November is the perfect time to cook winter squash and root vegetables in general. This past month, Suzanne Grass and her team at Central Kitchen have featured winter squash and other fall produce items on the school menu. Each day the folks at Central Kitchen work hard to make sure the meals are balanced and they do their best to feature seasonal foods.
November brought us butternut squash, sweet potatoes, regional apples, pumpkin and finishing off the month with local mandarin oranges! We had sweet potato fries, butternut squash cubes, pumpkin pudding and fresh pieces of seasonal fruit!
There are some delicious things happening on the school menu!
The school lunch menu also features a little blurb about the Harvest of the Month, the featured fruit of vegetable of the month. This education piece promotes the greater use of fresh fruits and vegetables. Here is an example:
HARVEST OF THE MONTH: WINTER SQUASH • Bake, boil, steam, sauté or microwave winter squash. Use it in stews, soups, salads, dips, breads, and even pies. • Sample different varieties of winter squash to find out your family’s favorite. • Varieties with darker yellow/orange flesh are more nutritious than lighter colors. (Butternut is more nutritious than spaghetti squash.) • Add winter squash to your family’s favorite soup or casserole.
For more ideas, visit: www.cachampionsforchange.net
Take a peak at the school lunch menu for Nevada County here.