Ciao! Seacoast Community. As five UNH Nutritional Science Students, we teamed up to complete a Field Experience project at Dover Public School District SAU 11 www.doverschoolfood.com. The focus is to promote local and healthy food options for K-12 students. The Dover-UNH relationship was established three years ago. Pilot projects are put into action to initiate a revamped outlook on school food. We are proud to take part.
For several weeks we have invited local farmers and locovore chefs into the high school café to share food products and culinary expertise with students and staff. Our goal is to educate the high school students so they understand and learn to appreciate the health, environmental and social outcomes of choosing local foods over conventional processed. Cost can be limiting, but we hope to push more local food options into the menu cycle for all K-12. It is doable with a little creativity and community backing. Another important task, we are surveying students for needed feedback before jumping into unsustainable change. And we are using compostable tasting cups and spoons to reduce waste.
Our team will share updates as we move through the next few months to encourage foodservice directors, teachers, parents and community members to do the same in other seacoast public school districts. Information will be posted to the Dover school food website, noted above. Future guests include: Evan Hennessey, Flavor Concepts; Evan Mallett, Black Trumpet; Debra Locke, Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm; and Curtis Gould, The Soup Guy. Stick around—this project could change the lives of many.
Riverside Vegetable Farm, March 4th
In March, we were fortunate enough to have farmer David Tuttle from Riverside Vegetable Farm create a mock farmers market for students to browse and take notice of the type of produce available this time of year in New Hampshire. Dave was extremely helpful answering all of the questions that the students and faculty asked. Dave brought a sampling of turnips, potatoes, chard, greens (a mix of 13 varieties) jarred goods, and eggs. Not to be underestimated—students were interested in purchasing product! It was a pleasure to work with Dave. For more information on Riverside Vegetable Farm, feel free to browse www.riversidefarmstand.com.
Brookford Farm, April 8th
This Friday, Dover High School foodservice will host guest Farmer, Mary Brower from Brookford Farm located in Rollinsford, NH. She will present a table of products from the farm during school lunch. A little about Mary… she came to farming after spending many years as a professional cook, followed by a teaching career which spanned alternative and outdoor education programs to high school, post-secondary, and graduate settings. She now coordinates Brookford Farm's CSA program, writes recipes and newsletters for the farm, and is developing outreach programs to Seacoast communities. Brookford is an organic farm that strives for local business from the seacoast.
Mary Brower will share information about Brookford’s farming practices and she will spotlight available produce. Mary will also give a 3 oz. sample of plain, low fat yogurt for the students to taste. Dover high school has a salad and yogurt bar featured one day a week that offers Stonyfield yogurt. We hope the students rally for Brookford! For more information visit www.Brookfordfarm.com or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brookford-Farm/142997449050488
Good eats!
Vivien Fam, Lauren Goldthwaite, Erin Greenhalgh, Sarah Iske, Kim Mayo
UNH Nutritional Science, Field Experience
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