I subscribe to Montana’s Food and Ag mail list which is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Helena.  I get interesting posts. This is where I got the link for my post about local food used for school lunches in the Ronan school district. Then today, a link about great school lunches in Kalispell. This is VERY encouraging. As more and more children rely on school meals to meet basic nutrition needs, to hear that local schools are working with their menus, including locally-produced foods, is a very good sign of real improvement in our thinking and action on behalf of our children.

Kalispell, Montana

Except for the spinach, everything you see in this meal—Polish sausage, roasted root vegetables, spinach salad, apple, apple crisp—was grown or produced in Montana. Kalispell food service director Jenny Montague has been sourcing local food for the past few years, but it wasn’t until FoodCorps service members Katie Wheeler and Lea Howe came to town that she began sourcing 100% grass-fed beef from Montana-raised cows. Now grass-fed hamburgers appear every day at the high school cafeterias (less often at middle and elementary schools). The sausages—made by Lower Valley Meats of local grass-fed beef and pork—are a hit with kids, too. (Photo by Kelly Campbell)

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NCAT Website

What is a Locavore (from Wikipedia):

A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market.The desired distance for local produce is between 50-100 miles for a locavore. This also ties into wanting to save on energy consumption and carbon emissions. The locavore movement in the United States and elsewhere was spawned as interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness became more prevalent. [More…]

Categories: Food Gardening, Health