A unique partnership between Penn Farm in Northern Delaware and the nutrition department of Colonial School District provides urban students opportunities to learn about farming and fresh produce for school meals.
The farmland, which dates dates back to the 1700s, is leased from the land trustees for use by William Penn High School agricultural and culinary programs. The land is maintained year round by the school district, with vegetables grown for use by the nutrition department in menus.
“We have a menu specialist who works with the farm’s manager to determine what crops are available and how can we use them in school meals,” said Kanir Malone, Nutrition Manager for Colonial School District.
The menu specialist offers suggestions on ways the nutrition team can prepare the crops. The district has also developed recipes throughout the years of this partnership with Penn Farm.
About four acres of the farm’s nearly 100 acres are dedicated to growing as many as 100 different vegetables. Among the crops grown are cucumbers, radishes, corn, watermelons, tomatoes, kale, onions, and peppers. On average, about 19,000 pounds of produce is harvested along with about 200 bales of hay each year.
The nutrition department processes the crops as they are harvested, some are frozen and vacuum-sealed for use later in the school year. Other produce is incorporated into different recipes for soups and sauces, roasted and sliced them for salads or served raw during “Tasting Tuesdays”.
Malone says there are signs in the serving lines to make sure students know they are eating vegetables grown locally. They also advertise it on the menu, the district website and through social media. Students generally have a positive and enthusiastic reaction knowing that part of their school meals are grown by their classmates. That connection to the food they eat fosters a sense of pride and community involvement.
Since Penn Farm is a year-round operation for the Colonial School District, teachers in the district are able to organize field trips to further engage students in the farm-to-school experience.
“We offer hands-on education for students about working on a farm. We also use produce from the farm for our culinary program and for summer programs,” said Malone. “The students learn about using the farm as their vendor.”
During the winter months, greenhouses are used to start vegetables grown from seeds. Students in agriculture classes assist with the planting. Then during the warmer months, those plants are transplanted to the fields. In the summer, students are hired to help maintain the gardens and harvest the crops. The district’s nutrition department works with the farm’s manager each week to determine if any produce needs to be purchased by outside vendors to supplement that week’s crops.
The hay that is harvested each year is used to feed some of the goats, lambs and chickens that live on the farm. The eggs from the chickens are not used on school menus but instead as part of lessons in the district’s classrooms. There are also bees on the farm that produce honey.
Malone says with the farm located in an urban school district, they also have unique opportunities within the community. Their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is open to the public during the summer months with a share providing vegetables for a family of four to be used for a week. Penn Farm also provides the produce sold at two school farm stands and donates produce to an area food bank.