This month, students in all 6 Dexter schools were able to try locally grown lettuce from Zilke Vegetable Farm in Milan, MI. At Wylie Elementary, students tried samples of the lettuce straight from the farmer herself. A week later, the lettuce was ready to be harvested and delivered to the schools.
Staff in all schools served it on salad bars, and we were at Wylie Elementary to gather student feedback on the experience. Here’s what their survey data showed:
The questions we asked students this month were a little different than surveys in the past, when we mostly focused on students’ immediate reactions to what they tasted. This time, we wanted to know what students might do in the future, as a result of their experience with local food in their cafeteria. Interestingly, the data show this month that more students reported they would “eat more lettuce in the future” than students who reported that they liked the local lettuce they ate during the event.
Student comments ranged from “it was really gross I will never eat your letice ever again” to “Yes, it was very good. I will love it more and more.” Here are a few other notable comments students turned in:
“good but a little bitter”
“needs some flavor”
“I love lettuce.”
‘I love you’re lettuce”
“I don’t like it. It tastes bitter.”
“I think the lettuce would taste better in a salad.”
“it was kind of dry but I’m sure it would taste better like a whole salad! Liked it!”
“yes better than the ones I already eat.”
Next, students will eat locally grown asparagus for lunch, mostly likely during the last week of May. Happy spring harvesting!