Kindergarten Edible Social Studies: Week 2

This week in the classroom we read Tomie dePaola’s The Popcorn Book and explored the ideas of Indigenous foodways and Indigenous wisdom. We learned that Native peoples are known for their stewardship of the natural world, for the invention of the Three Sisters planting technique, that oral tradition and storytelling is an important part of Indigenous culture, and that the Indigenous people of what is now called San Francisco are the Ohlone. From the book, we learned that popcorn used to be worn as jewelry and that archaeologists found popcorn kernels that were 5,600 years old in a bat cave in New Mexico!

In the kitchen, we enjoyed two recipes celebrating humans’ long relationship with corn. We made rainbow popcorn from scratch on the stove and ground by hand an accompanying spice blend using a mortar and pestle, an ancient food preparation tool that has many useful modern-day applications in the kitchen today. The kindergarten chefs finished off a recipe of Peruvian chicha morada, a drink made with purple corn, by adding fresh lime juice and cut up pineapple and apples for a truly delicious corn feast.

TK Edible Social Studies: Month 7

In the classroom this month we learned that carrots are a root vegetable that grow year-round in California. They come in an array of beautiful colors and also have edible green tops. We sang a silly song about them to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:

Carrots, carrots, they grow under ground, purple, yellow, orange, or white.

If you want healthy eyes just take a crunchy bite!

In the kitchen we made a salad featuring carrots prepared three ways: cooked, raw, and in a pesto made from the green tops. The TK chefs used wavy knives to make steamed carrot coins and tried Y-shaped vegetable peelers for the first time this year to make raw carrot ribbons. We enjoyed our carrot salad with bread from Della Fattoria!

1st Grade Edible Social Studies: Week 2

This week in the classroom we read Sandra L. Richards’ book Rice & Rocks, which tells the story of a Jamaican American child, his magical pet parrot, and his friends with food traditions from around the world.

In the kitchen we made Jamaican rice and peas with kidney beans and enjoyed the island flavors with a special beverage called sorrel tea made from hibiscus, citrus, and spices. We agree with Giovanni from the book: rice and rocks rock!

Kindergarten Edible Social Studies: Week 1

In the classroom this week we read the book Eat Your Superpowers! How Colorful Foods Keep You Healthy and Strong. We talked about how fun it is to eat lots of different brightly colored fruits and vegetables and also how important it is to surround ourselves with a beautiful, diverse community like the one we have at Harvey Milk.

In the kitchen the kindergarten chefs made a rainbow fruit salad featuring strawberries, Tango tangerines, Opal apples, grapes, blueberries, and blackberries. We used both nylon knives and wavy knives and had a wonderful time eating together in community.

1st Grade Edible Social Studies: Week 1

This week in the classroom we read the book The Have a Good Day Cafe about a Korean American family that operates a food cart. We learned that the Korean word for rice is bap!

In the kitchen we made kimbap, which consists of rice seasoned with sesame oil rolled in seaweed with a variety of fillings. Our kimbap filling options were cooked carrot, cooked cucumber, braised burdock, pickled daikon, cooked spinach, sesame seeds, and egg. We challenged each first grade chef to try at least two ingredients they either had never tried before or weren’t sure they would like.

Our rice exploration is off to a fun start.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Field Trip

To help bring the history of San Francisco to life, the second and third graders hopped on MUNI and visited Chinatown. We explored the famous Dragon Gate at the entrance, walked by the Sing Chong Building, which was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire, visited the legendary Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, read the marker at the site of the first public school in California in Portsmouth Square (the same school Mamie Tape and her family tried to enroll in that led to the Tape vs. Hurley California Supreme Court Case), and had lunch and played at St. Mary’s Square.

Thanks for a fantastic Edible Social Studies unit. See you next year!

TK Edible Social Studies: Month 6

In February, we are celebrating all things citrus! In the classroom we introduced the seven types of citrus in our recipe: shiranui or sumo mandarins (originally developed in Japan), Moro blood oranges (originally developed in Italy), Chandler pomelo (originally developed in California at UC Riverside), oro blanco grapefruit (also from UC Riverside), Rio red grapefruit (originally developed in Texas), Minneola tangelo (a cross between tangerine and pomelo originally developed in Florida), and lime.

We sang a silly ukulele song to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:

Citrus, citrus, vibrant and tart: Mandarin, grapefruit, lime.

Tangy, zesty, juicy, and bright, The best of wintertime.

In the kitchen we had a winter citrus extravaganza, making a salad with loads of multi-colored citrus as well as the first signs of spring, fava greens and pea shoots.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 10

For our final lesson, we watched four generations of contemporary Ohlone women talk about the legacy of the oak tree and its cultural importance to their family and to their people.

In the kitchen classroom, we made acorn brownies featuring acorn flour gathered and processed on Chumash land and a tea highlighing native plants. Weeks ago, the second and third graders learned that the Spanish named the territory that is now San Francisco “Yerba Buena” after the fragrant wild mint they found growing everywhere. We finally got to harvest our own kitchen classroom garden yerba buena for our tea!

While our tea steeped, we played the game of staves, an Ohlone game of chance that traditionally uses elderberry or willow sticks. We used popsicle sticks, but it did not lower the stakes and there was heated competition to see who at each table could get to five points first. Due to our limited access to ovens, each class made a batch of brownies for the next class or for the community, a nice symbol for the way history and legacy works. What we create today we pass on to those who come after us.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 9

In the classroom this week we watched a short film from In the Life Media about Gilbert Baker, the creator of the rainbow flag in 1978. Students were particularly taken by his story of running out of pink fabric, which resulted in the eight original stripes becoming six, and by video of the mile-long flag he created in 1994 for New York City Pride. We learned that each stripe of the flag is imbued with meaning.

In the kitchen we made our own rainbow pride flag (edible, of course). Forbidden rice cooked in coconut milk represented the spirit, blueberries represented serenity, kiwis represented nature, pineapple represented sunlight, Cara Cara oranges represented healing, and strawberries represented life. Our parfaits were topped with handmade whipped cream and proud smiles!

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 8

In the classroom this week we read The Great Migration: An American Story featuring Jacob Lawrence’s migration series paintings as well as the story of his own family. We learned that 6 million African Americans left the Jim Crow South between 1910 and 1970 and arrived first in cities to the north and then to cities like San Francisco and Oakland on the West Coast. The book explored the wrenching decisions Black families had to make in search of a better life, the challenges they faced, and the wins, such as being able to send their children to school and gaining the right to vote in their new homes.

In the kitchen we made a truly American dish, collard greens, that combines traditional West African culinary practices of cooking leafy greens in liquid with a vegetable European colonists brought to North America. Collard greens, with the nutrient-rich potlikker left over from the braising process, were an important source of sustenance for enslaved peoples and remains a soul food staple today. We ate ours with cornbread and discussed ways we could get creative with the recipe next time.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 7

In the classroom this week we read Bay Area author Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s book Love in the Library about her maternal grandparents and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. We learned that the Japanese and Japanese American community created the Japantown neighborhood after the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906, that the Japanese and Japanese American population in San Francisco was approximately 11,000 in 1940 and approximately 0 after the executive order establishing the internment program was fully executed in 1942.

In the kitchen we celebrated Japanese Americans’ enormous contributions to the California produce economy in the 20th century and Japanese food culture by learning how to make temaki. Our second and third grade chefs were encouraged to try at least one filling they had never tasted before or weren’t sure about, and they rose to the challenge, filling their sushi hand rolls with pickled daikon, pickled ginger, green onion, daikon sprouts, shiso, braised tofu, carrots, and Japanese cucumber.

TK Edible Social Studies: Month 5

Our celebrated vegetable for January was Brussels Sprouts! In the classroom, we learned that Brussels Sprouts are named for Brussels, Belgium, where they were first developed, and that they are relatives of other vegetables like broccoli, mustard, radish, and cabbage. The TK chefs also looked at a photo of students in London who powered a Christmas tree with 1,000 Brussels sprouts back in 2013.

We sang a silly ukulele song to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:

Brussels sprouts, Brussels sprouts, round and green: Winter immunity!

Roast them, shred them, eat them in a slaw to power our community.

In the kitchen we made a pasta salad with orecchiette, blanched Brussels sprout leaves, golden beets, Honeycrisp apples, loads of herbs, and a lemon balsamic dressing.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 6

In the classroom this week we learned about the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906, which ultimately destroyed 80% of the city. We watched a short PBS film focused on the Italian American community in San Francisco during this time. It tells the story of A.P. Giannini, the founder of the Bank of Italy, who helped the immigrant fishing families of North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf rebuild when no other banks would. A branch of Giannini’s bank, now called Bank of America, is just a couple of blocks from our school. We also have a middle school in SFUSD named after him.

In the kitchen, the second and third grade chefs made a hearty Italian soup called minestrone, rich with seasonal vegetables, beans, tomatoes, pasta, and herbs. We were joined by three college interns, some of whom were visiting the Bay Area for the first time. Thank you, Aiden, Hafsa, and Sheryl, for sharing a meal (and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano) with us!

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 5

In the classroom this week we read the book Mamie Takes a Stand: A Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights. We learned that the Tape family lived in Cow Hollow and wanted Mamie and her younger siblings to attend their local public school, but Mamie was turned away because of her Chinese ancestry. Her case against the principal of Spring Valley School went all the way to the California Supreme Court and her family eventually won, but in response SFUSD opened up a separate school called the Chinese Primary School so that Mamie and other Chinese and Chinese American children would not mix with the students at Spring Valley.

In the kitchen classroom we made lo mein with bok choy (a traditional Chinese vegetable named in the book we read) and lots of other delicious local vegetables. We learned that “lo” means to stir or toss and “mein” means noodles in Cantonese. Lo mein is a dish where the cooked noodles are tossed in a sauce as opposed to chow mein, where the noodles are fried. The second and third grade chefs enjoyed enjoyed practicing their chopstick skills once the table was set!

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 4

In the classroom this week we watched a short Britannica video about the Irish Potato Famine and learned that Irish immigration to the United States, including to San Francisco, soared around the time of the California Gold Rush. By 1880, a third of San Francisco’s population was of Irish descent. By 1906, Mission Dolores was predominantly an Irish Catholic church. We discussed how many local landmarks are named after prominent Irish Americans, such as McCoppin Elementary School in SFUSD (named after Frank McCoppin, the city’s first Irish-born mayor), O’Farrell Street (named after Jasper O’Farrell, who designed the Market Street promenade), and Geary Boulevard (named after John Geary, who is still the youngest person ever to serve as mayor of San Francisco).

In the kitchen we made a traditional Irish potato dish, colcannon, and enjoyed it with a side of Irish soda bread, which the second and third grade chefs were disappointed to learn is not made with Coca-Cola! We are grateful for a healthy potato harvest and for enough food to go around when we share a meal together at school.

4/5 Edible Social Studies Field Trip

Both 4/5 classrooms had the chance this month to visit the Recology transfer station, where San Francisco’s green, blue, and grey/black bins arrive daily to be processed for compost, recycling, and landfill. Students first participated in two classroom activities involving sorting materials into the different bins and following a milk carton’s journey from the forest to either the grey/black bin or the blue bin. We learned that if we toss a milk carton into the bin destined for landfill, we create a linear system that needs to be restarted from a natural resource each time we need a new milk carton. In contrast, if we toss a milk carton into the bin destined for recycling, we create a circular system where the used cardboard can be remade into a new milk carton ad infinitum, which helps protect and sustain our natural resources.

Students then went on a walking tour of several Recology Artist in Residence studios where artists use materials scavenged from the dump and breathe new life into them as public art. We walked through the public disposal building, where we saw old refrigerators, TVs, styrofoam blocks, sofas, and much more! Recology educators will come to Harvey Milk for follow-up visits with the students and have invited the fourth and fifth graders to participate in the Department of the Environment’s upcoming Climate Action Youth Summit in April.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 3

This week in the classroom we learned that in the early 19th century, Yerba Buena became part of the United Mexican States after the Mexican War of Independence. We watched two Eater videos about how corn was a sacred crop for the Mesoamericans and how some historians link the rise of vampires in the Western cultural imagination to the European conquerors’ lack of understanding of corn and how to cook and eat it.

In the kitchen students made fresh corn tortillas with a dough made from nixtamalized masa harina. They enjoyed working with our wooden tortilla presses and watching the tortillas cook on a hot skillet. Even in December, we were able to find local heirloom tomatoes and made a simple pico de gallo to enjoy with the warm tortillas. They were a delicious and nutritious hit and zero vampires were formed as a result!

TK Edible Social Studies: Month 4

In the month of December, the TK chefs celebrated all things pomegranate. In the classroom, we passed around a whole pomegranate and marveled at what the fruit looks like when it’s cut in half. We learned that pomegranate means “apple with many seeds” in medieval Latin and that pomegranate seeds are called “arils.”

We sang a silly song about pomegranates to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:

Pomegranate, pomegranate, juicy and red; Apple with many seeds.

Good for your heart, good for your health; Arils like rubies!

In the kitchen classroom we made a pomegranate tabbouleh with loads of parsley, mint, lemon juice, and a special ingredient—pomegranate molasses. We enjoyed our tabbouleh with pita chips from local producer The Hummus Guy.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 2

In the classroom this week, we discussed the significance of the year 1776 for the land that is now known as San Francisco. We read excerpts from Matt Weber’s book California’s Missions from A to Z about the arrival of Spanish missionaries and the major impacts this had on both the Indigenous people and the land. The second and third graders recognized local landmarks such as Mission Dolores; crops such as olives, oranges, and grapes; California sports team names such as the Padres and the Angels; and the Spanish name for the territory, Yerba Buena, after the native mint they found growing everywhere.

In the kitchen, we made a salad highlighting many of the plants and products the Spanish brought: wheat, oranges, grapes, olives, lemon, sherry, mustard, and olive oil. We usually consume wheat after it’s already been ground into flour, so getting the opportunity to try the chewy wheatberries in their unprocessed form was a special treat.

2/3 Edible Social Studies: Week 1

We started our exploration of the history of San Francisco with the Indigenous people of what is now called the San Francisco Peninsula, the Ohlone. In the classroom we watched a short film about the chefs and activists behind Cafe Ohlone (a restaurant just across the Bay Bridge we have taken multiple groups of Harvey Milk fourth and fifth graders to on field trips!). We learned that Ohlone foodways have been on this land since the beginning, are here in the present and thriving, and will continue to survive into the future.

In the kitchen we made a salad highlighting present-day descendants of native Bay Area plants and animals: blackberries, huckleberries, amaranth, sunflowers, amaranth, quail, elderberry, and walnut. The second and third grade chefs used a mortar and pestle to make a simple dressing, connecting to ancient food traditions and technology human beings have employed for thousands of years.