We started class by reviewing the concepts from last week around eating locally: it uses less energy and is better for the environment, supports local farmers, preserves nature, and tastes delicious. This week, we discussed how eating locally also usually means we’re eating with the seasons. The second graders passed around a calendar of when specific fruits and vegetables are in season in San Francisco and The Local Foods Wheel, a beautiful educational tool produced through a collaboration between a local artist, a local chef, and a local food systems expert. We asked the students to locate their birth month and see what’s in season at that time of year!
One of the seasonal foods to look forward to during the California winter is citrus. For our Winter Citrus Extravaganza, the students worked with Minneola tangelos, Meyer lemons, Moro blood oranges, Tahitian Sarawak pomelos, Shasta Gold mandarins, Satsuma mandarins, Cara Cara navel oranges, limes, and Ruby Red grapefruit. They peeled and thinly sliced the fruit into half moons, then made a salad dressing using red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, lime zest and juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh tarragon and mint.
The coolest part of class was hearing some students recognize the same citrus varieties they had purchased on their field trip earlier this year to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. We love being a part of connecting learning in the classroom, on field trips, and in the kitchen.
