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August 2023 E-Harvest Newsletter
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A Message from Commissioner Miller
Howdy Neighbors! Welcome to Your E-Harvest Newsletter.
What do you call a classroom with dirt for the floor, sky for the ceiling, and no walls or desks? A school garden! If you know of a school that needs a garden, TDA has Farm Fresh resources to help you get started, and the E-Harvest newsletter has links to funding opportunities if you need help getting started. Let's get growing! A school garden is one of the best ways to teach your students about Texas Agriculture and why it matters.
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Congratulations!
Brownsville ISD received a $250,000 Get Schools Cooking grant from Whole Kids Foundation and Chef Ann Foundation. The grant will help them transition to cooking meals from scratch using whole foods. Watch here for notification when the next grant cycle opens. Congratulations and happy cooking Brownsville ISD!
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TDA’s Farm Fresh Cookbook
Every month, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) spotlights a fruit or vegetable currently being harvested in Texas. The August Harvest of the Month is peppers. Give your students an exciting new dish to try with the Jicama Salad shown in the photo at right, using bell peppers as one of the main ingredients. The recipe can be found on page 19 of TDA’s Farm Fresh Cooking for the Seasons cookbook. As always, the cookbook recipes include component contribution information for Child Nutrition Program compliance and were developed to appeal to your students.
September Harvest of the Month: Watermelon
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Funding/Donation Opportunities
Summer in Texas means brutal heat. Help your garden retain moisture with mulch. Using organic (once living, not pesticide free) mulches, like compost, wood chips, and straw provides the soil with nutrients as they break down. You can do an internet search for “free wood chip delivery” to find organizations that will deliver wood chips to your location for free. It is recommended to age fresh wood chips for 3 - 6 months before use in vegetable gardens, as fresh chips can inhibit seed germination. Fresh wood chips can be used to mulch established plants, trees, and shrubs without prior aging. Read more about fresh wood chips for mulch here: Texas A&M Wood Chips for Mulch?
Learning Opportunities
KidsGardening.org provides a plethora of garden education materials for teachers. Among them is this Elementary Educators’ Guide to Container Gardening, which details how to plan, create, and integrate a container garden into your curriculum. Container gardening is an easy, low-cost, portable way to incorporate gardening and excitement for fresh, healthy foods into your students’ day.
Also from KidsGardening.org, is an inspiring story detailing what one magnet school in Arizona has done to create a successful garden in the desert. Drachmann Montessori has designed their outdoor area with multiple gardens, from food to rainwater harvesting to pollinator habitats, all using knowledge of native planting methods. Read the article to learn how they accomplished their gardening goals and reduced school operating costs.
Program Opportunities
Are you aware of TDA’s Health Ambassadors for a Ready Texas (HART) program? HART is open to high school students who will work with a campus advisor, TDA, and your food service team to increase awareness of the value of school meals, a healthy lifestyle, and Texas agricultural products. If you know of any student leaders and/or teachers in your high school(s) who would be interested in this opportunity, applications for HART participation are open until August 22.
Remember the Farm Fresh Challenge takes place during the month of October. If you haven’t already done so, pledge your participation now. Pledges are accepted until September 29, but to receive promotional materials, you must pledge before September 13.
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Farm Fresh Sharing is a feature where we spotlight CEs from Texas and across the country who participate in farm to school activities and answer questions from you. On a quarterly basis, we will feature an interview with a Texas CE. The goal of this section is to provide connections between CEs, answer questions about Farm Fresh programming, and share success stories. If you are interested in sharing your experiences and inspiring other CEs, please fill out this survey.
This month, we’ll feature a success story from Madison, Wisconsin. Several elementary schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) installed garden bars for their students to choose fresh fruits and vegetables. Set up like a salad bar, the students get to pick their fruit and vegetable sides - up to five or six options to reach their serving sizes. Read more here: MMSD Garden Bars
If you have questions regarding the Farm Fresh Initiative or suggestions for E-Harvest content, fill out this form: E-Harvest questions/suggestions. Select questions will be answered in this space when there is not a CE spotlight.
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Finding New Recipes
Finding recipes using August’s Harvest of the Month (peppers) isn’t too hard. Finding something new that appeals to children can be. Try this recipe from the Institute of Child Nutrition’s Child Nutrition Recipe Box to include a colorful, healthy option in your students’ lunch - Italian Vegetable Medley
Funding/Donation Opportunities
Get your students excited about native plants that help our pollinators with the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education grant program. Funds are distributed by Wild Ones, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the use of native plants to preserve biodiversity. Grants range from $100 - $500 and are required to be used for purchasing native plants or seeds in areas dedicated to engaging preschool to high school students in outdoor learning. The application deadline is November 15.
Learning Opportunities
Starting a school garden can be a daunting task. There are a lot of options to consider before beginning to plant. One of the decisions has been made easier by this list of Top 10 Crops for School Gardens, created by SeedMoney.org. The article lists the crops and advantages of planting them.
Create imaginative, healthy decorations for your classrooms with this Colorful Plate Spinners activity from Growing Minds, using paper plates, magazine pictures, glue, and safety scissors.
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Funding Opportunities
Farm Aid has been around since 1985. Started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $70 million over the years to help family farmers. Farm Aid’s Farmer Resource Network provides one-on-one assistance to farmers in need. Call 1.800.FARM.AID (1.800.327.6243) to speak to a member of the Hotline Team for help finding services, resources, and opportunities that can assist you. Operating hours are 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
August 20 is World Honeybee Day!
There is no arguing that bees are incredibly important in agriculture. Of the 20,000 different bee species worldwide, 4,000 are found in the United States. Colony Collapse Disorder, climate change, Varroa mites, and pesticide use have taken a toll on bee populations worldwide.
Texas is ranked 6th in honey production in the US, producing 8.9 million pounds in 2021. Celebrate these essential insects by eating some Texas honey, planting some flowers, and/or setting up a bee watering station.
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This new section in E-Harvest will focus on parent engagement in Farm Fresh programming and how to continue Farm Fresh education at home.
We're taking a break this month, but come back next month for more information!
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Farm Fresh Back to Basics
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This month, we’ll continue our list of helpful resources that can eliminate some of the confusion when it comes to Farm Fresh programming.
Farm Fresh Resources
Last month, we focused mainly on procurement and buying local food for your nutrition program. This month, we’ll turn the spotlight on gardening and nutrition education for your program participants.
SquareMeals.org has a host of garden-based learning materials to explore, including the Let’s Get Growing Series. There are links to curriculum kits from other states for all ages at the bottom of the page.
If you are unsure what your food-service funds can cover when it comes to school gardens or farms, there is a USDA fact sheet that answers some of those questions.
The Nature Conservancy has a series of instructional videos and curriculum tools for starting and maintaining a school garden. Ongoing instructional materials are provided for students aged 5-18, including links to virtual field trips.
Come back next month for information useful for October’s Farm to School Month and the Farm Fresh Challenge.
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Contact TDA
Toll Free: (877) TEX-MEAL
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Connect with Others
Texas Farm Fresh Network Use this tool to connect with Texas food companies that currently sell or are interested in selling to schools, child care centers, adult care centers and summer meal programs. Company listings include contact information, product availability and distribution radius
Funding Opportunities Financial support from organizations may help establish or advance local Farm Fresh initiatives. This list includes opportunities from TDA, USDA and other organizations.
Interested in learning more about Texas products?
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This product was funded by USDA.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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