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Harvest of the Month

Harvest of the Month is an online fruit and vegetable resource with access to tools and materials that can be used widely in school environments.

Description

Harvest of the Month (HOTM) materials feature seasonal fruits and vegetables each month and can be used to provide nutrition education and promotion in the cafeteria, classrooms, and garden. HOTM materials vary and include taste-testing ideas, recipes, cafeteria connections, gardening education, field trip ideas, classroom lessons, farmer or grower videos, family newsletters, and more.

Though the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) originally developed the widely used and trademarked HOTM materials, a number of local entities have adopted and adapted the concept to develop similar and complementary materials.

Harvest of the Month™ Resources

Below are the CDPH trademarked HOTM materials.

Grade Group Link Description
PreK-5th

San Francisco USD HOTM web pageExternal link opens in new window or tab.

This resource provides a combination of HOTM™ materials including educator newsletters, slide decks, student workbooks, and posters.

K-3 and 4-6

Orange County Department of Education HOTM External link opens in new window or tab.

This web page houses HOTM™ materials for K-3 and 4-6th, including the educator newsletter in (English) and family newsletter in (English and Spanish) for select fruits and vegetables.
K-6

University of California San Diego Center for Community Health web page External link opens in new window or tab.

This web page houses a combination of HOTM™ materials and locally developed videos and materials. The materials for teachers are organized by fall, winter, spring, and summer and include how to conduct a taste-test, videos, workbooks, and recipes.

Harvest of the Month-Inspired Resources

Below are HOTM-inspired materials that can be used to highlight local fresh fruits and vegetables monthly. These materials were created and posted by various sources.

Grade Group Resources Description
K-12 California Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Fact Sheets web page External link opens in new window or tab. These 44 fact sheets introduce an agricultural commodity, plant nutrient, or agricultural topic, including fruits and vegetables and provide ideas for using them as a part of a lesson or classroom activity.
K-12 California AITC Harvesting for a Healthy Community Farm to School Resources web page External link opens in new window or tab. These 10 comprehensive resources bridge the gap between the classroom and the farm through complementary posters, newsletters, Taste and Teach lessons, mini books, and Meet the Farmer or Grower videos.
K-12 Los Angeles Unified School District (USD) Food Service Food Services Café LA Harvest web page External link opens in new window or tab. This cafeteria-based program features educational materials on select fruits and vegetables, including a nutrition flyer with fun facts, a family newsletter, and a student activity sheet. Note that these materials may need to be adapted.
K–12 (posters)
6–8 (lessons)		 San Diego USD
HOTM Farmer Videos YouTube Web page External link opens in new window or tab.
This YouTube web page hosts short videos featuring 14 different crops grown near San Diego.

K-12 (posters)

6-8 (lessons)

 Center for Ecoliteracy
Eating Learning Growing Resources web page External link opens in new window or tab. 		These resources are designed to help educators extend, enhance, and enrich farm to school lessons to be more culturally relevant and engaging for students in various learning environments.

Contact

If you have additional questions, contact the Farm to School Team at Farm2School@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:  
Last Reviewed: Friday, May 30, 2025
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