Winners

Boston Public Schools Get an A-Plus for Farm-to-School Program, Kids Request Rutabaga Fries by Name

No tuna surprise for you, sonny!
No tuna surprise for you, sonny! Photo: istockphoto

This is nice: MNM, also known as the Mother Nature Network (who knew she had a network?), has ranked Boston Public Schools’ farm-to-school program as the “most impressive” one in the country. These lucky tykes eat well; sometimes professional guest chefs even provide their meals.

MNM raves about Boston’s “Harvest of the Month” special that started with 10 schools and now serves more than 58. (AmeriCorps VISTA staffers also help out with educational programming.) “As a result, kids in Boston public schools are able to enjoy locally grown items including apples, collard greens, squash, strawberries and sweet potatoes. Select schools are treated to a professional guest chef, who rotates between five schools and prepares meals one day a week at each school, while working with the cafeteria staff to create dishes with local produce.”

According to MNM, we’re cultivating a new generation of discriminating diners: “Staff have had students requesting items like rutabaga fries by name,” they note. Wow. When we were in school, we used to request hot dogs to see how high they’d bounce. Of course, this also takes the sting out of that troublesome news about the discovery of “vintage” taco meat and expired cheese in several Boston school cafeterias.

The Ten Most Impressive Farm-to-School Programs [MNM]

Boston Public Schools Get an A-Plus for Farm-to-School Program, Kids Request