Watertown District has earned the Connecticut Grown for CT Kids Grant which provides students with “farm-to-school” work through lessons on local crops and connections to community-grown food through our curriculum and lunch program. On March 2nd, Vibrant Farm in Bantam, Connecticut, delivered radishes to the WHS Unified Foods class, exposing the kids to new vegetables, health benefits, and more! The elementary and primary schools also got the chance to experience this grant, allowing younger students to expand their pallets by trying new foods. Watertown applied for six different local veggies, and activities to devote kids to learning throughout the school year, and this was the first.

In the Unified Food’s radish lesson, students were assigned to make radish chips out of daikon and watermelon radishes. With the help of volunteers and other students, kids tossed the sliced radishes in salt and preheated the oven to 375 degrees. After that, the radishes were put into the oven until crispy and brown. While waiting, the kids made their own ranch dressing with fresh veggies. Radishes are a frequently overlooked vegetable, however, the students loved the taste of the chips! They had an abundance of fun and said they would definitely make them again. 

Farm-to-school programs like these increase learning and academic achievement, reduce visits to the school nurse and decrease behavioral problems. WHS students are very thankful for the opportunity to be involved with such a rad-ish grant!