Since Pick of the Crop was launched as a pilot program in 2020 with 35 Queensland primary schools participating across 3 regions, there have been many good news stories, media releases and events that showcase the wonderful achievements by Pick of the Crop schools.
Read about the stories and experiences from across the different regions, on how Queensland primary schools are inspiring their students to learn about, see, grow and eat more vegetables and fruit.
Each year, special events are organised across Pick of the Crop regions, to support schools in raising awareness of the program locally, as well as giving their students the opportunity to enjoy seeing, tasting and learning about veggies and fruit. Here are some examples:
Download print version: Growing a Healthy Future: Kluthuthu Christian College (PDF, 426KB)
Pick of the Crop is being piloted in 10 schools in discrete communities in Far North Queensland (FNQ) as part of the food security agenda.
The FNQ Pick of the Crop (POTC) pilot has been adapted to align with the unique strengths and challenges experienced by schools in the region and is being implemented as a pilot under the Gather + Grow 2023–2032 Queensland Remote Food Security Strategy.
Kluthuthu Christian College
In July 2024, Kluthuthu Christian College became the first independent school to participate in POTC. This milestone marks a significant step in the school’s commitment to enhancing students’ understanding of nutrition, health, and wellbeing.
The college’s journey began in May 2024 when Health and Wellbeing Queensland visited the school, paving the way for the exciting developments that followed.
Since then, Kluthuthu Christian College has quickly showcased its potential, with the school establishing a thriving vegetable garden, filled with a variety of vegetables.
This has become more than just a place to grow vegetables; it’s a hub for learning and overall wellbeing. The garden serves as a multifunctional space, offering students in all grades with a hands-on learning environment where they can explore fruits, vegetables, and nutrition.
It also provides a place that promotes social and emotional wellbeing, helping students connect with nature, culture, Country and each other.
The school plans to integrate the garden into educational programs, using it as a tool to enrich the children’s learning experiences and also improve access to healthy food within the school community.
They also plan to showcase the garden’s produce to the wider community by inviting parents and families to the school, celebrating the fruits of their labour together.
Download the print version [PDF, 823 KB]
Composting Competition
In term 3, 2023, Geebung State School held a competition for the whole school, from Prep to Year 6, to design a composting poster. Prep students completed a colouring in competition style poste
criteria for the posters were:
This is a great way to link the work happening with the school garden and the curriculum for sustainability, design and science. It’s also fun for the students, whose work was showcased in the school assembly too.
The school received a great response. Here are the finalists:
Download the print version [PDF, 555 KB]
Term 3 Trip to the Petersen’s Farm
The whole student body (13 kids) and four adults, including Keith Gilbert, Pick of the Crop regional coordinator, had a jam-packed visit to Cecilia “CC” Diaz-Petersen and Greg Petersen farm in July.
The morning excursion showed the thought, dedication, time and effort that CC and Greg have put into creating a working farm and learning space on their 50 acres. This includes an educational garden, commercial kitchen, greenhouse, wildlife corridor, plus about 10 acres devoted to growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables. They want to inspire a love of growing and cooking in young people.
“Slow food” – A mindset to live by
CC and Greg are almost 100% self-sufficient – they buy pantry supplies and eggs, but little else. CC’s kitchen produces 105 products – pickles, preserves, jams, cordials, etc.
Sustainability focus
Across their farm, features include solar panels, water capture (dams), and spoon drains that Greg dug with the tractor to prevent flooding of the kitchen. They rely on native bees for pollination, and they compost food waste, and rotate crops so pests and diseases don’t build up in the soil.
Learning about plants and produce
The climate and seasons determine what we grow and when – e.g. apples grow well in the cooler states like Tasmania, but not so well in Queensland.
Students saw many plants in the garden, including rosellas which go into CC’s signature rosella jam. We tasted edible leaf hibiscus leaves, to mixed reactions! “They make great San Choy Bow” said CC.
The vegetable is a staple of Islander cuisine and Greg propagates edible leaf hibiscus simply by planting stick cuttings.
Other plants we saw and learned about include jam melon, younger berries, Yellowjack chilli, guava, cumquat, pumpkin, dill, garlic and sunflowers as well as flowering plants to attract bees. We saw young cape gooseberries, too – they grow 1000 plants each year and harvest 100’s of kilo of fruit for jam.
Farmer Joe and the greenhouse
Greg’s dad “Joe” is known to the Woolooga students, as he taught them about Anzac Day this year.
He led a session in the greenhouse, including hands-on potting up of bulb fennel seedlings. Each student took their pot plant home to water for a few days then transplanted into the garden, for a spring harvest.
The greenhouse protects young, tender plants from frost and harsh sunlight – as well as pests like birds and moth caterpillars.
Summing up
We sat down to enjoy morning tea (see CC’s Purple Power Balls Recipe), and had a Q+A.
It was really impressive how many plants and fruits the students remembered the names of (more than Keith did!) and the wise questions they asked CC and Greg.
Ms Castle wrote some of the new words as the students recorded notes in their workbooks.
CC’s Purple Power Balls Recipe
(Makes about 15 balls)
Ingredients
Method
Variations – you could also add: finely crushed Macadamias or finely chopped dried apricots, before rolling into balls.
Download the print version [PDF, 515 KB]
Widgee State School is a rural school about 20 minutes north-west of Gympie, with 57 students. In 2023, it joined Pick of the Crop.
Why did it Join Pick of the Crop?
The art competition
On 14 September, 2023, Keith Gilbert, Pick of the Crop Regional Coordinator for Gympie, hosted by Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers (BFVG), was fortunate to be invited to judge the students’ Fruit and Veggie Art Competition, a Widgee Breakfast Club / Pick of the Crop Activity.
The place was abuzz when he arrived at the school, with about 20 students busy at their creations, and just as many were playing various, vigorous ball games.
What happened
The artists were provided with a range of fruit and veggies (kiwi fruit, carrots, blueberries, oranges, bananas, celery), some cutting tools, plus toothpicks and skewers for assembly.
A veggie-loaded frittata fresh out of the oven provided sustenance, and when the bell rang, the figures were all placed around the benches for judging. One student remarked he was looking forward to eating his celery and banana king at morning tea.
The judging
With students in class, the principal, art teacher and Keith deliberated. The winner was clear.
The winner had made two entries – a banana sausage dog, and a kiwi and berry peacock (Keith’s winner!).
The runners-up were more difficult to choose. Some created whole landscapes with celery palm trees and cut-apple flowers. Others had paid great attention to detail to distinguish the variety of animal – a king cobra snake, a brahman bull etc. All had put a lot of thought into their entries.
The prizes
First prize was a basket of produce from Tony’s Fruit and Veg from Farms and Markets to You.
BFVG provided the 2nd prize – “Princess Bee and the Boy” book, signed by the author, Matthew Middleton (a Sunshine Coast local and native bee enthusiast).
All entrants received Pick of the Crop seed packets, PodSquad balls and stickers.
Success of the event
It was a great activity to give the students confidence around handling, seeing and tasting different fruits and vegetables.
Download the print version [PDF, 486 KB]
On June 3, 2023, the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association proudly hosted the Flavours of Bowen Festival, a delightful community event held at the picturesque Bowen Soundshell and Foreshore.
Pick of the Crop were there to celebrate with the kids attending the festival.
This remarkable festival was made possible through the sponsorship program of the Queensland Government, which granted funds to 10 communities across the state to commemorate Queesland Day by holding an event within their respective localities.
In Bowen, the festival aimed to honor the region’s exceptional food and produce. With an impressive attendance of over 2,000 individuals, the event created a vibrant atmosphere filled with culinary delights, entertainment, and engaging activities for everyone to enjoy!
What’s your flavour?
The festival highlighted the incredible variety of food produced in the region.
Attendees had the pleasure of exploring numerous market stalls offering fresh local produce, as well as indulging in mouthwatering dishes served by various food vendors.
From farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to delectable culinary creations by celebrity chef Grant Madgwick the festival was a gastronomic feast for the senses.
The serve up
Beyond the culinary offerings, the festival provided a diverse range of activities and competitions to keep attendees entertained throughout the day.
Children and adults got the opportunity to participate in tomato egg-spoon racing, sack races, tomato carting, and the highly anticipated watermelon eating contest. These spirited competitions added an element of excitement and friendly competition to the event, with participants vying for a range of awesome prizes!
Ry Collins, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association, expressed his delight at the community’s enthusiastic support for the event.
“The Flavours of Bowen Festival presented an opportunity to celebrate the food that is produced in our region, our diversity, and everything great about living in Queensland. It’s fantastic to see the community come out in support and share in this celebration.”
Pick of the Crop
Bowen Gumlu Growers Assoication’s, Pick of the Crop regional coordinator, Helena De Bortoli went all out in organising a kids’ colouring activity.
Twelve templates featuring some of the abundant fruits and vegetables grown in the region were created for the children to colour in.
Kiddies had the opportunity to proudly exhibit their beautiful coloured in masterpieces like Jamaica (below) who proudly posed next to her perfect eggplant masterpiece!
The popularity of the veggie templates was a wonderful surprise but also children’s remarkable ability to recognise and identify different types of produce was fantastic to see. Overall, the activity was a hit even through it was windy weather!
The festival was a scrumptious success, bringing together the community to revel in the region’s culinary treasures. By celebrating local flavors and fostering community spirit, the festival left a lasting impression on both residents and visitors alike.
The Bowen Gumlu Growers Association, supported by Whitsunday Regional Council and Bowen Tourism and Business, has undoubtedly created an annual event that will continue to be a highlight on the region’s calendar for years to come.
Download the print version [PDF, 644 KB]
For the second year running, Mini Farmer Day made a triumphant return to 12 Pick of the Crop schools across South East Queensland.
Back due to popular demand, the unique event aimed at bringing the farm experience to the classroom, was filled with exciting activities, educational resources, and a celebration of the diversity of fruits and veggies.
Hands on Learning
To kickstart the event, each school received 4 boxes of “Good & Fugly” fruit boxes, promoting the importance of reducing food waste by appreciating imperfect but perfectly delicious fruit. This not only encouraged a sustainable mindset among the students but also brought attention to the significance of supporting local farmers.
Fruit, Books and Beyond
Accompanying the fruit boxes were copies of the engaging “George the Farmer” books and a Pick of the Crop activity booklet. The booklet served as a flexible guide, offering a plethora of engaging activities for students, including the creation of no dig gardens and activities linked to each ‘George the Farmer’ book. ‘George the Farmer’ books, which centre around ‘life on the land’ and the farm-to-table concept, captivated the students’ imaginations and sparked conversations about the journey of food from the farm to their tables. A participating teacher shared: “Mini Farmer’s day was loved by all preppies, particularly reading the ‘George the Farmer’ books and talking more about food.”
From Classroom to Kitchen
The Pick of the Crop activity booklet features vegetable-packed recipes that encourages students to explore the world of nutritious and delicious meals. This culinary aspect of Mini Farmer Day aimed to reinforce the farm-to-table concept, emphasising the importance of fresh produce in creating wholesome dishes.
Bringing Fun to the Farm
The joyous atmosphere on Mini Farmer Day was not limited to the classrooms; it extended to the outdoor activities where some students planted vegetables, others participated in a cow milking simulation, and showcased their dancing and coloring skills. The incorporation of these activities not only made learning about agriculture entertaining but also ensured that the lessons were memorable for the young participants.
Teachers Join the Learning Fiesta
One of the highlights of Mini Farmer Day was the teachers’ involvement in trying new fruits and learning new skills. “The fruit for farmers week has been a hit” (teacher feedback). The teachers embraced the learning experience, with one cutting a pineapple for the first time, and another enjoying kiwi fruit for the first time.
Mini Farmer Day proved to be a resounding success, blending education with enjoyment. The initiative not only provided valuable insights into the agricultural world for the students but also promoted sustainable practices and healthy eating habits. With teachers and students alike embracing the day with open minds and hearts, Mini Farmer Day serves as a shining example of how education and fun can go hand in hand to create lasting impressions and positive change.
Download print version: Fruity Fiesta – Bowen & Burdekin (PDF, 577KB)
End of 2022 ‘Fruity Fiesta’ celebrations in Bowen and the Burdekin strengthened farmer and community connections.
In term 4, Helena De Bortoli, Regional Coordinator for Bowen and the Burdekin invited all 13 Pick of the Crop schools in the region to participate in a ‘Fruity Fiesta’ celebration event.
What was the aim of the event?
The aim was to strengthen actions happening in schools on the 5 Pick of the Crop components, which include:
The event focused on improving students’ awareness, attitudes and behaviours towards production, access and consumption of fresh local produce.
What happened?
8 schools signed up to participate in the ‘Fruity Fiesta’ event in the last 2 weeks of term. Each chose activities to implement, including:
Schools also received fresh fruit for their event.
Who supported the event?
The event would not have been possible without kind donations and distribution of amazing fresh, local fruit from local famers and agriculture industry:
Pick of the Crop is so grateful for these farmers and agriculture industry members in supporting local schools and Pick of the Crop, particularly when it was peak production season when this event happened!
Celebrating success!
This event celebrated all the great work that has happened in 2022. By holding such events alongside implementation of Pick of the Crop, students have increased opportunities to learn about and eat more veggies and fruit into the future.
Download print version: Mini Farmer Day – Logan (PDF, 363KB)
In Term 4, 2022, Pick of the Crop schools in Logan had fun participating in a ‘Mini Farmers Day’ to celebrate farmers and teach students where our fresh food comes from.
Samantha Wyatt, Regional Coordinator for the region had been busy planning the day for schools over the previous term. Supported by her team at Children’s Health Queensland, who host the position with funding from Health and Wellbeing Queensland, schools were able to celebrate with:
• Fruit and vegetable boxes (enough for 1 year level)
• George the Farmer books
• Yummy Health & Wellbeing recipe cards
• Activity pack, filled with inspiration and ideas.
Who was involved?
11 Logan Pick of the Crop schools participated in the Mini Farmer Day event, with 26 boxes of fruit and veggies delivered, and 11 goodie packs – after they signed up to participate in the event.
Prep classes were the focus of the event and many students (and teachers and staff) dressed up in their best farmer’s outfits and enjoyed tasting fruit and veggies delivered or from their own gardens.
What did schools do?
• Story time – reading the George the Farmer books provided in the event pack, while munching on the fresh veggies and fruit
• Colouring in – taking a mindful minute and colouring in farm scenes
• Having a dance party!
• Watching paddock to plate videos
• Getting creative – using a free curriculum-aligned educators guide to connect activities with teaching and learning
Why?
Farmer and food connections is one of the 5 components of Pick of the Crop. The whole-school healthy eating program aims to increase opportunities for Queensland primary school children to learn about positive healthy eating messages and encourages learning, growing and eating more veggies and fruit.
Thanks to One Box and George the Farmer where the fruit and vegetable boxes and books were purchased.
Download print version: Matt Golinksi Event – Bundaberg and Hervey Bay (PDF, 721KB)
In August 2022, parents and carers in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay were treated to top tips from Celebrity Chef Matt Golinski, on how to prepare nutritious and delicious school lunchboxes and family dinners using local produce, as part of the Pick of the Crop program.
As the host partner supporting the delivery of Pick of the Crop in the region, Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Regional Coordinator, Jenna McCormick, organised workshops for parents and students from local schools who were participating in the program.
What was the aim of the workshops?
The workshops focused on supporting healthy habits at home and increasing opportunities for students to learn about, see and taste vegetables and fruit to support their learning at school.
What happened?
Workshops were held in Hervey Bay (9 August) and Bundaberg (10 August).
Matt Golinski, Sunshine Coast Chef, served up ideas, tips and tricks to:
• boost parents’ knowledge, confidence, and cooking skills to get kids in the kitchen, and
• include more local and seasonal produce in lunchboxes and meals.
Morning sessions involved parents and local families attending a demonstration and tasting of Matt Golinski’s 5-minute Fried Rice and Fully Loaded Spaghetti Bolognese before making healthy lunchboxes themselves.
Also see the links to videos from the workshops – Fried Rice and Spaghetti Bolognese.
In the afternoon, students from local schools participating in Pick of the Crop (Torquay State School, Bargara State School, and Thabeban State School) got a taste of the fun at workshops that followed the same format.
Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Chief Executive Officer, Bree Watson, said she was delighted to host the workshops.
“We love connecting parents and the community with where their food comes from. These workshops utilised produce that is grown locally and readily available to showcase how easy it can be to create healthy meals and nutritious lunchbox options for kids”.
Click the headings below to read more stories from participating regions.
Download case study – Bowen (PDF, 606KB)
Like children screaming for more Harry Potter the students at Bowen State School are cheering for Pick of the Crop School Champion Mrs Groves to plant more fruits and vegetables. The school vegetable gardens are newly constructed thanks to Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s Pick of the Crop.
Bowen State School has showcased and developed many wonderful aspects of Pick of the Crop but by far their greatest achievement is the beautiful timber garden beds that are accessible by the whole school, including children with disabilities. The garden beds are the centre of the school and wrap around already existing buildings including the school tuckshop.
Through linking the school vegetable gardens with other Pick of the Crop components the school has also been able to embrace Farming Connections through school incursions and excursions. Local farmers have been invited by students to come to the school to help support the success and sustainability of their school vegetable garden.
Local growers have hosted fundamental seedling and bee workshops with students in Prep and Year 6. Students in grade 3 and 4 have also experienced life on a real working farm through school excursions and have learnt how modern-day technologies including phone apps and computer programs can play a huge role in food production.
Students have learnt a lot about healthy farming practices that include how farms make their own compost, increasing soil health and how the use of beneficial bugs all play a role to bring just one tomato, a corn cob or a handful of beans to our plate.
The school vegetable garden is organic, there is no use of herbicides and pesticides. For this reason, one local grower and agronomist donated several different species of beneficial bugs that are used on their largescale cropping farm to keep pests at bay. Students are a part of the newly formed Garden Club which meet several times a week to maintain the gardens released the bugs into the different garden beds.
Students at Bowen State School showcased their school grown fruits and vegetables alongside many local growers at the towns agricultural show. They put together a large display of fruits and vegetables and flew their school emblem and Pick of the Crop banner proudly to the whole community.
Through deep local farming connections Bowen State School were donated over 10 tonnes of fresh produce to which they sorted into vegetable boxes and sold to families and the local community through a Farmers Market. Tomatoes, capsicums, pumpkins, cucumbers, beans, corn, chillies, honey dew and kiwi fruit were just a few of the fruits and vegetables donated by many different local growers. The Farmers Market was hugely successful and raised nearly $5,000 in funds for the school’s P&C Association.
Pick of the Crop at Bowen State School has been driven by a team of passionate teachers who have been led by an equally as passionate Principal. Bowen State School is a proud of what they have achieved though Pick of the Crop.
Situated 30 kilometres from Bundaberg, and nestled beside the beautiful Kolan River, Avondale State School joined the program in Term 1, 2021.
The school had a clear direction on how Pick of the Crop could boost the current school garden, link with parents and the school community, and increase
opportunities for all students to access and try vegetable and fruit. The school have participated in activities across all five Pick of the Crop components,
as summarised here.
By being part of Pick of the Crop, students have gained so many valuable experiences and opportunities. There have been shifts in behaviours
and attitudes towards vegetables and fruit – extending all the way home with parent connections re-established through the school garden.
Great work Avondale State School!
Download case study – Logan (PDF, 331KB)
One Logan school has shown us how to lead the way through staff engagement, student empowerment and community involvement.
The dedicated team at Harris Fields State School have been busy creating a thriving garden space this year. Each week, students and staff in the Eco Club spend their lunchtimes constructing, digging, planting, nurturing and harvesting.
Situated safely at the top of a hill, with a ready water supply, and plenty of sunshine, the school community decided the best spot for their garden to grow.
A stand out feature of the Eco Club was the Principal’s foresight to allocate School Champions to have their lunchtime duty in the garden. This enabled a regular opportunity for a group of students to participate in a hands-on experience.
Using seasonal calendars to choose the best crops, students decided what to plant and where in their gardens. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they came back from school holidays and found cucumbers longer than their arms! The garden produce has been used in many ways already.
• Taste-testing in the classroom
• Creating recipes using digital technologies
• Gifting to the community through a market stall
Unfortunately, other creatures found the veggies and herbs tasty! So the team came up with an alternative – using a broken marquee frame to hang nets.
On a termly basis, the school runs events to raise awareness around the importance of eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, and how it helps us
to reduce our footprint on the Earth. Meaningful connections have also been built across the school curriculum, so students have access to this learning both inside, and outside of the classroom too.
Download case study – Chatswood Hills (PDF, 447KB)
A change in culture for the Chatty community
When commencing Pick of the Crop in 2021, Chatswood Hills State School had a vision to improve student knowledge and understanding of healthy food choices. The level of enthusiasm students have shown for the program meant this vision is coming to light, changing the way kids are thinking and learning about food.
Making a vision a reality
Chatswood Hills State School (known as Chatty to locals) first priority when joining Pick of the Crop, was to give their existing gardens some much-needed love.
Erin, Inclusive Education Teacher, Environmental Ranger and Pick of the Crop Champion highlights the exposure and active involvement has positively impacted the students’ attitudes.
“We have seen a huge increase in engagement around gardening, students are consistently asking how they can be involved and when they can help in the garden… students are actively seeking out the veggie gardens during break times, to check on the plants and eat anything that’s ready!”
From garden to plate
For those not roaming the garden, the garden has been brought to them. Last year, the first Chatty Fresh Food Market was held to showcase the range of delicious vegetables and fruit that was grown by students.
Parent and carer connections
Chatty sees this Pick of the Crop component as an important aspect of creating healthy habits, so they are engaging parents and carers in different ways. Fortnightly newsletter articles are created and shared to keep parents informed about nutrition, food and healthy habits.
Student-led innovation
As the benefits of Pick of the Crop gain recognition, the popularity of activities has continued to increase across the school:
Creating a sustainable future
Erin is confident that activities will continue, “we are building our veggie crew with teachers and our students are quite invested!”
“We have had great, positive feedback from students, parents and teachers around the Pick of the Crop Program. We believe it is well on its way to becoming embedded in our daily life here at Chatty,” Erin said.
The flexibility of Pick of the Crop has meant Chatty have created a program that is not only relevant to their school community but one that the whole school can get involved in for years to come.
How Chatswood Hills is integrating Pick of the Crop into the curriculum
Prep: A sensory garden was created in the prep playground. The Pick of the Crop funding was used to purchase a variety of aromatic plants including lavender, rosemary, coriander and mint. The students will be able to walk along the garden path smelling and tasting all the herbs.
Year 1 Science unit: how different places meet the need of living things. The class planted veggie seeds, and then cared for them ensuring the plants received the 4 needs of living things – sunshine, fresh air, food and water.
Year 3 Technologies unit: students are tasked with designing and creating a healthy wrap or sandwich. The students are able to explore the Chatty gardens, record what fresh vegetables are available and use that when designing their yummy creation.
Year 4 Science unit: how natural processes and human activity cause changes to the Earth’s surfaces. The class identified an erosion problem near their classroom, caused by both rainwater and students running up and down a hill. They decided that by putting some raised garden beds at the top of the hill, students would be discouraged from taking that path and the gardens would receive plenty of water from the rainwater pathway. As an added bonus, the class then planted fruit and vegetable plants in the garden beds to care for and eat.
Last updated 10 October 2024
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