Local educators are encouraging students to bring the “Farm to the Table”
National Farm to School Month/ National Vegetarian Awareness Month
Kids eat all the time, and some have no idea where their food comes from. Well in Snow Hill, they’re teaching kids how the turnips get to the table. Worcester County Public Schools is currently celebrating National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connection between schools and local farmers. Homegrown School Lunch Week declared by Governor Wes Moore is to help students have a better understanding of how agriculture has an impact on their health.
Market to Mealtime
Snow Hill, Md. – Cauliflower and Cafeterias. Veggies topped with dressing and a bit of seasoning should hopefully ignite some taste buds according to Caitlin Daw, SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator for Worcester County Schools. “A lot of kids don’t understand where their food comes from, so they know that it comes from a store, but then where did it come from before that?… So, I go into the classrooms, and I teach Nutrition Education. So, the biggest thing we always teach kids is to try something. Even if they’ve never had it before, don’t let the kids say ‘No! I don’t like that!’ because of the color… But the big thing for parents to remember is if you don’t try something, your child is not going to try it.”
Farm to School empowers children and their families to make informed food choices, according to Middle School Principal Dr. Matthew Record. “It’s an excellent opportunity to bring our local farmers into our schools, and to connect it with the Maryland Extension Office and our Food Service Program. The kids are really excited, and what’s really nice is we’re able to apply our nutrition and physical fitness ties in.”
Each child was allowed to take a sample and then give an honest opinion of how it tasted. Carol Cross of Cross Farms says she’s happy that they tried it. “It important for everyone to know where their food comes from, and how it’s grown. So many chemicals and things are applied to fruits and vegetables right now and they’re proven harmful for us and the environment… If they go home and tell their parents, grandparents, you know we tried this at school today, and they go with a version of it, that’s a home run.”
Dr. Melarie Brown is the School Liaison and is responsible for putting the entire event together. She says that parent involvement can make all the difference. Something that was important to me, my dad loved Brussel sprouts when I was growing up, and I was like, I want to be like dad and love Brussel sprouts. I don’t know that I actually loved Brussel sprouts, but now I do.” And she says that in Snow Hill, they plan to continue to bring the “Market to Mealtime”.
The final results of the tasting came to with 80 students giving it a thumbs up. Another 80 didn’t care for it much and 105 students said it wasn’t that bad. Educators consider those numbers to be a win overall. Worcester County Public Schools says you can visit their website where they have heathy and nutritional ideas for families to try at home.
Meatless Meals
Berlin, Md. – Speaking of veggies, October is National Vegetarian Month. It was Founded in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society to bring awareness to the benefits of being a vegetarian.
Registered Dietician Kathern Dorsch at Atlantic General Hospital says vegetarian or vegan meals can benefit overall physical health, as eating more veggies can help reduce cholesterol levels and improve heart heath. She also says eating plant-based proteins help produce gut bacteria and a healthy micro biome, and that anyone can do it one meal at a time.
“Vegetarian proteins, things like beans, tofu, lentils, edamame, oats, grains, those kinds of things, they’re very high in fiber… You know starting with maybe one or two days a week, or two meals a week, where you make a meatless meal, can be a great starting point.” Dorsch also says eating less red meat has also been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, and introducing fiber into your diet slowly can obtain the best results.
