Safety First
Both anecdotal and research-based evidence lend support to the theory that experiencing food from seed to table builds excitement for fruits and vegetables and motivates kids to change their eating behaviors. As children sow, grow, harvest, cook, and then eat fresh vegetables, they learn to appreciate healthy foods and develop skills to obtain them.
Using the garden as a nutrition-education tool can have challenges. Recent publicity about harmful pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella in horticultural crops has some administrators concerned about the safety of consuming food from a school garden. Pathogenic microbes do exist in the outdoor environment, but by implementing good agricultural practices for growing, harvesting, and preparing foods, your youth garden’s produce will be as safe as the fruits and vegetables purchased by your cafeteria from commercial operations.
Background and Lessons
Safety First - Keep food safety at the forefront of your edible garden program
Growing the Healthiest Vegetables - Explore the best vegetables to plant to get the biggest “bang for your nutrition buck.”
Lesson Ideas
Lights, Camera, Food Safety! - Students research basic food-safety procedures and create a play to educate others.
Friend of Foe? - Students learn that some microorganisms are beneficial to humans, while others are harmful.
Program Spotlights
Early Sprouts - This early childhood curriculum with a hands-on gardening component uses fresh food as a unifying concept to give kids the full seed-to-table experience .
P.L.A.N.N.T: From Farm to Preschool - A new garden-based education program for preschool-age children in Kentucky.
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