On Wednesday, Nov. 24, Madison elementary school students will enjoy a fresh, healthy lunch prepared by the Madison Metropolitan School District Food Service using locally grown produce.

“We are thrilled about this meal,” said Doug Wubben, Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch coordinator. “It”s good for the kids and it’s good for local farmers, too.”

The menu consists of a chicken fajita wrap with fresh vegetables, a fresh Wisconsin apple, and a sweet-potato muffin.

The apples are from Carandale Orchard in Fitchburg. Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua provided the sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and turnips. The spinach is from Snug Haven Farm in Belleville.

“It’s a win-win situation for the kids and the farmers,” said Linda Halley of Harmony Valley Farm.

“This project will challenge the farmers and the school district”s Food Service to think creatively about what works best,” she said, noting that produce must be washed, bagged, and often grated or sliced before it”s delivered to the school district”s Food Service. “It”s not as simple as it might seem – it”s not just the school district buying produce from the farmers.”

Even with fresh, local, and sustainably grown produce, initial assessments of the per-meal cost are within range of what regular lunches cost the MMSD Food Service, said Iris Tirado, MMSD Food Service Coordinator.

“We have to be very conscious of our cost,” Tirado said. “The Food Service operation does not receive any funding from the school district, so our sole funding comes from the food we sell.”

This menu had successful test runs in three pilot schools last fall. With the full cooperation of the MMSD Food Service, the menu is now being taken district-wide.

If the meal is successful – if enough students buy it and if food costs remain manageable – the meal will be added to the menu rotation.

“Classroom Tastings” at three pilot schools (Lincoln, Shorewood, and Chavez) are currently introducing elementary students to the fresh vegetables they”ll be offered at lunch on Nov. 24. During the activity, students are encouraged to taste each of four vegetables, describe and rate the flavor, and then create their own “veggie wrap recipe” based on their preferences.

Volunteers will evaluate how much of the meal children eat at the three pilot schools compared to three demographically similar schools. This is an attempt to learn how well students enjoyed the meal and to see what impact classroom education is having on lunchroom habits.

Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch is a project of the REAP Food Group, the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and the Madison Metropolitan School District. To learn more, visit the REAP website .