Farm to School Month Canada

Farm To School Month Canada

A special guest post from our Chickapea Chef Robyn. This is why we love her. Supporting farmers and providing kids with the knowledge and exposure to ‘real’ food is essential for healthy minds to flourish. Farm to School is an innovative and inspiring initiative that Chickapea hopes you will support.

I’m so excited to be sharing this Canadian initiative with you!  If you’re a regular reader here, you know that I love the local farms that I work with and I strongly believe that healthy, seasonal food is the best way to feed your family.

Farm to School Month Canada is thriving and “throughout the month of October Canadian farmers, parents, chefs, students, and teachers will be engaged in festivities to celebrate and to inspire Farm to School. They will meet in farmers’ fields and in school and campus gardens, kitchens and cafeterias.”

This is genius and I love that we are cultivating the love of farms and fresh foods at a young age.  I have always felt that there is a true nobility to the profession of farming (I wrote about it here) and it’s important for children and adults alike to witness and experience it.  We are so caught up in our phones, computers and materialistic possessions that we forget the important things in life like the outdoors, real food, and the real people who strive to provide us with the best seasonal produce.

"There is nothing more empowering than teaching children how to grow food. The act of planting a seed is simultaneously an act of hope for the future, the developing of the means for personal food security and an act of community and bringing people together with food.” Jamie Richards, Farmer, Primrose Elementary School, Mulmur, Ontario

Visiting the farms is always an inspiration for my recipes.  Most days I show up at the farm with no idea what I’ll be making that week and I decide when I see what’s in season and freshly picked from the fields that morning.  I find that my dishes from the farm always have a little extra something that reflects my excitement about the flavors and freshness.  My readers notice it as well and I love that my enthusiasm is contagious.

Some farm recipes you may want to visit:

And be sure to pop over to the Farm to Schools Canada website to find out how you can become involved.  Your kids will have an experience that will last them a lifetime.  Cheers!

Quotes and Photos from Farm to School Canada