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Lesson 2:

Farm to Plate

LESSON OVERVIEW:

In this lesson, students explore the food system and participate in 

activities that help them understand the route fruits and vegetables take 

from farms to their plates. Students will discuss what it means for a fruit 

or vegetable to be locally grown, and the benefits of local foods. They will 

“dig deeper” into the delicious options among dark-green leafy vegetables 

by working to identify, taste, and compare items such as kale, spinach, 

and leaf lettuce, and discover ways to include them at snacks and meals.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: Where does my food come from? Where does its

 journey to my plate begin? How far does it travel?

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

GETTING STARTED (30 minutes)

1. Begin by asking students to write down the name of everything they 

ate or drank during their last meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) in their 

Garden Journals. Tell them to underline the name of the foods that 

came from a plant (fruits, vegetables (including beans), grains, nuts, 

seeds). 

2. Ask students: Where does your food (fruits and vegetables) come 

from? Where does its journey to your plate begin? How far does it 

travel? Use a bag of spinach as an example. Some students may say 

the grocery store or supermarket. If so, encourage students to think 

about how the spinach got to the market. Explain that fruits and 

vegetables come from a farm, orchard, or garden, where they are 

grown and harvested. (Review from Lesson 1.)

3. Ask: How many steps would spinach have to travel from the school garden 

to the cafeteria? To help students develop an understanding of the distance 

their food travels from farm to plate, ask students to predict, and then 

count, the number of steps it takes to get from the garden to the cafeteria. 

Have students note and map this journey in their Garden Journals.

Note: You could also measure the steps from any other two points in the 

school for this example.

4. Ask: How many miles do they think spinach would travel if it came 

to them from a farm? Allow students to think about and discuss their 

answers. They would have to know which farm it came from. Point out 

that although it’s impossible to tell where a fruit or vegetable was grown 

just by looking at it, one can find out by looking at the packaging, signs 

in the grocery store, or by buying from a farmer directly (for example, 

at a farmers market). The next activity will allow students to further 

explore the steps and journey of food from farm to plate.

TOTAL TIME REQUIRED: 190 minutes / 3 sessions

Session 1: Getting Started 30 min; Activity I “The

 Farm to Plate Game” 40 min (Science/

 Social Studies)

Session 2: Activity II “Map the Distance” 60 min (Math)

Session 3: Activity III “Harvest, Prepare, and Taste 

 Dark-Green Leafy Greens!” 30 min (Health);

 Reflect 30 min (English Language Arts)

Key Message: 

Add spinach to your sandwich. 

Make a salad. Eat your greens. 

They’re nature’s rock stars!

Subject Connections:

Science, Math, Health

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to...

• Explain the food system and describe how

 food travels from where it is grown to their

 plate.

• Describe how plants are connected 

 to the foods people eat.

• Grow (and harvest) a dark-green leafy 

 vegetable and describe its taste.

• Demonstrate and explain the importance of

 hand washing and properly cleaning fruits 

 and vegetables before eating them. 

Supplies:

• Access to sink with warm, running water 

and soap

• Access to a food-preparation sink 

 (for students to rinse leafy greens)

• Large bowl(s) to rinse leafy greens, 

 paper towels

• Salad spinner, forks, paper plates, small bowls

 for salad dressing; 2 baking pans, spatula 

 (optional for Crispy Kale Chips recipe p. 24)

• Garden Journals

• Teacher handout (p. 66):

 1.The Farm to Plate Game

• Student handout (pp. 67-68):

 2. Dark-Green Leafy Vegetable Taster

• Dig In! poster – Leafy Green DJ

Featured Fruits and Vegetables:

Spinach, green leaf lettuce, and kale*

Provide enough samples for students to observe 

and taste, either from the garden or purchased 

from a market. Provide water (and cups) for 

students to drink as they taste the vegetables.

(*Optional: Try offering cooked kale. 

See recipe on p. 24.) 

Additional Foods:

Samples of three salad dressings (for example, 

olive oil and vinegar, ranch dressing, 

Russian dressing).

Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov 19
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Activity I. The Farm to Plate Game (40 minutes, Science/Social Studies)

*See “Dig Deeper” in sidebar on left for Social Studies connection.

Prepare: Print out and cut the cards on The Farm to Plate Game handout 

(p. 66) to use for the game. See instructions for play on p. 25.

1. Explain that many of the fruits and vegetables we eat travel great distances 

before they reach us. The term “food system” is used to describe all the 

steps, processes, resources, and people involved in getting food from a farm 

to our plate. Share with students that most fruits and vegetables eaten in 

America travel hundreds of miles before they reach our plates. In one study, 

researchers learned that fruits and vegetables traveled on average about 1,500 

miles from the farm where they were grown to the Chicago Terminal Market!

2. List the following food system steps on the board and discuss what 

happens in each:

 1) Production: Growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables 

 2) Processing: Washing, cutting, mixing, and packaging fruits 

 and vegetables

 3) Distribution: Transporting, storing, marketing (i.e., advertising), 

 and selling fruits and vegetables

 4) Consumption: Preparing and eating fruits and vegetables

 5) Composting/Recycling: Uneaten food scraps are disposed of 

 (either composted to return nutrients to the soil or sent to a landfill).

3. In this next activity, students will play The Farm to Plate Game where each 

student represents a different role within the food system. Hand out one 

Farm to Plate card (p. 66) to each student, starting with farmer (or producer) 

and ending with Compost/Waste Manager. Allow students a few minutes 

to study their cards. (See p. 25 for teacher instructions on how to play the 

game, definitions of each role, and answer key.) 

4. Next, give students 10 minutes to arrange themselves in the order of the 

steps a fruit or vegetable travels from the farm to a person’s plate. Discuss 

each role and make corrections. To show the food system in action, pass a 

vegetable (for example, a spinach leaf or bag of spinach) through the supply 

chain starting with the producer and ending with the consumer. Have 

students announce their role when they are handed the vegetable. Ask 

students to share their understanding of the food system and discuss any 

thoughts they have about the process and steps. 

LEARNING ACTIVITIES LESSON 2

DIG DEEPER! (SOCIAL STUDIES)

• Ask students to think about what 

happens to food scraps and empty 

food containers/packaging. If you 

throw them away, where do they go? 

Have students brainstorm and discuss 

in small groups, then report back. 

Explore these options in the waste 

management step of the food system:

1. Leftover fruit and vegetable scraps

 may be thrown into the garbage and

 then transported to a landfill or 

 incinerator.

2. Or, leftover fruits and vegetables may

 be added to a compost pile. Compost,

 a form of recycling, is a collection of

 once-living things or their products 

 (such as fruit and vegetable scraps, 

 grass, coffee grounds, and nut shells) 

 that have been decomposed by helpful 

 microorganisms. Compost is used by

 farmers and gardeners to add nutrients

 back to the soil for new plants.

3. Food packaging also goes into the garbage

 or may be recycled. Some communities

 recycle materials such as paper, cardboard,

 plastic, aluminum, glass, and tin. During

 recycling, these products are processed

 and transformed for another use.

• Students can talk with the School Food 

Service Director to learn about any 

existing school composting or recycling 

programs and efforts to reduce food waste 

in the cafeteria.

• Assign Garden Teams to start and maintain 

a compost for the school. Add only plant 

products, such as fresh fruit and vegetable 

culls from food production (apple and pear 

cores and vegetable trimmings), to a 

school compost pile. Other plant material, 

such as grass clippings, leaves, and twigs 

may be added to fruit and vegetable 

clippings. Do not use animal products, 

animal waste, or any cafeteria waste 

in a compost pile, as it might contain 

animal products. 

• Students can weigh the amount of plant 

and vegetable waste before the program 

and then compare it to the amount of 

waste after the program. Note: Reach 

out to community gardens or your 

local Cooperative Extension Office 

for help and expertise with 

compost. 

FIND OUT WHERE IT GROWS

Explore these online resources with your students to find out more about where 

fruits and vegetables are grown, and where they can be found near you. 

U.S. crop charts:

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Crops_County/index.asp

Find a local farmers market:

http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/

School garden information:

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/school-gardens

Your State Department of Agriculture:

http://www.rma.usda.gov/other/stateag.html 

20 Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov
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Activity II. Map the Distance (40 Minutes, Math/Social Studies)

1. Explain that the distance our food travels depends on how many steps in the food 

system it goes through, and how far away the food was grown. (For example, a 

vegetable grown in Chile will travel farther to get to your plate than one that is 

grown in your garden.) Have students further explore the journey from farm to 

table with the following math challenge. Map the distance between different 

spinach farms and the students’ location.

 First, explain that spinach is considered a cool season crop that grows best in 

50-60 oF temperatures. California, Arizona, Texas, and New Jersey grow the 

most fresh spinach in the United States. California’s mild climate allows farmers 

to grow spinach all year long. China is the world’s leading producer of spinach; 

however, most of the spinach that the United States imports comes from Mexico.

2. Next, ask students to write down the following locations,*

where spinach is grown, in their Garden Journals: 

• California (Monterey County)

• Arizona (Yuma County)

• Texas (Winter Garden agricultural region southwest of San Antonio)

• China (Beijing)

• Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula)

• Farm near school: ____________

 *Note: This is a partial list only. 

 Using an atlas, world map, or online map, have students first determine 

 how many miles each spinach farm is from their hometown. 

3. Next, reveal that there are 5,280 feet in a mile. That works out to 

approximately 2,640 steps in a mile. Have students multiply the miles from

 each spinach farm to their school by 2,640 to calculate the steps it would

 take if they were to walk the distance. Have students plot and map the 

 distance to scale using graph paper. Provide them with a scale to follow

(for example, one grid square equals 100 miles). 

4. Ask students to draw conclusions about the food system. How can it be 

simplified and what are some benefits of a simpler supply chain? Ask 

students to explain how growing or eating food from local sources (see

sidebar on p. 22 for definition) could benefit themselves, farmers, and their 

community. (Knowing where your food comes from and how it’s grown,

certain fruits and vegetables may be easier to find, freshly picked produce

tastes great, buying local supports local farmers.) What are the 

disadvantages? (Fruits and vegetables are only available during the area’s

growing season, limited variety.) What are some places in your community

where you can buy locally grown fruits and/or vegetables?

LESSON 2

 Teacher Tip! 

Use the food system activity to 

connect and draw comparisons

 to other systems and cycles, such 

as the water cycle or life cycle. 

DISTANCE REFERENCE

If you don’t have access to an 

online map or atlas, use the 

following distances as a guide:

These distances are an approximation. 

Point out to students that the task is 

not to get the mileage exactly right, but 

to give them an idea of the differences 

between spinach traveling internationally, 

and spinach traveling regionally 

and locally to their plate.

Distance from California 

(Monterey County) 

to New York, NY: 2,989 miles

Distance from Arizona 

(Yuma County) to New York, NY: 

2,551 miles

Distance from Texas (Winter 

Garden region) to New York, NY: 

1,933 miles

Distance from Beijing, 

China to New York, NY: 

6,830 miles

Distance from Mexico 

(Yucatán Peninsula) 

to New York, NY: 3,263 miles

Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov 21
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WHAT IS “LOCAL”? 

The terms “local” or “regional” are used 

a lot these days in reference to food. 

Both words imply close geographic 

proximity, but what a school or 

community considers “close” often 

depends on the unique geography and 

climate of where it is located, and on 

the number of agricultural prducers in 

the area. (For example, a rural school 

surrounded by agriculture might define 

local as within the county, while an 

urban school far from farm lands 

might define local as within the 

State or within 200 miles.)

Activity III. Harvest, Prepare, and Taste Dark-Green Leafy Greens! 

(30 minutes, Health/Garden)

Prepare: If you have a school garden and have planted dark-green leafy 

vegetables, such as spinach or leaf lettuce, you can do this activity when they 

are ready for harvest. ( p. 104)

Otherwise, use purchased samples of dark-green leafy vegetables, such as 

spinach and leaf lettuce. You’ll need access to sinks for hand washing and 

rinsing of the greens. You will also want to supply plates, napkins, and forks 

for each student. Pour samples of the salad dressings into small bowls. 

Note: The activity is written for two raw samples, but you may want to 

add a cooked one to compare. (For example, Crispy Kale Chips Recipe

(p. 24).) You may want to ask your school district’s Food Service Director 

or a local chef for assistance with this activity.

1. In this activity, explain that students will harvest (if growing in the garden),

prepare, and taste a variety of dark-green leafy vegetables. Whether

 harvesting or purchasing, show and observe spinach leaves with students.

 Pass leaves around for students to look at, smell, and touch (but not eat!)

 Explain that spinach, for example, is a green, leafy plant that grows close

 to the ground. The stems grow straight up from the ground in clusters,

 and leaves usually grow 6-8 inches long. How can one pick good spinach

 leaves? Look for green, crisp leaves with a fresh, sweet fragrance, and 

 a springy texture. Avoid limp, discolored, or damaged leaves.

2. Distribute the Dark-Green Leafy Vegetable Taster handout (pp. 67-68). 

 First, have students try to match the pictures of some dark-green leafy 

 vegetables with their names (for example, spinach, bok choy, collard

 greens, leaf lettuce, kale, and romaine lettuce).

3. Explain that broccoli and dark-green leafy vegetables, such as spinach,

 belong to a subgroup within the Vegetables Food Group called the 

Dark-Green Vegetables Subgroup. Vegetables in this subgroup all 

 provide the same kinds of nutrients. Eating vegetables from this 

 subgroup each week helps you play hard and be healthy. (Learn more

 about nutrients and the vegetable subgroups in Lesson 3 on p. 26.) 

LESSON 2

 IMPORTANT FOOD 

 SAFETY STEPS! 

Please see p. 4 for a reproducible handout 

to post in a visible location in your classroom. 

It is important that you follow these steps to 

keep yourself, your students, and any 

parents or volunteers safe and healthy. 

Hand Washing:

All persons participating in the food 

preparation activity (teachers, students,

volunteers, parents) should wash hands

before and after preparing, handling, or

sampling foods. 

22 Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov
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4. Go over the Spinach Fun Facts on the handout. Have students wash

 their hands carefully, before and again after harvesting, and go over the

 proper steps found on p. 5. Next, help students harvest greens (if they

 are growing in the garden) and prepare them for tasting by rinsing them

 carefully in water, following the appropriate food safety steps (see p. 4). 

 Explain that it is important to follow these food safety steps any time 

 food is being handled or eaten to remove dirt and germs that could 

 make you sick. Note: If you do not have access to an appropriate and

 clean sink for food preparation, or your school policy does not allow 

 children in the kitchen, ask for help from your school’s food service staff 

 to rinse the greens.

5. Now it’s time to taste! Remind students of the Tasting Etiquette 

 Guidelines (created in Lesson 1). Have students first taste each of the

 dark-green leafy vegetable samples without any dressing and describe it in

 the designated spaces on their handout noting any differences in taste,

 texture, color, and appearance.

6. Next, have them taste the greens with a little of each of the dressings

 provided. They should note their observations on their Dark-Green

 Leafy Vegetable Taster handouts.

7. Invite students to describe what they tasted, which they preferred, and

 to explain why. Ask students to consider the pros and cons of using salad

 dressings. (A little salad dressing made with vegetable oils can add flavor

 to a salad. Too much salad dressing can make your salad soggy, hide the

 colorful salad ingredients, and make your salad less healthy by adding too

 many calories.)

8. Have students finish the activity by answering the questions on their

 handout in their Garden Journals. Ask them to share ideas of how to

 add dark-green leafy vegetables to their meals. 

HOW TO RINSE 

LEAFY GREENS

Fresh leafy greens can have a lot of 

dirt trapped in the folds and crevices 

of the leaves. It is important to rinse 

them well before eating. Here’s how:

1. Fill a large clean bowl 

with very cold water.

2. Add the greens to the water 

and gently submerge them. 

Carefully swish the greens around 

in the water with your hands. 

3. Remove the greens and 

pour out the used water.

4. Rinse out the bowl to 

remove any leftover dirt.

5. Refill the bowl with cold water, put 

the greens back in, and repeat this 

process until the greens are clean. 

(You’ll know the greens are 

clean when there is no 

dirt left in the water.)

ABOUT THE DARK-GREEN 

VEGETABLE SUBGROUP

It’s not enough to be dark green. 

Some vegetables, like zucchini and 

cucumbers, are not in the DarkGreen Vegetables Subgroup. 

Zucchini and cucumbers are white 

inside, not green, and only have a 

green outer skin/peel. Some “green” 

vegetables, such as green beans, 

don’t have the same kinds, or amounts 

of, certain nutrients as those in the 

Dark-Green Vegetable Subgroup. 

It’s not enough to be a leaf.

While most dark-green leafy vegetables 

are in the Dark-Green Vegetable 

Subgroup, there are other lighter 

colored leafy veggies that are not. (For 

example, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, 

and Brussels sprouts.) They do not 

have the same kinds and amounts 

of nutrients as dark-green 

leafy vegetables.

LESSON 2

Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov 23
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REFLECT (30 minutes, English Language Arts)

1. Display the Dig In! poster (Leafy Green DJ) where students can see it. 

Have students reflect in their Garden Journals on the following questions. 

What was the most interesting discovery you made about where your food 

comes from? What new dark-green leafy vegetable did you taste? What 

different ways can you include dark-green leafy vegetables in your meals? 

What dark-green leafy vegetables can you identify in the poster?

 (Need help? A list of all vegetables pictured in the poster can be found at: 

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/dig_in.html)

2. As a final assessment, have students write a creative story called “My (Fruit 

or Vegetable) Travel Journal.” They will write about the journey from a farm 

to their plate, from the point of view of a fruit or vegetable. The story should 

describe their understanding of the food system. Ask: What does the food 

experience as it travels from the farm to your table?

EXTENSIONS

Share Food Travels. Have students take their original stories (from reflection) 

about a food’s travels from the farm to their table, illustrate it fully, and then read

their stories to a younger class (grades K-2) to teach them about the food system.

Local. Invite your school district’s Food Service Director to talk to the class about 

how foods for school meals are purchased, and what food, if any, is purchased 

from local producers.

Farm Visit. Identify local agricultural sources (farm, farmers market, food co-op,

or community garden). Take a field trip to discover and identify the variety of 

fruits and vegetables grown at one of these sources. Have students work in 

small groups to prepare interview questions for farmers, market managers, or 

garden caretakers before the trip. If your class is unable to take a trip, invite a 

local farmer to visit your classroom.

DARK-GREEN 

LEAFY VEGETABLES? 

RAW OR COOKED? 

Many dark-green leafy vegetables, 

such as spinach and leaf lettuce, 

are eaten raw in salads or on 

sandwiches. Some leafy greens, 

such as mustard greens, kale, and 

collards, are often cooked before 

eating. Cooking mellows the 

somewhat bitter flavor of these 

greens and provides a softer 

texture than the raw leaves. Ask 

your school’s food service staff or 

a local chef to demonstrate and 

offer cooked samples of greens 

such as kale or mustard greens. 

(For example, try offering kale chips, 

sautéed mustard greens, or a soup

with kale for students to taste.) 

 Note: Check p. 2 for Important Food Safety 

 Steps and Allergy Reminders.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb kale (1-2 bunches), rinsed and dried

• 2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

• 2 tsp salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 oF. 

2. Remove the tough stem from the kale leaves, and cut the leaves into 4- to 5-inch pieces. 

3. Toss the kale leaves with oil until they barely glisten. Sprinkle the leaves with salt. 

4. Spread the leaves onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Do not overlap the leaves or

 they will not get crispy. Bake for 5 minutes. Take the baking pan out of the oven, turn the

 leaves with spatula, and put the pan back into the oven. Bake for 5-10 more minutes. 

5. Check the leaves often. Leaves should be crispy but not burnt. Let chips cool on pan. Enjoy!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes 

Serves: 12

Serving Size: 1⁄2 cup

Supplies:

• 2 baking pans

• spatula 

LESSON 2

DIG DEEPER! 

ROCK ON!

Have students create original fruit 

and veggie songs promoting healthy 

messages. Students can perform 

them in the cafeteria, at an 

assembly, over the morning 

announcements, or on the 

local radio station. 

24 Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

Recipe

Crispy Kale Chips
25

Teacher Handout

THE FARM TO PLATE GAME!

Teacher Instructions:

This game can be played by the whole class or by individual students as an 

independent activity. There are nine cards (see p. 66), each with a different 

role* in the food system. Assign a student or group of students to each role. 

Print out the sheet of cards and cut along the dotted lines. Tip! To make them 

more durable, you may want to print on card stock or laminate. 

*Note: This is not a complete food system list, and some roles may fit in at 

multiple stages of the system. (For example, there may be several “Food 

Transporters” which can fit in different stages of the system.) The important 

thing is to understand that there are stages of the food supply system and 

what each role fulfills. You may add to the list of roles after researching more 

details and steps of the food system with your students.

How to Play:

Objective: To arrange the cards, or students holding the cards, 

in the correct order to show how food moves from farm to plate.

Independent Play: Shuffle the cards and place them face down 

on the table. Start a stopwatch/timer and then turn the cards over quickly

Arrange the cards in order, showing how food moves from the farm to the

table. When finished, stop the stopwatch and record the elapsed time.

Check the order of the cards with the answer key. If an error was made, 

try the game again. Have students try to improve the time it takes to 

correctly arrange the cards.

Class Play: Designate one student as The Educated Consumer

to arbitrate all disputes. Shuffle the cards, and then hand a card, face down, 

to each student or group of students. Start a timer and then have each 

student turn over his or her card. Students work cooperatively 

to arrange themselves in a line, showing the 

correct order in which food moves from the 

farm to the table. In case of a dispute, students

will ask for aid from The Educated Consumer

to resolve the dispute. When the students are

finished, stop the stopwatch and record the

elapsed time. Check the order of the cards with

the answer key at right. If an error was made, 

have students try the game again and attempt 

to improve their time. 

ANSWER KEY

AND ROLE DEFINITIONS

Order of the Farm to Plate

Cards: 

1) Farmer (Producer)

 A person/company who grows and 

harvests food on a farm 

2) Food Inspector 

 A person/company who visits farms 

or processing centers to ensure that 

foods are grown and processed safely

3) Food Processor

 A person/company who washes, cuts, 

mixes, and packages food from the farm

4) Food Transporter

 A person/company who moves food 

from one location to another, such as by 

truck, train, ship, or airplane

5) Food Distributor 

 A person/company who decides 

which stores receive the food

6) Advertiser

 A person/company who designs 

the advertisements that promote 

food to consumers

7) Grocer/Food Retailer

 A person/company who sells food 

to consumers (such as through 

a grocery store or supermarket)

 8) Consumer

 A person who buys the food that 

 has been grown or prepared

 9) Compost/Waste Manager

 A person/company who 

 disposes of leftover food 

 scraps by either composting 

 or throwing food away 

 (sending to a landfill)

LESSON 2

Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov 25