Maine Farm to School News August 2019

Maine Farm to School Network Receives USDA Farm to School Training Grant! The Maine Farm to School Network at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area received a $25,000 USDA Farm to School Training Grant to build K-12 local food procurement capacity in Maine. Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, USDA Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. View the list of awardees here! This year's Farm to School Conference will offer a FREE pre-conference local procurement training as well as a network building training. Learn more about the pre-conference training below!

2019 Maine Farm to School Conference

Register Now for the 2019 Maine Farm to School Conference Register Here Innovations in Farm to School Detailed Agenda Coming Soon! In addition to interactive workshops, exhibitors, and keynote address from Bertrand Weber, what would you like to see at this year's conference? Email our Conference Planning Committee Your Ideas! Learn More

Sponsor the Conference Your organization and your brand can be displayed at this statewide networking event! Learn more about the benefits of becoming a conference sponsor. Thank you to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry for sponsoring the conference! Additional sponsors include: Maine Department of Education Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council Fedco Seeds Farm to Institution New England Maine Ag in the Classroom Johnny's Selected Seeds Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

FREE Local Food Procurement Pre-Conference Intensive Thursday October 3, 2019 1-4 pm Kennebec Valley Community College, Alfond Campus Is your school participating in Maine Harvest of the Month, or want to access Local Produce Fund dollars? Learn how to maximize these programs! For School Nutrition Directors, Kitchen Managers, Business Managers, and others responsible for school food purchasing: join Martine Cherry, USDA Procurement Specialist, and Abbie Nelson , NOFA-VT Farm to School Specialist for an engaging, hands-on half-day workshop, with credit hours earned. Scholarships available to offset attendance costs. This workshop is sponsored by the USDA Farm to School Grant Program .

Learn More and Register Here!

Share your Harvest of the Month photos & stories on Instagram @hom.maine #mainehom Cucumber Fact Sheet + Recipes  Cucumber Poster!

Harvest of the Month August is Maine Cucumber Month ! There are 80 summer meal sites signed up: schools, non-profits, and residential camps. Contact Jenn So to get your summer program participating in Harvest of the Month! Sign up for the 2020 School Year! Harvest of the Month In Action

MFSN's Leadership Council Member Highlight Kelsey Fortin Maine Ag in the Classroom Program Assistant "I advocate for Farm to School because I think it's incredibly important for people to know where their food comes from!" My favorite local foods are fresh local veggies of any kind!" A little bit about me: " I was born and raised in Western Maine, I loved growing up around the mountains. After meeting my husband, Jackson, in college at UMF, we relocated to the Midcoast where he teaches middle school health. Together we enjoy hiking, running, being active in our church, and taking trips to the beach. I love to cook, try new recipes, and make veggies fun. My sister-in-law once said this about me and I take it as a total compliment, "Kelsey has this weird way of making me like to eat vegetables." Our newest venture is as parents to our daughter, Hazel, which we are enjoying every minute of. We hope to raise her (and all future babes) as local Maine food lovers! I love my job as Program Assistant for Maine Ag in the Classroom . We provide so many opportunities and resources for teachers (and people in general) to learn more about local agriculture , and especially so Maine students are learning about it in their classrooms. Our grants program is something I'm especially excited about. Each year we give out $60,000 in grants to projects that promote an understanding of the food and fiber system in the state and the nation through the infusion of agricultural concepts into PreK–12th grade level curricula. Our next grant deadline is August 9th !" Gratitude to Kelsey for her dedication to bringing Maine agriculture into schools! Connect with Kelsey Learn About Our Network Leaders

Partner News and Opportunities State of Maine The Dept. of Ag, Conservation, and Forestry is hosting public listening sessions for Maine citizens to provide input on shaping new Maine farm to institution policies-- 2 more sessions left to attend! This round of Maine Ag in the Classroom's Grants Program Closes on Aug 9. Maine Farm to Institution Network is recruiting new Leadership Team members through the end of August. Learn more and apply here! MOFGA is hosting a few fun educational events for youth and families: Maine Apple Camp August 16-18, info here. Tours of Maine homesteads and gardens, info here. Half-day augmented reality workshop for youth, info here. Regional + National Get Schools Cooking Grant Applications Open August 19! A program of Chef Ann Foundation, this funding provides school districts with the operational foundation to transition their Food & Nutrition Service Departments from a heat & serve model to one that is rooted in scratch cooking. Learn more here.  Child Nutrition Reauthorization bills to follow-- Learn more and join MFSN in Taking Action The Farm to School Act of 2019, which would increase funding for the USDA's Farm to School Grant Program; The School Food Modernization Act, legislation to help update school kitchens with new equipment; The Kids Eat Local Act, which supports local sourcing of school food. and is co-sponsored by Maine's Senator Collins and Representative Pingree. Record-breaking $9 million of USDA Farm to School Grant funding was just awarded-- including 2 Maine awardees! Read more about the program and see the list of awardees and project summaries.

August Recipe Highlight: Tomato, Cucumber, and Parsley Salad 19 cucumbers—peel and slice 1-inch wide (about 13 pounds) 10½ quarts grape tomatoes, halved (about 15 pounds) 2 large red onions, sliced thin (about 2 /3 pound) 1¾ cups olive oil 5½ cups chopped flat-leaf parsley (5½ bunches or ¾ pound) 1½ tablespoons kosher salt and 1½ teaspoons black pepper /Keepin' it cool as a cuke/ YIELD: 100 SERVINGS (K–5) SERVING SIZE: ¾ CUP Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil, and parsley in a large bowl. Season the salad with the salt and pepper. Chill before serving. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION CALORIES: 63; SODIUM: 109.39 MG; SATURATED FAT: 7.65% USDA REQUIREMENTS MET ¾ CUP TOTAL VEGETABLE ( 3 /8 CUP RED OR ORANGE VEGETABLE, 1 /3 CUP OTHER VEGETABLE) For This & Other Seasonal School Recipes

Do you have Maine Farm to School news, events, and opportunities to share? Please contact us and we will share & highlight your news! MFSN Leadership Council Organizations Building a communication and coordination infrastructure at the school and community level to support farm to school programs throughout Maine. EDUCATION + PROCUREMENT + SCHOOL GARDENS

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Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) is the fiscal and staffing home of MFSN. HCCA's mission is to convene and support people, organizations, and communities to collaborate on quality of life and public health issues.

The Maine Farm to School Network is supported by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation.