Turnip the Beet Awards - 2023 - Winners Announced!
The Turnip the Beet Award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors across the nation who work hard to offer high quality meals to children that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious during the summer months. This year, 140 sponsors qualified for either a gold, silver, or bronze Turnip the Beet award. Congratulations to all! For more information visit the Turnip the Beet Website.
Wisconsin 2023 Award Winners
Gold Winners
• De Pere School Nutrition
• La Crosse Area Family YMCA
• North Crawford School District
• Stevens Point Area Public School District
Bronze Winner
• Green Bay Area Public Schools
2024 Application information will be out soon!
Celebrate Cucumber Crunch
Celebrate summer by participating in the Cucumber Crunch! This is a simple, celebratory event to promote local foods and farm to summer. Pick any date this summer and have staff and children crunch into local cucumbers. If cucumbers are not available during your summer programming, choose another local, in-season fruit or vegetable to crunch!
Register your program for the Crunch! Registrants will receive free stickers and a packet of cucumber seeds for registering on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Resources
Activities
- Crossword Puzzle
- Crossword Puzzle Answers and Resources
- Connect the Dots
- Bitter/Sweet Cucumber Taste Test
- Living Necklace (use cucumber seeds)
- Easy Refrigerator Pickles Activity
- University of Wisconsin - Madison Division of Extension Harvest of the Month
Videos
- Farm to School: Cucumbers (REAP Food Group)
- Learn about Cucumbers (REAP Food Group)
- What Are Pickles? The Science of Food! SciShow Kids
- The Magic School Bus – In a Pickle
Books
Local Sourcing Information: utilize the resources below to locate local farmers/producers who may be able to source for your Crunch.
- Wisconsin Local Food Database: Find Farmers - find a list of local food producers that sell to schools by location. Look for the Cucumber Crunch logo next to producers who grow cucumbers!
- REAP Farm Fresh Atlas - database to find local products, farmers' markets, CSAs and more.
- Wisconsin Berry & Vegetable Growers Association - find berry and vegetable growers and see what is in season.
- Wisconsin Farmers Market Association – locate farmers markets near you.
Recipes All recipes are scaled to serve approximately 50 students.
Promotion Share photos and videos of your Crunch in the following ways:
- Advertise your event on social media, using the following hashtags: #WICucumberCrunch #SummerMeals
- Send photos and videos of your Crunch to DPIFNS@dpi.wi.gov
- Producer Highlight Poster: Utilize this poster to share details about the farmer who supplied the local cucumbers or in-season produce for your event. Email brittany.zerbe@dpi.wi.gov to request printed copies of the poster.
Summer Meals Week - June 17-21, 2024
More info coming soon!