Salem schools to grow their own veggies

Three Salem schools will have the opportunity to grow their own vegetable gardens thanks to a grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

As part of the Oregon legislature's "farm-to-school" program, students at Parrish Middle School, Leslie Middle School, and Grant Elementary are building and tending their very own raised garden beds. The produce they raise will go straight to their school's lunch line.

"The garden beds ... provide a unique learning opportunity. 'It's connections with the soil, it's connections with the cycles of life, growth, and putting things on your table,' [environmental teacher Fran Alexandar] said.

'A lot of students don't get an opportunity to work with soil,' she said. 'It's the first experience for some of these kids.'" - Statesman Journal, "Students grow food for their own school lunch lines," by Stefanie Knolwton.

Always a fan of locally-sourced food, Organic Fresh Fingers is happy to see these kids learning about fresh produce and where it comes from.