Vermont Harvest of the Month

   How do you get kids to eat their veggies? By giving them a fun and tasty introduction of course! Laraway School has pledged to be part of the Vermont Harvest of the Month program, which highlights a different piece of produce each month and encourages schools to feature the produce through taste tests, games, cooking demonstrations, and educational activities. Over 300 schools, food markets, organizations, restaurants, and hospitals have pledged in this state-wide initiative. In November, Kale was introduced at the first Farmer On-Site of the month. Students passed around a paper bag filled with the leafy green and were asked to use one adjective to describe what they felt (or smelled!)- no peeking! After the bag had been passed around in each group, the descriptive words were looked over and the guessing began. A short talk on the nutritional value of kale, the different varieties, and potential ways to cook with it followed. At lunch that day, students got to try a Kale Pesto recipe that a youth in Laraway's Substitute Care Program whipped up. When asked what students thought of the kale pesto, the response included words like "tasty", "delicious", "yummy", and quite a few thumbs up. The month of December features Winter Squash, which was unveiled paper bag guessing game style this past week at Farmer On-Site, with taste tests and educational posters in the cafeteria to follow. We are looking forward to promoting Harvest of the Month this upcoming year and connecting our youth to new, nutritious, and tasty produce!

What's in the bag?

Kale Pesto display with Harvest of the Month poster.

Article by Ginny Cooke, Land Stewardship Americorps VISTA; photos by Ginny Cooke and Cornelius Murphy, Land Steward.