Taste Washington Day 2014

Taste Washington Day 2014

So many districts participated in Taste Washington Day this year!  Here are a few we have heard from. The newspaper articles linked include lots of great photos and stories!  Please continue to share your successes with us, and visit our Taste Washington Day page to learn more about this great event celebrating Washington agriculture and school meals.

Wenatchee School District - Wenatchee elementary school students were joined by Washington's First Lady Trudi Inslee and Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Bud Hover, along with Farmer Ken Toevs of T&T Farms and Rancher Cass Gebbers of Gebbers Farms. State's First Lady praises Wenatchee school's local food program - Wenatchee World
Wenatchee's middle and high schools also had all local menus on Taste Washington Day, and each school had a display table hosted by local farmers and ranchers.  Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network's Fresh Food in Schools project staff assisted the district in celebrating the day. 

Bethel School District -  District webpage article  (incl. menu!)

Bethel Child Nutrition Staff pride on Taste Washington Day

Bellingham School District - Multimedia/Photo set - The Bellingham Herald
Bellingham and other Whatcom County school districts celebrated Taste Washington Day with their local salad greens being featured as October's Harvest of the Month.  Bellingham's menu featured roasted chicken drumsticks from Draper Valley Farms in Mount Vernon, rosemary roasted red potatoes from Pioneer Farms in Skagit Valley, mixed green salad and cherry tomatoes from Sterino Farms in Puyallup and carrots from Hopewell Farms and Cloud Mountain Farms in Everson.  Whatcom's farm to school efforts are supported by the Whatcom Farm-to-School team.

Concrete School District - Concrete students enjoyed Kale-idoscope salad and other local produce for Taste Washington Day, and were joined by County Commissioner Sharon Dillon and Julie Yee of USDA, along with other local supporters! The Concrete team also held Taste Test Tuesday the week before, to test recipes with students in preparation for the big day!

Students at Concrete School District enjoyed local corn on the cob,
roasted potatoes, and Kale-idoscope salad!

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/10/01/3889270_taste-washington-day.html?&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Central Valley School District -  Students meet farmer as CVSD promotes healthy foods – The Spokesman-Review
Fourteen elementary schools in Central Valley School District celebrated by serving locally-grown foods.  Farmer Dan Jackson visited Broadway Elementary.  Local Inland Northwest Cooperative Foods – LINC Foods – a new Spokane-based organization that helps farmers connect with schools and universities, supported the project.

Conway Elementary School - Conway students enjoyed  carrots from Ralph's Greenhouse, along with potatoes with homemade chili and cheese sauce. Local delicacies devoured during Taste Washington Day  - Skagit Valley Herald 

Mead School District served a local lunch in elementary schools with roasted chicken, Shepard's Grain wheat rolls, Washington milk, and an assortment of local produce, and highlighted the farms in their specially-decorated cafeterias.  High school students were treated to Mock-Guacamole made with split peas to top their taco salads.

Signs displayed in Mead School District schools
highlighted local growers and their produce.

Riverview School District - worked with local farmers to bring students a great meal served with local food from Oxbow Farm, Full Circle Farm, Local Roots Farm, Flower World, and Cherry Valley Dairy to feature what is grown and produced right here in the Snoqualmie Valley. The food was served on the salad bars at all schools during lunch. FFA members from Cedarcrest High School visited the cafeterias to promote agriculture and offer samples of the local products to all students. Samples included yellow and purple carrots, green and yellow and purple beans, baby lettuce, kale made into kale chips, roasted gold and red beets, cucumbers and cheese cubes. The Food Services Department also offered students a delicious chocolate brownie made from Shepherd’s Grain flour. Shepherd’s Grain is a group of 33 family wheat farmers in the Pacific Northwest and the wheat is milled in Spokane. 

A peek at Riverview School District's colorful salad bar.

Pe Ell and Riverview School Districts - Farmers, schools taste potential partnerships - Capital Press 

Wahkiakum County Extension Office Nutrition Education Program worked with J A Wendt Elementary School and The John C Thomas Middle School to present a Farmers Market event.  Farmers brought samples and displayed farm information for students to visit and receive stamps on their "Passports" with info for each farm attending. Students sampled fresh apple slices,  applesauce,  salmon dip on crackers,  cheese,  smoothies made with kale, banana, apples and milk, a variety of local produce was sampled from cut up raw veggies, like carrot, pepper, radishes, and fresh roasted beets and new potatoes, and kale chips.  Farmers present that day, were surprised by the willingness of the students to try new foods.

A student looks on during the Farmers Market event in Wahkiakum.

Waitsburg School District served an all local lunch with beef, fruit, vegetables, grain, and cheeses all sourced within a 10 mile radius.  This was their first time celebrating Taste Washington Day!

Auburn School District hosted a tasting table at Rainier Middle School, and were joined by Farmer Amy Moreno-Sills from Four Elements Farm, where students enjoyed samples of fruits and vegetables, including Four Elements Farm carrots with tops.

Auburn Child Nutrition Director and Four Elements
Farmer Amy Moreno-Sills at the Taste Washington Day table.

Ridgefield School District celebrated Taste Washington Day at all five of their schools, serving chicken drumsticks, red roasted rosemary potatoes, kale salad, whole wheat rolls and fresh pears and nectarines.  A local organic farmer from Northwest Organic Farms visited and displayed their organic produce and gave out samples of Asian Pears from their gardens.

Ridgefield School District's Taste Washington Day lunch display
includes the Governor's Taste Washington Day Proclamation.

Vancouver School District Fort Vancouver High School students celebrated Taste Washington Day as their 1st Annual International Harvest Day in their garden.  Students and staff brought potluck dishes made with veggies and fruit grown in their garden.

Seattle Public Schools served a Washington-grown lunch featuring Palouse lentil sloppy joes from Columbia bean Company, with a variety of local foods.

A sign promoting the local offerings in Seattle.

Cascade School District served Cloudview EcoFarms fingerling potatoes and fresh salad greens from Hope Mountain Farm in Plain.  They also posted farmer posters and menus to celebrate.

Monroe School District served a local salad from Willie Green's.  Later in October, they are also hosting a lunch with a Willie Green's farmer.  Bonus: an article from a farmers market event the district held in August - http://www.snoho.com/news_archives_2014/news_082014.html (look down the page a bit on the news page!)

 Sign from Monroe School District's Taste Washington Day

Ephrata School District served sliced apples and fresh pluots from American Produce Express in six schools.  Two elementary schools visited Cloudview Farm for farm field trips.

Wahluke School District served an assortment of fruit in elementary, junior, and high schools, including pears and apples from Tonnemaker Hill Farm, nectarines from Magana Farms, apples from K&C Farms and pluots from American Produce Express.  Diane, the nutrition director, wore a pear costume and visited K-2 students.  October menus promoted Taste Washington Day and National Farm to School month.

Governor Proclaims October 1st 2014 Taste Washington Day!