Nutrition Services

First School Garden

Mauren Pisanick, RD, LDLauren Steinmetz, Dietetic Intern

Idea for a school garden…

• To earn a badge for the Eagle Scouts, Hayden Smart, a HHS 2011 Graduate, designed an arrangement of vegetables and herbs for a plot of land excavated for the garden.

Fun School Project• Mrs. DeLeo’s 4th grade class

planted the vegetables and herbs last May.

• This year, her new 4th grade class harvested the garden.

Time to Learn• After harvesting, the

vegetables and herbs were cleaned and prepared for the students to taste and learn about these foods.

What’s in the Bag? • Volunteers were chosen to guess which

herb was in the paper bag.• Their choices were:

• Basil, oregano, parsley, tarragon, and marjarom

• They had to:• Smell it, feel it, describe it, and with

the help of their classmates, name the herb.

Test Your Knowledge

• A fun quiz was given to test the students’ knowledge of the vegetables they grew in the garden.

• Zucchini, onions, carrots, cucumber, lettuce

Herb-a-vour • Herbs have various vitamins and

minerals to keep your body strong and healthy!

• Using herbs from your garden can be used in place of salt to flavor foods.

– This can cut down on sodium in the diet which can cause high blood pressure and various other problems.

Do You Know the Answer?

Which vegetable…..a. Has more potassium than a

banana?b. Has been found in the Pyramids of

Egypt?c. Is the 2nd most popular in the

United States?d. Has the highest amount of beta

carotene (vitamin A) of all vegetables?

e. Would be best to have if stranded in the desert?

Answers: a) Zucchini; b) Onion; c) Lettuce; d) Carrots; e) Cucumber

Taste Test

• Students were able to sample the foods they cultivated….

Very Veggie Salad(kale, carrots, cucumber)

Zucchini Onion Pizza

Basil Oregano Pizza

Yes, No, Maybe So

• Students were asked to rate the foods they tried with a…– Thumbs up (they liked it)– Thumbs down (they didn’t)– Thumb sideways (they weren’t

quite sure)

And the Verdict is….

• Most students liked the foods they tried and would buy them if offered in the cafeteria.

• So, what will we do?– Work with local farmers to provide

fresh fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria

What Can You Do?• Buy and use fresh fruits and

vegetables that are in season.– This guide can help:

• http://ourohio.org/index.php?page=whats-in-season

• Encourage your children to try new fruits and vegetables.

• Use herbs in place of salt on foods.

–Not sure which herbs to put with your food? Check out:

» http://ag.udel.edu/extension/fnutri/pdf/CookingGuide/fnf-13.pdf

Thank You

Thanks for your attention and for eating school lunch!