Pumpkin spice and everything nice

This past October, students at Bowe, Stefanik, Lambert-Lavoie, and Litwin participated in our Harvest of the Month taste test and tried Pumpkin Spice Pears! Following the Mass Farm to School Network’s Harvest of the Month (HOM) calendar, we used local pears from farmer Joe Czajkowski in Hadley. October is our first HOM taste test of the school year. Students will continue trying new foods throughout the year until June, when strawberry season is in full swing!

Students tried these delicious cups of Pumpkin Spice Pears

Our Foodcorps service member, Ms. Kelly, gets ready to serve the pears to students at Lambert-Lavoie.

Thanks to the the overwhelming positive feedback from our students and staff, our Farm to School coordinator has made the pumpkin spice pears a menu item for school lunch in November! Bowe had the highest votes: 191 students loved it, 52 liked it, and 24 disliked it. Next, Stefanik had 152 students vote loved it, 39 liked it, and 38 disliked it. Lastly, at Lambert-Lavoie, 111 students loved it, 35 liked it, and 35 disliked it. Although votes were not counted at Litwin, there was an immensely positive response to the taste test there as well! If you want to try it at home, check out the recipe down below. ​

This is a quick and easy recipe to make at home!