Nebraska Crunch Off
2021 Crunch Off Champions!
Great news to share! Nebraska has once again been named the Crunch Off Champion! Yes, you heard it right, Nebraska won the 2021 Mountain Plains Crunch Off with the most crunches per capita! A total of 58,123 participants (3% of Nebraska’s population) crunched on apples, carrots, peppers, even roasted pumpkin seeds to perform this amazing feat for the third year in a row! Schools including higher education, organizations, businesses, day care centers, and individuals all across the state participated in the Crunch. In this picture, we see a group of excited students at Overton Public School crunching away!
We also had fun crunching at the Nebraska Department of Education, shown here.
2021 Crunch Resources
- 2021 Crunch Off Resource Sheet for Producers
- Communication Tools for Crunch Off Participants
- Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska Crunch Off Page
- Download the Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska 2020 Crunch Off List of Producers
- 2021 Nebraska Crunch Coloring Pages
- 2021 Nebraska Crunch Postcard REGISTER
- School District Challenge (template)
- Crunch Stats
- Crunch Off Info (Powerpoint slides)
- Teaching Food Justice Through the Crunch, a resource from the Midwest Crunch Off planning team
2021 Crunch Off
We are pleased to announce that Nebraska was the reigning Mountain Plains Region Crunch Off Champion in 2019, 2020, & 2021!
Mountain Plains Crunch Off 2021 Highlights
- 199,169 people registered in the Mountain Plains Region
- 58,123 were from Nebraska
- 3% of Nebraska’s population registered
- 2021 had 4,018 participants ages 1-5
Where to find LOCAL apples or crunch-worthy produce
Check out our ideas for finding local on the NDE Farm to School Resources page
- Explore the Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska Online Food Guide…. Reach out directly to anyone listed in that guide
- Utilize Nebraska MarketMaker to locate suppliers selling crunchable items, like apples, carrots, turnips, and broccoli . What local produce will you Crunch into in 2020?
- Nebraska Department of Agriculture Produce Grower & Farmers Market Finder…. Visit your local farmers’ market, or directly contact the Market Manager to see about what connections you can make to growers in your community
- Purchase from local producers through your broadline distributor, or through a local foods distributor like Lone Tree Foods, Nebraska Food Cooperative, or Farm Table Delivery
- Review these stories about Nebraska schools and producers that are invested in farm to school
Crunch Off with Nebraska Thursdays or Nebraska Harvest of the Month!
- Celebrate Nebraska Thursdays during October and add your local Crunch Off product into your menu!
- Crunch with Harvest of the Month! Try a local salad turnip or a crunchy cabbage coleslaw. Build momentum for your Crunch Off event by sending home a Harvest of the Month newsletter available on the Harvest of the Month webpage.
- Register for Nebraska Thursdays and visit our recipe portal for a hummus recipe (uses local dry beans!) that you can dip Crunch items into.
- Download the Harvest of the Month Taste Test Guide for tips on sampling your Crunch Off item prior to the big day.
- See what’s in season in Nebraska, and crunch-able, with our handy guide!
- Check out the resources available at National Farm to School Network.
CRUNCH Into Local Produce
Apples
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Beets
Carrots
Pears
Broccoli
Sea Salt & Garlic Kale Chips
Turnips
Try these delicious dips with your crunchable foods! Find more ideas in our Nebraska Thursdays recipe portal.
Pepper Strips with Hummus
Roasted Beet Hummus
Zucchini Sticks
