Maryland Homegrown School Lunch
There are numerous ways that schools can work to bring more local Maryland-grown products into the cafeteria. Navigate the resources below to help find the method that works best for your school system.
Ways to incorporate local foods
- Buy direct from a local farmer
- Work with a farmers' cooperative
- Buy at a local farmers' market
- Order Maryland foods through your traditional distributor
- Buy cooperatively with an organization with an established relationship with a farmer
- Connect with a local food processor to "isolate" Maryland products in their processing chain.
Local food strategies
- Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, close to the start of the school year.
- Buy fruits and vegetables later in the year from farmers who have storage facilities.
- Buy from farmers who use season extension methods such as high tunnels or greenhouses.
- Buy meats, dairy products, and non-perishable food items at any time of the year.
- Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, and process them in the school kitchen for later use.
Quick ideas to incorporate Maryland-grown products
- Offer whole fresh fruits/vegetables
- Feature a food or specific ingredient on your menu, on a salad bar, or in a recipe
- Offer free samples in the classroom or cafeteria
- Conduct a nutrition education activity with a food in the cafeteria or classroom
- Invite farmer to speak, offer, and display foods in the cafeteria
- Invite a friend, colleague, parent, or anyone who grows or has an interest in local foods to speak or display foods in your schools
Ways to promote your program
- Plan a tasting or cooking demonstration event.
- Organize a farm tour
- Put up posters in school and in the community
- Highlight the program or a featured product in the newsletter or other school publication
- Share Farm to School educational lessons and activities with parents, food service administrators,and the community.