We planted the garden at Lee Elementary this week. Photo by Scott David Gordon

It's the beginning of the school year for many Texas families this month. Our kids are slowly switching gears and getting their heads back in the classroom, and getting used to not spending quite as much time outside as they did over the summer. However I had a fun excuse yesterday to get a few kids outdoors to learn a little bit about growing vegetables at their school, and I had a lot of fun!

Thursday morning, I went to Lee Elementary School where my kids Drew, Ada, and Jimmy attend, to get the students out of the classroom to plant their school garden for the fall! It was great to spend the morning outside with the kids, and I think they really enjoyed it too! While JBG isn't in the business of building or maintaining school gardens (there are a LOT of great Austin organizations helping our community with this), when Principal John Hewlett approached me and asked if I would lend a hand, I knew that it would be a fun opportunity.

Excited gardeners. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We also got to hear from Principal Hewlett about farm-to-school programs and how he's getting Lee Elementary involved! Farm-to-school programs vary greatly in size and scope, and alongside school gardens they are a great way to connect our kids to growing their own food, and encourage healthier choices in the lunchroom. We were excited to announce last week that JBG is now an AISD approved vendor, and we are definitely looking forward to bring farm-fresh veggies into the lunchroom this year. Principal Hewlett had some great thoughts on farm-to-school and I wanted to share some of them with you this week!

JBG: What's the state of farm-to-school programming in Austin?

JH: There's been a big shift lately within AISD, really trying to bring farms into the schools. In the past, there have definitely been elements of that, but the district has made some real gains in that area. The biggest one I've seen recently is a move towards inclusion of that food into our cafeterias. Now we are able, to my understanding, to request JBG produce in the cafeteria!

Planting bok choy. Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG: Has it been a difficult process to get to this point?

JH: Brenton approached me last year asking who to talk to about becoming a vendor within the school district. I honestly thought it was going to be a much longer process than it has been, which indicates to me that the district is really interested in doing this. I think it really comes from a desire within communities to have that food in schools - that's where it really starts.

JBG: What do you think makes farm-to-school programs important?

JH: There has been a really long-standing desire within our school community to improve the offerings in our cafeteria. We have lots of students who bring their own lunches, and are bringing fresh produce from home into school. To have that same level of nutrition offered in our cafeteria is something that the parents and the district have a big interest in. AISD leadership has been great when I've reached out - for example, Wendi Caudill, who oversees the cafeteria program, worked in conjunction with Lauren Hyatt, our cafeteria manager this year for a made-to-order salad bar! So, there have been these incremental changes, even just in my one year here at Lee, which have been really encouraging.

We also planted lots of romaine lettuce - maybe destined for Lee's salad bar! Photo by Scott David Gordon

JBG: Have you encountered any obstacles in getting healthy, local foods into the cafeteria?

JH: I think everyone is interested in fresh healthy food for kids, but we definitely encounter challenges too - we continue to see that the most popular food is pizza, and other maybe not-so-healthy options. But I really love to order from our made-to-order salad bar, and I try to not order and leave, but sit with some of our kids and talk to them about the food, so they understand that it's there and available for them. It’s a paradigm shift for us and for them -- we aren’t necessarily used to seeing something like that in the cafeteria, but its a change that were really excited to see!

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Principal Hewlett was full of praise for the parents in the Lee Elementary community. He has definitely noticed that parents are introducing their kids to local food outside the classroom, like bringing them to farmers markets, and so  when they see the same local organic veggies in the cafeteria it's already a familiar concept to them! For example, I couldn't believe that some of the kids recognized Fennel and Chard from the transplants we put in the ground this week! Everyone was even really excited to taste test some new veggies when offered. In Principal Hewlett's words, "Out parents to a great job informing their kids about healthy choices outside of school." So thanks, parents, for helping us to raise the next generation to eat locally and organic, and please let us know how we can help support your farm-to-school programs too!

Got an idea for a fun way to bring JBG to your school? Selling CSA boxes door-to-door instead of candy for your next fundraiser? Buying local veggies from the farm for your next school event? We'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanks for having us, Lee Elementary! Photo by Scott David Gordon