At Fork & Salad, we’re all about the farm-to-table movement.  But the farm-to-school movement is just as important; it’s skyrocketed across the country in the past decade, reaching millions of students in all 50 states! Nonprofit Grow Some Good plays a role in that here, creating and supporting school gardens on campuses across Maui, and inspiring agriculture as part of the learning curriculum through science and math.

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, eating is the easy part!  Growing the produce takes patience, persistence and care.  Students at public schools around Maui spent the last year tending their gardens, learning about everything from soil nutrients, pest control and compost to seed planting, weed maintenance and harvest techniques.  We at Fork & Salad were happy to lend at hand in several school gardens around Kīhei this growing season!

After a full school year of growing fruits, vegetables and herbs in their school gardens, students get to celebrate their hard work with a year-end Harvest Festival.  Chef Travis just took part in the fun event at Kīhei Elementary, home to Grow Some Good’s very first school garden, now among 12 thriving across Maui.   He helped first graders prepare veggie pizzas on tortillas, incorporating fresh ingredients like beets, bell peppers and carrots.  Check out our video, where he plays reporter to catch reactions of the kids as they ate some of the veggies for the first time!

Harvest Festivals are a fun and important way to bring home the message of healthy eating, sustainability, and the rewards of growing your own garden.  Farm-to-school practices help children learn about where food comes from and make healthier choices, while also creating new markets for local and regional farmers.

We remain proud to support local farms, as you can see throughout our signature salad and sandwich menus along with our 50+ fresh ingredients, and hope to inspire our keiki to do the same and grow their own appreciation for Maui agriculture!

Grow Some Good is offering an up-close look at what the students have created, with upcoming Garden Tours in late May and early June.  If you’d like to join in on a tour, now’s your chance to see and experience these lessons and learn how school gardens benefit our students, and our entire community.  Visit the outdoor classrooms and living laboratories, where students have been learning about soil nutrients, optimal garden layouts, water conservation and pollinators like honeybees!   During the tour you will see the variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs growing in the gardens, and how each garden is uniquely suited to its campus.

For more about Fork & Salad’s connection with Grow Some Good, see our story on the Taste of School Gardens event, and get more details on the nonprofit’s background and volunteer opportunities at Grow Some Good’s website.

Beyond this, Fork & Salad has adopted the Kīhei Charter School garden, near Fork & Salad in Azeka Mauka. Our natural food scraps will go into their compost, and our staff will provide some hands-on help in the garden throughout the growing season.  We can’t wait!  #EatLocalEatHealthy