Since the mud and
ice maintain a strong grip on my little town, the past several weeks we’ve have
to employ all our creativity to develop activities connecting students with
their food without wading through snow. First grade pioneered painting with
food dyes, and their fantastic paintings now adorn our new cafeteria. We used
three different crock pots and filled them with onion skins, beets and spinach.
Despite the resulting foul stench from cooking them overnight, we made some
passable paints (amber, red and green, respectively) and painted our favorite
vegetables. Can you spot the kohlrabi?
This semester I
have started working regularly with the third grade class, and in the month of
February they blew me away with their enthusiasm. We made hummus, and
practically licked the plate clean. The next week we learned about where our
food travels before it gets to our plate. We sourced some pears served on the
salad bar from their farm in Wenatchee, WA, to the processing plant and then
distribution center in Boise before coming to North Powder. These pears
traveled a total of 560 miles to get to us, even though they grew on a farm
only 273 miles from us. I was thrilled to learn students went home and shared the
minute details of food processing, distribution and transport with their
families.
Pears were the
Harvest of the Month for February according to the Oregon Department of
Agriculture, and I struggled to incorporate it into creative recipes in the
cafeteria. My main attempt was a pear, arugula and bleu cheese salad that I
knew the staff would appreciate but students would be skeptical of. Introducing
new foods to students is all about presentation, and a funny hat and
fancy-restaurant attitude was all it took to get students to taste, and in some
cases, gobble it down.
This time of year
it is hard to get much fresh produce in our area, and we have to take advantage
of what is available. Egg plant was on sale from our food supplier, and so a
case sat in our fridge for a week until I realized I couldn’t procrastinate any
longer. This past week I mastered the art of making baba ganoush (an eggplant
spread similar to hummus.) Third grade learned how people used to believe that
eating eggplant made you go crazy, and that it was occasionally called the
“apple of madness.” I suggested that perhaps this was because eggplant makes
you feel so healthy and energetic. We made a batch of baba ganoush in my new
blender, and students happily dunked carrots and crackers in the warm dip. As I
was leaving the classroom, one student came up to me and said, “I can feel my
legs getting stronger already!”
The final February trial I faced was continuing electrical problems in my house. After
going a week with barely functioning lights and no stove, I had someone come
take a look, and our house was essentially declared an electrical death trap
that would require extensive repair (that it was unlikely to receive). Rather
that deal with that, I have moved to an adorable little trailer about three
blocks away, and revel in the glory of well-insulated walls, a hot stove and a
view of the Elkhorn Mountains.
Baba Ganoush
Roast 2-3 medium sized eggplants
until skin is charred and insides are soft.
Allow to cool and then scrape flesh
into a blender.
Mix with:
1/3 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Blend until creamy and serve
garnished with paprika and minced parsley on crackers or vegetables.
