Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint USD
C elebratin g local food, local farmers & nutrition education!
E N R I C H M E N T
Yucaipa-Calimesa JUSD is proud to be the first official school district to partner with our local farmers at Old Grove Farms for nearly 20 years. Our Farm to School program and partnership has been a cornerstone of our district and in the past 3 years we are proud to have increased our fresh fruit and vegetables options to be approximately 40% locally grown and sourced. Our partnership has flourished as Child Nutrition was a grant recipient of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Farm to School Incubator Grant which allowed us to expand and fund our program with 3 main farmer-led activities between 2022-2024 through the following activities:
1. Old Grove Farm Field Trips for all 2nd-5th grade students.
2. Mini Farmers Markets for all TK-1st graders.
3. Harvest of the Month Education program for all students.
These initiatives were designed to enhance our students' understanding of local agriculture and healthy eating. This month we celebrate Farm to School and showcase some of the fresh fruit and vegetable options your students will get to enjoy!
California
Rainbow Carrots
85% of all carrots grown in the U.S. come from California.
Carrots are 88% water.
Rainbow carrots are a mix of colorful carrot varieties that are harvested early.
California harvests around 61,000 acres of carrots each year.
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.
Old Grove Farms
Farmer David grows Old Grove Farms’ rainbow carrots.
ALL of Old Grove Farms produce is
Old Grove Farms is a group of 15+ small family farms in Southern California
Old Grove Farms has been providing produce to schools for 20+ years
Old Grove Farms rely on sheep
Old Grove Farms grows fruits, flowers!
Radishes
California is the largest radish producing state in the U.S.
There are over 100 different varieties of radishes.
Watermelon radishes are heirloom
Radishes come in many different shapes & sizes.
Radishes are a type of root vegetable vegetables are vegetables that are grown from seeds that have been handed down from generation to generation.
Radishes grow very fast – taking only 25 days to grow from seed to a harvest ready vegetable.
Old Grove Farms
Old Grove Farms is a group of 15+ small family farms in Southern California
Farmer David grows Old Grove Farms’ watermelon radishes.
ALL of Old Grove Farms produce is ORGANIC
Old Grove Farms has been providing produce to schools for 20+ years
Old Grove Farms rely on sheep
Old Grove Farms grows fruits, flowers!
Finger Limes California
California is the only state in the U.S. that grows finger limes on a commercial scale
Finger limes are a type of citrus fruit native to “Caviar Lime”
Finger limes are about the size of a human finger (2 - 3 inches)hence the name!
Finger limes are a good source of
Most of the finger limes grown in California are grown in
limes with a tart, citrusy flavor.
Finger limes are filled with tiny lime juice pearls
Finger limes can be a variety of colors, including yellow, purple, pink
Old Grove Farms
Farmer Neva grows Old Grove Farms’ finger limes.
ALL of Old Grove Farms produce is ORGANIC
Old Grove Farms is a group of 15+ small family farms in Southern California
Old Grove Farms has been providing produce to schools for 20+ years
Old Grove Farms rely on sheep
Old Grove Farms grows fruits, flowers!
California is the number 1 milk producing state in the U.S.
46% of California milk goes into making California cheese.
Nearly 98% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned & operated. California is home to 1,100+ dairy farms.
Holstein cows all have a unique pattern of spots! ALL 50 states have dairy farms!
1 cow produces around 6 gallons of milk per day. Cows can SEE almost 360 degrees and SMELL up to 6 miles away!
Driftwood Dairy
Driftwood Dairy all started with Pat J. Dolan starting a dairy business in 1918.
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes.
Delivers milk to 2,500 schools each day.
Driftwood Dairy is the milk provider to schools in Southern California.
Driftwood Dairy is a member of CDI –California Dairy, Inc.
300+ CDI dairy farm members.
17 BILLION pounds of milk produced/year by CDI dairy farms.
