On Thursday, January 31, the Bainbridge Island School District lunch program will feature another round of locally grown-student sown potatoes cultivated by Wilkes, Ordway and Blakely elementary students though EduCulture’s Farm-School Programs. These potatoes were raised as an act of education, and have been donated to the school lunch program as an act of community service.

Organically grown German Butterball and Yukon Gold potatoes raised from seed to harvest by three elementary schools on two local farms will be served roasted to approximately 1100 Bainbridge Island K-12 students and teachers.  These potatoes were cultivated from seed to harvest through our farm-school partnerships at Morales Farm with all of  Wilkes Elementary (for the 6th year) and Ordway Elementary 1st Grade students (for the 1st year), and at Heyday Farm with students from Blakely Elementary grades K-3 (for the 2nd year).

Our Edible Education program at Morales Farm is through a partnership with Butler Green Farms and Brian MacWhorter, Friends of the Farms and the City of Bainbridge Island – a model of public farmland, serving public education, to grow public produce. Our edible education program at Heyday Farm with Craig and Alice Skipton is a model of private historic farmland in partnership with public education to grow public produce.  Thank you to BISD Food & Nutrition Services Director, Mark Sperazza, and his talented staff for arranging and preparing these Bites of Bainbridge throughout the district’s lunch program.  Additional thanks to our many community partners, families and friends who are involved in supporting these edible education programs.

Place and taste will come alive in school lunch. Here’s to the Bite of Bainbridge program, with deep gratitude and admiration to the students, teachers, farmers, parents, cooks, and other school-community stakeholders who make them happen!