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Farm to School Program a big success in Indpendence district Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Agri News staff writer
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa -- A crew of volunteers husked 1,200 ears of locally grown sweet corn outside the Independence Middle School kitchen on a cool morning earlier this month. A second crew was inside cleaning silks off the corn.
The ears were blanched, cooled in ice water and bagged for the freezer. A third crew sliced 300 pounds of locally grown zucchini and yellow squash for freezing.
A week later, workers were back freezing green beans grown on a farm near Brandon. Earlier in the summer, they froze strawberries from Oelwein. This week, they planned to clean more sweet corn to be fed to all students -- elementary through high school -- on the first day of school.
The frozen fruits and vegetables will be enjoyed in lunches in the coming months, said Kelly Duritsa, food service director with the Independence School District.
It's all part of the Farm to School Program. The Independence Area Chapter formed last year and is doing great things, said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, who came with three Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship employees to help. About 15 volunteers -- teachers and other community members -- turned out to process veggies.
Through the program, the school served sweet corn at the high school last fall and strawberries and bell peppers at the middle school. Apples from a Vinton orchard were served in the entire district on 10 occasions.
The Independence Farm to School Chapter received $5,000 from Iowa ag department to implement activities designed to increase the amount of local foods available to students and help educate them about locally grown foods.
When local foods are served, Duritsa displays signs and photos of the farmers for students to see.
"I know that the students pay attention to where the food comes from, because we have parents asking about the local foods," she said.
Duritsa hopes to get tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, green beans, cantaloupe, apples, and broccoli from local growers this fall.
"Independence is an example of how the program can be successful," Northey said. "They're taking some of the local foods and getting them into the school system. It seems easier than it actually is. It has to be done at the right price. Here they've pulled volunteers together to make that happen. The program has a lot of possibilities."
The program needs a fair amount of planning and cooperation when school isn't in session.
"It's been a challenge, but worth the effort," Duritsa said. "Farm to School is a wonderful program. My advice is to jump in and do it. I was surprised at the number of community volunteers and teachers who came to help. Support is out there."
First grade teacher at Independence's East Elementary School Micki Sand-Cohen oversaw the planting of a garden with her students last spring. A rain barrel is used for watering. Sand-Cohen's new students will harvest potatoes this fall, and some of the food will be used in lunches and for healthy snacks. Duritsa hopes to see a garden at each of the district's four schools.
"I think this is wonderful," said Sand-Cohen, who is a member of the Farm to School Chapter. "I'm always trying to find things that get kids outside. Gardening can be a lifelong hobby."
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