GET STARTED
Welcome to the Minnesota Harvest of the Month (MN HOTM) community! Whether you are new to Farm to School or looking to grow your program, MN HOTM provides structure and support to source, serve, and celebrate local foods in your school.
Ready-to-Use Materials
MN HOTM marketing materials and education materials are free for all schools to use!
Free, printed promotional materials (posters, stickers, salad bar clings, recipe cards)
Standards-based lessons and activities for K-12 students
Recipes for school foodservice and home/classroom use
Continued Learning & Support
Schools that take the MN HOTM pledge also have access to monthly webinars, peer-learning opportunities, and a statewide network of support.
FIRST STEPS
Step 1: Gather your HOTM team
Schools are encouraged to form HOTM teams including:
food service staff member
educator or administrator
community partner - this could be a representative from a partner organization, SHIP Coordinator, SNAP Ed Educator, farmer, parent, etc.
Step 2: Sign up for the HOTM Newsletter
Lettuce Know You're Part of MN Harvest
of the Month!
Join the Minnesota Harvest of the Month email list to receive program communications. We promise not to pester you too often! You'll receive occasional and timely emails about Harvest of the Month meetings, program updates, and other relevant news.
Step 3: Plan your HOTM menus & activities
Use the HOTM suggested calendar (see below) or create your own!
Check out the HOTM resources including:
Recipes
Lesson plans
Marketing materials (posters, stickers, clings, and more!)
Step 4: Order your HOTM materials
Fill out the HOTM online order form to request your free, printed MN HOTM materials!
Posters
Stickers
Salad bar clings
Recipe cards
and more!
HARVEST OF THE MONTH CALENDAR
Celebrate local foods all year long with Minnesota's Harvest of the Month items!
This is a suggested calendar of Harvest of the Month calendar, but schools are welcome to make their own. MN HOTM is designed to be flexible for Minnesota schools and farmers!
Schools that are just getting started may also choose to start with a smaller group of items and feature them seasonally. For example - apples, squash, and wild rice could be feature during fall and dairy, greens, and poultry could be featured in the spring.
Suggested Calendar 2024:
January - Beans
February - Potatoes
March - Poultry
April - Dairy
May - Beef
June - Greens
July - Peppers, Cucumbers
August - Melons, Tomatoes
September- Sweet Corn
October - Apples
November - Squash, Wild Rice
December - Carrots
HARVEST OF THE MONTH STRATEGIES
Minnesota Harvest of the Month is designed to help build connections between the cafeteria, classrooms, and your community. Here are some ideas to help you get started with Harvest of the Month food and materials:
Source and serve local HOTM foods as part of school breakfast, lunch or snack
Promote HOTM foods using the FREE posters, stickers, social media content, etc.
Organize HOTM Taste Tests in the cafeteria or classroom to encourage students to be adventurous eaters.
Conduct HOTM lessons in classrooms, gardens, or afterschool programs.
Engage families and community members in HOTM. Host events, share updates in newsletters, send home recipe cards, and offer volunteer opportunities.
HOTM QUARTERLY MEETINGS
Throughout the year, virtual trainings and connection opportunities are available to participating Harvest of the Month schools to learn tips and tricks and to hear from other school districts on a variety of topics related to Harvest of the Month key areas.
Click here to register for future meetings and to view past meeting recordings and slides.