Extension > Food > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Sourcing Food > Sourcing Apples
Sourcing Apples
Finding Local Food
- Local Foods Partnership online searchable database through the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. It includes a wide range of food products from farmers mostly in northwest, western, and central Minnesota.
- The Minnesota Grown wholesale database lists Minnesota farmers interested in selling their products to schools. You can search online by product type and by region.
- The Land Stewardship Project has a Farm Directory for schools looking to purchase sustainably raised foods.
- Food Alliance Midwest is a national organization that certifies farmers who follow sustainable farming practices. Contact Bob Olson, the director of Food Alliance Midwest, for assistance in finding farmers: 651-265-3682
- Pride of the Prairie farmers have experience in selling to retail food buyers. For assistance in finding farmers, contact Terry VanDerPol: 320-269-2105.
Buying “number 2” apples can be a good deal for the foodservice, and a good deal for the farmer. Apples that are good quality but too small be graded "number 1" are perfect for school lunches. They meet the nutritional requirement, and aren’t so big that half the apple winds up in the trash. They cost less than number 1s, but being able to sell them as “small ready to eat apples” as opposed to selling them for sauce or pies is more profitable for the farmer. The Hopkins school district was able to economically serve small Honeycrisp apples from the Pepin Heights Orchard by serving number 2s.
Regulations on Buying Apples Directly from Farmers
Minnesota state laws permit retail establishments and food services to purchase raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables from any farmer who is selling the produce of his or her own farm.
Food Buying Guide Specifications
Reference: Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Food As Purchased (How the Product Can Be Purchased) |
PurchaseUnit(How You Should Order the Product) |
Servings per Purchase Unit(How Many Servings You Will Get Per Purchase Unit) |
Serving Size per Meal Contribution(For Each Meal Component Category) |
Amount Needed to Buy of the Purchase Units for 100 Servings |
Additional Information(AP = As Purchased) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apples, Fresh 125-138 Count, Whole |
Pound
Pound
Pound |
7.4 Servings
3.0 Servings
11.4 Servings |
½ cup, raw, unpeeled apple (about ½ apple) 1 baked apple (about ½ cup cooked fruit) ¼ cup raw, cored, peeled fruit |
13.6 Pounds
33.4 Pounds
8.8 Pounds |
1 pound AP = 3 2/3 cups ready to serve apple
1 pound AP = 2 ¾ cups ready to cook or serve apple |
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