Celebrate National Food Day

We are celebrating national Food Day at Farmburger with a Spirit Night! 

  http://foodday.org/ 


October 24th 5-8pm Enjoy a family dinner out with other Farm To School loving people and 10% of proceeds will be donated to our Farm To School Program!  

What is Food Day? Food Day's goal is nothing less than to transform the American diet-to inspire a broad movement involving people from every corner of our land who want healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. In other words, we want America to eat real. We want to get Americans cooking real food for their families again. We want fewer people at drive-throughs and bigger crowds at farmers markets. We want to celebrate fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy whole grains-and to support the local farms and farmers that produce them. 

Fernbank Fall Festival

Thanks for stopping by the Fernbank Farm to School booth at the Fernbank Fall Festival last Saturday.

Ms. Ryan, our fabulous science teacher, had a table of parsley plants for kids to plant in pots and bring home to start their own parsley garden.

We sold farm fresh, organic produce from Riverview Farms.

We even had our very own tractor!

Our new Fernbank Farm to School T-shirts went on sale.  

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers to help make the day a success!

Garden Grant Awarded to Fernbank

Fernbank has been awarded the National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat/Pollinator Garden Grant.  This $500 grant will pay for a new water supply to the vegetable and butterfly garden, making it easier for the children to water both gardens.  Three plants will be added to the butterfly garden, which will allow our 5th grade Girl Scouts to apply for Monarchs of Georgia certification, and NWF Schoolyard Habitat certification.  Thank you to the Girl Scouts that have worked so hard on this garden!  

Healthy Snack Guide

Fernbank Elementary has taken on the challenge! We are enrolled in the Healthy

Schools Program which is an initiative of the Alliance For A Healthier Generation.

Our Wellness Council is assessing our health and wellness programs, and using the Healthy Schools framework to promote a healthy school environment. These snack recommendations are based on the snack guideline in the Healthy Schools Program.

Eat an Apple, Give an Apple

On Wednesday, September 21, Fernbank students ate locally grown apples in the school cafeteria as part of the new DeKalb County Farm to School program.  But that’s not all.

Students also brought an apple from home, and gave it to their PE coaches that day.  Over 700 apples were collected for children in need.  Three hundred apples were donated to children at Cook Elementary School, through Glenn Memorial Church's "Snack in a Backpack" program.  The apples were packed into 150 backpacks for children at Cook by 24 Fernbank Cub Scouts.  Great job boys!  The remaining 400 apples were donated to My Sister’s House, a women and children’s shelter in Stone Mountain.

Thank you to Fernbank families for encouraging our children to eat an apple as well as give an apple.

School Garden Fall Planting

Last week 20 classes participated in a fall planting marathon in the Fernbank school garden.  Over the course of two days, about 450 students planted kale, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, radishes,  beets, red leaf lettuce, chard, herbs and Asian greens.  Our garden beds are ready to be watered and watched as our fall crop begins to grow!

Thank you to our wonderful teachers for their enthusiasm and our fantastic parent volunteers for their time and energy.  The kids are very excited to learn that THIS is how our garden grows.

Let's Move tour stop at McNair High School

The Fernbank School Garden was invited to participate in a Let’s Move pep rally held at McNair high school last Friday, September 2.  The rally, sponsored by the Georgia School Nutrition Association, was part of a state-wide effort to embrace Michelle Obama’s national Let’s Move campaign.  http://www.gsfsa.com/ 

Press Release before the event:

'Let's Move' tour to stop at McNair High School

Sports celebrities, cheerleaders and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson will join students at McNair High School for the “Let’s Move Fit and Fun Tour” on Sept. 2.
The 2:15 p.m. rally, which is hosted by the Georgia School Nutrition Association, will expose students to healthy food and beverage options, show them simple exercises that can be incorporated in their daily activity, and introduce them to school gardens and how to implement their own.

More pep rally photos:http://tinyurl.com/3dpql6d

As a representative of a school garden in DeKalb County, Fernbank Farm to School served an herb/goat cheese dip and a tomato salad to over 100 participants.   All the herbs and tomatoes used in the tasting were grown in our school garden by Fernbank students.  All of the rest of the ingredients were donated by Whole Foods Briarcliff.

The two delicious tasting dishes were prepared by Fernbank’s new Chef Partner, Megan McCarthy.  You might recognize Megan if you’ve participated in any of the Edible Garden Chef events at the Botanical Gardens.  In addition to her help with the Let’s Move garden tasting last week, Megan will be leading a 5^th grade Chef to School program at Fernbank this fall.  To learn more about Megan, visit www.healthyeating101.com

Congratulations to Fernbank Farm to School for spotlighting how a school garden can positively influence an elementary school to the whole county.  Thanks again to our partners, Whole Foods Briarcliff and Chef Megan McCarthy.  Thanks also to the Georgia School Nutrition Association for your interest and commitment to Farm to School.

Elementary Herb Spread

1 garlic clove

10 basil leaves

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

4 oz goat cheese

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Blend ingredients together in food processor until desired consistency.  Serve on crackers or plain pita chips.

Watermelon Day

The first DeKalb County local produce of the month took place on Friday, August 26^th.  All DeKalb County students were served watermelon fresh from a local Georgia Farm.  At Fernbank, we declared a Watermelon Day where the PE coaches encouraged the students to wear red for watermelon. Better yet, wear red on top and green on the bottom to look like a slice of watermelon! 

 Students who bought lunch, chose the watermelon side.  Some lunchbox kids brought their own watermelon from home and others bought a side of watermelon for 75cents in the lunch line.  Everyone received a “Fernbank Farm to School” tractor stamp on their hand for participating in Watermelon Day.  The stamp was red, of course!  Don’t forget to stop by the library and take a look at the slide show of Watermelon Day.  Thanks to all who helped make it a success!

Teacher / Staff Garden Tasting

Wednesday, August 24, the Fernbank Farm to School PTA provided a lunch-time  tasting for the teachers and staff at Fernbank Elementary.  We served pasta with pesto sauce and a tomato-basil salad.  The basil and tomatoes were provided by the school garden beds.   One of the pastas we served was a gluten-free product made from quinoa.

Try it at home!

Pesto (From Ina Garte, Barefoot Contessa)

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup pignolis

3 tbsp garlic, diced (9 cloves)

5 cups basil leaves, packed

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 ½ cup olive oil

1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Place the walnuts, pignolis and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Process for 30 seconds.  Add the basil, salt and pepper.  With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed.  Add the parmesan cheese and puree for a minute.  Serve on warm pasta or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

 

Let's Move and Fernbank School Garden

Fernbank’s School Garden will be spotlighted in a pep rally for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative on September 2 at McNair high school.  Sponsored by the Georgia School Nutrition Association, this event makes up one of ten stops throughout Georgia as part of a Fun and Fit Tour.  Participants will learn about Fernbank’s farm to school efforts as well as taste produce grown by students in our school garden. 

Thank you to Georgia Nutrition Association for this opportunity and for taking on the Let’s Move challenge.

  http://gsfsa.com/default.aspx?id=1795

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15: When to buy organic and when not to bother.

Not sure when to spend the extra money on organic produce?  The good news is that not all produce absorb chemicals in the same way so not everything you buy needs to be organic.  All you need are two helpful lists to guide you at the grocery store.  The Dirty Dozen is a list of produce that when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals.  If you are looking at produce on this list, buy organic! The Clean 15 is a list of produce that bore little or no traces of pesticides so it is safe to consume in non-organic form. 

The Dirty Dozen:

Celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach/kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes, imported grapes, lettuce

The Clean 15

Onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, sweet onions

For more information visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/the-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-of-produce/616/

DeKalb County School Nutrition Farm to School Initiative

We are very excited to announce that DeKalb County has started a new Farm to School program for the new school year, 2011-2012!  The DeKalb County School Nutrition Program is working with Dexter’s Farm to bring Georgia grown fruits and vegetables to the students of DeKalb.  This is a national initiative that provides students fresh fruits and vegetables through the connection of in-state farmers.  Each month, the DeKalb School Nutrition program will highlight at least one Georgia grown fresh fruit or vegetable in the cafeteria along with nutrition education regarding its origin.  This program supports the department’s mission to promote lifetime wellness to DeKalb County students and staff by serving meals that are high quality, nutritious, enjoyable and economical.

Be sure to check your school lunch menu for the locally farmed, produce of the month. 

Promoting the local produce of the month is not just up to the county.  Parents, teachers and school administrators can work together to get students excited about local produce.  Contact us for more ideas!

Friday, August 26^th is Watermelon Day!

Fernbank Summer Camp Pesto Tasting

 


Fernbank Summer Camp has been tending and watching the Fernbank School Garden grow.  Last week basil and garlic were harvested to make pesto pasta.  David Tharp (Assistant Store Team Leader), Jayme Persons (Marketing Team Leader) and Matt Bagby (Demo Specialist) of Whole Foods Briarcliff helped the kids harvest, prepare and serve pesto pasta at lunch time. Whole Foods generously provided the cooked pasta and supplies. 

This recipe is a kid pleaser!

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup walnuts

·         1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

·         3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)

·         5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         1 1/2 cups good olive oil

·         1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days. (Recipe: Ina Garten)

Summer Farm Reading

Grow your child's mind this summer with Farm To School book selections!  Find us on Facebook to see pictures of Apple Day and watch the school garden grow over the summer.

Children's Literature

http://www.growing-minds.org/lit.php

Growing Minds is the Farm to School Program of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a Western North Carolina nonprofit.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fernbank-Farm-To-School/166171480088914?sk=wall

Eat Your Apple Day Success!

Tuesday, May 17 was Eat Your Apple Day at Fernbank.  Thanks to the fabulous PE teachers, almost all of the kids wore red in support of apples.  Even the entire cafeteria staff showed their support by sporting red shirts!  Red apples were on the lunch menu in the cafeteria and just about everyone in the school took a crunchy, juicy bite.

Apple Day concludes our 3 month run of Produce of the Month for this year.  Because of the overwhelming success of Broccoli Day, Carrot Day and Apple Day, we are proud to bring Produce of the Month back next year.  Come join us on a Produce of the Month Day next year, as a parent volunteer or even as a participant, eating lunch with your child.  Come see the entire cafeteria eating fresh produce!


Thank you to Mr. Marshall and the cafeteria staff for all of your support and enthusiasm.
Thank you also to the garden parents who volunteered their time to cheer on the students to choose apples on the lunch line.

Fernbank Farm to Home!

Fernbank families are putting in home vegetable gardens! We sold over 100 vegetable and herb plants and raised $250 for the school, at our recent plant sale.  Please shop at Whole Foods Briarcliff to thank them for donating so many plants to our school, and continuing to support our Farm to School program.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to encourage kids to eat 

fresh, whole foods. Kids are more likely to try vegetables they grow!  

Another way to introduce locally grown produce to your home is through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription.  This fall, Fernbank Farm to School will offer our own CSA subscription where $1 per box per week will be donated to Fernbank.

What is a CSA subscription?

A CSA subscription is a subscription to a weekly box of organic produce delivered fresh from a local organic farm.  You sign up for a growing season and receive seasonal produce as it is picked from the farm.  Each week your box of produce will be delivered at a designated pick up area near Fernbank on a designated day.  Every box contains a mix of seasonal produce that approximately can serve a family of four for a week. 

Riverview Farms

Fernbank CSA will join up with Riverview Farms to bring farm fresh produce to Fernbank families on a weekly basis while donating a percentage of the proceeds back to Fernbank.  Riverview Farms is a certified organic family of farm on 200 acres in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians in Northwest Georgia.   For more information on Riverview Farms go to http://www.grassfedcow.com/

To sign up for the CSA fall growing season, approximately mid-September to mid-December 2011, email rosalie@eparcihtects.com.    Also look for us at the Fernbank orientation day and during the first month of the 2011-2012 school year.