WSDA Blog

Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Author: WSDA Communications

Every October, schools across Washington State join together to celebrate Taste Washington Day, an annual event highlighting the connections between local farms and schools, many of which occur all year long.

Led by WSDA in coordination with Washington School Nutrition Association and with support from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Taste Washington Day features school meals made from locally sourced ingredients and to celebrate the farmers, food service staff, community partners, and students who make farm to school programs thrive.

Taste Washington Day, held this year on October 8, is also part of National Farm to School Month — a nationwide celebration of food education, school gardens, and local food in schools. Across the state, students learned firsthand where their food comes from and how Washington’s farmers feed their communities.

Celebrations occur across the state

Over 60 school districts and early learning providers — including 16 for the first time — and 40 farmers and food producers signed up to participate in Taste Washington Day 2025. Celebrations took place in 30 counties, across large and small districts, and featured a cornucopia of local foods, from fresh fruit and veggies to local meats, fish, dairy, and grains.   

In Toppenish School District, students kicked off their Taste Washington Day celebration with an engaging visit from Farmer Rowley of Rowley & Hawkins Farms. Rowley shared how Washington apples are grown, grafted, and stored before reaching lunch trays across the state. Then, students joined in the “Great Washington Apple Crunch” (where students in cafeterias and classrooms across Washington take a bite out of a local apple at noon); enjoyed a locally inspired lunch featuring empanadas, pozole, and apple cake; and showed their enthusiasm by wearing the color of their favorite apple variety.

Meanwhile, WSDA staff celebrated the day alongside Dieringer School District in Lake Tapps. There, school nutrition leaders have built a strong farm to school program that extends beyond the cafeteria to the classroom and garden. Students help grow food in the school garden, and the cafeteria menu regularly includes locally produced foods —including food from the school garden. On Taste Washington Day, students enjoyed local burgers made with Colvin Ranch beef, roasted potatoes from the garden, and a beautiful salad bar featuring DeGoede Farms lettuce, Four Elements Farm rainbow carrots, and Bellewood Farms apples.

Annette Slonim, WSDA’s Farm to School lead, said one of the most rewarding aspects of Taste Washington Day is recognizing the people who make these programs possible. “Farm to school wouldn’t exist without the farmers, food service directors, cooks, cafeteria staff, and community partners who put in the extra effort,” she said. “They’re the ones who change routines, test new recipes, and build relationships with local producers, all to give students access to fresh, local foods and support their local farm and food economies.”

At Dieringer, WSDA staff toured the cafeteria and gardens, learning how collaboration between teachers, kitchen staff, community partners, and administrators has created a thriving program that continues year-round. “It’s inspiring to see school nutrition staff actively supported by their district leadership,” Slonim said. “They’re integral to the whole school community.”

Up the road from Toppenish, the Yakima School District also celebrated with enthusiasm. The district hosted a massive first Great Washington Apple Crunch, distributing more than 16,000 Washington-grown Gala apples from Borton Fruit to students and staff across all 21 schools. Everyone joined in — including the superintendent and school board president, school and district staff, and students — creating a true district-wide celebration of local food and community connection.

Farm to school connections bring local food to cafeterias year-round

As Slonim noted, events like Taste Washington Day not only celebrate what’s already happening, but also help inspire new farm to school activities. “For some schools, hosting an event like this is the first step toward building lasting relationships with local farms,” she said.

Taste Washington Day reminds us that farm to school isn’t just a single day or even a single month, it’s a year-round commitment to serving Washington-grown foods in schools and strengthening the bond between students, farmers, and their communities.

To learn more about WSDA’s Farm to School Program, visit our Program’s webpage.