From spaghetti squash to persimmons, figs to tangerines, the last four months have brought tongue-expanding experiences to local students. This February there’s cabbage on the menu – red, green, and napa to be precise – and in the months to come the young scholars’ taste buds will get to know avocados, nectarines, and spuds in a variety of shapes and colors. Each victual is just one helping of the Harvest of the Month, a statewide program intended to establish healthy eating habits in youngsters by leading them on far-flung gustatory journeys.
‘The kids love it,’ said Marguerite Paras who teaches fourth grade at Truckee Elementary. ‘It’s learning in a fun way. It introduces kids to foods they don’t usually have. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for them.’
Paras was one of several teachers at Truckee Elementary who participated in a trial run of the Harvest of the Month program last school year. The test period proved successful and now – with a grant from the Tahoe Truckee Excellence in Education Foundation and under the coordination of the Truckee Tahoe Nutrition Coalition – parents, teachers, and community members present fruits and vegetables to elementary school students once each month.
When volunteers visit the classrooms they come equipped with background information, such as the history of the food to be sampled, its nutritional value, how to cook it, how to grow it, and the part it plays in California agriculture. From classroom to classroom the actual samples the students receive often vary – last year some classes tasted raw strawberries while others sipped smoothies – but in general the students are offered a taste of the food both cooked and uncooked, and are given several different varieties of a fruit or vegetable to compare.
Donavan Rae, who volunteers in two kindergarten classes at Truckee Elementary, has been dubbed ‘the squash guy’ by the students who devoured his butter and garlic spaghetti squash recipe. According to Rae, the kids have been enthusiastic about the program and eager to eat some of the foods at home.
‘They absolutely loved (the squash) and some of the kids have asked their parents to buy it,’ Rae said. ‘I’ve seen different parents and kids out and about and at the grocery store and they always come up and say ‘hi.’’
Maria Martin, coordinator of the Nutrition Coalition and organizer of the Harvest of the Month program, echoed his words, explaining that the kids are generally excited to see the volunteers and eager to sample the food.
‘Kids are more likely to try new things – and less likely to make a fuss – with their peers than with their family at the dinner table,’ Martin said. ‘(They) often come back for seconds.’
With the program, organizers are working to bridge the gap between the excitement kids show for vegetables at school and the diets they maintain at home. As Tahoe Truckee school district director of food service Rose Wolterbeek explained it, the program will be completely successful when students’ families and portions of the community at large become engaged as well.
‘What we’re trying to do is bring together the classroom, the home and the community with the goal of improving nutrition for the students and the family,’ Wolterbeek said.
Since students don’t always report everything they do at school, Harvest of the Month leaflets have been distributed through coffee shops, parks and recreation departments, medical offices, and a variety of other places including cross-country ski centers, supermarkets and community centers. The cards bear information about the food of the month and a recipe for preparing it. The recipes were donated by local chefs such as Mark Estee, executive chef of Moody’s Bistro; Julia Walter from River Ranch; and Dragonfly’s Billy McCullough. February’s cabbage recipe will come from the cookbook of David Lutz, who works at the Wild Goose Restaurant.
Estee, who frequently works with the Nutrition Coalition and spearheaded the chef organization effort, foresees more cooperation between the schools and local restaurants to bring more healthful food to the students.
‘The chefs are excited about doing more with the school district,’ Estee said. ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’
The Harvest of the Month program was created by the California Department of Public Health for use in the state’s school system. Teachers at each of the local school district’s five elementary schools have adopted the program; but as yet, Tahoe Lake School is the only facility where every classroom participates.
Maria Martin is looking for a few more volunteers to help out in King Beach and Truckee.
To volunteer, and for information: mmartinrd@yahoo.com, or visit harvestofthemonth.com
Every Body Eats
For Marguerite Paras’ fourth graders and a number of other elementary students, the Harvest of the Month program will pair up with another source of nutritional knowledge in the months to come. In April, Paras’ students will take a field trip to the ‘Every Body Eats’ exhibit at the Tahoe Center For Health and Sports Performance. There, nutritionists from Tahoe Forest Hospital will teach visitors the facts of healthy eating.
Every Body Eats will feature 12 interactive areas. The ‘Sizing Up Servings’ activity will challenge kids to match appropriate serving sizes to everyday objects, while at the ‘Fuel Your Body’ display, visitors will choose from a variety of breakfast foods to fuel a ‘car’ – an analogy for the body – and then race the cars against each other.
‘Every Body Eats’ is on loan from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. The Truckee Tahoe Nutrition Coalition, KidZone Museum, and Center for Health and Sports Performance at Tahoe Forest Hospital teamed up to bring it to Truckee.
From February 1 to April 1, the exhibit will host school children on weekdays and other visitors on Saturdays from 10 to 2 p.m. Admission: free, though donations are appreciated.
Information: 530-587-3769
