Although the season is winding down, harvests continue to pour in at Brookside Elementary School Farm, and the new farm to school program is well underway! Every Tuesday and Thursday, Antonia Partridge, the farm manager, and a crew of volunteers picks produce from the 1-acre organic farm tucked into the back corner of the athletic field at Brookside Elementary School. The tomatoes are just booming! We have Amish Paste, Roma, several heirloom varieties, and lots of cherry tomatoes (black cherry, sweet million, yellow pear, and sungolds). Yum! On Tuesday, volunteers picked 68 pounds of Roma and paste tomatoes, 23 pounds of heirloom slicers, 38 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 14 pounds of cucumbers, 21 pounds of squash and zucchini, 4 pounds of broccoli, and 4 pounds of mixed greens, such as chard and kale.
Most of the produce is then taken to Little Lake Grange, where another fantastic group of volunteers wash the produce, make fresh tomato sauce, and can it using glass Mason jars. So far we’ve canned over 100 quarts of pasta sauce! This sauce, along with washed cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers, is delivered to the school district so that Willits schools can add in farm-fresh, healthy, organic food to their lunch offerings. Way to go Willits!
-Written by Alison Petro
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