On-Farm Workshops to Celebrate & Prioritize Local Purchasing

This August, school nutrition professionals, farmers, and farm to school advocates came together to celebrate the connections between local food, farms, and school meals over the course of five on-farm workshops throughout the state. The time together also offered an opportunity to discuss Vermont’s first-ever Local Purchasing Incentive and how it can best be utilized this school year. We’d like to share our heartfelt gratitude to West Farm, Cedar Circle Farm, Green Mountain Orchards, Berry Creek Farm, and Laughing Child Farm for hosting us and the dozens of participants who made these workshops so insightful.

Berry Creek Farm's Rosemary Croizet welcomes the participants (left); participants gathered for a group photo at the end of the workshop (right).

Each workshop began with a tour of the host farm. Participants learned about farming practices, harvest, storage, distribution models, and fun ways to prepare farm produce for school meals. From snacking on snappy carrots and learning about how growing practices affect their nutrient density,to witnessing the tender care that goes into growing sweet potatoes, it was clear these farmers are passionate about sharing their food and wisdom with their community and dedicated to feeding and educating kids!

Watch more about the workshop at West Farm. Video by NOFA Vermont.

Following the farm tour, we discussed  Vermont’s new Local Food Purchasing Incentive for schools: an historic investment in our school nutrition programs, in our farms, and in our kids. On June 8, 2021, Governor Phil Scott enacted Act 67, providing $500,000 to Vermont schools to invest in local food during the 2021-2022 school year. As the Vermont Agency of Education Child Nutrition Programs team works to set up the program, Vermont FEED is gathering questions from the field in order to ensure a successful pilot year that maximizes the benefit of this program for schools and for Vermont producers.

Vermont FEED Program Director Helen Rortvedt speaks with the group about Act 67, a bill that incentivizes local purchasing by schools.

After a fruitful discussion, thoughtful questions, and critical input from those whose work is most critical to the success of the program, we continued our celebration the best way we know how: by making a meal together! The last portion of the workshop was dedicated to preparing a dish that meets National School Lunch Program requirements and incorporates locally sourced ingredients. All five workshops featured produce from the host farm and the recipes were created by School Nutrition Association of Vermont Board President, Karyl Kent. The Rainbow Rocket Wraps were a crowd favorite and were as beautiful as they were delicious. We suggest you try making them at home or in the cafeteria this fall!

As the new school year kicks off and harvest season is in full swing, we’re glad to know there are so many farms and schools who are already working together to feed Vermont kids. We hope this new incentive program can be a catalyst for bringing even more healthy, local food into the schools. 

Beet hummus os spread on a whole wheat tortilla wrap (left); The rainbow wrap is cut on a bias to revel the colors inside!

Rainbow Rocket Wrap Recipe

Makes 16 wraps

Ingredients

• 4 cups Beet Hummus
• 16 tablespoons Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette
• 16 10" whole wheat tortillas
• 1 quart red cabbage, shredded
• 1 quart green cabbage, shredded
• 1 quart carrots, grated
• 2 cups sweet red peppers, sliced
• 4 cups zucchini, julienned
• 4 cups yellow squash, julienned
• ¼ cup chickpeas, fried until crispy

Instructions

1. Prepare the raw vegetables:
   Squash: Julienne or spiralize, let sit in colander to drain liquid.
   Cabbages: Slice thin or shred in long strips.
   Carrots: Shred
   Peppers: Slice thin
2. Spread ¼ C hummus on tortilla wrap, place vegetables in center of wrap keeping colors together (do not mix all veggies together).
3. Dress veggies with 1 Tablespoon of vinaigrette.
4. Top with ¼ C of crispy chickpeas.
5. Tuck in the sides of the tortilla and roll as you would a burrito.
6. Cut on the bias to reveal all the colors and enjoy!

School Nutrition Professionals prepare a shared meal inspired by the host farm and farm to school meal planning.