Harvest of the Month

What is the Harvest of the Month? 

Harvest of the Month (HOTM) is a nutrition education program that celebrates the bounty and diversity of fruits and vegetables grown in California. In OUSD, we use the HOTM program to provide education on fruits and vegetables, our food system, and California agriculture.

Nutrition Services plays a crucial role in the HOTM program by serving the HOTM every day on school produce bars. We also work closely with the Education and Community Programs team at the Center to source HOTM produce from Organic, BIPOC-Owned, Woman-Owned, Local, or Small-Scale farms in California.

July's Harvest of the Month: Stone Fruit!

This month, our Harvest of the Month is Stone Fruit! Stone fruit—also known as Drupe in botany—is a type of fruit that has a fleshy outer area with a “stone” (pit) in the center. 

There are a wide variety of Stone Fruit: apricots, cherries, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, and more! Stone fruits are considered to be superfoods, high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and antioxidants. Stone fruits have a wide variety of benefits which include reducing inflammation in the body, improving your eye health, lowering the risk of heart disease, and improving your digestion—just to name a few of many benefits! 

Scholars point the origin of stone fruit to China and later to Europe and the Americas. Today, California is the largest producer of stone fruit. More than 80% of the nation’s stone fruit comes from California, more specifically 70% of peaches, 95% of plums, and 99% of nectarines. 

Outside of its health benefits, stone fruit often represents the Summer season—often helping us cool down as a sweet treat. 
Stone fruit can be eaten alone, in salads, grilled, or in smoothies. Try some stone fruit on the produce bar this July! 

To learn some more Stone Fruit facts, visit the Center's Education and Community Program's web page.