Slow Food USA National Congress April 14, 2012 Louisville, KY

1. How to Use Garden to Cafeteria and Youth Farmers’ Market Programs to Engage Your School Gardens in the Cafeteria and CommunityAndrew Nowak & Gigia KolouchSlow Food Denver Slow Food USA National Congress April 14, 2012 Louisville, KY

2. Slow Food Denver: Seed to Table Our Mission: Slow Food Denver’s Seed To Table School Food Program creates meaningful relationships between young people and food in order to transform the school food system. By placing an emphasis on hands-on experiences, community interaction, and the pleasures of the table, SFD-STT projects help to strengthen the food communities of tomorrow by engaging youth today. We work closely with Denver area schools to teach students where their food comes from, how to prepare it, who grows it, the importance of food choices and the pleasure of sharing with friends and family.

3. Partnerships are Important!

4. Seed To Table: School Gardens Seed Starting Spring Planting

5. Seed To Table: Taste Education“Feeding themselves” Making pesto Fresh tortillas

6. Seed To Table: Garden to Cafeteria“Feeding the School” A morning harvest Selling to the cafeteria

7. Seed To Table: Youth Farmers’ Markets“Feeding the Community” Ready to sell! Selling to the community

8. GTC Program: Challenges & Partners Challenges Partners • Who are the key people? • What kind of produce items? • Barriers • How to grow and handle food safely with kids? • Food Safety Protocols • Traceability • Slow Food Denver • Denver Urban Gardens • DPS Food & Nutrition Services • Denver Dept of Public Health and Environment

9. GTC Program: Key People Identify responsibilities Working together! • Food Service Director • GTC Leader • School Kitchen Manager • Principal • Students • Classroom Teacher • PTA/PTO • County Health Dept

10. GTC Program: Produce items Vegetables Fruits • Lettuce Radishes • Cucumbers Carrots • Tomatoes Peas • Peppers Broccoli • Cabbage Celery • Summer Squash • Watermelons • Cantaloupe • Apples • Peaches • Plums • Strawberries

11. GTC Program: Barriers • Barriers from the Garden - Is the produce going to be safe from the garden? • Barriers from the school kitchen - My workers do not know how to clean fresh veggies. • Barriers from the school menu - How do we serve produce from the garden? • Barriers from the students - Students will not like the fresh produce. • Barriers from the principals - We only have 15 minutes to serve lunch.

12. GTC Program: GAP & GHP Good Agriculture Practices Good Handling Practices • No pesticides/herbicides • Safe use of manure • Clean water • Soil tests • Garden free of animals • Harvest unblemished produce • Wash hands • Healthy students • Sanitize Harvest Buckets • Wash of produce with clean water • Direct to cafeteria • Proper cleaning and storage in kitchen • Traceability

13. GTC Program: Denver schools Food Safety Protocols GTC harvest equipment Based on GAP/GHP • Sanitized harvest baskets • No ill students • Proper hand washing • Initial wash with potable water in the garden • Harvest recorded on Tracking Sheet

14. GTC Program: GTC Leader Harvest Day: GTC Leader GTC at Ellis Elementary • Check in with Kitchen Manager • Sanitize harvest baskets • Get students • Walk through garden • Harvest and wash • Take to cafeteria

15. GTC Program: Traceability Harvest Day: Weigh in Working the scale • Weigh vegetables in the cafeteria • Students record weights on Tracking Sheet • Students sign their names • Kitchen Manager signs Tracking Sheet

16. GTC Program: In the kitchen Harvest Day: School Kitchen Harvest at Steele Elementary • Produce is washed in cool water in Produce Sink • Produce is stored in separate container marked “School Garden” • Refrigerated for 24 hours • Produce used on salad bars

17. GTC Program: Educational Opportunities

18. GTC Program: Compensation 2011 Harvest Totals The BIG check • 15 schools • 1,135 pounds • 24 Produce items • $1,249 paid to schools

19. Youth Farmers’ Markets Visioning Exercise Close your eyes? Imagine you are at a Farmers’ Market. • What did you see? • What did you hear? • What did you smell? • Did you taste anything? • What did you feel?

20. Youth Farmers’ Markets Why do a YFM? Fairview YFM • Educational • Food access • Fundraising • Community support • Locality & Seasonality • Where does your food come from?

21. Youth Farmers’ Markets Adult volunteers Getting ready at Cory! • YFM committee • Harvesting • Market set up • Farm produce • YFM Bank • Marketing

22. Youth Farmers’ Markets Student helpers “May I help you?” • Salesman • Harvesting • Cash register • Marketing • Samples • Clean up

23. Youth Farmers’ Markets Full YFM Set up The team is ready to go! • Tent • Tables • Table cloths • Baskets • Cash box • Signage

24. Youth Farmers’ Markets Simple YFM set up Simple Marketing

25. Youth Farmers’ Markets Market opens! A big crush! • After school • Placed in near high traffic area • Lasts 30-45 mins • Student permission to stay after school

26. Youth Farmers’ Markets Chef demo: Retired chef Chef demo: Community

27. Youth Farmers’ Markets YFM Coalition Unloading Farm Produce • Slow Food Denver • Denver Urban Gardens • YFM Committees • YFM Contract • Produce pickup at 4 farms • Storage at DUG cooler

28. Youth Farmers’ Markets Sorting and weighing produce A very full YFM cooler!

29. YFM Program: Educational Opportunities

30. Youth Farmers’ Markets 2011 YFM season Late season produce • 29 school sites • 3 Boys & Girls Clubs • 141 Markets • 23,080 pounds sold • $26,313 in sales • $16,774 from farms • $8,997 in profits

31. Seed To Table: GTC/YFM Workshop 23 School Districts 24 Community Partners Important Partnerships

32. How to Use Garden to Cafeteria and Youth Farmers’ Market Programs to Engage Your School Gardens in the Cafeteria and CommunityAndrew Nowak & Gigia KolouchSlow Food Denver Slow Food USA National Congress April 14, 2012 Louisville, KY