Northern Michigan author and illustrator Dick Evans reads from his book,  “Discovering the Magic of Rainbows,” which introduces the idea of eating a colorful variety of whole fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm.

Central Lake Elementary School celebrated a rainbow of fruits and vegetables last Thursday with a little help from FoodCorps. In the morning, Kindergarteners and first-graders listened to local author and illustrator Dick Evans read his story,  “Discovering the Magic of Rainbows,” which introduces the idea of eating a colorful variety of whole fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm.

After the book reading, students sampled a rainbow salad with red apples, orange carrots, yellow raisins, green romaine lettuce, and purple cabbage topped with a yellow Sunshine Mustard Vinaigrette dressing. Farmer Ryan Romeyn, of Providence Farm and CSA in Central Lake, provided the carrots.

MLUI’s FoodCorps Service Member Daniel Marbury and Central Lake Food Service Director Debbie Wolgamott also prepared a special lunchtime rainbow salad bar, and all the students who tried it were awarded a rainbow lunch sticker. The morning’s session seemed to make a difference as many of the Kindergarten and first-grade students served themselves their own salad like the one they tried in class.

Central Lake students sample a rainbow salad.

Try making your own rainbow salad with your student at home. And if you’re interested in topping it with our Sunshine Mustard Vinaigrette, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil 4 Tbsp    
Honey 1 Tbsp  
Parsley, minced 1 Tbsp    
Lemon Juice 1 tsp
Mustard ½ Tbsp    
1 clove of garlic, minced                  
Salt:  teaspoon    
Pepper: 1 teaspoon

Dick Evans is a book author and cartoonist living in Traverse City, Mich. He teaches creative writing and cartoon classes throughout the region. For information about enrolling your student in an upcoming class, contact Dick at 231-943-7689 or visit his website at www.bearclausepublications.com.

FoodCorps is a nationwide team of leaders serving children by connecting them to real food and teaching them how to grow up healthy. FoodCorps Northwest Michigan is based out of the Michigan Land Use Institute in Traverse City and visits Central Lake Schools twice a month for health food activities in the classroom and lunchroom. For more information about FoodCorps visit www.foodcorps.org and www.mlui.org.