Local lettuce and berries for school lunch being prepared at CentroNIA
If you walked into a D.C. school cafeteria on June 3rd 2010, you may have been surprised at what you saw on students’ trays! Over 150 schools in DC featured fresh, locally-grown strawberries and salad greens as a part of their school lunches. This was part of an event called Strawberries & Salad Greens, organized by the D.C. Farm to School Network and in partnership with participating schools and food service providers. For a medley of pictures from the event in DCist, click here.
Breakfast on the line at Thurgood Marshall Academy – blueberry muffin and local strawberries!
About 40,000 students in all 8 wards of the District gobbled up juicy, red berries and bright green lettuce in their lunches. Approximately 7,300 pounds of local strawberries and 2,400 pounds of greens were purchased and served for the event, contributing about $20,000 to our local food economy. The produce was grown on farms in Virgina, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania (visit dcfarmtoschool.org/strawberries for more information about the local growers).
Westmoreland Berry Farm, which supplied berries for DCPS meals on June 3rd
In addition to helping schools find sources of fresh, local produce, the D.C. Farm to School Network coordinated “Where Food Comes From” tables in 16 school cafeterias. At these tables, volunteers and parents displayed plants, posters, pictures, and gardening tools. As students enjoyed their meals, they were able to see, touch, and smell where their food came from!
Carl Rollins with Common Good City Farm shows a strawberry plant to a group of pre-K students at Simon Elementary School
In twelve schools, local chefs performed interactive cooking demonstrations using local strawberries and salad greens. Kids were able to help professionals prepare recipes, taste samples, discuss the importance of eating fresh, local, healthy foods, and bring home recipes to try with their families.
Chef Oliver Friendly of Eat and Smile Foods makes home-made granola and local strawberry parfaits at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
The D.C. Farm to School Network is a program of the Capital Area Food Bank that works to get more healthy, local foods into Washington, DC school meals. Learn more at www.dcfarmtoschool.org.
Kacie Warner from the Washington Youth Garden prepares a strawberry arugula salad with students at Center City Public Charter School