Cincinnati Public Schools, OH - Farmers Market Fridays 2024
Cincinnati Public Schools is proud to be the nation's first large school district to offer lunches to students, starting in 1898.
Nationally acclaimed for our commitment to student nutrition, our Student Dining Services Department has received the Champion of School Breakfast Award five times from the Ohio Department of Education. Our excellence extends to our summer meal program, honored with the Gold Turnip the Beet Award in 2023, Silver in 2022, and Bronze in 2021.
We pride ourselves on serving food that kids know and love while surpassing USDA requirements for healthy meals. Our Clean Label initiative, guided by the Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing, and our partnership with The Good Food Purchasing Program ensure we source fresh, local foods. We strive to plan culturally responsive menus with a variety of choices in all schools. Our culturally inspired and plant-forward menu items, such as Tamales with yuca and plantains, Pierogies, and Tikka Masala, allow students to try new foods to fuel their day.
Celebrating local food, local farmers & nutrition education!
Bell Peppers | Radishes | Spinach
Mushrooms | Rainbow Carrots | Milk
Ohio
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers grow best in Ohio during the spring when the temperatures are warmers
Bell peppers can be 2 to 6 inches long.
Most bell peppers are harvested by hand
ALL bell peppers start out GREEN before they ripen.
Bell peppers are in the same family as tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes. Red bell peppers are also known as sweet peppers. depending on how long they ripen.
Bell peppers get sweeter the longer they ripen.
Holthouse Farms
Holthouse Farms is a family-owned vegetable
Holthouse Farms was established in Jan Holthuis & his two sons, Holthouse Farms offers a very wide variety of vegetables.
Holthouse Farms is committed to sustainable agriculture.
“We’ve
Holthouse Farms is located in Willard, Ohio. in the mornings & ships it out that same evening.
always known that we have to take care of the land if we expect it to take care of us.”
– Ken Holthouse
Radishes
Radishes grow well in Ohio due to their moderate climate.
The name radish comes from the Latin word “radix” that means
Radishes
Radishes come in many different shapes & sizes.
Radishes are cool season vegetables.
Radishes are a root vegetable. The Red Globe common variety of radish.
Radishes grow very fast – taking only 25 days to grow from seed to harvest ready vegetable.
Wiers Farm
Wiers Farm is a family operated vegetable
Henry Wiers started Wiers Farm 1896 on only 5 acres of land different kinds of veggies.
“Growing is our passion
Ohio location is in Celeryville, Ohio.
Wiers Farm has farms in both Ohio & Florida allowing them to offer their produce year-round.
Spinach
The ideal seasons for growing spinach in Ohio is in Main Types of Spinach: 1. Savoy 2. Semi Savoy 3. Flat-Leaf
Flat-Leaf
spinach is the best known & most popular.
Spinach is a part of the goosefoot family of the shape of its leaves.
F R E S H spinach is the B E S T spinach! Spinach is an annual plant meaning it will only grow from one season & needs to be replated every year.
Spinach prefer to grow in cooler climates.
Spinach loses half of its major nutrients eight days after harvesting.
Spinach thrives when grown in sandy soils.
Iron
Iron carries oxygen in the blood, supports the immune system & proper brain function
2 forms of iron: Heme & Non-heme. comes from animal meat and is easily absorbed into the body after eaten. comes from plant foodslike spinach!
Iron is found in EVERY cell of the body.
Non-heme sources of iron are absorbed into the body when eaten with a source of vitamin C, like an orange.
Iron helps muscles function by carrying oxygen to their cells.
Supports a healthy immune system.
Human blood is RED because of iron and oxygen reacting with each other.
The body uses iron to make hemoglobin.
80% of the Earth’s crust is composed of iron.
Hemoglobin helps carry and transport oxygen in the blood to other parts of the body…like a backpack!
Mushrooms
Over 2,000 kinds of mushrooms can be found in Ohio, but not all are edible!
Most mushroom farms are indoors so farmers can replicate natures perfect conditions.
Mushrooms have a very unique lifecycle & begin life as “fungal spores.”
Popular types of mushrooms: White Button, Crimino & Portabello.
Umami –a primary taste found in mushrooms. These are all the same mushroom; they are just harvested at different ages.
Did you know mushrooms are not considered a plant? They are a FUNGUS
Fungi are the LARGEST have classified 2,189 mushrooms as edible.
B Vitamins
B Vitamins help support the body’s energy levels, brain function & cell metabolism
essential B vitamins:
Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5,
Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9 & Vitamin B12.
Water is needed to help the body absorb B vitamins.
B5, B12, C and E knock on your door…what do you do?
In-Vitamin!
B vitamins helps the body make energy from food.
The body cannot store most B vitamins, so they need to be regularly consumed.
B vitamins plays a role in serotonin production.
Serotonin makes us feel happy
Rainbow Carrots
Rainbow carrots are a mix of colorful carrot varieties that are harvested early
Carrots are 88% water.
Most carrots grown in Ohio are grown in the Northwest region of the state.
Carrots are the second most popular vegetable in the world.
Carrots thrive in cooler temperatures. Carrots can survive entire WINTERS underground!
The world record for the longest carrot is over 19 feet!
Carrots are biennials, which means they have a 2-year life cycle.
Riehm Produce
Riehm Produce is a 5 generation family owned & operated vegetable farm
Riehm Produce was founded by Riehm & his son George Riehm Produce offers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes - fresh boxes of produce harvested straight from their farm.
Riehm Produce grows vegetables farm fields
Riehm Produce is located in Tiffin, Ohio food & fun begins!”
Ohio produces around 5.5 BILLION pounds of milk each year.
Ohio is home to around 250,000 dairy cows.
Nearly 98% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned & operated.
Breeds of Dairy Cows:
Holstein cows all have a unique pattern of spots!
ALL 50
The U.S. produces ~21 BILLION gallons of milk each year. 1. Ayrshire 2. Brown Swiss 3. Guernsey
1 cow produces around 6 gallons of milk per day. Milk is the source of ALL dairy products! Cows can SEE almost 360 degrees and SMELL up to 6 miles away!
Dairy Farmers of America
Diary Farmers of America is a group of nearly 11,000 dairy farmers across the U.S.
ALL Dairy Farmers of America
dairy farms are family owned & operated.
Ohio is home to over 100 dairy farms.
DFA is a group of 5,000+ family dairy farms located all across the country. Dairy Farmers of America is committed to practicing sustainable farming.
DFA’s values include integrity, community, innovation & quality. Dairy Farmers of America was formed on January 1, 1998.
