Skip to main content

We joined a CSA!

By Karyn
That's right! Somerville Food and Nutrition Services joined a CSA. A few weeks ago we piloted a Farm Fresh Salad Bar partnership with Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA.

What is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. According to the USDA, CSA philosophically refers to a "community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes...the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production." It can also imply an economic relationship between farmer and consumer, often called subscription farming. In other words, a subscriber agrees to buy a minimum amount of produce at a fixed price, often paying in advance for the subscription.

While we haven't paid in advance, we have committed to buying a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 shares (or veggie boxes) each week. This commitment creates a guaranteed market for the farm's produce.






How does the CSA work for our district?
Each week 3-5 boxes of fresh produce are harvested from Drumlin Farm's fields. After being washed and sorted, they are driven only 15 miles to our school kitchens then find their way to our school salad bars and grab-and-go salads. Weekly items include lettuce, kale, spinach, radishes and spring turnips. We also receive other abundant vegetables throughout the season to support the farm and keep our salad bar options exciting.




Hand harvested greens!


Harvest crew



Plants covered in Remay are protected from pests and the elements


Turnips for days



Radish, spring turnips, and spring greens on the salad bar.

What are the benefits and challenges of this partnership?
We asked Lauren Mancini, Somerville Food and Nutrition Services Director, Pauline Uccello, Somerville Food and Nutrition Services Assistant Director and Matt Celona, Lead Farmer at Drumlin Farm to share their thoughts.

1) What are the challenges to sourcing local directly from farms?

"Working with purchasing laws and drafting the appropriate bid and contract language is a challenge.  Also, it is hard for us to accept whole items, such as whole winter squash, that require peeling and chopping. Choosing the right produce is key to success." Lauren Mancini

"Pricing and staying within budget are concerns for us. Limited delivery days and locations can create logistical challenges." Pauline Uccello

"Guessing what kids will want to eat." Matt Celona

2) What are the benefits to sourcing local produce directly from farms?
"Supporting the local farm and exposing children to fresh, local foods." Lauren Mancini
"The produce is very fresh and of great quality. It is also great to know that the students are eating fresh produce from farms right near them that could even visit to see where the produce is coming from." Pauline Uccello
"If we have lots of what we think the kids will like, we can move large quantities more easily within the CSA arrangement. We’re not limited by having to supply a certain amount of any one crop: we can provide more of what’s bountiful and less of what’s not. This is convenient for the farmers." Matt Celona
3) What about the Farm Fresh Salads and Salad Bars are most exciting to you?
"The best aspect is how good the produce looks and tastes- the difference between straight from the farm and from our distributor is really amazing.  It is also exciting that we can create relationships with farmers that have potential to expand to other projects." Lauren Mancini

"To see that students are choosing salad over chicken nuggets is fantastic. Watching them make healthier choices is very rewarding." Pauline Uccello
"We get a lot of satisfaction imagining kids eating our produce at school!" Matt Celona
4) Additional thoughts:

"Purchasing directly from a farm clearly has its hurdles, but once the food comes in and it looks so appealing it makes it all worth it!" Lauren Mancini

"The education department is also very excited this relationship because so many of the children come here on field trips and with their families. It’s great for them to be able to see the name Drumlin Farm on the food they eat every day. They can get more of a connection with the farm, farms in general, and where their food comes from, which is certainly part of the mission of Drumlin." Drumlin Farm Staff



Future partnership
It is clear that constant communication about the students' preferences in relation to available produce is important for continued success of this program. Additional education and promotional materials will be made available to the district and community. We can't wait to see what produce the fall brings!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mindful Eating: Part 1

By
In order to digest your food properly, your body must be in parasympathetic mode, or in a state of non-stress. Kindergartners know this. Well, they might not know the scientific term yet, but during lunch they participate in 6 minutes of silence; a period they call "Mindful Eating". When asked why they like mindful eating, the children replied, because "it’s quiet”, “I can enjoy my food better”, “I get peace and quiet”, and "it’s calmly”. Kindergartener teacher Ms. Scrima, and other Kennedy School teachers have been implementing mindfulness in the cafeteria and their classrooms since last year. They are proud to have a lunch period that looks and sounds quite different from the chaotic cafeteria rush other classes often experience. While the students sit silently at the lunch table checking in with their emotions, their digestive systems are also benefitting. Physiologically, only when our bodies are in rest mode can the brain trigger the release of digestive ...
1 comment
Read more

Put your best FORK forward during National Nutrition Month

By
March is National Nutrition Month!  Each year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics develops new topics to celebrate National Nutrition Month. This year's theme, Put your best fork forward, encourages us to consider that every bite counts. Even "small shifts in our food choices, can add up over time." Here in Somerville we are celebrating National Nutrition Month in a few ways. ~ We are releasing Veggie of the Month kits in each school's library! The kits contain books, taste testing supplies, and a binder with lesson materials for each month!  ~ We are visiting a few PreK-2nd grade classes to "taste-test" the veggie of the month: leafy greens!  In the classroom, we are reading Sylvia's Spinach and making a simple salad dressing to drizzle over spinach! (Be sure to check back later for the results of our visits!)   ~  Our  Wellness Champions and Farm to School Staff are posting bulletin boards and fliers around the schools! ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pollinate: The 2015 Mass Farm to School Conference

By Karyn
On January 13, 2015 Mass Farm to School Project held a regional conference in Worcester, MA. Attending the conference were food service directors, educators, policy makers, public health advocates and farm to school enthusiasts. Three inspiring keynote speakers kicked off the conference: Ruby Maddox, Assistant Director for the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mt. Holyoke College, Melissa Honeywood, Food Service Director Cambridge Public Schools , and Niaz Dorry, Coordinating Director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance . Each speaker, offering her unique perspective, reminded us of three basic, but indispensable truths. 1. Farm to school (and sea to school) programs rely on connections and relationships. Collaborations among teachers, food service directors, farmers, fisherman, and the larger community are vital to successful farm to school programs. No one person can create a farm to school program. We need support from three...
Post a Comment
Read more