Colorado grain is on the menu this Friday, February 27, for Boulder Valley School District (BVSD)’s 17,000 students. The Rye Red Velvet Beet Brownie returns for its 7th year as a featured dessert that brings Colorado grain growers and processors to the forefront.

“Kids at every grade level respond to messages about local sourcing and learning about the farmer,” says Marissa Benson, BVSD nutrition services program and grants coordinator.

BVSD’s School Foods Program prioritizes scratch cooking and local ingredients, sourcing the “rye” for their red velvet brownies from Colorado Grain Chain (CGC) members Jones Farms Organics and Moxie Bread Co. “The mission of the Grain Chain [to grow and connect a vibrant community-centered grain economy in Colorado] is important to us,” Benson explains. “We know that this is the future of food.”

Jones Farms Organics’ Ryman rye is grown in the San Luis Valley for its resilience as a crop, its ability to nurture the soil, and its part in a growing market. The crop is part of the Valley’s Rye Resurgence project, which aims to increase rye production on farms throughout the region and simultaneously increase demand.

BVSD’s bulk purchasing makes a difference. Farm-to-school programs buy in large quantities to feed their 17,000 students, providing farmers with a predictable market. “Forty percent of our food is sourced locally,” Benson explains, “And every year it has increased. We have an annual farm meeting to listen to farmers, and we try to spread out our purchases among growers.”

“We’re just really proud of what we do,” she adds. Alongside the food itself, the district focuses on nutrition and food systems education, teaching the kids about local sourcing, while trying to get them to eat healthy food.

Sarah Jones from Jones Farms Organics has been particularly important to the education process because she makes time to teach the students about the work they do on the farm, Benson continues.

The first product Jones Farms shared was their heirloom purple potatoes. The kids enjoyed it so much that there’s now an annual purple potato day every January. This has been going on for ten years. BVSD now makes Pokemon-like cards that equate nutrient information with superpowers for their bodies. And this past year, the middle school film club interviewed Jones on camera.

Benson is hoping the kids can soon gain similar knowledge about rye. Alongside the brownies, BVSD bakes it into their pumpkin and zucchini breads, carrot cake and vanilla wafers.

“We love the Jones rye flour for baking. We actually like it more than our white whole wheat,” states School Foods District Manager and Head Chef Yuri Sanow (who will be speaking at the Second Annual Colorado Grain Summit in March). “It lends nutty, malty, and almost chocolate-like notes to baked goods. It's also lower in gluten than wheat flours, which makes it ideal for sheet cakes.”

In addition, rye adds nutrients. It contains protein, fiber, manganese, and iron. Alongside the beets, which add a natural sweetness and contain additional fiber that supports sugar metabolism, the Rye Red Velvet Beet Brownie offers a little bit of “stealth health,” a term Benson recently learned that means sneaking in healthy ingredients to bypass picky eaters.

“That’s a lot of what we do here, only using whole ingredients but also making delicious food,” she explains. We take seriously the work of changing the palates of kids.”

The brownies are also really good, she admits. They add a bit of cream cheese frosting to sweeten the deal. And with only one dessert allowed per month, the students are eager for their portions. 

“Maybe they don't eat rye every day, but the easiest way is to expose them,” she concludes.

Want to try the recipe yourself? Try the Colorado Grain Chain’s home baker version here.