Vineland Elementary Students Get Taste of Fresh, Local Produce at School Farmers Market

Third- and fourth-graders at Vineland Elementary School stepped into a hands-on lesson in healthy eating earlier this week as the campus hosted its second student Farmers Market. The event offered free fresh food — and lessons in nutrition and money management — all in one place.

After the resounding success of the first farmers market, which took place before the Thanksgiving break for TK through second-grade students, kids lined up in the cold on Wednesday morning, bags in hand, to shop for fresh food. Anabel Rubio, the Director of Nutrition Services at Vineland School District, came up with the idea to bring organic, locally grown produce directly to students while turning the experience into an educational opportunity.

“I started putting little ideas together with the principal, and we came up with the farmers market,” Rubio said. “We decided it would be educational as well as nutritious, and they’re very excited.”

With support from the California Department of Education’s Taste Fruits & Vegetables Program Grant, students were provided “play money,” grocery bags, and the freedom to shop the market just like they would in the community. As they selected strawberries, chayote, greens, peppers, cilantro, and more, they learned to identify produce, compare different types of fruits and vegetables, and choose items that fit their budget. At checkout, they received a sticker in place of a receipt.

The berries were the runaway favorite, according to Rubio, but many students were also excited to try new things, like the chayote, which Rubio explained is part of the potato family and is used in beef stew.

“I told them it tastes exactly like a potato,” Rubio said. “They got to experiment with items they’d never tried before.”

Rubio credits her partnership with KCSOS Senior Director of Food/Nutrition Services Rafael Juarez, who helped put her in touch with local organic farms, and district leadership for helping bring the event to life. 

“I received a lot of support from the county office, the local farms that are working with us, my staff, it takes a team to create this,” she said. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and grateful that we received the grant.”

Interim Superintendent for the Vineland School District, Chris Persons, says all the credit should go to Rubio for her consistent hard work in coming up with the idea and putting it into action for the benefit of the kids. 

“It was all her idea. She has a passion for scratch cooking and is changing the expectations out here about what school lunch and healthy eating can be,” Persons said.

Vineland’s nutrition program is also prioritizing fresh, scratch-cooked school meals, including pozole, enchiladas, chicken alfredo with broccoli, and more. Rubio’s team now prepares three scratch-cooked lunches each week with the long-term goal of eliminating packaged meals altogether. 

“We came up with recipes and made sure that everything was within the standards of the nutrition department,” Rubio explained. “It’s as if they’re eating at home, family style.”

Rubio already hopes to host another market later this year when new seasonal produce becomes available. Some students were so eager to bring their selections home that they asked if they could take extra vegetables for their families. 

“It was a huge success with the kids,” she said.