AAPI Heritage Month: Reflecting on Hmong Food Traditions and Research
On the last day of AAPI Heritage Month, Midwest Food Connection is reviewing what we’ve learned through researching Hmong culture and traditions. Thanks to a grant appropriated to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund,...
Tips for Continuing Food and Nutrition Education at Home
Happy back-to-school season! It’s September, which means that students all across the country are heading back to school. With students going back into the classroom, it’s the perfect time to think about how to bring food education into your home. There are various...
I Have Seeds! A Story About Food Education
As I sat in the school hallway awaiting a first-grade class to return from lunch for their food education class, I heard the patter of small feet quicken near me and a booming, proud voice announce, “Ms. Missy, Ms. Missy, Ihave seeds!” Plant Food, Educate Kids: A...
What is Composting? How to Start Composting at Home
Have you heard of composting? If you haven’t, now is the time to learn about it! Recent data shows that more people are composting every year, which can make a big impact on environmental sustainability. As of 2021, 38% of food in the U.S. is wasted. That means over...
Bountiful Bean Recipes
Beans are truly a gift in the garden - one of the three sister plants traditionally grown along corn and squash in many native american tribes. Beans help build healthy soil helping other plants / animals thrive, and they bring great nourishment to our bodies as well....
A year of online food education: What we’ve learned about teaching kids virtually in a pandemic
The last time I taught an in-person class for Midwest Food Connection was March 12, 2020. I taught three first grade classes at a Minneapolis school about wheat and pasta, as the students kneaded, shaped and cooked up their own pasta dough. COVID was on all our minds,...
Reflecting on a year of virtual food lessons
On a dreary winter morning, I log into my email to look for a Google Meets invitation that should be showing up at any minute. On this particular day, when I enter the virtual classroom, I am greeted by the smiling faces of first graders, many of them showing me the...
MFC Reflects and Responds to the Murder of George Floyd
The unjust and senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police laid bare (once again) the pervasive systemic racism that is woven into our social fabric. Midwest Food Connection stands in solidarity with BIPOC (Black ● Indigenous ● People of Color)...
Keeping Food Education Alive Through Online Learning
It’s early May and Spring is in full swing here in Minnesota. The air is filled with birdsongs and the buzzing of pollinators, but things in the human world are undeniably quieter this year. We are now in month three of Governor Walz’s stay-at-home order with further...
Climate Conscious Cuisine
A recent Washington Post headline* shouted: “Kids are terrified, anxious and depressed about climate change.” The article goes on to discuss the deep concerns many youth have about the world’s future, and what they can do about it. I imagine you have seen this...
Welcome Bonnie to the Midwest Food Connection Team!
Hi! My name is Bonnie Lohman and I am delighted to be at Midwest Food Connection as a Program Educator. Since 2012, I have dedicated my professional life to garden-based learning, nutrition education, and using the power of food to connect young people to their...
Autumn Days the School Garden Way!
Fall 2019 in Seward, Barton and Northrop Gardens In mid-September, I walked out to the garden at Seward Montessori School with about 30 first, second, and third graders following me. We stopped before entering and remembered our job that day: to observe and draw...
Reflections from a Volunteer, Sarah Lemmage
For the past nine months I have had the opportunity to volunteer with Midwest Food Connect (MFC) as part of my Master’s in Public Health curriculum through the University of Minnesota. Through my MPH degree students take part in an Applied Practice Experience (APEx)...
Meet Katya, a New Educator with Midwest Food Connection!
Hello! My name is Katya Wesely and my priority in this walk, in this world is to help as many beings feel at home. That goes for the animals, fungi, insects, plants and trees, but I take special interest in nurturing other human beans. The Midwest Food Connection...
Meet River, a New Educator with Midwest Food Connection!
Get to know River, one of Midwest Food Connection’s new Program Educators.
What We’re Bringing with Us
Molly and Emily have been Food Educators with Midwest Food Connection for three and four years, respectively. The end of this school year marks the end of Molly and Emily’s time as Midwest Food Connection educators. Before we move on to our next pursuits, we took a...
Spring Salad
INGREDIENTS: Mixed salad greens Cucumber Radish Sprouts (sunflower, broccoli, alfalfa - you choose!) Chives Snow peas Salad Girl dressing: Crisp Apple Maple Vinaigrette
Students Reflect on Six Years of Food Education with MFC
Midwest Food Connection teaches every grade level at Northrop Urban Environmental Center. This winter, we asked Northrop 5th graders to reflect on everything they’ve learned with Midwest Food Connection over the years! Many shared the joy of discovering new foods and...