Farm to College program teaches vitamin, connection to meals

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This week, Jackson County students have the opportunity to learn about different foods and where they come from during a program called “Farm to Summer”.

On Monday, Laura Cabe and Jena Kranz led a demonstration for students from the Blue Ridge School in Cashiers, where each student made a rainbow salad out of mason jars to take home. The demonstration and nutrition lesson will be repeated on Wednesday and Friday at Fairview School and Smoky Mountain High School, respectively.

The program was made possible by grants from Cabe, the food director of Jackson County Schools, the National Farm to School Network and the US Department of Agriculture.

“My job and responsibility as the school nutrition director is to feed the students nutritious food,” she said.

Cabe has partnered with Jackson County’s nonprofit Uncomplicated Kitchen to support the summer program. Jenna Kranz, founder and director of Uncomplicated Kitchen, guided the students through the process of making the rainbow salad in the mason jar. In addition, she explained the nutritional importance of fruits and vegetables in all their colors, where certain types of vegetables in the recipe come from or how they grow, and encouraged the students to engage and experiment.

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Laura Cabe (left) and Jenna Kranz (right). Hannah McLeod photo

The least popular of the spread? Probably the radishes. But there were almost no kids in the room who haven’t at least tried them, something that both Cabe and Kranz know is an important step towards nutritional goals and nutrition education.

Working in school nutrition, Cabe said, is akin to real-time marketing. When there are new foods that kids have never tried or heard about, it can be difficult to convince them. Cabe often walks through a crowded cafeteria offering children new or nutritious options.

“Just try a bite” is the phrase she uses over and over again to get children to try something new, something nutritious. Diet is an essential part of overall health. Personal care and nutrition education are some of the best ways Cabe has found to promote better nutrition.

On Monday, the students first prepared a dressing of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, agave nectar, and dried oregano for the salad they wanted to make. Kranz explained the origin of the agave, the strangest component of salad dressing, and had each student try a spoonful of it. The joy of the elementary school students could hardly be contained when a rush of voices called out “try again”.

After the salad dressing was set up and shaken to combine, Kranz and the students began to move through the colors of the rainbow. They started with red tomatoes and dropped them to the bottom of the jar, followed by carrots, corn, baby spinach, purple cabbage, radishes, and high-protein chickpeas to top it off.

As Kranz walked around helping the students and engaging them in conversations about food, she could be heard telling the students how beautiful their creations were and what a great job they did. When they smiled at them, there was real pride on their faces. It usually took a large bottle of ranch dressing to keep young children half as excited about raw lettuce.

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Blue Ridge School students prepare their own rainbow salad from a variety of vegetables. Hannah McLeod photo

“Children always enjoy the building and the practical aspect. And just shaking the glass is so practical and fun, and they always laugh. It is really fun. I like working with young children, ”says Kranz.

The goal of this program in schools is to help children get in touch with the food they eat so that they better understand the importance of good nutrition and how to achieve it.

“We know that fresh and healthy nutrients and ingredients translate into longer lives with better health conditions,” said Cabe. “I just want the children to get their hands on things, to try them, to see them and to know where they come from. So I also hope with Jenna that we can expand this quarterly and seasonally. That is my goal.”

Kranz works with people of all ages through the uncomplicated kitchen.

Its mission is to “teach members of the community how to plan meals, buy ingredients, and prepare healthy, easy, and affordable recipes.”

“We are bridging the gap between the foods people have access to and the tools and knowledge they have to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families,” said Kranz. “Whether people are shopping at the farmer’s market, the grocery store, or getting groceries through charities, Uncomplicated Kitchen teaches our community that healthy eating is affordable and easy.”

Kranz previously worked as an educator and then owned a private company that sold cereal. She had just built a commercial kitchen for this business when she decided to give it all up and start Uncomplicated Kitchen in late 2019.

“I realized that there was a gap between the foods people had access to and their ability to do something nutritious,” she said.

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A Blue Ridge School student grinds salt as part of the salad dressing recipe. Hannah McLeod photo

While volunteering at the Community Table, a food source for Jackson County residents, she noticed that most people were using prepackaged or pre-made ingredients, which, while convenient, were not the most nutritious options. She saw that only a few people opted for the beautiful organic products that were regularly donated.

When she sold her muesli at farmers’ markets, Kranz heard the tons of questions that sellers and growers were asked about what a particular vegetable was and what to do with it.

In addition, friends kept asking Kranz what to do with vegetables bought in the supermarket or at the farmers’ market. Kranz realized that she can help people gain better access to food and nutrition by teaching them how to prepare various ingredients and recipes. The nonprofit works with occasional grants, but most of the funding comes from local individuals who appreciate Kranz’s work.

“I’m really lucky that I can just look at the food and it makes sense to me, I know that I’m lucky, but a lot of people are not,” said Kranz. “I help everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you make a million dollars a year or nothing. I think you still deserve to know how to prepare meals for you and your family. That’s what i’m doing I help people cook, I help people shop, and we really focused on the basic ingredients for the pantry. “

Uncomplicated Kitchen offers courses on canning, canning, cooking a variety of recipes, and preparing ingredients that people have never worked with. All classes conclude with something to take away because eating and making that sensory connection is an invaluable part of the experience.

“I enjoy this work so much and I am so grateful every day that I can get up and do this job,” said Kranz.

After the students had put together the rainbow salads, Kranz encouraged everyone to try at least one bite of what they had made themselves.

The students had different opinions about their favorite vegetables of the day.

“Agave!” someone called immediately.

“Spinach,” said another student shyly, patting the green layer in her glass.

“I don’t know what that is,” said a boy, fumbling a chickpea out of the jar with chubby fingers, “but I love that.”

When the students at Blue Ridge School left the cafeteria on Monday, they each had a large mason jar filled to the brim with fresh, colorful vegetables.