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Farm to Summer

Summer is a time of agricultural abundance. Using Washington grown foods in your summer meal program is a great way to take advantage of all the produce our state has to offer. Incorporating food education into your program also increases kids¡¯ willingness to try new foods!

Farm to Summer Participation

  • Serve local foods?as part of your meal?service?
  • Include nutrition or agriculture enrichment?activities?

Advantages of Farm to Summer

  • Serving foods during their peak growing season improves the quality and appeal of meals
  • Nutrition and agriculture activities are fun and increase kids¡¯ willingness to try new foods
  • Introduces participants to fresh produce that may be unavailable during the school year
  • Supports local farmers and keeps dollars in your community
  • Celebrates Washington agriculture

Farm to Summer Week

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ encourages sponsors to serve local food and include food-related enrichment activities in their meal service throughout the summer but especially during Farm to Summer Week. It¡¯s an opportunity to taste, teach, and connect about food grown in your community. Look for more details in the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Child Nutrition Services newsletter each spring to learn dates and more information about participating in Farm to Summer Week.

Resources

Program Information
  • (National Farm to School Network)
  • (Washington State Department of Agriculture)¨C not just for schools! A wealth of information about buying local in Washington, local farms interested in selling to Child Nutrition Programs, seasonality charts, Harvest of the Month resources, and more!
  • - includes a great set of resources for procuring local food in SFSP, links to the USDA Farm to School grant program, and more!
  • (Food Research and Action Center)

 

Harvest of the Month
Local Procurement/Purchasing
  • (USDA Food and Nutrition Service) ¡ª Collection of webinars, fact sheets, policy memos, and regulations pertaining to the procurement and use of local foods in Child Nutrition Programs
  • from the WSDA Farm to School Toolkit (Washington Department of Agriculture)
  • (Washington State Farmer¡¯s Market Association)
  • (Eat Local First)

 

Promotional Tools and Activities

 

Food Safety
USDA Resources
Additional Tools

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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.