Harvest for Students Week
As you may not be aware, our Gov. Deval L. Patrick has proclaimed this week (September 22-26) Massachusetts Harvest for Student’s Week; schools, colleges and universities such as UMass across the commonwealth will mark the occasion with fresher, greener meals using foods produced on Massachusetts farms. The statewide program is coordinated by the nonprofit, Amherst-based Massachusetts Farm to School Project, with support from the Department of Agricultural Resources.
UMass Dining has been serving many local products for the last five years; currently, we are purchasing 23% of our produce from local farmers and we plan to increase this amount to 25% this year. I think it is attainable; this month we have removed all the frozen vegetables, except peas from our menus, plus we are running five specials to promote local produce in September. Just last week we had three local chefs on campus to promote the use of Massachusetts native products, and it was a great success. This week, there was a “Farmers’ Market” during the Harvest for Student’s Week. I think this year’s market at the DCs was even better than last; not only could you sample local roast turkey, wild sustainable salmon (not from Massachusetts), portobello mushrooms, mixed grilled summer vegetables (local) and fresh, local corn on the cob, etc, you could also chat with the 16 farmers at the DCs on Wednesday night and talk about local foods and thank them for coming.
It was so nice to see the 15 farmers at the DCs last night. For me, it was just like seeing old friends that gather once a year and we talked about the economy, the harvest, the Red Sox and politics. I tell you that these farmers all share a passion for what they do and have great pride for their products. They enjoy coming to UMass and it was nice to see our students going up to them and thanking them for what they are doing. I can’t forget to mention that the food was a big hit among our students. They loved the free-range turkey, caramel apples, peaches, red bliss potatoes, apple cider, maple candies, strawberries, raspberries and pumpkin bread with local ice cream.
One student wrote to me and I would like to share the comment with you. “Never have I enjoyed a better meal at one of our dining commons. I was blown away by the quality of food and the school’s initiative in hosting a local food night. I appreciate this move both as an environmentalist and a hungry student. Dinner was ‘green’ and delicious. Thank you. Great job, dining services.”
It is always nice to have feedback from the students, our customers and it is especially nice to receive notes of appreciation and gratitude.
Ken Toong
Director
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu