Contest winners are located at the bottom of this article.
The Whatcom Farm-to-School Program, with support from the Whatcom Community Foundation is hosting a contest for all students in Whatcom County in grades kindergarten through 12th.
The Farm-to-School Harvest of the Month Program is featuring locally grown kale in March. Kale will be served for lunch in all Whatcom County public schools. This contest is designed to complement and promote this endeavor. It’s time to dispel the myth that kids don’t eat kale.
Ways to Eat Kale
There are all sorts of ways to eat kale!
Put it on a sandwich, make it into soup, eat it as a chip. Kale cupcakes anyone?!? Choose as many ways as you can think of to eat kale and document it. Have pictures taken of you in the act munching on the veggie that grows year-round in Whatcom County — one photo for each of the different ways that you have eaten kale.
Where to Find Kale
Not sure where to find kale? Most grocery stores stock kale in their produce section. Albertson’s, Community Food Co-Op, Cost Cutter, Everybody’s Store, Fred Meyer, Haggen, IGA, the Market, Safeway, Terra Organica, Trader Joe’s all carry kale. You could even be adventurous and find a friend with a garden or local farmer who might have some growing as well!
The Contest
The contest asks participants to choose as many ways as they can think of to eat kale and document it. Photos should be taken of participants in the act of eating the vegetable that grows year-round in Whatcom County — one photo for each of the different ways kale has been eaten.
Submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. April 4, 2012. All entries must be accompanied by the Kids Eat Kale Contest Submission Form – download here: 
Submission form for Kids Eat Kale
Prizes will be given for the following categories:
- Most diverse ways of eating kale – based on numbers of ways you found to eat kale.
- Best documentation – based on how artistic, original, and funny your photos are.
* Note: Judges love creativity and have a sense of humor, wink, wink, nudge, nudge!!
A $50 cash prize will be awarded to the winner in each category. Plus, winners will have their photo(s) published in the 2012 Harvest Dinner Cookbook, and receive a free copy of the cookbook.
To submit entries:
To submit entries, please see the directions below:
Email: Email your photos with the completed Submission Form to: .
- In the subject line write “Kids Eat Kale Contest”
- Please name your photos, or write a brief description of each photo so judges know what you are eating. Example: “eating kale salad.jpg”; or “Photo 0011.jpg is of me eating a kale and cheese sandwich.”
Mail or Hand Deliver: Alternatively, you can deliver or mail hard copies of photos with the completed Submission Form to:
Whatcom Community Foundation
119 Grand Ave., Suite A
Bellingham, WA 98225
Attn: Kids Eat Kale Contest
- If mailing in a hard copy, please write your name on the back of each photo.
- If you would like your photographs returned, please encllose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Note: to submit the form via email, you will need to sign it using Adobe Reader (download here).
Otherwise, you can print it out, sign it, and mail it to us at the address above.
Download the Contest Rules
Questions about the contest? Contact Priscilla Brotherton, .
For more on Kale, check out the March Harvest of the Month page.
Contest Entries
Reed Mason, kindergarten
Finley Bell, grade 2
Mimi Myers, grade 4
Sophia, Zoe, & Oliver Strand
Kalena Guiton, grade 1
Xander Koenig, grade 1
Jack Humphreys, grade 6
Jack Sankiewicz, grade 3
Sarah McClanahan, grade 2
Kim Keay, grade 6
Evelyn Keay, grade 1
Jasper Lyon, grade 2
Aaron Robinson, kindergarten
Casey White, grade 7
Dezeray Hammer, grade 1
Olivia Piehler, grade 10
Matthew Skeer, grade 2
Sahale Chisholm, grade 6
Katie Layton, grade 7
Malleck & Zakara Braun
Abigail Hayes, grade 5
Leah Seifert, grade 6
Noah Mason, grade 2
Daphne Dotson, kindergarten
Contest Winners
Finley Bell’s 22 Ways to Eat Kale
The judges of the Kids Eat Kale Contest had a mouthwatering job selecting the winners of the Kids Eat Kale Contest among the 29 entries as there were so many wonderful photos and delicious ideas for how to eat kale.
Finley Bell won the award for trying kale the most different ways — 22!
Abby Hayes won the prize for the most creative presentation.
The judges also selected three honorary awards:
Jasper Lyon – most active and adventurous
Mimi Myers – most diverse ways of eating kale
Sophia, Zoe, & Oliver Strand – most surprising kale recipe — kale cake
To see all of the entries click here.
Many thanks to all who entered the contest and to the judges, photographer David Westerlund, cookbook author Lane Morgan, Meridian District Food Service Director Maria Hamm, and Kulshan student Soren Brotherton.
