What Can You Learn From Lunch?
What can you learn from lunch?
"It doesn't matter where your food comes from, until you have enough of it."
-Sarah Adams Kollitz, Executive Director of the Burlington Children's Space
"The couscous and the corn and the beans all mixed up together is delicious!"
-4 year old girl at lunch
There is lively conversation, led by kids and supported by teachers. What's gone on so far this morning? What's on the table? What's the best way to get something you want passed to you quickly? What do you think of the veggies? What do you think will happen next in the story we're reading at rest time? Are there any more apples?
Skills are practiced. Taking turns. Taking what you need. Watching what your classmates do and listening to what they say.
Some kids need time to learn that there will be enough food for everyone at lunch, though they are sitting next to kids who never have and probably never will worry about food and its availability. Some kids have to learn that they don't have to take every apple slice in the bowl when it comes to them, because there are more apples. It's taken them time to learn that at our school there are enough apples for everyone to have as many slices as they like. That I will keep refilling the bowl until everybody's belly is full. The corner table kids know that now, and they take their time at lunch. Eating slowly, trying new things, taking a few apples and then, later, taking a few more.
We care deeply about kids.
And we care about real, good food. We know that many kids consume the majority of their meals in childcare. As we dig deeper into our work with kids and food it has become clear that preparing and serving kids healthy, homemade food as part of an intentional, child-centered, community-based curriculum is a unique way to proactively work on some big ideas with our humble lunch program.
A story...
On his first trip to the BCS garden plot to pick veggies for lunch a boy who was new to our preschool noticed a bunch of beautiful ripe cherry tomatoes, and asked his teacher what they were. When she explained that they were tomatoes, edible and delicious, the boy picked as many as he could and ate them all at once. He was amazed that there was food everywhere he looked in the garden, and everyone wasn't just eating it on the spot. Saving and sharing weren't part of his experiences with food, yet.
On his first trip to the BCS garden plot to pick veggies for lunch a boy who was new to our preschool noticed a bunch of beautiful ripe cherry tomatoes, and asked his teacher what they were. When she explained that they were tomatoes, edible and delicious, the boy picked as many as he could and ate them all at once. He was amazed that there was food everywhere he looked in the garden, and everyone wasn't just eating it on the spot. Saving and sharing weren't part of his experiences with food, yet.
On the next garden trip a week or so later there were more tomatoes to pick and this time the same boy carried bunches of the bright veggies back to school to share, kissing them as he walked.
We garden, and we glean produce from our local farms. We send extra produce home whenever we can. Teachers and children take ownership of composting food and paper towels. We host our family dinners to bring BCS families together around healthy food. So, we are filling hungry bellies, yes. But we're also supporting kids as they learn how to live, work, play, rest and eat together. To take care of each other, to make healthy choices for themselves, and those around them. To feel their importance in their school, their community, and the world.
We're proud of our work, but we think we can do even more. We can make the program more accessible, keep our costs in line, and raise the quality of the food we serve. We don't need a lot, but raising some money would help us get our hands on some equipment that would allows us to use more local food, make more of our own food from scratch, and preserve more of what we make.
So we're starting a Kitchen Campaign! Our goal is $5000 to cover the cost of some kitchen upgrades. Specifically we'd love a freezer, an immersion blender, some planters and soil for growing herbs and greens in the kitchen, and lots of large mason jars for preserving and canning.
We're going to let folks know about it at our Family Dinner next week on the 20th. Look for a post and more photos then, and info on how you can donate or get involved.
And thanks.
We love what we do.
In-Service 2012 at BCS
In-Service 2012 at BCS
The new school year at BCS began yesterday, with kiddos moving in and moving up. It's always an exciting but tricky time, with everyone getting used to new classrooms, new friends and new routines.
The teachers and staff spent last week working tirelessly to ready their new spaces for the new year and the entire school looks amazing. The kitchen got a good scrub and a bit of a re-arrange. But the most exciting thing for me was our first workshop on Monday morning.
The wonderful Caroline Homan, Food and Nutrition Coordinator for City Market, joined us for a snack makeover session, bringing food and new snack time recipes.
Like homemade blueberry soda carbonated with a ginger "bug", and pickled carrots and cukes, and saurkraut!
We divided into teams and tackled the recipes. We had an hour to cook, then we put everything on display with pages for comments on taste and "makeability", both as a project with kids, or to make alone as a snack for the class. Then we got down to the serious business of tasting everything we'd made.
It was a blast. Everything was delicious, and while different and a little more demanding on the prep side, we all agreed that we want to start incorporating more homemade, whole food snacks into the rotation. The preschool is tackling some sesame crackers tomorrow, and I'm making kale salad for lunch. You should make it too!
Massaged Kale Salad (courtesy of City Market)
1 bunch kale (any variety, but the Lacinato works especially well)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
We also used 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and 1 cup of diced green apples, but you could also add feta cheese, walnut pieces, pumpkin seeds, avocado, garlic, etc..
Remove the stems from the kale, cut or tear into small strips (for kids) and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and olive oil and gently rub into the kale for a few minutes with your fingers, until the kale starts to wilt. Add the lemon juice and anything else you're adding and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It's incredible, I promise.
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| Teachers present their recipes after our cooking session with Caroline. |
The new school year at BCS began yesterday, with kiddos moving in and moving up. It's always an exciting but tricky time, with everyone getting used to new classrooms, new friends and new routines.
The teachers and staff spent last week working tirelessly to ready their new spaces for the new year and the entire school looks amazing. The kitchen got a good scrub and a bit of a re-arrange. But the most exciting thing for me was our first workshop on Monday morning.
The wonderful Caroline Homan, Food and Nutrition Coordinator for City Market, joined us for a snack makeover session, bringing food and new snack time recipes.
 |
| Teams work on their snacks in the kitchen. |
But not just any snack recipes - super healthy and natural snacks made from scratch by us with only whole ingredients. Like Apple Cranberry bars, Date bars, Sesame treats, and honey yogurt dip. Like kale salad (that kids will actually eat), crispy kale chips, and kale/egg/cheese cups. Homemade butter, or blueberry frozen yogurt.
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| Crackers ready for the oven... |
Like cheddar and sesame crackers made with whole wheat dough that "soaks" overnight in yogurt.
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| Cheddar sesame crackers! |
Like homemade blueberry soda carbonated with a ginger "bug", and pickled carrots and cukes, and saurkraut!
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| Toddler teacher Miranda shows off the finished blueberry soda |
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| All the pickled veggies used lacto-fermentation for the pickling process, a method of preserving by submerging veggies in a salt water brine. |
We divided into teams and tackled the recipes. We had an hour to cook, then we put everything on display with pages for comments on taste and "makeability", both as a project with kids, or to make alone as a snack for the class. Then we got down to the serious business of tasting everything we'd made.
It was a blast. Everything was delicious, and while different and a little more demanding on the prep side, we all agreed that we want to start incorporating more homemade, whole food snacks into the rotation. The preschool is tackling some sesame crackers tomorrow, and I'm making kale salad for lunch. You should make it too!
Massaged Kale Salad (courtesy of City Market)
1 bunch kale (any variety, but the Lacinato works especially well)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
We also used 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and 1 cup of diced green apples, but you could also add feta cheese, walnut pieces, pumpkin seeds, avocado, garlic, etc..
Remove the stems from the kale, cut or tear into small strips (for kids) and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and olive oil and gently rub into the kale for a few minutes with your fingers, until the kale starts to wilt. Add the lemon juice and anything else you're adding and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It's incredible, I promise.
What's On Your Plate?
What's on your plate?
This past week I learned about the UVM Food Feed blog, all about Sustainable Food Systems written by contributing University faculty and staff. I have to say, it's kind of a revelation. I can't believe I'm just finding it now. It looks as though it's been going strong since April, and it's full of lots of great stuff.
The blog is meant to support and highlight the Breakthrough Leaders Program for Sustainable Food Systems.
This past week I learned about the UVM Food Feed blog, all about Sustainable Food Systems written by contributing University faculty and staff. I have to say, it's kind of a revelation. I can't believe I'm just finding it now. It looks as though it's been going strong since April, and it's full of lots of great stuff.
The blog is meant to support and highlight the Breakthrough Leaders Program for Sustainable Food Systems.
Excerpts from a Burlington Free Press story that ran on July 8, 2012, written byMelissa Pasanen, a food writer and editor based in Vermont. Contact Melissa Pasanen at mpasanen@aol.com, and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TasteofVermont:
“The program’s goal, said Cynthia Belliveau, dean of continuing education, department of nutrition and food sciences professor and a core member of the planning team, was to help ‘emerging leaders in food systems learn to better articulate and use their voices to talk about alternative food systems.’”
“Food systems is a relatively new academic discipline, Belliveau said, but was selected in 2009 as one of the three ‘spires’ of transdisciplinary research focus at the university. The field explores ‘the role of local, regional, national and global food systems and how they affect soil, water, human health, nutrition, economics and transportation,’ she said.”
Fantastic! And there's more! Like this great post about Jamie De Palma, a recent graduate of UVM's amazing Farmer Training Program
And (maybe) best of all my finds on the blog so far, this video produced by the program, offering a broad but insightful run-down of the troubles with the dominant food system, and an introduction to some alternatives for getting us back on track to health - personal and planetary!
Enjoy!
http://learn.uvm.edu/foodsystemsblog/2012/07/09/whats-on-your-plate/
Hot Summer, Big News!
It has been a busy few months at BCS! We love summer, and this one has been full of wonderful stuff so far. Our preschoolers have been trekking to the Intervale to study the pond, we have been checking on the garden, playing in the treehouse, walking around town, and of course.... eating delicious food for lunch!
We had a fantastic family dinner way back in June. Everyone ate curry couscous with raisins and carrots, a beautiful salad made with Digger's Mirth greens, bread and watermelon. It was a beautiful night and a smaller than usual turnout for us, but everyone ate, relaxed, and chatted away for longer than usual.
This past week Sarah and I were lucky to attend the 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference right here in Burlington! The theme of the conference was Digging In! with a logo designed by Burlington artist (and great friend of gardens and local food) Bonnie Acker.
Vermont FEED (food education every day) was the local sponsor for the conference.
From their website:
Vermont FEED works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition.We act as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food systems and to cultivate links between classrooms, cafeterias, communities, and local farms.
We heard from Anupama Joshi, the Executive Director of the National Farm to School Network, Chuck Ross, the Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, and Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator! We attended workshops on strategies for telling our story to the public, connecting with local partners, and best of all, the growing Farm to Preschool movement! I listened to presenters from the F to P advisory board talk about the activities happening in Farm to Preschool programs and was so excited to find that BCS already incorporates them all. Buying local food whenever possible, building healthy food into curriculum, getting to know our farms and farmers, gardening, newsletters, sending extra produce home with families.... we do it all! I was also thrilled to meet folks from Portland, Oregon-based Ecotrust.
From the Ecotrust website:
Ecotrust's mission is to inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equity and environmental wellbeing. Our goal is to foster a natural model of development that creates more resilient communities, economies, and ecosystems here and around the world.
Sounds great, right? What if I told you that they even have a Farm to School initiative? Well they do, and it's headed by two ladies I was thrilled to meet, Stacy Sobell and Katy Pelissier. They spoke at a Farm to Preschool workshop and at a discussion group for folks involved in Early Ed. programs and preschools. I talked about our program and how proud we are of our family dinners, and Ms. Pelissier asked if she could write about them for the Farm to School website! We are so excited to be part of the growing wave of Farm to Preschool work across the nation.
As if that wasn't enough, we've begun picking up donated gleaned produce along with several other local programs from the Intervale Community Farm every Friday for serving and sharing with families. Look for photos of our Friday produce process next week!
Thanks for reading and happy Summer!
xo
Erinn
Busy as Ever
We are busy as ever at BCS...
feeding kids...
sharing skills...
connecting with families...
playing outdoors!
Since my long-ago last post we've been busy. We've worked with Hunger Free VT, hosting the creators of the blog Facing Hunger In America for a visit to learn about our program. They wrote about us in a great post here.
We're organizing our first (annual!?) BCS 5k Fun Run! It's coming up on May 5th, at our beautiful and beloved Intervale. We wanted to hold a fundraising event that would speak to our commitment to healthy kids and families, so Sarah and I have been working under the direction of an incredible team of parent and Board volunteers on this first-time event, and it's going to be great. We couldn't be more excited about the location, the Intervale trail. It's such a special place to Burlington residents, and our children and teachers who spend lots of time there exploring, playing, and caring for nature. It's a big part of our program and we're so happy to be able to run there. The staff and families are excited and ready to run! We've had some great community support and, so far, it looks like the weather will be perfect! Wish us luck, and if you're in the area please come run with us, or cheer us on!
We are excited that Burlington will host the 6th national Farm to Cafeteria conference in August! Sarah and I both hope to attend. From the website:
Farm to Cafeteria began with the commo
n goal of building strong communities, healthy individuals and resilient local farms. Across the country great progress has been made connecting farm-fresh foods with K-12 schools, pre-schools, childcare settings, colleges, universities, hospitals, prisons and beyond – now we are Digging In!
We are also hoping to become a stop on the tour of Burlington that we hear will be offered as part of the conference. I'll keep you posted!
Finally, we hosted a Spring family dinner out on the playground last week, and our new sandbox was put to good use. We served cold sesame noodles, curry quinoa salad with carrots, scallions, and raisins, and a green salad. The evening was breezy and beautiful and the turnout was incredible. Here are a few more pics. Enjoy!
feeding kids...
Since my long-ago last post we've been busy. We've worked with Hunger Free VT, hosting the creators of the blog Facing Hunger In America for a visit to learn about our program. They wrote about us in a great post here.We're organizing our first (annual!?) BCS 5k Fun Run! It's coming up on May 5th, at our beautiful and beloved Intervale. We wanted to hold a fundraising event that would speak to our commitment to healthy kids and families, so Sarah and I have been working under the direction of an incredible team of parent and Board volunteers on this first-time event, and it's going to be great. We couldn't be more excited about the location, the Intervale trail. It's such a special place to Burlington residents, and our children and teachers who spend lots of time there exploring, playing, and caring for nature. It's a big part of our program and we're so happy to be able to run there. The staff and families are excited and ready to run! We've had some great community support and, so far, it looks like the weather will be perfect! Wish us luck, and if you're in the area please come run with us, or cheer us on!
We are excited that Burlington will host the 6th national Farm to Cafeteria conference in August! Sarah and I both hope to attend. From the website:
Farm to Cafeteria began with the commo
n goal of building strong communities, healthy individuals and resilient local farms. Across the country great progress has been made connecting farm-fresh foods with K-12 schools, pre-schools, childcare settings, colleges, universities, hospitals, prisons and beyond – now we are Digging In!We are also hoping to become a stop on the tour of Burlington that we hear will be offered as part of the conference. I'll keep you posted!
Finally, we hosted a Spring family dinner out on the playground last week, and our new sandbox was put to good use. We served cold sesame noodles, curry quinoa salad with carrots, scallions, and raisins, and a green salad. The evening was breezy and beautiful and the turnout was incredible. Here are a few more pics. Enjoy!
Our Hunger Free VT video!
We are so pleased to share with you the terrific video made by the folks at Hunger Free VT about the food program at BCS! Sarah and I plan to share it with everyone we can think of, so please feel free to do the same. We are proud of what we've accomplished so far, but we're always thinking of ways to make our program better, and we would love to help other centers and organizations do the same!
Thank you to Hunger Free VT for the amazing 14Free project, and all of the incredible work they do to fight hunger in our community, and throughout the state!
Happy Halloween!
Is lunch today a trick or a treat? Since chicken legs are one of the most popular dishes we serve, I'd say it's a super treat! We are also having sweet potato wedges, brown rice, and cinnamon apples (gotta eat up all those Vermont apples while the season winds down!)
Fall is moving along at BCS! We've got worm composting in the classroom, new soup recipes on the stove, and a new "thumbs up, sideways, or down" system for rating how we feel about new veggies served at lunch.
In other news, I recorded the radio ad for Hunger Free VT's 14 Free campaign at a station in South Burlington last week. It was so cool!
Here's a photo of me in the booth..
The ad is one minute long and will air on the Point in November and December!
I will post it here for folks to listen to as well.
Also, stay tuned for news on our November Thanksgiving Family Dinner, coming up soon already!
It's a new (school) year!
And there's a lot going on! Fresh from the success of our American Flatbread benefit bake (we made just under $1000!) we were honored to learn from Hunger Free VT (formerly the VT Campaign to End Childhood Hunger) that our lunch program was chosen to represent Chittenden County in their 14 Free VT campaign!
And there's a lot going on! Fresh from the success of our American Flatbread benefit bake (we made just under $1000!) we were honored to learn from Hunger Free VT (formerly the VT Campaign to End Childhood Hunger) that our lunch program was chosen to represent Chittenden County in their 14 Free VT campaign!
From their website:
According to the US Census, Vermont has some of the most severe hunger in the country. For many of us this is hard to believe as hunger is often hidden in Vermont. How do we solve a problem that many of us can’t see or even comprehend?
At Hunger Free Vermont we see our vision for ending hunger and malnutrition played out every day, in each of Vermont’s 14 counties. Schools, child care centers, summer programs, senior centers, and community based organizations are ending hunger by not only providing healthful meals, but also by teaching participants about healthy eating in a way that will inform their eating habits in the long-term. Hunger Free Vermont is a home base of support, education, and advocacy to help make these programs a reality.
The 14Free video project features 1 meal program in each of Vermont’s 14counties and brings you the real-life success stories that are ending hunger and malnutrition in Vermont. 14 counties. 14 stories. 14 solutions.
Wow, right?
Some fantastic folks from Hunger Free VT came out to BCS to see our program in action and make a video about us for 14Free. We are honored, to say the least. And so excited for the premiere of the BCS video at our November Thanksgiving Family Dinner! And as if that wasn't enough, they have asked me (your humble lunch lady) to record a radio ad for the campaign next week! I'll post again to let folks know when to keep your ears open for me on the airwaves - crazy! And of course, yay BCS!!
In other news, our first family dinner of the new school year was great! Amazing turnout, new faces, and we hosted some UVM medical students who are researching childhood activity levels. Everyone helped make macaroni and cheese and green salad, and we enjoyed fresh apples picked at Shelburne Orchards. A yummy Fall meal with our fantastic families!
We'd like to give a HUGE thank you to City Market for their continued support of BCS and our family dinners. Thanks to them we had gorgeous local greens and spinach for our salad, and Cabot cheese for our macaroni! We love our community!
And there's more!
So far this school year we are busy with baking projects, growing seeds in the kitchen, and composting with WORMS!! And eating lots of healthy, delicious lunches of course. Our favorite new menu item.... black bean soup!! Recipe to follow in my next post!
Take care!
Erinn
Thank you!
Our American Flatbread fundraiser was amazing. My family was one of the first to arrive and we could have stayed all night! Thank you to everyone who came out to support us and our great program. We sure have alot of friends and fans! It was incredible to connect with so many folks who love BCS and have been a part of the community in one way or another over the past 26 years!
Our fearless leaders Sarah (with her dad)...
and Jed (on the left)... enjoy the evening at Flatbread!
asian slaw
we are crazy for cole slaw this summer, and a few weeks ago I tried a new version of the red cabbage and carrot one we've been loving the most. I've had lots of requests so I'm (finally) posting the recipe here..
Serves 6-8
1 smallish head of red cabbage, shredded or chopped well
1 smallish head of green cabbage - napa would be really good
1/2 of one red onion diced small
6 or 7 medium sized carrots shredded or chopped into small, thin pieces
that's it for the veggies!
dressing
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 Tbsp finely shredded ginger
1/2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
whisk everything together!
pour it over the veggies and toss!
add black pepper to taste!
It's really good and if you can entice the kids to try it on the merits of its cool appearance, they will quite likely enjoy it and come back for more.
homemade croutons
The other day my friend and colleague Jackie brought me a beautiful loaf of bread that was just a little to hard for slicing and suggested I cut it up and make croutons. Neither one of us had ever done it, but she was sure that tossing them around in a little olive oil in a skillet would do the trick. So I did just that, along with some garlic powder and salt and pepper and oregano, and they came out DELICIOUS!! The best part.... the kids were picking them out of the salad bowl.Hooray for new salad discoveries!
Happy Summer!
We need your support!
If you're reading this, you're likely a friend of BCS, and so I'd like to invite you to join us at American Flatbread in downtown Burlington for a simple, delicious fundraising event!
Flatbread for School Lunch - BCS Bake is happening tomorrow night from 5-10pm at the Burlington Hearth. A portion of the proceeds from all the flatbreads sold during the event ( eat in or take out) will benefit the Burlington Children's Space food program!
We are so grateful to American Flatbread for hosting us - and we can't wait to eat! Please stop by if you can, or order some food to go - you will be helping us fulfill our mission and fill hungry bellies all year long!
In other news... the Summer of Salads continues!
We have been enjoying all kinds of seasonal deliciousness at lunch. Fruit salad with nectarines and blueberries, chicken salad with dill, chopped salad with local greens, and even chef salad as a main dish, with ham, cheddar cheese, chick peas, and red grapes. The kids loved it, and so I pass the recipe ( though it's more of an idea than a recipe, really) on to you. I've made it at home twice for dinner on super hot nights and it's lovely to keep the kitchen cool, and still eat something satisfying.
Chef's Salad
(Serves 4)
1 head soft lettuce, like bibb, roughly chopped
About 4 cups crunchier greens, like romaine, chopped
A handful or two of spinach, also chopped
Arrange a good amount of the mixed greens on each of 4 plates
From there, just go crazy. Add as many veggies as you like, at least a cup of each, cut into bite sized pieces.
I used carrots, red cabbage, red onion, and cucumbers. Absolutely anything you like will work. Arrange little piles of the individual veggies on top of the greens.
Next comes the protein. I used chopped deli ham and cheddar cheese in little chunks, plus chick peas. Make sections of each. I also added halved red grapes for a little sweetness.
Serve with bread and butter, and a few choices of dressing. Salad for dinner!
Here we have a happy table of salad eaters... everyone pictured tried, and enjoyed, the greens!
Please come support our food program tomorrow night, and stay cool!
xoxoxo
Erinn
