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You are here: Home / Food / Ohio’s Great Apple Crunch!

September 9, 2019

Ohio’s Great Apple Crunch!

During the Ohio Great Apple Crunch, groups of students, employees, 4-H members, and more bite into Ohio apples and learn about local foods. The official event takes place on October 10 at noon.  However, Ohio will get credit for your “Crunch” anytime in October. The event is a great chance to highlight and celebrate National Farm to School Month.

Apple Crunch posters in shcool

“Farm to school”(PDF)Links to a PDF document. refers to a broad range of activities involved in schools’ efforts to purchase, serve, and teach about local foods. Research suggests that students at schools and early childhood education sites that engage in Farm to school activities, particularly school gardens, eat more fruits and vegetables, are more willing to try new foods at school and home, understand seasonality better, and may experience improved academic achievement in science, math, language arts, and writing.

kid at Apple Crunch event

DID YOU KNOW?…

  • Ohio is home to over 100 apple orchards.
  • Ohio apple orchards produce 50 varieties and an average of 34.4 million pounds of fresh apples per year.
  • Ohio is one of the top ten apple producing states.
  • Students will eat more apples if they are served sliced!

GREAT APPLE CRUNCH activities can include:

  • Graphing students’ favorite apple (green vs red)
  • Calculating how many apples it takes to make a gallon of cider
  • Apple costumes and “selfie” frames
  • Apple songs and games
  • Tastes tests of apple recipes and various apple varieties
  • Trips to apple orchards

Whether you host an impromptu “crunch” in your office, take apples to a county commissioners’ meeting, or teach lessons about apples at local schools, you’ll bring fun and awareness to your community while fostering Farm to School activities through the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch.

Register for the 6th annual apple crunch through the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch website.  Just click on “Ohio” to get resources specific to our state. Learn more and register for FREE!

Why register? When you register you will receive an updated copy of the Crunch Guide with tips on where to get local apples and how to celebrate the Great Apple Crunch. Your event will also be counted in our friendly competition among states (let’s beat Michigan!!) and to help us meet the regional goal of 1.6 MILLION CRUNCHES this year! Register here!

Like and follow @OhioFarm2School on Facebook to stay up to date on Apple Crunch news!

Share your excitement! Post your Great Apple Crunch photos at: #GreatAppleCrunch #OHapplecrunch #OhioFarmToSchool #F2SMonth. For Early Care and Education programs:  #LittleCrunchers #OHLittleCrunchers

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WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, Associate Professor and Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County

SOURCES:

  • Ohio Apples (2014). Bite into the apple orchards of Ohio! http://www.ohioapples.com/
  • National Farm to School Network (2019). National Farm to School Month. http://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/farm-to-school-month
  • National Farm to School Network (2019). The Benefits of Farm to School. http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf

REFERENCES:

  • Hanks, A. S., Just, D. R., Smith, L. E., & Wansink, B. (2012). Healthy convenience: Nudging students toward healthier choices in the lunchroom. Journal of Public Health, 34(3), 370-376. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fds003
  • McCool, A., Myung, E., & Chien, T. (2005). Modification of the Form in Which Fresh Fruit is Served as a Possible Means of Increasing the Consumption of Fruit Offered to Elementary and Middle School Students. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 8(2), 73-85. doi: 10.1300/J369v08n02_06

Categories: Food
Tags: apples, Farm to School, Great Apple Crunch, local foods

Avatar for Carol Smathers
Avatar for Carol Smathers

About Carol Smathers

Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, is an Assistant Professor and Field Specialist in Youth Nutrition within Ohio State University Extension. Her interests and research focus on youth education and implementing policy change strategies to create healthier environments in schools and other community settings. She directs the Ohio Farm to School program and is a researcher on a multistate project aimed at reducing childhood obesity among young children in rural communities. She serves as the co-chair of Growing Healthy Kids Columbus, a coalition of over 30 organizations that has developed successful campaigns such as “Water First for Thirst” and “An Hour a Day to Play”.

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