MAINE HARVEST DAY "MAINE"
WHEN: SEPTEMBER 17TH 2008
WHERE: AT YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT
This year it did not appear to be as crazy food preparation day as prior years. Districts already had established some contacts. the event could be for a day or spread out over the week. district that did it weekly found it less stressful and better product availability. Over the week a Maine product was offered daily for Maine Harvest Week.
Do not forget the purpose of the event:
Establish contacts/relationships with Maine producers for future days.
This could be an ongoing partnership with Maine producers. It would provide a good source of food and an outlet for the Maine producer’s product.
Make students aware of Maine products on an on going bias
Some students think green beans come from a can. Actual knowledge that product is from a bush, tree or root may not be understood. They may not be aware what is actually produced in Maine. How the food is prepared or eaten is part of the education. Feed the student Maine products, educates the parent about Maine products.
Support your community/ local producers.
With all the talk about consolation and schools fearing losing local control, what better way to demonstrate local support and local control of the food service department? Buy locally
Do not forget about the fishing industry and all the products available.
REMEMBER
The cafeteria/ dining room is the biggest classroom in the school!!!
Many resources at the bottom of this page!
Maine Harvest 2009
When will it be?
What will be different
What Can I do?
This day can have several parts. It can be as simple or as large as the district desires. Many districts have included teachers, administrators, health coordinators, nurses and local producers. This should be a school event.
A list of some items:
classroom activities Ag in the classroom
students helping to prepare menu items
parent community volunteers included in activities
tractors on display
local farmers acknowledged, honored
field trips prior to day
student taste testing to develop the menu prior to the event
introduce new items for students to taste on the day of event.
garden displays
table tents with facts about Maine products/Farmers
Maine Salad Bar
What kind of Items Can I Use for Maine Harvest Lunch Day
Do not forget land and sea. Here is a partial list of items submitted to us.
| Broccoli |
Beef |
| Carrots |
Chicken |
| Corn |
Goat |
| Cucumber |
Pork |
| Lettuce |
Turkey |
| Mushrooms |
Eggs |
| Peas |
Cheese |
| Onions |
|
| Peppers |
Seafood |
| Zucchini |
Haddock |
| Potatoes |
Sea Lettuce |
| Spinach |
Dulce |
| Pumpkin |
Sea Chips |
| Squash |
Kelp |
| Tomatoes |
Salmon (farm raised)) |
| Apples |
|
| Pears |
Bagels |
| Strawberries |
Bread |
| Cranberries |
Flour |
| Cherries |
|
| Raspberries |
Herbs |
| Blueberries |
|
| |
Milk |
| |
Honey |
| |
Maple Products |
Why Promote Maine Products
Estimated importing food from out of state typically requires 17 times more petroleum compared to purchasing locally
Product is fresher
better taste
fresh products mean maximum nutrient value
supports local business and taxes
considered an important method to address childhood obesity
education about products
not usually processed therefore no added salt or sugars
where the product was grown is known
advertise local businesses
increases physical activities
Obstacles
Cost Cost is sometimes an issue, but purchasers must look at the yield of a product. Also the farmer you purchased from is your neighbor who pays taxes and supports your school. The farmer may be able to provide other useful parts to the school.
Transportation Getting the product to your kitchens has been a problem in the past. Farmers and distributors are aware of this and options have been put in place or being worked on.
What about the classroom and teaching staff?
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom has nice lesson called "Lunchtime Favorites" using a Venn Diagram that can be used for K - 12 with increasing complexity. It traces the source of foods to plant, animal or other (mineral, fungus, fermented products, yeast, etc.) That is available to teachers? Contact:
Willie Sawyer Grenier
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Assn.
28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 287-5522, Fax 287-7548
maitca@maine.gov
Questins
When did it start?
The Maine Harvest Lunch was resurrected School 2005 as a statewide event. It was dropped in the late 90s when budget cuts eliminated 50% of the state office Child Nutrition staff.
Can a School buy locally and not from a major from a supplier?
YES support your community and feed students good quality products
Can a School use donations from local farmers or others?.
YES and say thank You for the support to the food service program
Where the farms are located?
People are surprised how many small farms are in Maine. Look around, go to farmers market contact dept of agriculture.
Does the farm need to be inspected?
NO Inspection is not required. the school must know where the product came from. Basically use common sense
Can I use the school garden even though it is unattended?
YES commercial fields are not guarded no matter what size. Absolutely use the fresh product from the school gardens
What if I get only 50% of the product I need?
Use what you can where you can.
Will the product is not useable state .
Maybe not small farmers may not have all the machinery needed to prep products. It may take some skill and labor.
The school does not have staff to complete the task.
Many schools recruited volunteers to assist. Get the community involved.
THE THREE
COST: Yes it may cost more. Keep in mind competitively shop when possible Look at yields and quality of fresh product what are you throwing out on product purchased from your supplier and what are you saving on local products. This year you can give geographic preference in your purchasing. Trade off acknowledge producer advertise for them.
DELIVERY: there have been several ideas on this issue. Bottom line; think out of the box, it is a community event. There is always the good old pick it up. Other options include district buses, district mail run, teachers that go between schools and volunteers
QUANTITY: Get what you can use what you have. You could do only one school at a time. Supplement local and other. Plan in advance and get the provider to agree ahead of time.
REMEMBER
THE CAFERTERIA IS THE BIGGEST CLASSROOM!!!!
Other Resources:
Resource Guide listing local farmers that will present to or host school groups.
National Farm to School Web Page
Maine Farm to School List Serve
YES Maine school food service programs can buy local products. This is a great plan to support the local communities. Several Districts are already doing this. some have a garden. there is a lot of confusion on the buying local and using geographic preference. This is not allowed under the current regulations. The Harrison Institute Report does not agree with USDA Food and Nutrition Services interpretation of the regulation. The FNS letter is pretty clear.
Vermont Feed has recipes on their web page. The squash soup is very good.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardner's Association (MOFGA)
Cheryl Wixson Organic Marketing Consultant of MOFGA, has agreed to work with schools in development of some ideas and recipes.
Farm to School Blog Some Farm to School can be found on this blog. It is not a !00% Farm to school at this time.
Gorham School Department's Maine Harvest Lunch group have posted all of our resources on Maine SFA web page so anyone can use our documents and just do a name change from "Gorham" to their own. more questions contact:
Ronald Adams, SNS
Director, Gorham School Nutrition
President, Maine School Food Service Association
207-222-1375
207-839-4092 fax
Western Mountains Alliance This site has PDF booklet of farm stands in Franklin and Somerset County, information on green house and other interesting information.
Harrison Institute report and USDA with Questions and answers.
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