Farm to School

  • What is Farm to School?

    Farm to School is the name that the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) uses to describe school programs that promote and serve locally produced foods in cafeterias, educate students about food and agriculture, and those that support school gardens.

    Everett Public Schools supports the Farm to School movement through our procurement, education, promotion, preparation, and service of locally produced foods in our schools.

  • Procurement

    Everett Public Schools is a district with over 20,000 students at 27 school sites, with each site preparing its own meals. This can make it difficult for our local farmers to deliver produce to every school site. As such, Everett Public Schools contracts with a local produce vendor who focuses on procuring from local farms. Produce from a variety of local farms is then delivered to each school site by our produce vendor. This provides our students with greater access to a wide variety of produce while also supporting multiple local farms. A list of local farms that our produce vendor works with, along with some types of produce they provide can be found below.

    Not only do we procure local produce we also get milk and yogurt from local farms. In many instances, the period of time from the dairy farm to the school is less than 48 hours. 
Fresh local plums

  • Education and Promotion

    Harvest of the Month Flyer for Broccoli Each month we feature a vegetable as part of our Harvest of the Month promotion. This promotion puts a vegetable at center stage each month and is featured on our menu and in our cafeteria.

    The featured vegetable is incorporated into the menu so that students have the opportunity to taste, touch and smell the produce. When possible, we prepare the featured produce in a variety of ways throughout the month.

    Through Peach Jar, we send out monthly menus which also include a flyer and an activity sheet about the featured veggie of the month. Each flyer contains fun facts about the featured vegetable as well as a kid friendly recipe you can try at home. Additionally, the elementary school menu also highlights a local farm that provides our produce.

  • Preparation and Food Service

    Unlike districts with a centralized kitchen that prepare and deliver meals to their school sites, each one of our 27 school sites has its own kitchen where meals are prepared each day. This enables us to provide the freshest possible food service to our students. Additionally, we take pride in offering our students access to many made-from-scratch items such as our breads, hummus, and homemade ranch dressing to top a salad or dip fresh vegetables in.

    Elementary School Salad Bar Each elementary school has a salad bar that is full of an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Students have the opportunity to try something new as they go through the line or find a familiar favorite. When in season, fresh fruits and vegetables like local plums can be found alongside other favorites such as apples, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, jicama, peppers, and a salad mix.

Local Farms

  • Anderson Blueberry Farm, Bow, WA, BlueberriesDirt road leading to farm with sunset backdrop
    Biringer Farms, Arlington, WA, Strawberries, Raspberries
    Bob's Corn    , Snohomish, WA, Corn
    Borton & Sons    , Yakima, WA, Apples, Pears
    Broers Farms    , Monroe, WA, Berries
    Bybee Produce    , Prosser, WA, Onions
    Carleton Farms    , Lake Stevens, WA, Vegetable Variety
    Carpinito Brothers    , Kent, WA, Lettuce, Squash, Cabbage
    Cascadian Farm    , Rockport, WA, Organic Variety
    Cedardale Orchards    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Cider
    Craven Farms    , Snohomish, WA, Squash, Pumpkin
    Dues Berry Farm    , Marysville, WA, Berries
    Full Circle Farms    , Carnation, WA, Vegetable Variety
    Garden Treasures    , Arlington, WA, Vegetable Variety
    Gordon Skagit Farms    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Squash, Apple
    Grandview Mushroom Farm    , Arlington, WA, Herbs, Mushrooms
    Hedlin Farms    , La Conner, WA, Variety
    Herb Co International    , Duvall, WA, Herbs
    Highwater Farm    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Variety
    Hughes Farms, Mt. Vernon, WA, Broccoli, Cauliflower
    Inaba Produce Farms, Wapato, WA, Beans, Asparagus
    Imperial’s Garden    , Wapato, WA, Peppers, Tomatoes, Beans
    Jones Creek Farm    , Sedro-Woolley, WA, Variety
    Klesick Family Farm    , Stanwood, WA, Organic Variety
    La Conner Flats    , La Conner, WA, Potatoes, Berries, Herbs
    Magana Farms    , Sunnyside, WA, Peppers, Tomatoes, BeansBasket of dew covered fresh cherries
    Mike & Jean’s Berry Farm    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Berries
    Mosby Farms    , Auburn, WA, Squash, Beans, Cucumber
    Mother Flight Farm    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Organic Variety
    Norm Nelson Inc.    , Burlington, WA, Potatoes (red, gold)
    Perkins Variety Apples    , Sedro-Woolley, WA, Apples
    Pioneer Farms    , Stanwood, WA, Variety
    Puget Sound Potato    , Burlington, WA, Potatoes (red, gold)
    Ralphs Greenhouse    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Variety
    Sakuma Brothers Farm    , Burlington, WA, Berries
    Schuh Farms    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Variety
    Skagit Flats Farm    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Vegetable Variety
    Smith & Morrison Farms, Mt. Vernon, WA, Potatoes
    Sterino Farms    , Puyallup, WA, Lettuce, Squash, Cabbage
    Stocker Farms    , Snohomish, WA, Variety
    Swaney Family Orchard    , Chelan, WA, Cherries, Apples
    Swans Trail Farms    , Snohomish, WA, Corn, Pumpkin, Apples
    T.J. Farm    , Mt. Vernon, WA, Blueberries
    Tonnemaker Hill Farm    , Royal City, WA, Organic Variety
    Viva Farms    , Burlington, WA, Variety
    Wallace Farms    , Burlington, WA, Potatoes (fingerling)
    Willie Green’s Organic Farm    , Monroe, WA, Organic Vegetable Variety