by MADIE MURRAY

F2C Chairperson

The term “Fifth Season” means we are figuratively adding another season to the four seasons by preserving the harvest when it is most bountiful and consuming when we would not otherwise be able to.

For the fifth year, Black Dog Farm, Coffelt Farm, Maple Rock Farm, Wren’s Berries, Morning Star Farm and Tap Root Farm delivered hundreds of pounds of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, picked that day, as fresh as it can get, to the school cafeteria. Then a team of dedicated Farm to Cafeteria volunteers took a day out of a lovely Orcas summer to slice, dice, peel, process and freeze blueberries, garlic, tomatoes, basil, tomatillos, peppers, beets, cucumbers, green beans and zucchini so they may be used in school lunches during the fall. Also received were beautiful apples, pears and potatoes that will be used right away.

What’s happening with the old cafeteria?

School lunches will be a little different this school year, especially after December. If all goes according to plan, the old cafeteria and home economic room will be gutted in January 2015 and rebuilt to house a larger cafeteria kitchen with more processing and food storage capabilities, and a culinary arts room. Zach Holley, our school chef, is currently earning his certification to teach our first High School Chef Intern Program – hopefully in the 2015-16 school year.

How will our students be fed school meals while the old cafeteria is being rebuilt?   Quite differently for a while!   Although they will still be getting the best meals possible under the circumstances, they will be prepared off-site at the Camp Orkila kitchen and transported to the school where they will probably be consumed in the classrooms from January through June. The cafeteria and culinary arts room are scheduled to be completed by August and ready for use by the start of the 2015 school year.

October is National Farm to School month and to celebrate the month and say a “public” goodbye to our 35-year-old cafeteria, Geddes Martin, chef extraordinaire of the Inn at Ship Bay, will be our “Celebrity Chef” at school on Thursday, Oct. 16. Mark your calendars to join our students for lunch at school on this special day!   Particulars on the menu will be known soon; and, of course, it will include “Fifth Season” ingredients.