Kids will learn cooking, nutrition at Modesto farmers market

Up to 40 junior high school students will browse the Modesto Certified Farmers Market on nine straight Thursdays this summer.

They won’t take the produce home. They will cook it right there on 16th Street, learning about nutrition and food sources along the way.

A $97,207 federal grant is paying for the Junior Chef at the Market program, aimed at students who might not have much access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

First call on the slots – 15 remained open as of last week – is for students at Roosevelt and La Loma junior high schools. They can either be 2016 graduates or entering seventh or eighth grade.

Market manager Marie Uber said she applied for the grant after learning that such students, generally 11 to 14 years old, can be at risk from poor eating.

“I had been researching statistics on obesity in Stanislaus County, and one of the highest rates is at the junior high level,” she said.

The grant came from the Farmers Market Promotion Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chef David Bradford, who has done cooking demonstrations at the market and other healthy-eating events, will help with the program. So will the University of California Cooperative Extension, which has expertise in safe food handling and nutrition.

The program launched during the spring semester with food tastings at the schools. Starting this week, the students will be at the market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., working in four groups of 10.

They will learn how to choose quality produce and talk with farmers about how it is grown. They will cook on the lawn of the Stanislaus County Library, which flanks the market.

The grant will cover a second group of students in 2017. To apply for the 2016 version, contact Trina Walley at 209-226-0039 or stangrown@gmail.com.

This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Kids will learn cooking, nutrition at Modesto farmers market."