Suburban and Urban Schools Health Initiative (SUSHI)
The SUSHI program was started by Monmouth County Freeholder Arnone in 2017. This initiative was aimed to promote healthy eating and knowledge of where our food comes from. One of the goals of the SUSHI program is to start a school garden.
The Colts Neck SUSHI club is a group of 4th-5th grade students who have been working together with 5th grade students from Asbury Park and Neptune City at Allaire Community Farm (Wall Township) each week. At the farm, students have learned where our food comes from and how it is grown from seed to harvest. These students have worked together to plant their own crops, care for them each week, and harvest them when ready. They have enjoyed the fruits of their labor by making a salad with the lettuce, radishes, kale, and mustard greens they have grown themselves.
The Colts Neck SUSHI club has also been working with one of the Tower Gardens at CRES. They have planted kale, basil, bibb and gourmet lettuce. Students have harvested the Tower Garden many times this winter and have used their lettuce for salads, and basil for flavor, and have even made some kale chips and smoothies!
In spring 2019, the SUSHI club started a school vegetable garden at CRES, located in the 5th grade courtyard. Last summer we grew kale, lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes and this summer, the club has grown tomatoes, sunflowers, broccoli, and many different herbs.