Students at District 16 add color to their tray, to their day

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By Elyse Kaner
Staff Writer

Kids in District 16 schools are gobbling up green beans and apples and corn on the cob lately.

And it’s all fresh and local.

The district in an effort to serve more healthy foods is part of a Farm2School statewide initiative, which connects school children with locally grown food, fresh fruits and vegetables and other minimally processed foods. It supports the local farmers as well.

For example on the lunch menu this week at the district’s elementary schools is a choice of a California burger or a crunchy Hawaiian chicken wrap (prepared at the school with spinach and pineapple) served with confetti coleslaw, corn on the cob and a choice of fruit or yogurt cup with a cheese stick.

“I think it’s good and healthy for the kids,” Chris Dahnke, head cook at Park Terrace, said about the new changes to the menu.

Fresh corn on the cob and apples are hot items at the school as far as fresh and local produce goes. But the cabbage is a little iffy with the Park Terrace students.

Still, they recently enjoyed an item called fall blend, a mix of turnips, diced yams and squash, Dahnke said. And despite the students’ take on cabbage, she looks forward to serving confetti coleslaw next week because the kids have liked it in the past, she said. The colorful slaw is made with cranberries, diced apples, chopped broccoli and coleslaw dressing. What’s not to like?

Last week at Park Terrace, kids got an “I Tried It” sticker for lunching on sweet and sour chicken.

Add color

“Add color to your tray. Add color to your day.” That’s the theme printed on school menus and posters in the cafeteria this year.

The idea of eating fresh and local goes back to a wholesome approach to food, fresh unprocessed food, said Amy Kimmel, District 16’s food service coordinator.

The district, for instance, used to serve frozen corn kernels.

Now, the district buys sweet corn and apples (in season) from a farm in Mahtomedi.

Carrots come from a farm in Andover, cucumbers from a farm in Stewart, potatoes from a farm in Elk River, cabbage and green beans from a White Bear farm and more green beans from a farm in Finlayson. All fresh. All Minnesota grown.

This month students can expect to see roasted butternut squash tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon, and beets and yams on the menu.

But the fresh food season is fleeting. A window of only two months, September and October, for the school children’s lunches. So Kimmel says she’s learned to be flexible as to what products are available, to plan ahead and to get recipes to the school sites.

‘A team effort’

And there’s been a learning curve for the cooks. They now braise vegetables. They have learned to allot additional time when cooking with fresh potatoes.

“It’s been a team effort to be able to make it happen,” Kimmel said.

Next year, Kimmel hopes to connect further with the farmers and have them visit classrooms to discuss local foods and farming.

Gov. Mark Dayton last month declared September as Farm2School Month in Minnesota.

The request for the proclamation was initiated by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a long time advocate for Farm2School in Minnesota and throughout the nation.

Participation in Farm2School has grown from 10 Minnesota districts in 2006 to 123 districts in 2010, according to a survey conducted by IATP and the Minnesota School Nutrition Association.

Kimmel believes in having the school lunch serve as a learning opportunity along with students’ other academics.

“Kids need to be educated on the impact food has on their health and in the long-term,” Kimmel said.

In an ongoing healthy foods effort, the district is serving more fruits and vegetables and foods low in fat and added sugar and sodium. Also, more foods are being prepared from scratch.

Next month, Kimmel’s staff will undergo a three-hour training session on a new look at fruits and vegetables in the school cafeteria.

District 16’s total food cost budget for the year is $820,000 and is self sustaining.

Last year the district served 650,000 lunches. Cost for an elementary school lunch is $2.25. Secondary school lunches are $2.45.

In head cook Dahnke’s 14 years of working the kitchens in District 16, she says she hasn’t seen as many changes as she has this year.

“I’m really liking it,” she said. “I think it’s real nice for the kids.

Elyse Kaner is at elyse.kaner@ecm-inc.com