Food-producing school gardens provide opportunities to introduce students to new foods and encourage healthy eating. Preparing food from the garden can also be a wonderful way to celebrate the success of garden.
City Blossoms offers a list of tools and supplies to have on hand for preparing food in the classroom. See: What’s in a Cooking Box?
Schoolyard Roots also offers a detailed guide to cooking in the classroom.
Great Kids Farm and the City Schools Farm-to-School program offers cooking lessons in the classroom. To schedule a cooking experience for your students fill out this form. http://Bit.ly/F2SatSchool
Fruits and vegetables can make us sick if soil is contaminated, and if we do not handle them properly when harvesting, storing, or preparing them for consumption.
The links below direct you to information on important garden preparation and food safety practices.
The USDA Farm to School fact sheet provides general information on farm to school programs.
USDA issued food safety tips for the school garden and provides a resource list for more information.
The University of Maryland Extension has developed guidelines for food safety in the school garden.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture Farm to School program provides additional resources.
Wash hands with warm soapy water prior to harvesting or eating produce from the garden.
Wash produce with potable water (note, not water from an untested hose spigot), prior to consumption.
Use dedicated harvest containers and tools that are cleaned and sanitized prior to use.
Use only clean, non-porous food prep surfaces for preparing food.
Never harvest or consume produce if there is evidence of animal feces on or near the produce (mice droppings, bird droppings, etc.).
Find more information on soil and water testing in the “Designing Your Garden” section of this document. For more information on the safety of city-grown produce, please see the Safe Urban Harvest Study, from Johns Hopkins University.