D I G I T A L
M A G A Z I N E
OCTOBER 2026
Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools Celebrating Local Food, Farmers & Nutrition Education!
E N R I C H M E N T
Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools is excited to be celebrating Farmers Market Fridays highlighting local food and celebrating local farmers!
Watermelon | Cantaloupe | Tomatoes | Zucchini
Courage Farms
Vernon County Produce
Jet Farms
Buller Family Farm
Watermelon Watermelons are a type of fruit that grow on long, trailing vines close to the ground. Watermelons are a part of the gourd family, related to cucumbers, squash & pumpkins.
Y
UM
Seedless watermelon are the most popular type of watermelon.
Watermelons are made up of 92% water.
!
Billions of pounds of watermelon is grown in the U.S. each year.
JULY is National Watermelon Month! Watermelons are grown in 96+ countries around the world.
Courage Farms Courage Farms is a family-owned & operated fruit & vegetable farm. Courage Farms is a first-generation farm run by husband and wife, Beau and Crystal. Courage “Our mission Farms grows is to grow a wide top-quality variety of fruits, fruits and vegetables, vegetables. baked goods, and Courage handcrafted Farms is products dedicated while to ethical, cultivating safe, and a space of responsible peace, farming. purpose, and hope.” Courage Farms is located in Fontana, KS. Courage Farms was named after Beau & Crystal’s son.
Cantaloupe Cantaloupe is a type of fruit…specifically, a melon.
Cantaloupe are known for their sweet & juicy flavor.
Cantaloupe are in season during the summer months of July - September.
Cantaloupe do NOT continue to ripen once they are picked from the vine.
“Muskmelon”
Cantaloupe grow on vines that can reach up to 5 feet long.
Cantaloupe plants take around 90 days to fully mature.
Cantaloupe flowers are manly pollinated by honeybees.
Vernon County Produce Vernon County Produce is a familyowned & operated fruit & vegetable farm. Vernon County Produce grows a wide variety of fruits & vegetables. Many of Vernon County Produce’s growers use horses to help grow & harvest their produce.
Vernon County Produce uses “horse treadmills” to run their
Vernon County Produce is a part of The Kansas City Food Hub. Vernon County Growers is located in Rich Hill, MO.
irrigation systems and crop washing lines.
Tomatoes Tomatoes are usually treated as a vegetable but are botanically a fruit.
3
Tomatoes are a fruit because they grow from flowers & contain seeds.
1. Cherry 2. Grape 3. Roma
Popular Types of Tomatoes:
There are over 10,000
different varieties of
Tomatoes come in a variety of colors including red, yellow, purple & more!
tomatoes.
Tomatoes are a part of the nightshade family.
Tomatoes take around
60 to 100 days to
grow from seed to fruit. Tomatoes are a warm season crop that thrive in the sun.
JET Produce & Meats JET Produce & Meats is a family-run crop and livestock farm. JET Produce & Meats was founded in 2012 by Jacob E. Thomas. Sustainable farming practices are very important to JET Produce & Meats.
Jacob started his first garden in his parent's backyard at the age of 14! JET Produce & Meats farms on 13 acres of land & in 3 greenhouses. SUPPORT LOCAL! Jet Farms is located in Leavenworth, KS. Our Promise: Variety, Quality, Convenience.
JET Produce & Meats grows a wide variety of fruits & vegetables.
Zucchini Zucchini are usually treated as a vegetable but are botanically a fruit. Zucchini is a fruit because it grows from a flower & contains seeds. Zucchini are a part of the gourd family with pumpkins, cucumbers and melons. One zucchini plant can produce 3 to 10 pounds of zucchini.
Zucchini is a type of summer squash. Zucchinis grow best in warm weather with a lot of sunlight. Zucchini are made up of 95% water.
Zucchinis are in peak season from May - August.
The flower of a zucchini plant is also edible and considered a delicacy.
The LARGEST zucchini ever grown was 69.5 inches long and weighed 65 pounds!
Buller Family Farm Buller Family Farm is a family-owned & operated fruit & vegetable farm.
Buller Family Farm grows a wide variety of vegetables, fruit & heirloom winter wheat.
Buller Family Farm was founded in 2006 by Tom Buller & Jenny Welch Buller. In 2010, Buller Family Farm partnered with Moon on the Meadow Farm to share land & resources.
Buller Family Farm is located in Lawrence, KS.
Most of Buller Family Farm’s produce is sold through CSA boxes. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.