The call was answered as a varied group came to the school cafeteria on August 8-9 to put up foods for the Fifth Season. Pictured are:(Front row): Ron Ordonez, Huxley Smart, Chelsea Cates, Emma Gallo Chasanoff (Back row): Debbie Guilford, Roland Oedonez, Olivia Ordonez, Mathew Chasanoff, Rita Ordonez, Rick Markov and Bruce Orchid
“Tremendous time and effort” were put in by a record number of helpers as Orcas’ Farm to Cafeteria committee members and volunteers processed the harvests for the “Fifth Season” on August 8 and 9.
“Fifth Season” is a term used when foods have been harvested, frozen, stored and set aside for use during one of the other four seasons. For the third straight year, the Farm to Cafeteria Program has received delicious, fresh summer produce, fruits and herbs from Island farms that are not normally available during the school year. Willing volunteers — summering college students, island visitors and Camp Orkila staffers among them — gathered together to soak, wash, slice, dice, peel, and freeze those items so they can be used in school lunches during the coming school year.
Farm to Cafeteria founder and committee head Madie Murray says, “There were a record turnout of volunteers for both days, 19 altogether! It was wonderful to see everyone so willing and energetically pitching in. Wow, is our program blessed!
” Thanks to all our volunteers, we processed and froze 246.5 pounds (91 bags) of 18 different summer products from five of our wonderful Island farms that will be used all during the coming school year in fresh school lunches. Even though the farms were not in full production, I think this is a record in the way of total poundage for such a tremendous variety of foods: Peas, rhubarb, squash, cabbages, green beans, parsnips, turnips, kale, beets, zucchini, basil, onions, garlic, fava beans, raspberries, potatoes, chard and edible flowers.”
Orcas High School student Lexie Cuthbert filmed much of the activity for both days and will be producing a video of the event. The video will be posted on the Farrm to Cafeteria web site www.orcasislandf2c.org.
This year, Murray plans a “Sixth Season” that could occur late September/early October. “The farms are harvesting some great fruits and vegetables late this year and we might want to take advantage of it!”
In case you’re wondering what the green stuff is on the tray and bowl – it’s gorgeous, fresh basil from Morningstar farm that was put through a processor, spread out thinly on trays, frozen, then chopped into smaller pieces that were bagged and put in the freezer so the cafeteria staff can take the amounts they need of this wonderful herb to flavor soups and sauces during the school year.
A personal thanks to those wonderful people who volunteered two days to make this happen. I’m sorry they weren’t all there when we took the photo! When all of the photos taken have been accumulated, we’ll put them on the F2C site as well along with the video. Stay tuned for news of our unprecedented Sixth Season coming soon!