 It
is a challenge to get produce from the gardens and into the cafeteria in
a form the cafeteria staff can use and in a
timely fashion. It is not practical to have each
class harvest on a regular bases. Classes garden at different
times throughout the week and the weekly harvest from a single garden is
too small by itself.
We
solved this problem by instituting the Sunday Morning Harvest. We
invite volunteers to help harvest the produce and receive a share of the
harvest. The produce is harvested, sorted and displayed on
tables near our barn. Monday morning, the cooks from all of Loveland’s
six schools come down and select what they can use. St. Columban comes
down after them. Later that morning whatever is left is dispersed to
the various pantries and soup kitchens.
Though the cafeteria staff is very willing to work with us they are
understaffed and faced with the responsibility of preparing lunch each
day for thousands of students. They are not in a
position to handle high labor produce i.e. leaf lettuce and root crops.
They can easily incorporate cucumbers, peppers,
green onions, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, cabbage
and other such produce into the menu.
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