Dietetics students help kids make edible jewelry at farmers’ market

The Dane County Farmers’ Market is perfect place to savor farm-fresh foods: cheeses, meat and fish and jewelry.

That’s right: farm-fresh jewelry.

On Saturday, June 9, as a part of "School on the Square," members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Dietetics and Nutrition Club will be helping kids make edible jewelry from food purchased at the market. The group has been making jewelry at the Saturday farmers’ market since 2003.

According to Kelli Truszynski, a senior dietetics major, the idea for the event came from one of the vendors at the farmers’ market.

"We wanted to incorporate nutrition and fresh produce into children’s activities. And it’s really caught on around Madison. Elementary school teachers, day care providers and families have all started [making edible jewelry]. It’s been a great success for the farmers’ market and for the Dietetics and Nutrition Club."

All foods used for the jewelry are purchased from vendors at the market. Volunteers from the club help the kids string the edibles into necklaces, bracelets or headbands.

"The foods used vary from week to week. We’ve used small potatoes, carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, cheese and even beef sticks," says Truszynski.

The Friends of the Dane County Farmers’ Market organizes School on the Square. The goal of the project is to get kids and their parents more in touch with their food, both literally and figuratively.

For information about volunteering with the Friends of the Dane County Farmers’ Market, e-mail Barbara Martin at barbforfriends@yahoo.com.

For more information about the Dietetics and Nutrition Club and making edible jewelry, contact Kelli Truszynski at kjtruszynski@wisc.edu or Amber Canto at amber.canto@gmail.com.