We are fortunate to work with some great folks growing lettuce for school lunches – 20 school gardens, the greenhouses and fields of the Farm to School to Work Hub, and Jordan Brown of the Family Garden Organic and Fair Farm just down the road from us!
We use freshly harvested, organic lettuce for all of our lettuce needs at 25 schools where most students qualify for free and reduced lunches. We plan to expand this to ALL Alachua County Schools next year!
January was the month to celebrate this great product, and especially the local farmer who produces between 300 and 350 pounds of lettuce each month for our schools.
The students grow the same variety of lettuce in their schools gardens.
Newberry Elementary School Garden
And our GET students grow it at the Farm to School Hub gardens as well.
Volunteers Cyd and Josh and the first harvest.
We have experimented over the last few years to learn which types to grow hydroponically as well. Students and other visitors from area schools are always amazed by the beauty of 600 heads of lettuce growing on a table in a greenhouse!
Newberry Elementary School Gardeners visit our greenhouse
We are excited about all the ways we get lettuce into school meals and grateful for all the work that goes into making it happen.
Alachua County Farm to School 