From Field to Tray: Gratitude, Growth, and Winter Horizons

October was a vibrant celebration of National Farm to School Month across our cafeterias, classrooms, and community gardens. From crunching into crisp local apples to celebrating the hands that tend our regional soils, the energy across our partner districts was palpable. But Farm to School has never been just about a single month on the calendar—it is a continuous commitment to cultivating nourished students, resilient farm partnerships, and equitable local foodways every day.

As we shift into November, the pace of the season changes, turning our focus toward cozy scratch cooking, hearty root crops, and meaningful reflection. This is the season of gratitude, and we are deeply thankful for the dedicated food service leaders, educators, and producers who make nourishing our kids possible year-round.

Bring the Harvest to Your Cafeteria with Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub

November is officially here, and as Farm to School Month winds down, our celebration of local agriculture is just getting started! We hope your nutrition teams enjoyed every crunch, taste test, and cafeteria celebration last month. As we transition into late autumn, the excitement continues with our November Harvest of the Month: Carrots! Sweet, earthy, and naturally crisp from the late-season chill, local carrots are the perfect vegetable to spotlight on salad bars, feature in classroom tastings, or roast for warm cafeteria side dishes. Connecting kids directly to regional growers remains at the heart of what we do, keeping students nourished while supporting our local farming families through every season.

To help your cafeteria celebrate Harvest of the Month and the rich flavors of November, Region Roots has an outstanding lineup of farm-fresh, locally grown produce available for purchase:

Sunflower Microgreens from Pops’ Greens (DeMotte, IN) – Packed with nutrients and a tender crunch, these make an eye-catching topper for wraps, grain bowls, and fresh salads.
Watermelon Radishes from Perkins' Good Earth Farm (DeMotte, IN) – A seasonal favorite! Slice open this vibrant, magenta-centered root to pair alongside sweet local carrots on salad bars or feature at your next tasting table.
Hearty In-Season Staples: Fill your winter menus with crisp broccoli, sweet cabbage, garlic, hearty greens, fresh herbs, leaf lettuce, gourmet mushrooms, savory onions, potatoes, winter squash, and tender turnips.

Ready to Place Your Orders?

If you have any questions about product availability, contact our Wholesale Partnerships Coordinator, Ashley Barry at ashley@nwifoodcouncil.org

November Harvest of the Month Recipe: Carrot and Quinoa Muffins

These muffins make an outstanding grab-and-go breakfast item for the kids. They are not only hearty and healthy, but bursting with flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar!

Components: Grains, Red/Orange, Vegetable
Source: Healthy School Recipes (Vermont Feed)
Servings: 48
Crediting: 1 oz grain equivalent and 1⁄8 cup red/orange vegetable (or 1⁄8 cup starchy vegetable if using parsnips)

Get the recipe

Carrot Fun Fact 🥕

Did you know that carrots were originally farmed over 1,000 years ago in shades of purple, yellow, and white, long before Dutch growers bred the familiar orange taproots we eat today? Starting from seeds so tiny that 2,000 can fit into a single teaspoon, these sweet underground roots grow to be about 88% water. Best of all, just one medium carrot is loaded with vision- and skin-protecting beta-carotene (Vitamin A), making it an easy, naturally sweet, full daily serving of vegetables for students!

Apple Crunch Highlights

Forest Ridge Academy hosted its first-ever Apple Crunch celebration, and our Farm to School team was honored to join in the festivities! In celebration of National Farm to School Month and National Apple Month, students, staff, and guests gathered together to take a unified, synchronized CRUNCH into crisp, fresh, regionally grown apples. While that loud, collective bite made for an unforgettable moment, the story behind it goes far deeper. This year, Forest Ridge Academy is placing an intentional emphasis on connecting agricultural concepts and healthy eating directly to STEM and real-world application. Supported by a generous Toshiba grant, the academy recently launched a brand-new Middle School Food Science program that challenges students to explore the science behind the everyday food on their plates.

Through interactive labs and experiments, middle schoolers are diving into:

Food chemistry and nutritional science
Microbiology and rigorous food safety standards
Modern agricultural practices and food processing methods
Sensory science and the complete journey from farm to table

Handley Elementary in LaPorte hosted an unforgettable Apple Crunch event in celebration of National Farm to School Month, and our very own Farm to School Coordinator, Veronica Jalomo, had the pleasure of joining students and staff for the festivities! The Food Service Director and the entire food service team went above and beyond to make the day special. They transformed a cafeteria wall with a hand-crafted tree display, inviting students to write heartfelt thank-you notes to farmers on paper apple cutouts. Each note was added to the branches, creating a vibrant tribute to the hardworking growers who produce the fresh food served in our schools.

To every teacher who turned a snack into a science and agriculture lesson, to every food service director and cafeteria worker who crafted displays and welcomed local harvests onto school trays, and to every farmer whose labor made it possible: THANK YOU!

Where innovation takes root: Reflecting on the 2026 innovation hub convening in Indiana

What an incredible, energizing end to October! We recently gathered in southern Indiana for the 2026 Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Convening: Where Innovation Takes Root, bringing together sub-grantees, state leads, and food system champions from across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. After months of virtual collaboration, being in the same room to share stories, problem-solve, and celebrate the real passion driving school food transformation was nothing short of inspiring.

A true highlight of our time together was the immersive field trip experience in Madison, Indiana. Co-hosted by Indiana State Leads Veronica Jalomo and Dr. Virginia Pleasant, the tour showcased the remarkable, community-rooted leadership taking place across Madison Consolidated Schools. Huge gratitude goes to John Schutte, Laura Arico, Lily Cox, and the incredible team at Growing Minds for opening their doors. From touring the student-run Farm Stop to seeing hands-on food education come alive at Lydia Elementary School, participants experienced firsthand how school-based agriculture and scratch cooking nourish both minds and local economies. To top it all off, everyone was treated to an exceptional culinary experience featuring delicious dishes thoughtfully crafted right at the Growing Minds Farm Stop using fresh, local ingredients — a true masterclass in how flavorful farm-to-school dining can be. It was thoughtful, inspiring, and delicious! An event of this scale is a massive lift, and our hearts are full of appreciation.

Deep thanks to the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) Team: Kathryn, Elise, Esmeralda, Mariela, and Janna for your tireless dedication to organizing, coordinating logistics, and facilitating meaningful dialogue throughout the convening. Thank you to Maureen from Action for Healthy Kids for your planning expertise, facilitation, and capturing these moments behind the lens, as well as to our regional State Leads across IL, IN, MI, and WI for supporting grantee participation. Most of all, thank you to the grantees who traveled near and far to be with us. Your intentional engagement, collaborative spirit, and passion for feeding kids well are the heartbeat of this initiative.

Seeing the innovation rooted in Madison sent everyone home fired up and ready to continue building a more resilient, equitable, and nourishing school food system across our region. Big things are taking root!

Grants up to $100k to make school meals more local, more nourishing, and more loved!

Grant applications are now open for Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub funding! With support from USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, we’re offering grants up to $100K to collectives of farmers, food producers, school food authorities and others working to reimagine school meals in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Do you know a way to make school meals more local, more nourishing, and more loved?

Learn more and apply