Last week we harvested a HUGE amount of beans. They will be used in our lunch program to feed 170 hungry students and their teachers. The lovely part about this is that the beans were planted (from seed) and weeded by  July summer campers and harvested by some of the same children this September.

We hosted a new class of Dietetics students from Keene State College. Many if them came from previous food service careers or had relatives who had worked in the food service industry. These new college students are determined to change the eating habits of their future clients after witnessing firsthand the effects of years of cooking with too much salt and fat. At least three of them had relatives who suffered from Type 2 Diabetes or heart disease. The students were able to interview chef  Kim Kinney and our kitchen staff. They also had a chance to talk with volunteer parent, Stacie Illingworth, who explained how we introduce our “vegetable of the month” taste tests. Stacie also puts monthly vegetable quiz questions into the sides of the napkin dispensers!

Early morning students harvested bouquets of zinnias to decorate the dining tables. Don’t come too soon, frost. We love the zinnias! They were direct sown from seed by the Second Graders last June. Zinnias and peppers were maintained during the weedy summer months by dedicated teachers who volunteered to adopt these crops!