Fresh news! BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC) is pleased to announce the launch of the Spotlight Series on Apples in conjunction with the delivery of apples into the BCAITC Take a Bite of BC teaching kitchens this December! This educational toolkit teaches secondary British Columbia Culinary Arts and Food Studies students all about apples. The Spotlight Series on Apples is a multi-faceted tool that includes the following resources:

• Educational Video: Students will learn the art and science of apple farming in BC from a passionate farmer in this video.
• Activity: A curriculum-linked activity accompanies the video about the apple story from farm to kitchen.
• Recipe: Students can experiment with apple recipe ideas from BCAITC’s Celebrity Chef Randle including BC Apple Blondie, BC Ham, Apple, and Cheddar Panini, and BC Apple Oatmeal Muffins.
• Grow BC: Students can explore Grow BC, an interactive GIS resource, to learn the story of apples and what it takes for the BC apple industry to produce over 90,000 tonnes of apples annually. From where and how apples are grown, to how they are used and their nutritional value, this resource provides straightforward integration into class curriculum.
• Fresh Stories: Educators can teach students about mapping apples, apple cultivars, and more educational activities through Fresh Stories activities.

The Spotlight Series on Apples is made possible thanks to the generous donation of BC apples from BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, a cooperative owned by its members, who are growers of apples, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches, prune plums, nectarines, plums, and table grapes. The cooperative operates BC Tree Fruits, Growers Supply Co. Ltd. and BC Tree Fruits Cider Company.

BCAITC’s Spotlight Series is a fun and easy way to get secondary students interested in BC’s amazing agriculture and food story. The online learning tool provides agriculture literacy education that is easily accessible online 24/7. Through the Spotlight Series, students can learn about growing BC foods and enjoy the benefits of eating fresh, healthy food - reinforcing the role of agriculture in their lives. The educational series allows students to make valuable connections between farming, food security, and healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. New Spotlight Series coming in 2021 will feature duck, pork, and blueberries to augment the existing Spotlight Series on Cranberries, Eggs, and Apples.

“We are delighted to have the support of BC Tree Fruits Cooperative for this Spotlight Series on Apples. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative has been a longtime supporter of BCAITC including our Take a Bite of BC and BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program,” said Pat Tonn, Executive Director at BCAITC. “The Spotlight Series on Apples is a wonderful virtual teaching tool can be used by educators anytime, anywhere to educate students on healthy, fresh, BC grown food. This is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic when flexibility is required in teaching techniques. We are very excited to see the series rolled out to Culinary Arts classrooms and available to Food studies classrooms province-wide,” Tonn continued.

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