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Local Food Taste Tests

Written by Diane Chapeta

Have you ever passed by a free sample that you didn’t try? Perhaps if you’re trying to rush through the store, but generally, we humans really like to try new things when they’re free! Psychologists and marketers alike have always known this ‘Costco Principal’ – free food just makes people happy… and maybe a little bit more willing to spend money on new products.

Taste Test in AuroraWe like to apply this same principal to students, although we aren’t trying to make a quick buck off of them! The Illinois Farm to School program has been running taste tests at schools in our Farm to School pilot area of Kane County throughout the winter and spring. Our samples are healthy, fresh and tasty. Before handing them out, we tell the students where they were grown and ask them if they can guess what part of the plant the food is. It’s a process that takes just a few minutes, but the students are much more willing to try something new when it comes with a cool story.

What is the reasoning behind these fun, free sample lunch days? Well, studies show that children need lots of exposure to new foods before they are open to eating them more regularly. A lot of the time, we find that students look at the food (a green leafy veg, for example) very skeptically… eat it very skeptically… and then ask for another sample very skeptically! Not all kids enjoy new foods automatically, but being open to trying new things is a skill they need to develop.

These taste tests also help us gauge which locally available items would go over the best if they were to be added to a school menu. Radishes? Maybe not. Hydroponically grown pea sprouts and arugula? Yes, definitely!

Farm to school can be a lot of fun, but it has many challenges. Our taste tests have shown us that with time and repeated effort, many of these challenges are easily overcome. Kids across Kane County are loving their local food samples!

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Register now! The Summit is coming!

Written by Diane Chapeta

IFSN Summit Graphic2Join us on June 7th at Lincoln Land Community College, in Springfield, Illinois, to
participate in a day of hands-in-the-dirt workshops on many topics: from school gardens to the food on the cafeteria tray. Discover how farm to school activities can improve learning and student nutrition. Everyone is welcome.
The Illinois Farm to School Summit will have separate tracks for food service staff, farmers, and educators. We will all eat a fresh, scratch-cooked lunch of local foods that can be served in any school.

Farmers:  We invite all Central Illinois specialty crop farmers, value-added producers and ranchers to the Illinois Farm to School Summit. Join us for an informative day of discovery as we focus on the institutional marketplace. Whether you sell direct or wholesale, institutional sales can increase your share of the market: for any sized farm. Spend less time selling at farmer’s markets and more time on your fields by diversifying your market share. Learn how wholesaling can be accomplished on a limited budget, and learn the benefits of an on-farm food safety plan. Food safety doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult! We can show you how.

Food service staff: Learn how to prepare scratch cooked meals, using tasty local foods, on a school lunch budget! We promise this workshop will be fun, hands on in the kitchen, and informative. Even if your school doesn’t have an on-site prep kitchen, and even if you’ve never done this before, you will leave with new skills to make the impossible… possible!

Teachers: Did you know that studies have proven that school garden activities boost students’ science scores? At the Summit, you will learn how to engage your students with real-world science concepts in an edible garden. Learn from the experts and receive a full curriculum, plus hands on training in how to run cooking demonstrations in the classroom and more! CEUs are available.

Conference Details:

June 7th, 2016

The Trutter Center at Lincoln Land Community College

9am to 3:30pm

Free! Register online on our website today.

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SGA Farm to School Grantee Official Press Release

Written by Diane Chapeta

Seven Generations Ahead Receives USDA Grant to Increase Local Foods in School Cafeterias

OAK PARK, Ill. – Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) is pleased to announce that they are one of 74 projects spanning 39 states receiving support this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Program, an effort to better connect school cafeterias and students with local farmers and ranchers. Aurora, Ill., area Kane County Health Department and SGA received a $85,767 implementation grant to impact 48,387 students total across three school districts, West Aurora School District 129 (17 schools/centers), East Aurora School District 131 (20 schools/centers), and Carpentersville School District 300 (29 schools). 

“Farm to school programs work—for schools, for producers, and for communities,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By serving nutritious and locally grown foods, engaging students in hands-on lessons, and involving parents and community members, these programs provide children with a holistic experience that sets them up for a lifetime of healthy eating. With early results from our Farm to School Census indicating schools across the nation invested nearly $600 million in local products, farm to school also provides a significant and reliable market for local farmers and ranchers.”

SGA Executive Director Gary Cuneen said: “SGA is thrilled to receive this USDA Farm to School Program grant, and to be a part of the USDA’s efforts nationally to increase local, healthy food access and education in our nation’s schools. This project builds upon SGA’s 11-year farm to school program track record, and the Kane County Health Department’s leading edge work to build a local food hub that will link schools and institutions serving low-income children to Kane County and local area farmers.”

Together, SGA and Kane County will use implementation funds to build upon their track records and partnership to increase fresh, local food distribution, access and education within Kane County schools while building a sub-regional Kane County farm to school network as part of the new Illinois Farm to School Network (IFSN). The project will incorporate training and technical assistance targeting Illinois’ second largest city —Aurora — and a broader group of Kane County schools, which will focus on local food procurement, SGA’s curriculum modules and program activities, and school garden planning.  The project will support school districts with classroom and cafeteria promotions of healthy eating and locally grown food, and will coordinate with the Great Lakes Farm to School Network to implement fruit and vegetable promotional events that coincide with Nation Farm to School Month in October.

Farm to school programs are one of the many tools and resources USDA offers to help schools successfully serve healthier meals. In the past three years since the bipartisan passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, kids have eaten healthier breakfasts, lunches and snacks at school. Over 97 percent of schools report that they are successfully meeting the updated nutrition standards.  

In addition to school meals, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers several other nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (Commonly known as WIC), and the Summer Food Service Program. Together, these programs comprise America’s nutrition safety net. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

Founded in 2001, Seven Generations Ahead’s (SGA) mission is to promote ecologically sustainable and healthy communities. SGA’s name is borrowed from the Native American principle, which states, “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation.” Through community-wide sustainability planning and implementation, educational conferences and consulting, and school-based zero waste and farm to school programming and consulting, SGA is a catalyst for local solutions to global environmental issues. SGA’s work covers energy efficiency and renewable energy; transportation; community development; waste reduction; water conservation; green business development; local, sustainable food; open space and ecosystem enhancement; and education. SGA is the Illinois state lead agency for the National Farm to School program and facilitator of the Illinois Farm to School Network.

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Nutrition Through The Seasons: Fall and Winter Edition

Written by Diane Chapeta

As the seasons pass by and winter approaches, the varieties of fruits and vegetables change. Many of the fruits and vegetables that we are used to are either not as readily available or are more expensive. These also means that the foods are not grown locally, and are shipped from further distances resulting in an increase in cost.

The American Heart Association offers some tips on what produce is seasonal for fall and winter, and how it can help with one’s health. A list for each season can be accessed here. Following this guide is great way to experience new foods that you may not have tried before or try out new cooking methods. It also reduces the impact on the environment because you would be increasing your purchasing on local seasonal food versus out of season distanced foods.SeasonalProduce

 

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The USDA has great resources for seasonal produce through their Food and Nutrition Service, FNS, SNAP-Ed. An extensive list of various fresh produces can be been viewed for each season of the year here. Each food item can be selected and clicked
to view recipes, educational facts, or learning materials offered through various website links.

Some of the seasonal produce includes the following: broccoli, cauliflower, celery, dark Leafy greens such as: mustard greens, spinach, cabbage, kale, and collard greens along with  beets and beet leaves, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots and winter squash varieties such as, butternut, acorn, and spaghetti. Many of the dark leafy greens are high in Vitamins K, C, and A along with the minerals iron and folate. Vitamin K is important for clotting blood, Vitamin A is utilized in the body to improve vision. Both iron and folate are important to prevent anemia and thin blood with a low red blood cell count. Finally Vitamin C, which is used to promote our immune systems, is especially important in the cold/flu season during fall and winter because there are many occurrences of sickness. To learn more about which foods are in season, how to store them, nutritional information and some general usage tips, click here to view the IFSN’s handout for Fall and Winter Seasonal foods.

These food items can be bought at many grocery stores, but to get fresh local seasonal produce the best opportunity would be a farmers market or a food co-op. Central Illinois is having multiple farmers markets in time for Thanksgiving in conjunction with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. To view the advertisement click here. The Illinois Department of Agriculture has a website (click here to view) that allows people to enter in their street address or zip code to find the nearest farmers market. As stated, food co-ops are good sources for fresh local seasonal food, organic options are also readily available. Some locations include: Sugar Beet Co-op in Oak Park, Illinois, South Suburban Co-op in Park Forest, Illinois, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery in Carbondale, Illinois, and Common Ground in Urban, Illinois.

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