Food, Fun, and Farming

Three girls smile while holding salad greens.

Photos courtesy of Meghan Baker and Holly Jordan of the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension.

By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department

The BCS Migrant Education Program (MEP) teamed up with the Buncombe Cooperative Extension to promote local food appreciation and foster cross-cultural exchange!

The Local Foods Camp, which ran June 18-21, combined third- to fifth-grade MEP students and members of a local 4-H club. Together, they toured a local vegetable and herb farm, Round Mountain Creamery (a goat dairy farm), the Biltmore Estate Farm, and the WNC Farmer’s Market. They learned how to source all the ingredients for an Italian dinner, make pasta, and cook the dishes to perfection.

“The overall purpose was to expose kids to agriculture that’s going on right in their backyard,” said Small Farms Extension Agent Meghan Baker. “It’s a way to connect people to where their food comes from, and to the ecological role that farms play.”

The students saw farm animals, made pasta, harvested produce, cooked in a commercial kitchen, and got to know each other.

“It was a team effort and a holistic partnership,” Baker said. “It was also really cool, and the food was delicious. They did a great job.”

For MEP children there are additional benefits, said MEP Coordinator Ina Gonzalez Jones.

“It’s a bridge between cultures,” she said. “This camp gives them language exposure and helps them make friends.”

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MEP serves youth ages 3-21 who have not completed high school and whose families have moved to Buncombe County within the last three years in search of work in agriculture. The program makes it easier for newcomers to integrate into the local community. MEP staff provides instructional and supportive services for families with goal of keeping children on track to graduate.

Coverage of last year's camps.

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