AL Farm to School
Harvest of the Month Program
This Month's Produce
This month our students are enjoying apples! Each week, students will have a different experience of apples during their cafeteria lunches - on sandwiches, baked, fried, and raw! Cullman Elementary students were able to take a field trip to North Farms, where they spent an afternoon playing in the trees, learning about how apples are farmed - and of course, sampling the fruit and fresh cider! Each student was able to take two varieties of apples home to share with their families.
The Farm to School team is dedicated to bringing local produce into local schools, connecting students with the farmers who supply their food. They want to make fresh produce accessible to every Alabama student. Their director, Andrea Smith, oversees the program. Devon Williams is the farming liaison, while Sarah Johnson works directly with schools. Together they have brought the Harvest of the Month program to over 60 Alabama elementary schools.
Brad French
Brad French’s favorite part of his apple farm is his apple store, French’s Apples, where you can buy everything from cider to pies to apple butter. The apple pie recipe, which is especially sought-after, is a French family secret. He likes to take his grandchildren for evening walks in the orchard. During the rest of the year, he sells community made products and fresh honey.
Ron and Lucy McCurnon
Ron and Lucy McCurnon have a blueberry farm in Millbrook, AL. During blueberry season, their children love running out to the fields to pick their own breakfasts. In addition to blueberries, they have a field of grape vines and several bee hives. They enjoy seeing neighbors return to pick fruit every year, as well as hosting school field trips where students can gather their own produce.
Mel Rogers
Mel Rogers is a farmer in Grove Hill, AL, who grows a variety of vegetables, but his principle crop is broccoli. He says he grew up thinking broccoli was gross, but developed a taste for it as he grew older. Mel is the first farmer in his family, but he hopes that someday he can pass his farm along to one of his three kids. In addition to providing broccoli to schools, he sells his produce in a roadside stand.
Reggie Green
Reggie Green grows his crops in a collection of six greenhouses, one of which is pictured here. This allows him to rotate crops and grow produce year round. He specializes in green, leafy vegetables, growing collard greens, kale, lettuce, and spinach. Though he often hears the joke that he grows ‘rabbit food,’ Reggie is passionate about growing nutrient-rich food for everyone.
Gene Kerpinski
Gene Kerpinski has a passion for growing food. He inherited his farm from his grandfather, who he remembers riding tractor with as a young boy. His favorite part of farming is plowing with the tractor in the spring. He has a five-person team who works with him on his 700-acre farm. They grow cucumbers along with potatoes and onions. They give tours to their local school every fall.
Bill and Sherry Roberts
Every Thursday and Saturday, you can find Bill and Sherry Roberts at their local farmers market. They’ve been a staple at the Eastman Market in Montgomery for 15 years. They’re always trying new varieties of lettuce. They recently got into growing hydroponic lettuce - lettuce that is grown in trays of water instead of dirt. This allows them to grow letuce faster and with less chemicals.
Rod Allman
Rod Allman bought his peach farm in Mobile, AL, 30 years ago. Between pruning and cultivating over 1,000 trees, he has plenty to keep him busy! The peaches have to be carefully handpicked each year and placed into padded containers for transport. As well as bringing his produce into schools, he hires local high schoolers to help during harvest season.
Marilyn Ko
From the first satsuma she tried, Marilyn Ko knew she wanted to grow her own. Satsumas are Alabama-grown citrus. They are soft, spongy, and sweet with no seeds. Marilyn enjoys tending to her trees with her granddaughter, Lucy. She is proud to be the sponsor of the local Little League team, the Foley Tigers, who were the winners of last year’s Southeast Region championship.
Jeremy Johnson
Jeremy Johnson began his strawberry farm in Verbena, AL in 2003. At first, his farm was primarily for u-pick, and he quickly became popular in Verbena and the surrounding areas. He’s expanded into many more fields since then, and supplies four of our local schools with fresh strawberries every year. He says his favorite thing to make with is strawberry shortcake!
Gwendolyn Smith
Gwendolyn Smith left her fast-paced city job in search of a slower pace of life. She has fond memories of growing up on her parent’s farm, and decided to return to her roots. She supplies all the sweet potatoes to Mama Jo’s, the local Southern restaurant in Dothan. She also participates in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), where community members buy shares and get deliveries of produce during growing season.
Melinda and Joseph Wright
This farming couple, Melinda and Joseph Wright, come from four generations of farmers. On their family land, they grow cabbage, corn, and sweet potatoes in addition to their favorite, tomatoes. They love tomatoes raw sliced with salt and pepper, or cooked up in Melinda’s grandmother’s soup recipe, which you have on the left. They enjoy making their family recipes for their two children.
Ed Headley
Ed Headley grows watermelon and pumpkins on the land his family has been farming for 35 years. He and his partner live in a farmhouse they remodeled. They used to grow soy and corn, but decided they wanted a community approach to farming. During harvest, they bring hundreds of people to their farm where they have a festival environment for families to enjoy.AL Farm to School
Harvest of the Month Program
123 Capitol Dr.
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 123-4567
info@www.alharvestofthemonth.com
© 2021 AL Farm to School
