The School Nutrition Association of Pasco County (SNAP) made their annual appearance at the Kumquat Growers Open House last Thursday and Friday in Dade City. While there, members from SNAP sold baked goods that ranged from quick breads to macaroons. They had to adhere to two guidelines- the baked goods had to incorporate kumquat puree and kumquat pies could not be made to be sold. The kumquat is a small, round citrus fruit and it is what makes the Kumquat Growers the nation’s largest producer of the fruit and products made with the fruit. One of the Kumquat Growers’ signature items is their Kumquat Refrigerator Pie.
SNAP members (from left to right) Jan Popp, Tina Ebdrup, Suzanne Pawlek and Tina Follick sell kumquat baked goods at the Kumquat Growers Open House.
The fundraiser was a team effort involving members of SNAP to actually bake the items that were sold. The Kumquat Growers assisted by providing bags of kumquat puree at no charge. Food service staff from various schools and Food and Nutrition Services employees at the District level all contributed baked kumquat items to the group’s fundraising effort. The group also sold copies of their cookbooks that were leftover from last year. Pricing for the kumquat infused based goods included $1.00 for a 3 pack of cookies, $2.00 for a 4 count of cupcakes and $3.00 for a small bread loaf.
Kumquat macaroons with chocolate drizzle, kumquat pecan bread and plain kumquat macaroons all line the table of baked goods to be sold by SNAP members.
Over the course of the two days, SNAP was able to sell over $700 worth of baked goods. The funds will go back into the organization to support their efforts to sponsor scholarships as well as to cover travel costs for SNAP members to attend conferences. In the past, SNAP members have attended the Legislative Action Conference when chocolate milk was up for consideration to be banned from school cafeterias. They offered unique perspective on the issue- stemming from the fact that they are on the serving lines in school cafeterias. It is from that perspective that they were able to voice that the availability of chocolate milk, for some students, is the only way that they would get the calcium from drinking milk. You can learn more about SNAP by visiting their website.
SNAP members sold over $700 worth of kumquat infused baked goods on January 29th and 30th.
To learn more about the Kumquat Growers and their annual Kumquat Festival visit them here.
Guest Blogger: Raneitra Grover, MPH, Team Nutrition Coordinator, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
