"Hoop, hoop, hoop your greens!"

Can you hear the cheers? Miss B's second grade has successfully grown a mesculin mix under our small version of a "hoop house." So far so good and the tasting of our little lettuce leaves begins in the next couple of days!Thanks again to Jenny Dembinski (Woodstock Garden Club)  for all of your help!

To the left you can see the hoops over the greens with the row cover pulled off. 

LOCAL free range eggs take center stage!

Our taste test last month (April) was hard boiled local free range eggs. (Thanks to our Chef Donna for raising happy chickens who produce such amazing eggs we can buy for our school. Pictured above is one of her eggs).  I forget how many dozen we boiled, but I can definitely say was a lot of peeling!  We have been serving local scrambled eggs at breakfast and local hard boiled eggs on the salad bar.  They are such a great source of protein and our kids here at WES love them! 

For the taste test, we talked with the students about what the term "free range" means, and  we discussed the nutritional differences between a "commercially" raised chickens who are producing eggs with that of chickens who have opportunities to outdoor space.  With some research we were also able to conclude that free range eggs are healthier because they are lower in cholesterol and higher in Omega 3's. 

We also talked with the students about the importance of protein and eating eggs as a healthy part of a meal or just a healthy snack. Protein is important for maintaining energy levels as well as helping to maintain muscle.

Many students commented that their parents only buy from local neighbors and many children commented that they have egg laying chickens at their house. (I wished I had tallied that number up because it seemed like a lot of students!)

Eggs are amazing and if you can buy locally, they are that much healthier for you and you are supporting your local economy!

Our next taste test is May 9th.  We will be sampling local greens from Carol Stedman's Clay Hill Corners Farm.  She we will be here to talk with the children about growing greens and the different varieties.  We will have 8 varieties to test so check back for pictures and results! 

Time to get in the gardens!

With limited snow this winter season, our gardens have been snowless for awhile and are ready to plant much earlier this year.  Last Friday, Miss B's second graders braved the breezy weather and planted mesculin mix (a hardy salad mix) in our front three raised beds.  The students were super excited to be outside, digging in the soil, and using their fraction knowledge to figure out how to plant the bed.  We were also blessed with help from Mrs. Dembinski, a Woodstock Garden Club member.  We covered the beds with row cover (a light weight fabric that keeps warmth in and also let's moisture in) so they can stay warm during cold nights.  So, far so good.  Enjoy the pictures and check back for updates on how our little greens are growing! 

 Taylor was on a worm hunt!  Students love looking for worms when they are turning up the soil!

Mrs. Dembinski digging deep!

Row cover keeping our little greens warm!

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Taste Test

Brittney Poljacik receives a piece of Vermont Farmstead cheese from Marjorie Hardy (Milk Supply and Marketing Specialist) during our local cheese taste test on Wednesday.

Did you know that there is cheese being made approx. 4 miles from our school?  Yes, in our backyard, directly up Church Hill, 7 different types of cheeses are being made at this local dairy.  This company is all about local, from its start up days to present daily operations, it demonstrates LOCAL in every sense! 

WES students taste tested a mild, buttery, soft cheese called Brick Haus Tilsit and they asked for seconds and thirds!  It was a big hit and the cheese will most likely show up on our school menu again soon.

Marjorie did a great job of telling the students about the cows on the farm, how they live, how many times of day they are milked, how much milk they give and where the milk goes in order for it to get turned into cheese.  Students asked great questions, however their favorite part was of course eating the cheese! 

Thank you so much to The Vermont Farmstead Cheese company in supporting our taste test.  We look forward to establishing a school-farm working relationship soon! Yipppeeee! 

 Students recording their cheese vote, "I Liked it!", "Sort of" or "No thank you!"











Austin Bloch gets some cheese!

  

Beets, Beets and more Beets!

February 8th marked the completion of our second taste test.  WES students and staff enjoyed beautiful beets from Pete's Greens, a 4-season organic farm located in Craftsbury, Vermont. (If you get a chance, please click on the link to view their website). What was so amazing about these beets were their colors! There were pinks, white and deep reds, which to me is a true sign of a whole food and the great nourishment they give our bodies!   After roasting them for a long, long time in the ovens, we were able to peel the skin, dice them up and toss them with a little olive oil.  The picture below shows our final product ready for taste testing.  

Students and staff were very excited to learn that beets grow in such an array of colors. Our beet taste test chart showed most of the students "Liked" them, some were "Undecided" and a few said "No thank you!"  The real test came the following two days when we offered the left over beets on the salad bar and they disappeared, even with such comments as "Yes, I love beets!" 

We look forward to taste testing local cheese from the Vermont Farmstead, a local dairy farm in our backyard, up Churchill in South Woodstock.  One of the farmers will be making a visit to talk about the cheese as well as help give out samples during our March 14th taste test!  All parents are welcome.  If you have any questions or would like help, please contact Gretchen Czaja (Healthy Foods Educator and Provider) gczaja@wcsu.net for more info!

Butternut Squash taste test kicks off the new year!

First graders Finn Davis and Trey Jones show off the beautiful color of the butternut squash during the taste test! 

Last Wednesday 1/11, WES students in grades 1-6 participated in their first taste test of the new year!  Taste tests are now scheduled on a regular basis in the WES cafe, and will be held the second Wednesday of every month.  After students settled into the lunch time rhythm, they were able to sample a puree of butternut squash with optional toppings of maple syrup, raisins, sour cream or cheddar cheese. The toppings provided an added boost to the already great flavor of the squash, however it also demonstrated the combinations students could choose at home when eating their own squash.  After they tasted it, they went up to chart paper on the wall and recorded their decision, "I liked it!" or "No thank you."  The majority of the students decided it was something they REALLY liked and wanted it as an option on the lunch menu.  There were a few students that really didn't like it, which were honest opinions and some that were on the fence.  Either way it was a successful taste test and students learned what a healthy food butternut squash can be.  Children's taste buds are consistently changing so it is important not to take offense when a child doesn't like a food item.  It takes many samplings of something before they can really decide if they like something or not!

What is planned for our February taste test?  Well, it is a deep red/purplish in color.....can you guess.....yes, BEETS!  Stay tuned for more taste test findings! 

Support your local dairy!

We recently purchased a milk dispenser for our lunch and snack milk program.  Last year students conducted research to find out how many cartons were being thrown away. On an average over 100 cartons were thrown in the trash a day and over a school year approx. 19,000 ended up in the landfill. The milk that was being purchased in these milk cartons (Hood) was also Massachusetts milk, not Vermont milk. Why are we buying milk from a another state? To make this change, WES applied for a food service grant and raised Farm to School funds to be able to purchase the dispenser and enough cups to use during lunch service and snack.  The cups are 8 oz. BPA-free plastic and come in all different wonderful colors. 

The students have been super excited about the change.  Eli Grossman, a 6th grader says " It tastes less processed than the milk in the cartons."  Another 6th grader, Brittney Poljacik says "It is colder, tastes fresher, and it is a double thumbs up.  Now I buy milk everyday."

There is also a cost savings involved with buying milk in 5 gallon bags, it is cheaper than purchasing the cartons.  The biggest benefit of all is that we are supporting Thomas Dairy, a local dairy in Rutland, VT because the bulk milk comes straight from the dairy! 

If you have any questions or are interested in hearing about our milk dispenser, please contact Healthy Foods Educator and Provider,Gretchen Czaja gzaja@wcsu.net