Harvest of the Month Taste Test in Chelsea Schools

by Libby Wilkinson serving as Youth Education Coordinator at Healthy Chelsea 2017-2018

Here in Chelsea, we do a monthly Harvest of the Month Taste test in partnership with Aramark, the school food provider in Chelsea, and Massachusetts Farm to School. Every month, we promote a seasonal, local, healthy food and give away free samples of tasty snacks made with the featured ingredient. We do this in all 4 of the elementary schools, and all 3 middle schools. We also go into the Early Learning Center and do more in depth Harvest of the Month lessons with the preschoolers.

These taste tests reach about 3,000 kids. February’s featured veggie was butternut squash. On this particular day, we made an apple and squash cinnamon bake, and we tried a new surveying technique using pom pom balls! (I was afraid the kids would steal the pom poms, but it actually worked out pretty well). Usually, I spend the day at the table handing out the snacks and talking to the kids, but this time, the cafeteria staff was shorthanded so I stayed and cupped over 1,000 samples of squash and apple bites in the school kitchen.

This event is so fun because each month it is something new and different, and I get to try new things as well!