Rice and Bean Burritos

Teaching about the similarities and differences in families, Kerry introduced the class to a book about how rice is used across cultures...sushi, rice with stir fry, red beans and rice, rice pudding...the list goes on and on. Earlier this week, Kerry suggested that we coordinate our efforts and create a rice dish during cooking class (rice with black beans is one of her favorites). So, here we are...rice, black beans, tomatoes, avocado and cheese, all neatly wrapped in flour tortillas. While the kids found that the textures (slimy avocado and beans) and smell (black beans) were not to their liking, they were cooperative in helping with the recipe tasks (using the can opener, dicing the tomatoes, filling the pot with water, setting the timer and grating the cheese). Sara and Johnny gave the burritos a thumbs up, Robert liked the tortilla sprinkled with pepper, but Amanda, Ben and Geraldo sought ways to make themselves invisible when it came time to sample. I'm finding that this group isn't overly adventurous in trying new foods, but they are interested and engaged in the cooking process. Hopefully, as we bumble through this inaugural year of the program, we'll find a way to be successful in both aspects!

Inspired all over again....

Unable to resist the lure of the southern hemisphere, I returned to Australia...the place where my interest and fascination with kitchen gardening blossomed this past summer. Admittedly, my return to the northern beaches was mainly to enjoy a bit of Australia's summer. However, I was more than happy to catch up with Diane from Bondi to stroll along the beach while chattering about our programs. With the reverse in seasons, students at Bondi are using tomatoes to make pizza sauce for individual pizzas, strawberry granita and enjoying tons of garden fresh veggies. Facing the cold winter months, Diane shared suggestions for soups, chili and stews that are both warming and filling. Hmmm....looks like my holiday just turned into a working holiday as I'm now off in search of new recipes to try!

Winter Crop....Spaghetti Squash

While our own garden is hibernating for the season, off-site, late harvest crops offer a plethora of winter squash options. I decided to introduce Tonia's class to spaghetti squash - a yellow, football shaped squash that has stringy "noodle" type pulp. The slimy texture was a challenge for most of the students, but they were troopers and stuck with the process of scraping the pulp with a fork. While we made our "noodles," Mia's beloved tomatoes, garlic and onion simmered away on the stove. Admittedly a messy recipe, the final product was a colorful display -- yellow squash noodles topped with garlic, onions, tomatoes, olives, basil and feta. Although initially skeptical, Imad, Gregory, Eric and Mia slowly but surely picked through their bowls, finding that it was indeed tasty. I love ending my week in Room 108 - the students show such interest and engagement, are willing to try new tasks and tastes, and rise to every challenge that I present!

White Snow, Bright Snow

December has arrived, Christmas is just around the corner and a layer of snow is blanketing the school garden. We took a detour from our usual kitchen and garden lesson today...we didn't use vegetables in our recipe. Although I felt a bit guilty for this slip, Kerry's students did have quite a bit of fun making it "snow" inside the classroom. After honing our cutting skills by making glittery paper snowflakes, we turned our scissors toward tortillas. Tortillas and indoor snow, you ask? We made sweet tortilla snowflakes: folded a tortilla into triangles, cut it (as if you were making a paper snowflake), brushed it with a bit of oil and popped it into the toaster oven. After just a few minutes in the oven, the tortillas were crisp and ready for "snow." Powdered sugar in a flour sifter makes for a wonderful, indoor snowfall!

Winter Gardening....moving indoors

December is upon us, ushering in shorter daylight hours, colder temperatures, frost and the anticipation (or dread) of the season's first snowfall. With this inescapable Midwest transition to winter, we began our first indoor crop - pole beans. After listening to the classic fairytale of Jack and the Beanstalk, Kerry's class planted beans (not magic, but the Kentucky pole variety) and built a structure for eventual climbing. I must say, this is the first time that we have had full, active participation by each and every student in the class. I was thrilled to see such engagement and enthusiasm: Robert and Amanda were in awe of the worms that were wiggling through the soil, Geraldo and Sara took their shoveling duties very seriously and Ben was excited about building with the wooden poles. Continuing with the day's bean theme, the class made green beans with bread crumbs and parmesan. While the overall recipe wasn't a big hit, the process had two highlights: learning to use the mortar and pestle and snipping the ends off the beans with kitchen scissors. I'll keep reminding myself...it's the process, not the product...someday we'll find a recipe that's a unanimous hit!

New Twist on Traditional Thanksgiving Favorite

After dancing and jumping in a rousing game of Oats, Peas, Beans on the stage adjacent to the garden, Tonia's kids had a fabulous time running amok in the outdoor space. Who wouldn't love being chased, tickled and spun in circles by the Giant Mo Monster? While we didn't get our indoor bean garden planted, we certainly took advantage of the beautiful late autumn day....you never know how many we have left before Mother Nature turns toward frosty winter! Returning to the classroom, we turned our thoughts toward the upcoming holiday. Thanksgiving conjures up images of tradition - turkey, cranberries, stuffing and green bean casserole (can you guess today's vegetable theme?). Trying a tasty, and quite simple, twist on tradition, we whipped up steamed green beans with bread crumbs...delish! Today's tasks included: snapping the ends off beans, using the mortar and pestle to crush croutons into bread crumbs, cranking the salt and pepper shakers and crushing garlic in the garlic press. I must say, I'm so impressed at how far Tonia's class has come since our very first cooking lesson: there's a willingness to try new foods, a willingness to test out new equipment, a level of engagement, increased communication and a sense of enjoyment. On a philosophical note, as Thanksgiving approaches, I'll say that I'm quite thankful for this opportunity that I've been given to develop a fledgling program and to have such a warm and wonderful reception in Room 108! Thanks Tonia, Bo, Cynthia, Jeremy and my little guys and gal!

Green Tomatoes Everywhere!

With a recent dip in temperatures at night and light frost, it was time to collect the plethora of green tomatoes still hanging from the sagging vines. To be quite honest, the only recipe I knew of before this week was fried green tomatoes. Not too confident that the students in Room 106 would be ready for this, I headed to allrecipes.com (which has become my go to website). Scrolling through the list, a recipe caught my eye...green tomato raspberry jam. Intrigued, I pulled up the recipe and thought "Why not?" Quite surprisingly, the green tomatoes, sugar and raspberry jello mix indeed cooked down into a sweet jam (albeit it with an interesting texture). Spread on english muffins, it turned out to be a hit, with 4 of 6 students giving it a thumbs up. This kitchen garden adventure is not only a learning experience for the students, but for me as well!