Fruits of labor

Area school students are enjoying lunches this week that include apples from a Timberville orchard, lettuce from gardens in Dayton and organic Asian pears from Natural Bridge.

There is also freshly produced cider from a Timberville orchard, and sweet potatoes from a number of Shenandoah Valley farms.

School cafeterias in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County are participating in Virginia’s Farm to School Week, a promotion of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

It’s a week where locally produced fruits and vegetables are a part of school menus across the state.

If the student response is positive, the items could become a lasting part of school menus as well as providing revenues for area farmers, said Sandy Neff, school nutrition program supervisor for the Augusta County Schools.

“This is sort of experimenting. The lettuce will continue. It is a very attractive and healthy item,’’ Neff said.

Neff said if things go well, the effort could expand to include locally produced beef in area schools. She said if that happens, a place for the beef processing would have to be found.

Mary Albert, the dietician for the three school districts, said the foods being offered this week are rich in vitamins and fiber.

“For a lot of students, they may not have been exposed to fruits and vegetables,’’ Albert said. “We’re excited to be able to give it to them and let them experience it.”

Albert said the hope is that eating and becoming educated about healthy foods will allow the students to get on the right dietary course early in life.

“Research has shown if they are exposed [to fruits and vegetables] earlier it will carry over into adulthood,’’ Albert said.

Albert said long-term, there is ample reason to take advantage of the area’s rich agricultural offerings.

“With all the agriculture we have in the area we are really trying to tap into it,’’ she said. “We don’t want to get apples from Washington state.”