What Has Been Happening On The Farm?

Ever wonder what goes into the workings of a micro farm like ours? Well it is time to share. Let us take a look into what has been going on at the farm and within the community. The farm’s community has grown by one set of helping hands this past week with the addition of this season’s dietetic intern.

It being mid- September, the root vegetables were asking to be picked. This week on the farm, hundreds of carrots and beets were harvested. Also this week, the cabbages got weeded to give them the best chance of thriving until they too are ready to be harvested.

This week our intern conducted a nutrition education lesson at a local children's center. To prepare for this lesson, different varieties of melons from the farm were harvested, cleaned, and prepped to be a part of a taste test. A classroom of four-year-olds at the children's center got to feel and hold the melons, discuss what they thought the inside of the melons would look like, and try the different kinds for themselves. They discussed how melons grow on long vines and need water, sunlight, and nutrients from the soil to grow big. There are great benefits to using hands on learning to introduce foods to children. "Students who participate in farm-to-school activities have increased knowledge of nutrition and agriculture, are more willing to try new foods, and consume more fruits and vegetables" (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022). Farm to school lessons will continue weekly and lessons will change depending on what we have available at the farm.

Sources

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2022, August 4). Healthy Eating Learning Opportunities and Nutrition Education. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/school_nutrition_education.htm

K. Roberson 9/20/22