Montana Crunch Time
Get Ready to Crunch, Montana!
Montana Crunch Time is a statewide event to celebrate National Farm to School Month, local producers, and nutritious foods by crunching into local foods (including and beyond apples!) on the second Tuesday in October.
The collective crunch will be held on October 8th, 2024, but participants are encouraged to crunch anytime in October that works best for you! Be sure to register your crunch by October 31st to help Montana tally the most Crunches per capita and win the Mountain Plains Regional Crunch Off.
Please note: You must register your crunch to be counted towards our state's overall total crunches. By registering, you receive access to a webpage with resources on sourcing local foods, classroom activities, and more!
Click here to register your crunch!
Help Montana Win the Crunch Off
Montana participates in the Mountain Plains CRUNCH OFF each year in friendly competition with Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Help Montana win the Crunch Off by registering your crunch. Thestate with the most “crunches” into local foods per capita will win!
How to Crunch
Take a peek at the Montana Crunch Time Guide and flyer to learn put on a crunch time event in your school, community, workplace, or home!
Find Montana Crunch Time flyers, powerpoints, and more resources here.
Crunch Foods
This year, Montana Crunch Time is going beyond apples to include ANY locally grown or raised food. Grab your favorite Montana food and crunch with us. Below are a few ideas for what to crunch:
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Apples
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Green beans
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Cherries
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Beets
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Carrots
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Cabbage
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Cucumber
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Jerky
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Crunchy chickpeas
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Find Your Local Foods
Connect with local farmers, ranchers, and food businesses through the following avenues.
- What is in season? See the Montana Seasonal Food Chart for ideas for what foods are available every season.
- Go to your local Farmers Market and start talking with area farmers and food business staff. Find out who is interested in working with your school/district to provide food. Check out the Abundant Montana online directory of Montana Farmers Markets’
Use local food and product directories:
Find more information on purchasing local foods, food safety, communicating with producers, and more on the 'Getting Started' page.
Crunch Byte Photo Release Form
Help us gather crunch bytes (videos, photos, etc.) to share on social media and in future Montana Crunch Time resources by sending your crunch bytes to Haley Scott, haley.scott1@montana.edu and by filling out the Montana Team Nutrition Photo Release Form.
