Charleston County School District, SC - HotM - 2025/2026
Charleston County School District’s Nutrition Services department is proud to participate in Harvest of the Month — a program that highlights a different in-season crop grown in South Carolina each month. These locally grown fruits and vegetables are featured in student meals, giving students the chance to taste and enjoy fresh, seasonal produce.
Each month’s spotlighted item is included in a special recipe and showcased in Charleston County School District’s CUSTOM Learn More digital magazine — sparking meaningful conversations about healthy eating, local farming, and the benefits of choosing South Carolinagrown ingredients.
Charleston County School District’s Wellness Policy
Bell Peppers | Tomatoes | Collard Greens | Squash
Kale | Sweet Potatoes Strawberries
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are technically fruits - they are grown from a flower & contain seeds. The bell pepper is the ONLY member of the pepper family that does not produce
Capsaicin is the chemical that makes other peppers
Bell peppers are in the same family as tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes. Bell peppers can be 2 to 6 inches long. long they ripen.
Red bell peppers are also known as sweet peppers.
Bell peppers get sweeter the longer they ripen.
B Vitamins
B Vitamins help support the body’s energy levels, brain function & cell metabolism
essential B vitamins:
Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5,
Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9 & Vitamin B12
Water is needed to help the body absorb B vitamins.
B5, B12, C and E knock on your door…what do you do? blood cells.
B vitamins helps the body make energy from food.
B vitamins plays a role in serotonin production.
The body cannot store most B vitamins, so they need to be regularly consumed.
Serotonin makes us feel happy
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are considered to be both a fruit & a vegetable!
1. Cherry
2. Grape
3. Roma
MANY Americans grow tomatoes in their own garden.
12,000+ TONS of fresh market tomatoes are grown/year in the U.S.
Tomatoes take 60 - 100 days to grow from seed to fruit.
Botanically, tomatoes are a season crop that LOVE the sun.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C supports the immune systemthe body’s defense against infections.
ENERGY booster!
Vitamin C is also referred to as “ascorbic acid.”
Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect against damage caused by exposure to harmful substances in the environment.
The body cannot make vitamin C on its own - it has to come from food.
Vitamin C helps keep you happy & healthy! What do you call a vitamin that improves your eyesight?
A Vitamin C!
Vitamin C is a very important vitamin for healthy gums & teeth.
Collard Greens
Collard greens are tastier & nutritious in the colder January – April.
Collard greens are the official state vegetable of South Carolina. take 6 8 weeks to go from seed to ready for harvest. The stem can be 24 - 48 inches long.
A cool-
“The Wild Cabbage Plant”
Collard greens are a member of the cabbage family.
Popular Varieties of Collard Greens:
1. Blue Max
2. Georgia
3. Vates
4. Champion
5. Flash
6. Heavy
Collard greens are biennials, which means they have a life cycle.
Collard greens produces small, yellow flowers.
These yellow flowers attract insects which is responsible for the pollination
Collard greens are a type of cruciferous vegetable
WP Rawl
WP Rawl is a family-owned & operated leafy greens & specialty vegetables farm.
WP Rawl was started in the early 1920s by Walter & Ernestine Rawl
WP Rawl grows a involved, alongside 750 additional employees.
WP Rawl has farms located in FL, PA & SC.
WP Rawl’s headquarters are located in Pelion, SC.
Squash
Squash are a type of fruit because they grown on vines & have seeds
TWO
types of squash: W I N T E R
Examples of winter squash are pumpkins, acorn & butternut.
Winter squash has much harder skin (rind) than summer squash.
Squash require a lot of water to grow.
Examples of summer squash are zucchini, yellow & scallop.
Summer squash grows faster than winter squash.
1 acre of land can grow around 11,000 squash! Squash are
The flower of squash plants are edible and considered a delicacy
Fiber
Fiber supports movement through the digestive system.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body doesn’t digest; it simply passes through.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water…it helps regulate blood sugar levels and removes cholesterol from
Insoluble fiber is sometimes referred to as “roughage. ”
2 types of fiber:
1. Soluble fiber
Insoluble fiber
Fiber is ONLY found in plant foods.
Dairy & meat products do not have any fiber.
Fiber helps to regulate the body’s use of sugar.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water…it helps food move throughout the digestive system.
BOTH forms of fiber are important & beneficial to overall health.
Kale
leafy green
vegetable.
“Borecole”
Kale can range in color from light green to dark green to violet.
All kale leaves are harvested by hand.
Kale is closely related to cabbage.
Kale is mostly harvested in the fall & winter.
one leaf at a time, never the entire plant at once.
In a long growing season, the main 24+ inches long.
Cold temperatures the quality & flavor of kale.
Kale is known to taste bitter.
Manganese
Manganese supports the body’s energy levels & protecting its cells from damage.
Manganese is a trace mineral the body only needs small amounts of it. promotes brain health minerals through their roots.
Manganese helps Manganese
Minerals, like manganese naturally against infections.
helps the body blood clots helping wounds heal faster!
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a type of starchy root vegetable.
Root vegetables are grown underground!
There are 400+ different varieties of sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato roots are harvested 90120 days after planting.
Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins and minerals!
Sweet potatoes are a very popular Thanksgiving side dish.
Jewel most popular variety of sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes and yams are NOT the same thing!
Sweet potatoes can be orange, yellow, red, white or purple.
Orange sweet potatoes are the SWEETEST .
Vitamin A
Vitamin A supports good vision growth & immunity
more vivid colors during the day
How far can you read down this eye chart?
Vitamin A has antioxidant properties.
Vitamin A can help speed up the healing process of cuts & scrapes.
Vitamin A supports the immune system to fight off infections.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin – which means it absorbs better into the body when eaten with foods with some fat like avocados!
Asparagus
Asparagus is a type of stem vegetable.
In ideal conditions, asparagus can grow up to 10 inches a day!
Watch asparagus grow!
Iron
Iron carries oxygen in the blood, supports the immune system & proper brain function
2 forms of iron: Heme & Non-heme.
Heme comes from animal meat and is easily absorbed into the body after eaten. comes from
Iron is found in EVERY cell of the body.
Non-heme sources of iron are absorbed into the body when eaten with a source of vitamin C, like an orange.
Iron helps muscles function by carrying oxygen to their cells.
Supports a healthy immune system.
Human blood is RED because of iron and oxygen reacting with each other.
The body uses iron to make hemoglobin
Hemoglobin helps carry and transport oxygen in the blood to other parts of the body…like a backpack!
Strawberries
South Carolina is home to 40+ strawberry farms
Strawberries are a type aggregate fruit .
Strawberries are the FIRST fruit to ripen in the spring.
Strawberries are a type of aggregate fruit.
Spartanburg County grows the most strawberries in South Carolina.
3
Main Types of Strawberries:
1. June-bearing 2. Ever-bearing 3. Day-neutral
200 seeds.
Strawberries are the ONLY fruit with seeds on the outside.
Strawberries are a part of the rose family.
Dixie Belle Farms
Dixie Belle Farms is a fourth generation fruit & vegetable
Dixie Belle Farms’ strawberry growing season begins in late March & lasts until early June. Dixie Belle Farms picks all their strawberries by hand.
Dixie Belle Farms originally started out just growing peaches
Dixie Belle Farms planted first strawberry crop in 201 7.
Dixie Belle Farms harvests, packs & all their produce.
Milk is a type of dairy product –most commonly made from cows.
Milk is made up of 85-95% water with the rest being fats, proteins, carbohydrates & vitamins
Breeds of Dairy Cows: 6
1. Ayrshire
2. Brown Swiss
3. Guernsey
4. Holstein
5. Jersey
6. Milking Shorthorn
Holstein cows all have a unique pattern of spots!
1 cow produces around 6 gallons of milk per day.
Cows can SEE almost 360 degrees and SMELL up to 6 miles away!
Protein
Protein builds, maintains and replaces the tissues in the body.
Protein helps to transport & store nutrients throughout the body.
18 - 20% of the body is protein.
EVERY cell in the human body contains protein.
The body cannot store protein long term… which is why protein needs to be consumed daily.
Protein is made
blocks.
Protein plays a big role in building and repairing muscles.
Protein is a MACRONUTRIENT . A macronutrient is a nutrient that the body needs in LARGE
Protein helps maintain fluid balance throughout the body.
