Farm to Table Lesson For College Students In 30 Minutes
Michelle Nelson, MHA, is a college educator who wanted to bring a farm to table lesson to students at Charleston Southern University. She purchased our farm to table banner and handout items. She called us to ask us for ideas for making an engaging lesson with a 30 minute time limit.
The first idea we gave her was to offer the students a farm-to-table salad bar so they can make their own salads. This requires the ingredients to be prepared in advance since the time frame is so short. But we did give Michelle the idea to enlist the help of the students who want to arrive early or her college cafeteria workers to get it all prepped for their arrival. This is the option that she chose but Michelle went all out and prepared the ingredients the night before in her own kitchen. She kept it simple with fresh lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. She also made a home-made dressing.
Here are more activity ideas and resources that we shared with Michelle so she could share the farm with her students. Feel free to use them for yours!
Here is a handout about local food:
https://news. nutritioneducationstore.com/ local-food-lesson/
Maybe a couple of quiz questions with prizes:
https://foodandhealth.com/ category-game-cffh/
Here are some other game ideas:
Pass The Potato
Play pass the potato with your participants. Have everybody name a fruit and then pass the potato on. When someone can’t think of a fruit, they get eliminated. The one who wins has named a fruit that has not been named, every time he or she got the potato. The winner gets a prize such as a bag of baby carrots or a jar of fat-free salad dressing. This gets everyone to really think about all of the options out there, and to realize that he or she is usually always eating the same fruit or vegetable time and time again. You can also play the same game for vegetables.
Mystery Veggie Game
Use this game with a variety of audiences, from kids to older folks. It is easy to do, and you can vary it with seasonally available produce.
1. Place a variety of common and unusual vegetables and/or fruits in clean crew-type socks.
2. Pass the socks around the group. Have each participant feel and smell the item through the sock (without taking it out) and write the name of the item they suspect on a sheet of paper, numbered from 1 to whatever number of items you are using.
3. After everyone has had a chance to feel and smell the items in the socks and record their answers, ask for guesses and pull them out one by one. Discuss the nutritional aspects of each item and possible preparation methods or favorite ways of eating. Sample some of the more unusual or exotic items.
4. Depending on budget and type of event, you can sometimes give some of the produce items individually for prizes or put several in a basket for a bigger prize.
This idea can also be used for wellness fairs. And it will make a GREAT fun game for National Nutrition Month this year since the theme is centered around fruits and vegetables.
Here are our favorites for fruits:
Michelle made 2 salad bars for her students.The first was using ingredients from a farmer's market and then the second one was using ingredients from a local grocery store. The students could tell the difference right away and they were very exuberant in letting her know that the farmer's market salad was a lot more delicious and flavorful. She asked us to skype in for the morning and we agreed. I gave the students a brief overview about the local food market and how many people their age are involved with it from the farming to the food processing and purchases. After all, the local food market is an $8 billion industry.
Margaret M. Shields, PhD, MS, CHES, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Charleston Southern University, was kind enough to help with the skype session and to provide photographs.
- • star fruit – fun shape
- • kiwi – beautiful color
- • avocado – used like a vegetable but botanically it is a fruit
- • tangerine – easy to eat on the go
- • lemon – great for salads
- • apple – great for snacks
- • pear – easy to guess but makes a great snack
- • sweet potato
- • broccoli
- • carrot
- • zucchini
- • egg plant