October is all about recognizing the importance of local producers and farms. The month is designated “National Farm to School Month” as communities, schools, early care and education sites, organizations, and farms come together to celebrate food education, school gardens, and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients. For more information on National Farm to School Month, visit: https://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/farm-to-school-month
October is also the month for the “Great Lakes Apple Crunch”, which took place on October 10th. Known as the “crunch heard around the world”, participants across the regional United States are encouraged to bite into a fresh, locally grown apple at noon. The “Great Lakes Apple Crunch” is intended to recognize farm to school efforts. In recent years, gnarly 150,000 people registered to crunch together, including schools, daycares, workplaces, hospitals, etc. The local Extension office celebrated by sampling a variety of local apples and voting for their favorites. The winner: honey crisp! For more information on the Great Lakes Apple Crunch, visit: https://healthyliving.extension.wisc.edu/events/apple-crunch/
Did you know there is a lot of great farm to school work happening right here in Fond du Lac County? The Fond du Lac County Master Gardeners help manage school gardens at many area schools, including Parkside and Riverside Elementaries. Families are introduced to fresh produce from these gardens. Fond du Lac’s local FoodWIse Program works with local schools, like Parskide, Pier, Chegwin, and Riverside, as well as after school programs and early child care sites, to introduce fresh produce and other healthy foods. FoodWIse, along with partners like United Way, SSM Health, Lily Pad Day Care, Olden Organics, and May Hill Farms, are collaborating to hire an AmeriCorps “Farm to Early Child Care (ECE) Coordinator” position. This position will help develop our farm to ECE program across the county.
