This summer, the same students who regularly chow down candy and fast food for breakfast, learned how to grow peas, berries, potatoes, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, beets and other commonly found garden ingredients. Not only did the students grow and harvest many of these plants, but with the enthusiasm of myself and some awesome assistants (staff from the school), students prepared incredibly healthy and delicious meals every day! Sure, some of the meals were loved more than others, but I think it’s fair to say overall that students ate their food pyramid-requested-share of fruits and vegetables at every lunch.

Along the 18 raised beds that volunteers and community members constructed in late spring, there also lies 6 or so fruits trees, a huge 12-person bench (constructed by students), an outdoor sink and when needed, a portable stovetop. We had ourselves a simple outdoor kitchen. We steamed, sautéed, boiled and braised. We prepared many fresh salads with our homemade salad dressings (ranch, blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.)

Beyond the confines of the outdoor classroom, we made various ventures to other exciting food projects across town. On one trip students spent the day at Food Work’s farm on Sauvie Island and harvested crops with high school youth from North Portland communities. Another day we went down to the Pioneer school and participated in a work party to help harvest and improve another school’s garden. And during the last week I organized a trip to Ned Ludd restaurant where students saw a lamb get butchered, learned all about the importance of sourcing local meats and toured the neighboring Short Cut farm to see the source of Ned Ludd’s 50-yards-away fresh produce.

Though it felt like the class ended too early with so much information and experience left uncovered, the celebration yesterday afternoon was fantastic. Beneath our tents sat a buffet of student-prepared foods, including crab sushi, fruits salads, smoothies and chicken and shrimp shish-ka-bobs. Student’s had friends and family attend, the principal and some school faculty attended, and of course many of the policy makers from the county and city wanted to see the food revolution they funded.

Thinking back on this opportunity, I could not be any prouder and satisfied with the program. I loved getting to know the students. I loved the commitment students developed for the health and beauty of the garden. I loved the pride and confidence our cooking class instilled in the students. And I genuinely hope that this program continues years into the future. The impact was very real for all of us. Yes, “From Soil to Stovetop” was a huge success.

Related posts:

1. Guess Who Received a $4,000 Grant?!
2. A Future Food Project (or) An Idea is Born
3. School Gardens are All the Rage – Resources to Join the Movement

Many moons ago I was approached by a woman named Kate who had read a blurb about my cooking classes in December. We emailed back and forth and she finally visited a class later that winter. Lucky for me, she liked what she saw and invited me to teach a class for her organization – Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (aka EMO.) It turns out that this local faith-based non-profit is doing a lot of exciting programming among congregations in Portland and beyond. Many of these programs focus attention on food and farms, eating healthy local foods, and preventing spread of obesity and type 2 diabetes, etc. Previous cooking classes had been successful, but this time there was an interest in critical food literacy. Beyond the basic cooking class we delved into the processed food conundrum and the environmental, economic and health-related consequences of the industrial food chain. (wow, that’s always a mouthful.)

So, over the last few months the meeting and planning and talking evolved. A binder was born, complete with recipes I had done in previous classes and relevant resources I accumulated in my diligent internet research. And last night we made the dream real.

Around 6pm, in a lone and nearly empty basketball court, I preached the gospel (pun intended) of eating local, seasonal foods. I talked about subsidies and overly cheap processed foods. Participants unveiled the importance of eating seasonally (for those that don’t know, this includes *supporting local farmers and a local economy, * eating fresh whole foods that are chock full of real nutrients, and * keeping the Earth a little bit healthier by avoiding processed and petroleum-induced food products.) Together the 18 families and individuals made enough brown rice and vegetable stir-fry to feed the masses and then some. The lovely fragrance of garlic and ginger wafted through the kitchen as young adults tossed salad greens with homemade salad dressing. To be honest, it was a fantastic class! I loved it. I loved teaching and being there as a resource. It feels really good to preach to a different choir.

So that’s what I did last night. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the food revolution is upon us! Be it school gardens or after-hours in the church kitchen, people are engaged and eager to eat healthier foods. And I am happily there to cheer them on.

Related posts:

1. Session 1 Complete!
2. Cooking Class Conundrum
3. A Successful Cooking Class

Sam and Jolene want to make pumpkin pies. Each pie shell consists of 3 ounces of flour. If they want to make 20 pies, how many pound of flour will they need?

Back in the day I hated word problems. I especially hated the wording. I’m sure it didn’t help that my math skills were subpar, but man, did I despise translating scenarios into workable equations. Fast forward a decade and here I am, intentionally surrounding myself with word problems. Though, to the hobby home-cook, the desire to multiply a recipe or alter the measurement of ingredients is actually sought after. Somehow or other, I now enjoy reading word problems and calculating the outcomes on a daily basis.

Aside from the basic reading skills, reading a recipe requires a solid understanding of pre-algebra. Beyond the adding and subtracting of whole numbers, I can also comprehend ratios, percentages and fractions. The last concept – fractions – seems to be of utmost importance in the kitchen. If you can’t double a 1/2 cup of milk or divide 4.5 into 2.25, then you are surely up shits creek. Though there is always the possibility that intuition will trump the precision of a given recipe. But I find it hard to teach intuition. It’s far easier to explain terms of measurement, the role of fractions and the importance of understanding word problems to the students who wants to cook.

It is with this train of thought that leads me to “culinary math.” In a couple weeks I will be teaching high school kids how to cook. Along with the general kitchen literacy knowledge (i.e. the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, or a pot and a pan,) there is a lot to be said for basic math skills. Thus, I have spent the better part of the last several days writing up lesson plans that combine math and cooking. Like you might expect, the connection between the two is perfect. As a social studies teacher who fears math, I think this may be the easiest thing I could teach (in the world of math.)

For those who still don’t know:

A dash or pinch = less than 1/4 teaspoon

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

16 tablespoons = 1 cup

2 cups = 1 pint

2 pints = 1 quart

4 quarts = 1 gallon

And this is just the tip of the measurement iceberg!

Related posts:

1. A Successful Cooking Class
2. The Food Curriculum Project (part V) “Lesson Plan 3″
3. School Gardens are All the Rage – Resources to Join the Movement

To vary the experience a bit, I wrote a new menu for the Spring series. (In the future I intend to change the meals with the seasons.) Previously, the first meal was a Bittman recipe of pasta with shredded vegetables. Actually, to be honest, that recipe was not so seasonal, but for my first time doing this I needed some leeway. This time around, the pasta dish could fit the needs of any season here in the NW. Last night families prepared pasta with spicy kale. (Another simple recipe of Mr. Bittman from his masterpiece, How to Cook Everything.)

The beauty of the dish is the simplicity of the preparation. In one pot you make pasta and in another pan you saute garlic and red chili pepper flakes. Throw in some chopped kale and a bit of water and then cover the pan for 5 minutes, till wilted. Once the lid is removed and the remaining water cooks off the kale pan, the pasta is cooked, drained and then thrown in with the kale. With some help in the kitchen or a semi-experienced home cook, you can prepare the kale while the water boils and then cooks the pasta. In 20 minutes it’s all done and it’s super delicious.

I should also mention that the use of kale is totally interchangeable. You could use swiss chard, collard greens or spinach. Hearty leafy veggies would work best because all they have to do is wilt. But you could easily try broccoli or cauliflower if you blanch them in the pasta water first.

In any case, my point is that this meal is relatively simple, while also being affordable, filling and tasty. And yet, last night I hit an interesting road block. Of the ten people present last night, only one had encountered kale before. (I base this comment on what I heard from members of the class and questions I had asked the participants.) The foreign-ness of kale was so strong that many of the families did not know what to do with it. Yes, I was surprised by this. And yet, I was in their same situation but 5 years ago. It’s only in the last 2 years that I learned about kale or swiss chard. This moment shows not only how far I’ve come as a recovering junk food addict, but also how immersed I am in the kale vacuum.

“The Kale Vacuum” : A place or state of mind wherein you assume everyone else can identify, prepare and if desired, consume kale. And let it be known that kale is but a symbol for many other whole foods that are unbeknownst to the average person. Be it kohlrabi, rutabaga, endive or fava beans, etc.

As an educator is this type of classroom, I am learning to assume nothing. At first, I thought families would take the class to improve their cooking skills. It turns out that some attend to experience cooking as a family. Others show up to show their kids what eating healthy looks like. Many arrive with the interest of improving their skills and knowledge base. Few begin the class thinking they will learn critical food literacy.

From my perspective, there are numerous goals of the class, including: food literacy, cooking skills, questioning food marketing, empowering young and old, encouraging kids to cook with their parents, and introducing participants to new techniques, foods and meal options. For all this good intention, there’s something deeply satisfying in knowing that a bunch of kale is a learning experience unto itself. Though I may remain in the kale vacuum for some time, I do hope to expand its holding capacity with each new set of families who complete my class. That’s a goal that I can surely live with.

Related posts:

1. A Successful Cooking Class
2. Session 1 Complete!
3. Simple, healthy and delicious

The premise is simple: Our nation suffers from rampant poverty. This historically complex dilemma causes a vast multitude of problems. Think institutional racism, and a whole lot of concerns come to mind: housing, employment, education, crime, pollution and even food. It’s not that Clinton started the program to overcome poverty, per se. The opportunity to participate in AmeriCorps enables young and old to directly serve the populations in need. From this well-intentioned need for public service, there is news of an emerging potential on the food front.

A breakthrough idea rumbles beneath the layers of sluggish USDA policies. As many activists believe, sustainable movements begin from the bottom, the grassroots. In the case of AmeriCorps there is a certain irony to the situation. Since a strong grassroots movement requires resources (i.e. money) here comes the government to fund the movement. The irony is that if other branches of power changed certain policies, this grassroots effort would be unnecessary. In the end, it’s rather absurd actually.

But. On a happier note, let us consider this emerging proposal - Food Corps. If the problem of healthy food choices is affordability and accessibility, it follows that school food could rightly tackle the issue. When thousands of schools start demanding locally grown foods – fruits and vegetables no less – there will be more incentive to support local farms growing real food. Beside the economic boosts to rural communities and regional family farms, there is the added benefit of long-term community health, i.e. lower medical bills and healthier families.

The affordability of healthy food choices comes at a steep cost. As any viewer of Jamie Olver’s Food Revolution will know, the time it takes to prepare whole foods is expensive in and of itself. But again, this can be overcome with an increased school budget – just hire more experienced cooks! The issue of accessibility is where Food Corps enters the scene.

Food Corps volunteers will serve three different roles (or maybe just one of these):

1. School Garden Coordinator
2. Farm-to-School Coordinator
3. Healthy Food Educator

To bring healthy food choices to public school, a healthy food culture must be introduced. Parents, students, teachers, kitchen staff and administrators must stand behind healthy food. With the support staff to alleviate the pressure and navigate the local food politics, a Food Corps member could establish a new and sustainable system for the school and the farming community.

I think this idea is rather excellent. But it should be noted – this is still an idea. The proposal came forth this past January, and the hope is to hash out the kinks of the program so that it can begin next year, January 2011. If I hadn’t done the AmeriCorps VISTA program myself (several years ago,) I would definitely jump on this wagon. Ultimately, be in an idea or a reality, the Food Corps shows just how strong and meaningful the food movement has become.

Related posts:

1. Critical Food Literacy and a Sustainable Food Movement
2. A Future Food Project (or) An Idea is Born
3. News to Be Proud Of (if you live in Oregon)

I am the proud recipient of a $4,000 grant through EPNO – East Portland Neighborhood Office. The funding will enable Fir Ridge High School to offer a summer science class called, “Everyday Science: From Soil to Stovetop.” The 4-week class will help students retrieve missed science credits through learning about gardening and cooking. I will be the cooking instructor and will team up with the gardening teacher to provide the class. Aside from improving student’s knowledge of science terms and concepts, we will also use the class to empower kids with the tools to organize their community around food.

Does it get better than this?!

Related posts:

1. Cooking Class Takes New Direction
2. A Future Food Project (or) An Idea is Born
3. School Gardens are All the Rage – Resources to Join the Movement

Looks like blogging isn't the only way or the best way to to start a revolution!

If only I were British, wealthy, studly and a super talented chef – then, and only then could I have my face on the image above.

Well it turns out that other people – lots of folks – want to earn the grand recognition Mr. Oliver will receive for his new TV show, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” America’s love for over-the-top sensationalism will push the local food movement to the masses like never before. As a food activist in my own right, I take no offense by Mr. Oliver’s good intention. That said, my role in the food movement is puny compared to the powerful forces of food movement celebrities, i.e. Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Joel Salatin, etc.

In fact, I see this show as an opportunity to exploit the realities of America’s addiction to junk food. Yes, the show has some faults but ultimately, I think this sort of media frenzy could be a good thing. The problem for other people, individuals and groups whose participation in the food movement far precedes Mr. Olver, is the lack of recognition for the hard work that has been done thus far across the nation.

For example, the National Farm to School Network has spent tons of energy and lobbying to change the way school food is budgeted and served to school children every day. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Debra Eschmeyer would be frustrated with Mr. Oliver’s rather cocky attitude on the show. Debra, director of the National Farm to School Network, is all to familiar with the challenges put forth by our bureaucratic governement and its endless umbrellas of institutions, associations and organizations. She is one of many people deserving recognition for the food revolution.

At one point during the first episode, Mr. Oliver discovers that the USDA’s nutritional standards are the backbone of junky lunch food in schools; he is incredibly shocked and dismayed (as he should be.) And though the average parent will share this discomfort, many people have known this issue and fought it for many years.

Unlike the numerous organizations that are fighting for healthier and more just food policies, Mr. Oliver is actually (in my opinion) more grassroots. The show is an opportunity for him to impact the food policies in America. And yet to make this possible, he’s exposing the diets of everyday people to the larger public. One person’s sensationalism is another man’s (or woman’s) reality. He wants to teach people to cook for themselves and to improve school food. The goals overlap and are worthwhile in their own right.

As someone who wants to participate in the revolution, specifically by empowering families with skills, knowledge and resources, I too want to help American families eat healthier. Any of my reader’s want to put me on the cover of Time magazine?!

Related posts:

1. Food Corps
2. The Food Revolution (has begun)
3. An Intentional Local Food System

For all you cynics out there, you will be happy to know that costs will increase and will affect the district’s budget. At the same time, the seemingly abstract idea of healthier kids will take precedent over cheap food. No more pizza for breakfast or french fries as vegetables. Now the kids will get the chance to eat real food on a daily basis.

To read the original text, go here.

Related posts:

1. Guess Who Received a $4,000 Grant?!
2. School Gardens are All the Rage – Resources to Join the Movement
3. Buy Local (or) We are “the market”

In my classroom I make the agenda clear.

• I want participants to think critically about their food consumption.
• I want participants to question the source of foods they eat and the production used to grow and distribute the food.
• I want participants to realize the power of consumption in choosing what to eat and where to spend their money.
• All the while, I want to present participants with information on “alternative” food choices – be it raw milk, pastured beef or fair-trade coffee.

Tonight I explained the conflicted meanings of popular food buzz words. The activity is often enlightening for families because they see the meanings of words in a new way. This process of shedding light is both overtly political and downright practical. At the moment, I find myself walking along this ever-thinning line.

The lefty in me comes out when I talk about grass-fed meat, raw milk and the oppressive rules of organic certification standards. It’s so difficult not to get preachy. The more I’ve learned about industrial agriculture and CAFOs and their disastrous consequences on our health and the environment, the more I want to share this ‘other’ perspective.

How strange and distressing that the ‘otherness’ is seen as whole foods! If we want to people to eat healthy, do we not promote whole foods? If we promote whole foods, are we not rejecting processed goods? Is it so bad to desire stronger local economies? If not, why not support the local food movement?

All of these issues overlap and I believe it is futile to deny this. Just as we draw a line on right and wrong, should we not draw a line on healthy and unhealthy? I can’t stand by and debate this issue too much. Too many people are sick or dying because they lack the knowledge of resources to do better for themselves. To this end, I am an activist.

I am a preachy teacher.

Like the late Howard Zinn said, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.”

Related posts:

1. The Food Curriculum Project (part V) “Lesson Plan 3″
2. New Year’s Resolutions
3. Living off the grid

The food movement has many faces. I often give Michael Pollan or Alice Waters or even Michelle Obama all the attention, but I think it’s high time we praise the activists from the other side. The other side of the ocean, that is. Introducing to you, Mr. Jamie Oliver.

Part prime-time personality, food activist, culinary celebrity and sexy man in the kitchen (aka “The Naked Chef,”) Jamie is driving the food movement to higher ground. Utilizing his fame and wealth, he created the Fifteen Foundation in England (and other cities) to train youth from disadvantaged situations in the restaurant business. He also started some television shows in England and now America, where he teaches families how to eat healthier food.

The video above is an awesome performance by Mr. Oliver, as he inspires the best of us trying to make sense of the food movement’s purpose and direction. After watching the video I was truly energized for the work I am trying to do. I also found his video to be an engaging narrative for the ideas I espouse on the blog and around town.

For all the politics of the local food movement, I appreciate the fact that Mr. Oliver puts a human face on the problems we face today. For all the devastation of processed foods on public health, I find it completely reassuring to know and hear, that we can prevent the bad things from happening. We can educate one another on healthy eating choices. We can teach one another how to cook. We can change to the way we eat and live. Sometimes it just takes a speech like this to re-light the fire under our bums.

Related posts:

1. I Thought I was Starting the Food Revolution!?
2. Food in the News
3. The “hidden cost” of convenience (follow-up)