— by Ashley Randall, Farm to Cafeteria Coordinator —
Volunteers Ryan Morris, Betsy Wilson, Joan Fletcher, Merry Bush, David & Geri Turnoy, Edith Thomsen, Colleen Stewart and Jane Wilson made quick work of everything!
Saturday morning, September 12th, marked the sixth Farm to Cafeteria Program Fifth Season event where five Orcas Island farms delivered organically grown produce to the public school cafeteria.
Boxes brimming with chard, carrots, beets, tomatoes, garlic, pears, squash, potatoes, basil, green beans, cucumbers, and plums, from Taproot, Smiling Dog, Coffelt, Black Dog, Morning Star, and hundreds of pounds of apples from Phyllis Heningson’s orchard stuffed the shelves of the walk-in refrigerator in the newly remodeled school cafeteria kitchen.
Madie Murray and Debbie Guilford graciously greeted first-time and returning volunteers to the event. With prep stations set up, aprons tied on, and knives in hands, volunteers from the community were ready to slice-and-dice, bag and freeze. In the new kitchen space, beets were chopped, tomatoes were sliced, and the new culinary arts room acted as the apple and plum station where apples were rinsed, paired, and bagged up, with intentions of providing students with applesauce and apple crisp throughout the fall months. The three tasty varieties of plums required persistence as volunteers pitted each plum by hand.
As the afternoon came to an end, conversations centered around how fortunate the Farm to Cafeteria Program is to have the support of local farmers who provide nourishing local goods and the community members who offer their time for the benefit of our island students.
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