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Thoughts from Our June 2021 Meeting
Growing Farm to School connections in our region is a major part of our work, and from time-to-time, we like to take a moment to re-center the curiosity and wonder that farm-based, food-focused, and garden education spark. At our June meeting, we used our regular check-in at the beginning of the meeting for this purpose.
We asked the Farm to School Impact Team,
“What's something about food that surprised you when you learned it?”
A few themes popped up: plants’ resilience, human creativity, and the interdependent magic of pollination. Check out some of the responses from this Impact Team:
Plants’ Resilience
“I was surprised to learn that the strong smell or taste of herbs that we enjoy is actually a defense mechanism from the plant to keep insects from eating them!”
“I was surprised that the kale in my garden grew all winter.”
“Corn grows in like 15 different colors!”
Human Creativity
“I'm always amazed by how humans figured out how to process toxic foods like acorns and cassava/manioc!”
“I remember someone hawking these onion cutters at the state fair and showing how ice water makes the green onion curl. I don't know why it works but it's so cool!”
Interdependent Pollination
“That only one type of fly can pollinate cacao!”
“You need a male and a female apple tree to cross pollinate.”
“Figs and wasps are mutualistic [they rely on each other].”
🍎
What are some of your “a-ha!” moments when learning about food? What gets you curious? What exciting knowledge have you shared with young people and others in the community?
Share this post with your thoughts on social media and tag Green Umbrella to keep the conversation going.
And get involved with our Farm to School Impact Team to share your enthusiasm!