“We just started brainstorming,” explains Meg. “What do we want for ourselves? For our peers? And we were just thinking ‘really cozy, rustic bread, comfort.’ Right then and there we created the title of it: Solon Soup for the Soul.”

The team returned to school with an idea, ready to bring it to life, and held regular planning meetings throughout the fall semester. “We faced some logistical challenges,” remembers Brigitte. “We couldn’t use the gym during the basketball season, our school's folding tables were destroyed in a recent flood, and the school calendar was already jam-packed.” But the team had help. “Having the support of the administration was key to this event's success,” says Brigitte. “ They helped us navigate the hurdles we faced.”

Students supported the event by processing the majority of the menu's ingredients during class time. Photo by Sarah Webb.

Then, they needed to figure out how to make over 400 servings of soup. The team pulled in student-power from classes that already used the school’s teaching kitchen, like Sam’s Cooked class, a popular offering with hands-on culinary and food systems learning. “It’s a space where we get to cook foods we normally couldn't at home,” explains Cooked student Lara. “We get to learn new skills and cook for special events and guests. It’s just nice to work together.”

Brigitte’s French and Crêpe classes were also tasked to help. The Crêpe class supports a student-run crêpe kiosk at the local farmers’ market. “Students work on all aspects of the business,” shares Brigitte, “from cooking, menu development, branding, and marketing, to serving and taking orders at the market.” The sales support a travel scholarship fund available school-wide.

Leading up to the lunch, these classes prepped the ingredients: 50 pounds of carrots, 30 pounds of onions, 80 pounds of potatoes, and 40 gallons of stock to name a few. The cooking was finished in the cafeteria kitchen.

Food Services Director Jim Birmingham pulls the meal together and works with the team to serve the entire school community in the gymnasium. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“We are very fortunate to have a very supportive Food Services Director and Kitchen Manager,” explains Sam. “They’re partners in this work. They’re excited to support more whole-school events and get students involved, but they don’t always have the people power.”

Vermont school nutrition departments budget for, plan, cook, and serve over 17 million meals annually, with an abundance of regulations applied to every single one, including special events like Solon Soup for the Soul.

“The students came up with this idea, and my role is to help them figure out how to make their idea be compliant [with USDA standards],” explains Food Services Director Jim Birmingham. “My role really was doing the math, understanding the regulations, knowing what needed to be served, and working from there.”

The team figured out how to create a simple menu that could feed the entire school in an hour, while meeting requirements and purchasing as much local food as possible. The solution was all about collaboration. “We cook the Misty Knoll chickens and the students pick them,” explains Jim. “We buy the carrots, and they cut them. It's nice to work with Sam, who can work with the students, prioritize, and help us figure out how to make it all work.

Educator Brigitte Savard serves up chicken soup as the entire school gathers for a meal together. Photo by Sarah Webb.

And they made it all work. On March 20, Montpelier High School students and faculty sat down in the gymnasium. A custom Solon Soup for the Soul playlist was just audible above the conversation. The planning team, pushing carts brimming with pots of soup, wound their way through the aisles, ladling out chicken noodle and vegan minestrone to all. The event also served as a food drive, collecting nonperishables for a nearby food shelf. Extra soup was packaged and donated, too.

“You know, we typically don't eat together all at once. So it was really nice to have an extended amount of time where students could sit down and eat together,” says Sam. “It was a chance to really have some intentionality behind eating and bringing the community together.”

“These events really are a core Montpelier thing,” Anika adds. “I'm so grateful to be a part of a school community that values spending time, all together, serving local food. These events will definitely be what I'll look back on in ten years and remember.”

The Solon Soup for the Soul team. Left to right: Sam Bromley, Anika Turcotte, Meg Voisin, Brigitte Savard, Matt McLane. Phot courtesy Montpelier High School.

Sarah Webb

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Education Impact

Farm to School

Youth Voice

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Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

We’re sharing a look back at some of our projects, collaborations, and campaigns that helped to propel the farm to school movement forward in 2023.

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Youth Voice

Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Vermont Teacher of the Year Aziza Malik explores how food, like storytelling, connects us all.

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Adapting the Model: Connecticut’s Statewide Farm to School Institute

As part of the 2023–24 Farm to School Institute Adaptation cohort, Connecticut reflects on their experience launching their first statewide Institute.

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June 20, 2024

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Three Garden Activities for Early Learners

aestey — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:28:02 +0000

Three Garden Activities for Early Learners aestey Fri, 06/07/2024 - 13:28

From our collaborators at Mass Audubon

Photo: Andrea Estey

Rina Zampieron, State-Wide Early Education Manager with Mass Audubon, firmly believes all young learners should learn about and have access to time in nature. One way to make this more approachable? By starting with a few simple garden planters around the classroom.

“There are so many different kinds of gardens,” explains Rina. “A garden doesn’t have to be huge. A growbag of cherry tomatoes or one or two raised beds of herbs and flowers is a garden, too.” Rina, who coaches teams of educators and school nutrition professionals in the Northeast Farm to School Institute, talks about farm to early childcare as a gateway: a gateway to more nature-based learning, to learning about our food sources and the people who grow it, and to a sense of curiosity and wonder.

Last summer, Rina shared some of her favorite garden-related activities with early educators at the Farm to School Institute. If you work with learners ages 0-8, give these ideas a try!

Garden Olympics

From Mass Audubon Early Education

Photo: Sarah Webb

With the Summer Olympics around the corner, here’s a simple activity to bring the games closer to home while building observational skills.

Instructions

Create a document with a simple 3x3 table. Label each square with a superlative of your choosing, like tallest plant, largest flowers, or most colorful bloom, leaving room for students to draw or write their medalist in each square. Or, download a PDF of Mass Audubon’s Garden Olympics pre-labeled chart.
Print the sheet and distribute copies to your students, then venture into the garden to see which plants rise to the top in each category. Talk about your observations and what students notice. Where did students have observations in common? Where were they different?
For older ages, add in more science by challenging them to make predictions. In one month, how might what we see change? Will a different plant be the tallest? Will new blooms appear or disappear?
Repeat the activity once a month as plants in your garden grow. How did your observations change over time?
Next year, start the Garden Olympics while your plants are still seeds. Looking at the seeds, what do students predict will be the biggest plant, or the most colorful? Label what you plant, and see how your predictions play out.

Garden Soundscapes and Natural Pest Spray

From Mass Audubon Early Education

Rina (pictured here) with her handmade mobile, featuring canning jar rings, pinecones, and silverware dangling from an old candle-snuffer. (Photo: Andrea Estey)

Gardens are full of tasty treats, and not just for us. Bugs, birds, mammals, and others love to munch on our hard-earned garden produce. How can we safely discourage garden thievery? Keep birds and mammals away with visual and audio deterrence via a musical, moveable mobile! A collection of beautiful junk and recyclables makes both lovely decoration and a garden guard.

Suggested materials

Coat hangers or wire
Foil trays and tins
Balls of aluminum foil
Old keys or silverware
Metal hardware like bolts, nuts, brackets, and cabinet handles
Yarn, twine, or ribbon
CDs or DVDs
Tinsel or other metallic ribbon
Sticks or pinecones
Plastic beads
Canning jar rings

Assembly

Select an old metal coat hanger, piece of wire, or large stick from which the rest of your objects will hang.
Select and arrange the objects you’d like to have dangling from your mobile. Aim for a range of objects that will produce both sounds (like an old fork hitting a pie plate) and things that sparkle and shine (like old CDs or tinsel).
Attach your objects to your coat hanger using yarn, twine, or ribbon, keeping in mind that the longer your strings, the higher your mobile will need to be off the ground.
Hang the sculpture from a garden post, fence, or tree bordering your garden space.

For smaller pests like bugs, it’s all about smell and taste. To level up your pest deterrence, make your own plant-safe spray. Try mixing some of these ingredients with water in a spray bottle. Your spray will be food-safe and non-toxic, but bugs sure don’t enjoy it! For older ages, try making a few different combinations, and study which combination works best to deter which pests.

Suggested ingredients

Natural dish soap (not detergent)
Chopped garlic or onion
Chili or cayenne powder/fresh chopped
Citronella leaves
Vinegar

Planning a Dream Garden

From Mass Audubon Early Education

All you need for this design activity is gardening magazines and seed catalogues and a bit of imagination. (Photo: Andrea Estey)

If you’re designing a garden space, loop your young learners into the process with a collage activity! Rina advises that when it comes time to purchase and plant, every garden plan should be tailored to your classroom, including your space constraints; conditions like soil, sun, and water; your learners’ specific needs; and your goals, whether producing food or supporting pollinators.

A specific piece of advice for the earliest learners: choose plants that are edible and hardy (mint is a great choice for these reasons!) and flowers that are edible and colorful. Older learners may enjoy sensory delights like herbs or Lamb’s Ears.

This activity works well towards the end of winter when you might start thinking about your upcoming garden, but can be a fun visualization any time of year.

Instructions

Start the conversation about what the plants are doing right now. Perhaps some are dead, others are “sleeping,” and some are “awake.”
Assemble and distribute drawing and collage materials, like seed catalogs (free from companies like Burpee and other seed suppliers), gardening magazines, or even calendars. If you have an existing garden, you may give children a template of your space (such as number and location of planters/raised beds), or you can make it completely open ended.
Allow children to cut and paste, or draw, what they’d want the garden to look like.
Have them share as a class, post their plans on the walls, and discuss the different plants they listed. Are all the plants familiar to everyone? What things reflect foods children bring for lunch? Are there any plants that some children haven’t seen or tasted before (maybe you could bring one in!).
You can also let this inform your decisions about what kinds of seeds or seedlings you might want to grow.

Thank you to Rina Zampieron, who will again be a team coach at the 2024–25 Northeast Farm to School Institute, kicking off June 25. The Farm to School Institute is a collaboration of NOFA-VT and Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools.

Visit Mass Audubon for farm & nature-based resources and trainings

Andrea Estey

For Educators

Activities For Students

Farm to School

Activities For Students

Farm-Based Education

For Educators

Tomato Planet Activity

Highlights from our ABCs of Farm-Based Education program, including a kid-friendly introduction to learning what seeds need to grow.

For Educators

Activities For Students

Family Activities

Farm-Based Education

Kid-Favorite Plants for Your Garden

Some of our educators' favorite plants that stir up excitement in the garden — try a few in your plot this season!

Activities For Students

Family Activities

Food & Farming

For Educators

Garden Bugs: Friend or Foe?

Our gardens aren’t just full of tastes, colors, and smells - they are full of BUGS! Meet some of the insects that might be living in your garden.

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Lovely work as always, Rina et. al!

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Farmer-to-Farmer Connections: Building Networks for Learning

Sarah — Thu, 16 May 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Farmer-to-Farmer Connections: Building Networks for Learning Sarah Thu, 05/16/2024 - 16:00

Sarah Webb

“I feel really passionate about providing an experience for children and young adults to have a connection to nature and learn about growing their food, but also empowering them so that they can have a toolset to be sustainable and have a different way of thinking and being in the world.”

–Ariana Wild, Wild Farm

In partnership with NOFA-VT, we recently wrapped up our Agricultural Educators Cohort, a peer-to-peer learning opportunity for farmers interested in connecting with schools and inviting youth to their farms for hands-on agricultural education.

Along with gatherings throughout the year, we matched all eight participating farmers with a coach farmer in their region to share best practices, offer advice, and help them realize their goals. Hear from one such pair, Ariana Wild of Wild Farm and coach Misse Axelrod of Vermont Farm and Forest School:

Farmer & Farm-Based Educator Resources

The Farm-Based Education Network
This free member network works to strengthen and support the work of educators, farmers, and community leaders who provide access and experiences on working farms.
The ABCs of Farm-Based Education, offered twice a year, spring and fall, at Shelburne Farms.
This popular three-day workshop helps farmers engage and inspire visitors, shares kid-tested activities, and cultivates a community of peers to learn from. The program is designed for farmers, farm-based educators, and non-formal educators with any level of teaching experience who are building or looking to re-inspire farm-based programming. Co-presented by Shelburne Farms and the Farm-Based Education Network.
This Farm Feeds Vermont Kids Campaign
The Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Network invites farmers selling to school and early childhood programs to post a lawn sign on your farm or market booth to tell your community that you’re helping to create a sustainable school food system.
Local Food Procurement Toolkit
School Nutrition Professionals throughout the state are incorporating more and more local foods into their meal programs. This toolkit gives you a broad look at how this works from the school cafeteria perspective, as well as some additional resources for farmers (check out the “Tips, Tools & Frequently Asked Questions” box).

Sarah Webb

For Educators

Farm-Based Education

Farm to School

Place-Based Education

For Educators

Education Impact

Farm to School

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

We’re sharing a look back at some of our projects, collaborations, and campaigns that helped to propel the farm to school movement forward in 2023.

Sharing a Love of Food to Foster Community

Laura Butler's commitment to building community among her families and children is a central theme of her farm to early childhood program.

For Educators

Farm-Based Education

Farm to School

Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

June is National Dairy Month, and we're highlighting a longtime program connecting farmer and students: Dairy in the Classroom.

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May 16, 2024

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Farm to School

Two Farm to School Stories Inspire the Vermont Farm to Plate Network

C.R.A.F.T.: Learning Through Interdisciplinary Partnership

From Cartons to Community: The Power of Organic Milk in Schools

Meet a Changemaker: Educator Janis Boulbol

Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

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New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast

Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

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Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

Researching the Problem and Connecting to Global Issues

Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Meeting with School and Community Partners

Taking Action

Strengthening Farm to School with Community Partnerships & Youth Voice

Nutrition, Taste, and Cost: Balancing Priorities in the School Cafeteria

Getting REAL: A Framework for Climate Change Education

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

Watch event coverage from My Champlain Valley

Learn more about the statewide programs supporting schools and early childhood programs in deepening student connections to local food systems:

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

"School meals are part of the education day." –Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

Let's Make Pickles!

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Wheat Berry Salad

Farm Fresh School Meals for All

Wheat Berry Salad Recipe

Original, Kid-Tested Ingredients

Other Additions/Ideas

Method

Mac 'n' Trees from New School Cuisine

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

A Savory Cheddar-Chive Scone Recipe

Add new comment

Let's Make Pickles!

Farm to Early Childhood Activities: Dress Up a Plant & Quick Pickles

More Farm to Early Childhood Activities

The Joy & Lessons of Butter Making

Three Garden Activities for Early Learners

We Are the Starter Cultures of Social Change

Add new comment

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Adapting the Model: Connecticut’s Statewide Farm to School Institute

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Three Garden Activities for Early Learners

From our collaborators at Mass Audubon

Garden Olympics

Garden Soundscapes and Natural Pest Spray

Planning a Dream Garden

Tomato Planet Activity

Kid-Favorite Plants for Your Garden

Garden Bugs: Friend or Foe?

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Farmer-to-Farmer Connections: Building Networks for Learning

Farmer & Farm-Based Educator Resources

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

Sharing a Love of Food to Foster Community

Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

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"School meals are part of the education day."
–Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School