Catching Up

Summer "vacation" will be over after today, when I return to the regular routine of School Food Service for another year.  It's been a rather busy summer, and looks to be equally busy this fall.  The fact that next weekend is Labor Day is unbelievable to me.  Where has the summer gone?

After spending a week in Boston for the ANC (Annual National Conference) for SNA (School Nutrition

Beautiful Day

Association), I came home to put finishing touches on wedding plans for one of my daughters.  Beautiful day, beautiful bride, and everything was absolutely perfect.  Even though I have been step-grammy to now 9 & 10 year old girls since they were 2 & 3 years old, it is now official when my daughter tied the knot.  Those of you who remember when Christina was born...she's going to Kindergarten this year!  My how the time has flown by, and Hailley is now 4!

Tomato Heaven

Then it was on to a week of statewide school food service training where I embarked on a graduate level course in Nutrition and Food Education, and taught two classes for the State of Vermont.   One of the days we took participants of the class to a local organic farm, and I was delighted with the hoop frame set up they utilize for growing tomatoes...it was definitely Tomato Heaven!   The classes were held up near where my daughter and the 4 grand girlies live, so I made nightly visits after classes were finished each day.

Diaper Cake & Purse

To round out the last weekend of summer vacation, I hosted a baby shower for my younger daughter, who is expecting in October.  The guest list grew, and the space in my house kept feeling smaller, so we borrowed a big tent for the yard, and after it went up we had two days of non-stop rain.  I was worried, to say the least, but the rain moved out and everything started drying out in time for the party.  In my ever creative mode, I embarked on creating a diaper cake for the shower, and when I found myself with leftover diapers I made a diaper purse, because every little girl needs a purse, right?

Soy Tea Lights

Today has been all about catching up with packaging, photographs, and listing items in my online shop.  Today I added soy wax melts and tea lights (boxes made in house) in some of my summer scents, and will be adding fall and holiday fragrances in the near future.  Also added are some fizzing bath salts in 9 oz. and 16 oz. bags.  The 9 oz. bags are handcrafted in house.

Back to School with a Freezer Full of Local Produce

It's that time of year where preparations are well underway for the new school year. No backpacks, notebooks, crayons and pencils for this chick! Managing a Food Service program for a school is a never ending job well after the students leave for the summer and before students return in the fall.

I feel privileged to be among the leaders in this country that are making positive changes for their students that participate in the National School Lunch program. Many Vermont schools are already cooking healthier. Prepared spaghetti sauce from a can? Not in my school kitchen ~ scratch cooking is the thing to do! Not only is it cheaper, but it is healthier for the kids. No concerns over sodium laden sauces, added sugars, dyes, preservatives, etc.

A culmination of planning and efforts between myself, farmers and interested community members is now reality. This year I am extremely excited that we are taking some of the scratch cooking back to the roots and closer to the vines where food grows. Farmers and interested families within the school community have agreed to "grow a row" for the school.
Produce Processing Parties have been planned where volunteers will (under my direction) assist with the washing, peeling, chopping, blanching and freezing the bounty of local produce. Students will enjoy that bounty over the course of the upcoming school year....corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, squash, root veggies, and more. None of this would be possible without the generosity from within the community and the passion I hold for true cooking from scratch.

Last spring the 3rd grade class planted some heirloom tomatoes along an old flower bed behind the school. Students enrolled in summer programs have been maintaining the garden over the summer. How exciting it will be to have students pick the tomatoes in the morning that will be served on the salad bar for lunch!