October is National Farm to School month and school cafeterias throughout Fayette are celebrating by offering fresh, locally grown cucumbers on their menus this month.
Fayette County Schools began participating in Georgia’s Farm to School program in 2014. As a result, the district’s School Nutrition Program (SNP) reports that it has seen greater community support for local meals as a benefit of farm to school. According to data collected by the USDA on the 2015 Farm to School Census, Fayette is among 93 districts in Georgia, or 62 percent, that are participating in the Farm to School program.
As part of its Farm to School initiative, the SNP arranges for farmers to visit schools during the year to educate students about the foods they produce, and why eating locally sourced fruits and vegetables, and dairy and meat products are better nutritionally and economically.
Locally grown food is defined as regional food within 400 miles of Fayette County. The Fayette County School District uses Royal Produce to purchase locally grown produce direct from the fields.
The cucumbers featured in October are from the Southern Valley Fruit and Vegetable Farm in Norman Park, Georgia. They will be offered as a side item, as well as featured in many of the different salad options available.
Cucumbers are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. They are also a good source of vitamins A and K, panthothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and manganese.
The National Farm to School Network advocated for the creation of National Farm to School Month by Congress in 2010, and now organizes the annual celebration that is held in all 50 and Washington, D.C.
In the above photo, School Nutrition Program staff from Braelinn Elementary display the locally grown cucumbers that are being featured on menus this month, which is also National Farm to School month. From left are Cheryl Johnson, Emily Morris (manager) and Valerie Scheidt.