Each month the Cambridge
in Motion team sends a flyer with fun facts and a family newsletter to celebrate the Mass Farm to School partnership. We hope your family enjoys the fun and learning opportunities within!

This month we are learning about butternut squash! Enjoy the fun resources, recipes, lessons and activities that keep your family exploring and thriving!

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Fun Butternut Squash Facts!
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According to Native American legend, squash, beans and corn are thee inseparable sisters who can only grow and thrive together. When European colonizers arrived in America in the early 1600s, the Iroquois had been growing the Three Sisters for over 3 centuries! The Wampanoag tribe of MA, also uses this planting method as do many other tribes!

The leaves, tendrils, shoots, stems, flowers, seeds, and fruit from the squash can all be eaten!

Butternut Squash is one of the longest keeping vegetables, lasting over 3 months when stored properly! Store in a cool dark place (keeping them in the refrigerator or at room temperature will shorten their life).

In Australia, they actually call the butternut squash a butternut pumpkin!
February Harvest of the Month Video!
Watch our Cambridge in Motion monthly video series featuring the Harvest of the Month! You'll watch our public health nutritionist bring to life the fun facts, make a quick snack, and give a nutrition or food preparation tip!
Joke of the Month

Q: What’s a fresh vegetable?

A: One that insults a farmer!
Videos & Family Learning!
(1) Legend of the 3 Sisters: Listen and watch this 4.5 -minute video, written originally by a Mohawk tribe elder, and learn the legend of the three sisters (corn, beans and squash).

(2) Learn to Plant Using the Three Sisters Method: Watch this quick 4-minute video and learn the science behind why planting corn, squash and beans together is good for the soil, the plants and for us!
For At-Home or Classroom Learning!
(1) A Story of Survival, the Wampanoag and the English: Written by Native American educators, this lesson plan booklet shows us how to teach the Thanksgiving story from a native perspective. Although the focus is on Thanksgiving, there are many wonderful books, lessons, and activities included that can be used throughout the year!

(2) Winter Squash Activity Book: Find 6 lessons for children K-4th grade in this wonderful lesson guide on winter squashes. Draw, observe, taste, match and more as you learn about squash in these wonderful lessons.
How the 3 Sisters Crops Benefit Each Other & the Soil
The crops of corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. For centuries these three crops have been the center of Native American agriculture and culinary traditions. Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. Beans are nitrogen-fixers meaning they host rhizobia on their roots that can take nitrogen, a much needed plant nutrient, from the air and convert it into forms that can be absorbed by plant roots. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.
Food Waste Tip of the Month
Before food shopping, look in your refrigerator and cupboards to avoid buying food you already have!

Start with a list each week of which foods need to be used up (because they will go bad soon) and plan upcoming meals around those!
Delicious Recipes!

Try this Butternut Squash & Pesto Pasta for a vegetarian dinner tonight (just add a little protein and you have a meal!)

Try this Butternut Squash & Turmeric Soup as a creamy side with grilled cheese sandwiches!

a new flavor to your
hummus game!

Try these Butternut Squash Pancakes for a tasty new
twist on breakfast!

Try this One Pot Butternut Squash Pilaf for an easy and delicious dinner this week!
Children's Book Spotlight

Carlos and the Squash Plant

Written by Jan Romero Stevens
Illustrated by Jeanne Stevens

For grades K-3

"Carlos works on a farm in New Mexico with his parents. He doesn’t like taking baths, and eventually starts growing a squash plant in his ear just like his mother warned he would! This books is about summer squash, and features a recipe for calabacitas, a Mexican dish made with summer squash. The book relates to the origins of this vegetable, three sisters plantings, and its use across cultures."
Click Here to download our Harvest of the Month Family Newsletter!
Cambridge Public Health Department

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