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Each month the Cambridge
in Motion team sends a flyer with fun facts and a family newsletter to celebrate the Mass Farm to School partnership. We hope your family enjoys the fun and learning opportunities within!
This month we are learning about winter squash! Enjoy the fun resources, recipes, lessons and activities that keep your family exploring and thriving!
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Winter Squash Facts!
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The word squash comes from the Narragansett Native American word “askutasquash” which translate to “eaten raw or uncooked”.
According to Native American legend, squash, beans and corn are thee inseparable sisters who can only grow and thrive together. When European colonizers arrived in America in the early 1600s, the Iroquois had been growing the Three Sisters for over 3 centuries! The Wampanoag tribe of MA, also uses this planting method as do many other tribes!
The leaves, tendrils, shoots, stems, flowers, seeds, and fruit from squash can all be eaten!
In Central Mexico, Peru, and Eastern United States, there is evidence of squash cultivation going back to at least 8,000 B.C.!
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February Harvest of the Month Video! |
Watch our Cambridge in Motion monthly video series featuring the Harvest of the Month! You'll watch our public health nutritionist bring to life the fun facts, make a quick snack, and give a nutrition or food preparation tip!
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Q: What kind of vegetable do you get when an elephant walks through your garden?
A: Squash!
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Videos & Family Learning! |
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(1) Legend of the 3 Sisters: Listen and watch this 4.5 -minute video, written originally by a Mohawk tribe elder, and learn the legend of the three sisters (corn, beans and squash).
(2) How Do Pumpkins Grow? Check out this 4 minute installation from True Food TV and learn all about how this winter squash grows!
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For At-Home or Classroom Learning! |
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(1) A Story of Survival, the Wampanoag and the English: Written by Native American educators, this lesson plan booklet shows us how to teach the Thanksgiving story from a native perspective. Although the focus is on Thanksgiving, there are many wonderful books, lessons, and activities included that can be used throughout the year!
(2) Winter Squash Activity Book: Find 6 lessons for children K-4th grade in this wonderful lesson guide on winter squashes. Draw, observe, taste, match and more as you learn about squash in these wonderful lessons.
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How the 3 Sisters Crops Benefit Each Other & the Soil |
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The crops of corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. For centuries these three crops have been the center of Native American agriculture and culinary traditions. Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. Beans are nitrogen-fixers meaning they host rhizobia on their roots that can take nitrogen, a much needed plant nutrient, from the air and convert it into forms that can be absorbed by plant roots. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.
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Food Waste Tip of the Month |
Make friends with your freezer!
The freezer can be a waste-free kitchen’s best pal. Freezing food is basically like hitting the pause button. Try freezing dark leafy greens that are starting to wilt: chop them up, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer, then use them by the handful in smoothies, sauces, and curries.
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Try this Butternut Squash & Pesto on pasta for a vegetarian dinner tonight (just add a little protein and you have a meal!)
sweet side dish!
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Children's Book Spotlight
Farmer Will and the Growing Table
Written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated by Eric Shabazz Larkin
For grades 6-8
"Will Allen is no ordinary farmer. A former basketball star, he's as tall as his truck, and he can hold a cabbage--or a basketball--in one hand. But what is most special about Farmer Will is that he can see what others can't see. When he looked at an abandoned city lot in Milwaukee he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world.
No space, no problem. Poor soil, there's a solution. Need help, found it. Farmer Will is a genius in solving problems."
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Click Here to download our Harvest of the Month Family Newsletter!
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Cambridge Public Health Department
Follow us on Twitter
@CambMotion
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