…. Families are struggling to make ends meet and communities have tried to meet that need in a variety of ways. Each county is doing food outreach in a different way, and the YMCA of WNC is doing amazing things! Not only do they serve free meals for kids under the age of 18, but they also have a mobile food market that is offering free local produce and other nutritious foods from local farms, and local grocery stores. They also provide nutrition e…
…https://youtu.be/09MIHpQx6Wo Students at Cullowhee Valley Elementary School enjoy a taste test of local sweet potatoes with help from Western Carolina University pre-service teachers and dietitians through ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Program! Education and Nutrition Teachers: Use this video as a training tool for cafeteria taste tests!…
…https://youtu.be/Q7ybQF0q22s This video introduces children to various farm animals around Shared Blessings Farm in Cullowhee, NC….
…Safety First: Mushrooms must be stored immediately in the refrigerator between 34-38°F. They have a shelf life of around 10 days under optimal conditions and should be thrown out after that. Mushrooms can be consumed for the most part either raw or cooked. It is strongly discouraged that consumers forage and consume wild mushrooms for safety reasons. Health Benifits for Kiddos: A recent study shows that by adding raw white, crimini, portobello, an…
…tructure called that has clear walls and is used to keep plants warm? (a greenhouse) Do sweet potatoes grow above ground or under ground? (the part we eat is a root that grows underground, while the plant’s leaves and stems grow above ground) Activity Extension: Use Your Imagination In this video, Chue and Ariel look at a freshly harvested sweet potato and imagine that it looks like a rat and a warthog. Give children/students a fruit or vegetable…
…https://youtu.be/OXgoxhKK7Wo Kindergarten students from Cullowhee Valley Elementary School cook apple cabbage quesadillas with help from Western Carolina University pre-service teachers and dietitians through ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Cooking Program! Education and nutrition teachers: Use this video as a tool to show students how to conduct classroom cooking demonstrations….
…erves 4 (1/2 cup servings) Ingredients: 1 pound carrots, scrubbed but not peeled 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the carrots on the cutting board. Cut off a little bit from both ends, then cut each carrot into thirds. Put the spears on the baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, and sprinkle with the salt. Using your clean hands, rub the carrot pieces until they’re lightly coa…
…https://youtu.be/FJ1fpsqWgw8 Our Growing Minds video premiered on the big screen at our Farm to School Institute at the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville….
…ource List Color your own soil ecosystem with this “Soil Rocks” coloring sheet by Asheville-based artist Kathleen Littlefield. You can find a great list of K-12 soil experiments and hands-on activities–including soil painting, soil colors, and soil properties–compiled by the Soil Science Society of America at soils4kids.org. Want to teach younger kids the basics about the different types of soil (sand, silt, clay, and loam)? Check out the “Types…
…puree. Rinse out the blender and repeat with the cantaloupe and then with the honeydew. The puree can be a bit chunky. Place the molds in the freezer. If you are using nontraditional molds, such as ice-cube trays or paper cups, you will need to freeze the puree until it is partially frozen, usually about 2 hours, then insert a stick into each mold and return the molds to the freezer. Freeze the paletas for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The…