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Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 11:02:36 AM From: Stephanie at The Kitchen Community To: jeevacation@gmail.com Subject: Celebrate National Farm to School Month! The TKC Beet October 2016 National Farm to School Month October isn't just about the changing seasons, pumpkins, and Halloween costumes, it's also National Farm to School Month! The National Farm to School Network spearheads this month- long celebration that brings together thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, and community organizations from all over the country to celebrate food education, school gardens, and healthy lunch trays filled with locally sourced foods! So how can you get involved? The Farm to School Network's theme for this month is One Small Step, and it highlights the numerous ways that any individual, school, or organization can get informed, get involved, and take action. Here are some ways you can get involved: • Celebrate with small activities that focus on generating interest and excitement. EFTA_R1_00030886 EFTA01741096 • Plan nutrition activities that feature Learning Garden produce. • Host a Learning Garden taste test in the classroom or in the cafeteria. • Harvest and serve a Learning Garden salad during lunch. • Connect your curriculum or classroom lesson to your Learning Garden. • Organize a field trip to a local farm or farmers market. • Send information home about your Learning Garden. • Spread the word on social media with #farmtoschool and iff2SMonth National Farm to School Month is a time to celebrate and continue working together to positively impact students in their classrooms, cafeterias, and communities! Healthy Halloween Snacks Ask Farmer Tim EFTA_R1_00030887 EFTA01741097 Halloween might be synonymous with candy and junk food, but this year you can make Halloween a healthy and fun holiday! We've found some delicious and nutritious snacks to try out in your classroom as you celebrate this month. Carrot Pumpkins. Try a little shape shifting by carving carrots from your Learning Garden into tiny pumpkins for an easy and festive snack! Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Have students save their pumpkin seeds and try roasting with different flavors. This makes for a fun and healthy snack that's easy to share with your students! Grants and Regional Updates Dear Farmer Tim, I am carving Jack-O-Lanterns this week with my students at our fall festival. Normally we save pumpkin seeds and roast them for a yummy snack. I was wondering if we could plant these seeds next year and see if they sprout more pumpkins? I've never tried. They look just like the seeds that I buy from the nursery. Thanks for your advice and expertise! - Up to My Elbows in Pumpkin Dear Up to My Elbows in Pumpkin, That is a great question and the answer is that we can't be sure! Some seeds will almost certainly sprout the exact same crop that the seeds grew from, such as: peas, lettuce, and some pepper seeds. This is because those flowers have both the male and female parts and can 'self-pollinate' so don't rely on pollinating insects. Pumpkins on the other hand, along with all cucurbits - the squash plant family - produce both male and female flowers on separate stems. Having male and female flowers in separate locations requires that a pollinating insect, oftentimes a bee, pollinates the female flower! The reason your seeds may or may not produce a new pumpkin plant is EFTA_R1_00030888 EFTA01741098 Current Grant Opportunities: Dreaming of extending your Learning Garden or adding new programming or supplies? Apply for the Whole Kids Foundation School Garden Grant! You could be awarded $2,000 to support existing edible garden learning spaces, or start new projects on your school grounds. Apply by October 31, 2016. Apply for the Nature Works Everywhere Grant, and empower your students to make change in their community! $2,000 grants will help schools develop nature based, green infrastructure solutions to environmental challenges. Schools can design projects to combat issues surrounding climate change, healthy food access, storm water collection, etc. Dream big! Apply by October 31, 2016. Chicago Fall Workshops; Learn how to harvest and eat fall crops while you pick up tips to prepare your Learning Garden for winter and garlic bulbs to plant this fall! Visit the event pages for more information or to register: • October 19 - Moos Elementary that the bee that pollinated your pumpkin plant may have visited a different but closely related squash plant nearby. Squashes are well known for cross-pollinating and often saved seeds will grow a much different, although probably interesting, fruit. We think this makes for a very fun science experiment! To save your pumpkin seeds, carve them out of the pumpkin and then rinse them off so most of the flesh is gone. Lay the the seeds evenly, without touching too much, over some newspaper and allow them to sit and dry for about a week. Once dry, take seeds off the newspaper and store them in an envelope (don't forget to label) in a cool, dry place until planting in the Spring. Then it's time to wait and see what grows! So, the real question is, do you know where your bees have been? Peas and Gloves, - Farmer Tim SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO FARMER TIM BY EMAILING: EFTA_R1_00030889 EFTA01741099 • October zo - Ray Elementary #Real Food News • Michelle Obama sets her garden in stone, Politico, 10/05/2016 • Kellogg Students Plant Edible Learning Garden, DNA Info, 09/19/2016 • Gardening as a child may lead college students to eat more veggies, Science Daily, 09/19/2016 • How Much Food Can Cities Produce?, Huffington Post, 08/24/2016 • Healthy Eaters, Strong Minds: What School Gardens Teach Kids, NPR, 08/10/2016 Stay Connected: X Z The Kitchen Community, 1980 8th St, Boulder, CO 80302 SafeUnsubscribeTM jeeyacation@gmail.com X z EFTA_R1_00030890 EFTA01741100 Forward this email I Update Profile I About our service provider Sent by stephanie@thekitchencommunity,org in collaboration with Try it free today EFTA_R1_00030891 EFTA01741101