Staff writer
A majority of Jana Stevenson’s kindergarten class raised their thumbs in approval of their afternoon snack Friday.
Was it a sugary treat — cupcakes, muffins, or cinnamon rolls? No.
The class enjoyed a small serving of sea beans — a salty, amphibious relative of asparagus most commonly found in Northern Europe.
Marion Elementary School has participated in the fresh fruits and vegetables program since September. School nurse Kristen Garman applied for and received a federal grant of $16,000 for the program this past spring.
The program is partly designed to expose young children to exotic fruits and vegetables. Thus far, classes have tasted blood oranges, plantains, and key limes.
Garman and sixth-grade teacher Nicki Case agreed the program is beginning to develop adventurous eaters.
“I have some picky eaters,” Case said. “Because they see me do it they’ll try it; they know I’ll make them try it. They’ll try something one day and go to the fresh fruit and veggie bar and they’ll pick that up.”
Students were hesitant at first. Becky Tharp, who works in the MES kitchen and orders the fruits and vegetables for the program, said she would hear groans of displeasure in response to some of the unique offerings.
About a week into the program, Tharp went before students at an assembly and asked students to keep an open mind.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into it,” Tharp said. “For the people that pick the fruits and vegetables, it’s their livelihood.”
There is also a lot of work involved for MES cooks. Tharp said Pomegranates required 10 hours of prep work before they could be served to classes.
Tharp said she intersperses exotic produce with grocery store classics — carrots, raspberries, zucchini, and bell peppers have been some of the traditional choices given to MES classes. The mixture of common produce with exotic fruits and vegetables is partially because some fruits and vegetables may be impossible to find at local grocery stores.
Sea beans may be available at grocery stores in Newton, but shoppers may have to venture as far as Wichita, Tharp said.
The top goal of the program is to foster healthy eating habits, Garman said. She hopes students will reach for fruits and vegetables between meals at home. Part of healthy eating habits is suggesting to parents what fruits and vegetables to buy.
“My hope is that they will go to the store with their parents,” Case said.
As with Stevenson’s class, MES students look forward to their afternoon snacks. The schedule changed for students last week — normally students have snacks on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — but they received sea beans on Friday. When the schedule changes, students clamor for missing snacks of fruits and vegetables, Case said.
“They’re filling up on the good stuff,” MES cook Terry Cochran added.