This event was four months in the making, because not only was the squash served at the school, it was grown on the school’s farm too. Mackenzie has a school garden and a one acre farm, where students help plant, water, and harvest a variety of vegetables. This year over 1,000 pounds of produce was harvested. We grew potatoes, green beans, black eyed peas, cucumbers, pumpkins and acorn squash. The majority of the work was done during summer school. Middle school students put in transplants, helped lay plastic for weed control, and pulled binding weed every week. Even the kindergarten class got in on the action. They were the watering committee, and checked on the plants every day, even in the 90 degree heat. It was a learning experience for everyone involved.

In September when school resumed, we realized just how large of a harvest 1,000 pounds was. We began making plans for the vegetables. A farm stand was held at parent-teacher conferences where families and staff could take home produce for free, and some was used for classroom lessons, but we still had so much more.

When the idea first came to mind to do a school-wide taste test with the acorn squash, hesitation and fear set in. Lunch time at Mackenzie is nothing short of chaotic. Still, we pitched the idea to our kitchen manager, Ms. Terrell, and she was very excited about it! There was immediate support from teachers and administrators too. The farm had become the talk of the school. Pumpkins and squash were appearing in the office, in the library, on teacher’s desks, and the harvest was slowly consuming the parent resource room. It just made sense to do an event during which the whole school could participate.

Students were thrilled to try something new in the lunchroom! Most of the kids did not know what acorn squash was and had never tried it before, but that did not stop them from eagerly grabbing their sample. They smelled the cinnamon and saw the fun buttery yellow color and soon announced they liked it. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade participated, and the majority said they liked it or loved it. It was hard to get an accurate number because the voting board turned into an art board, but I took the many requests for seconds as a positive sign. Many teachers also tried acorn squash for the first time  that day. One of the third grade teachers liked it so much she later told me she bought some for Thanksgiving and served it to her family.

Making the taste test a reality was truly a team effort. The middle school students harvested over 100 acorn squash, then our lead garden teacher, Ms. Brownfield, made sure they all got inside and sorted. The kitchen staff and our head district chef cleaned, cut, and roasted all of them. Everyone went above and beyond to make the event a success.

The taste test is one of the proudest moments I have had in my service. It was an invaluable experience to bring into the school and helped us take a step towards a schoolwide culture of health.  This year the school came together through the farm. Students and staff were very proud to say everything was “Grown at Mackenzie.”  People are already asking what will be planted this spring and which vegetables will be in the cafeteria. Stay tuned: the farm to school taste test could become an annual event.

The post 1,400 Servings of Acorn Squash: A Detroit Success appeared first on FoodCorps.

There were dozens of valuable interactions, and dozens of faces lighting up when they tasted a new food and discovered that they liked eating it. The most memorable feedback we got was from Azia Williams, a kindergartner who approached us after having combined her two sample cups of chili and squash into one.

“I put them together and mixed them and I think it tastes better like that,” she told us seriously.

“That’s great! You created a new recipe!” I replied enthusiastically. “Did you know that you were that good at creating recipes?”

“Nope,” she replied.

“You know, people make up new recipes all the time. When you’re grown up, you could be a chef and create new recipes.”

Azia glowed. “Well, I think I want to be a chef when I grow up then, because I’m really good at it.”

Though FoodCorps service is full of surprises, it never fails to feel redemptive. Service takes the two things I think will be the most important tools for changing the world for the better – education and food – and combines them in the most tremendous and creative ways. I get to use food as a locus for change daily, and on the most important days, it does what it did at Hoover Elementary: it supports, nourishes, inspires, and empowers young minds.

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