Grade 3 Edible Social Studies: Week 3

We had a great discussion this week in class - it feels like we’re getting the hang of modifying this project for interacting over Zoom (though that’s not to say I don’t wish every minute the kids could be interacting with all the tools we have at school, fresh ingredients, and cooking and eating at the table together)! Studying corn and its importance to Mesoamerican culture, how Europeans brought it back home without the process of nixtamalization and got sick as a result, and how byproducts from this one plant are now everywhere in modern life is a ripe topic that could easily be the focus of every one of our lessons over the course of an entire school year.

In 45 minutes, the third graders learned about the Mexican War of Independence, ate locally made tortilla chips with salsa together, and brainstormed all the foods we could think of that contain corn. Many didn’t realize that foods like a Snickers bar or a can of Coke also contain corn, and we talked briefly about how to eat corn with intention. The more closely corn as an ingredient in a certain food resembles the actual corn plant, the better it is for our health.

For a succinct and highly provocative overview of the period under discussion, check out these two videos from Eater that the third graders watched this week: Why Corn is the Most Sacred Crop and The Dark and Terrible History of Corn. (Spoiler alert: beware of vampires!)

Grade 3 Edible Social Studies: Week 2

We started this week’s class with two videos from KQED: Cultivating an Abundant San Francisco Bay and Discovering San Francisco Bay: The Portolá Expedition. It was fun to see how many names we could recognize from the stories - Shellmound, Portola, Sausalito, San Francisco - and to see how a people’s food culture (in this case the Indigenous diet of shellfish) actually influenced the topography of the land.

What I hope students take away from this lesson is that Ohlone land was rich with resources and that the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s dramatically changed everything, including food. The Spanish brought new crops like wheat, sugar, and grapes, as well as animal husbandry practices, all of which dramatically altered the land.

At home together on the Zoom, we assembled our own shelter-in-place version of a classic Spanish dish, pan con tomate. The introduction of wheat and sugar had profound consequences on the local diet that continue to influence what we eat today. I can think of no better shelf-stable representation of this than the delicious flatbread bites made by Rustic Bakery in Marin. Wheat is a miracle! And sugar makes everything taste good! And now they’re everywhere and we’ve forgotten how to eat minimally processed plants! (I digress.)

Because we needed to distribute the tomatoes a week in advance, I made a jam from some beautiful tomatoes donated by our friends at Oak Hill Farm in Sonoma so that students could experience them at their peak flavor and so the jars could hang out in the fridge until class time. Eating tomatoes, native to the Americas, as part of a Spanish dish is a great way to bring the history of Spanish colonization to life. We had a few issues with kit items going missing or accidentally being eaten before class, so I’ll be experimenting with some new labeling for our second round of home kits next week. Stay tuned.

Grade 3 Edible Social Studies: Week 1

We’re back. I’m so grateful our partnership with Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy will continue during this strange school year but also anxious about how to execute our program via distance learning. For now, I’m excited to collaborate with our incredible third grade teaching team and know together we’ll be able to offer something meaningful. We’ve decided to pilot Edible Social Studies home kits where we send home supplies and ingredients for two weeks’ worth of classes in advance. Our hope is this will ensure every student has access to what they need to participate in the live class sessions on Zoom, but we’ll have to try it out to see if it’s actually successful. There will likely be challenges I haven’t thought of in advance, but that’s been the case ever since we launched The Breakfast Project!

It’s sad to see so much more of our budget going towards packaging rather than to fresh, local produce. I’m still working on ways to reduce waste and will try to incorporate discussions about reusing and recycling into our classes. Kit #1 contains foods to represent the first two groups of people to live in what is now San Francisco, the Ohlone (who thrived for thousands of years pre-contact) and the Spanish (who arrived in the 18th century). We also included a jar of the homemade granola the third graders made in second grade last spring right before the school closures happened. They were meant to sell the granola as part of a student-run farmstand to culminate their unit on the local food economy, but in absence of that opportunity, I’m happy they will get to enjoy the fruits of their labor with their families at home and that the granola will foster some cross-grade connections.

For our first class, students steeped organic yerba buena leaves in their own reusable tea bags in hot water and sweetened the tea with local blackberry honey. While enjoying our tea together, we talked about the hunter gatherer lifestyle and how most of us don’t know any words from languages indigenous to this area. “Yerba Buena” was a name given to the land by the Spanish in response to the wild mint they found growing in the region, but in a video about contemporary Ohlone chefs and activists Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, we were able to hear them use the Chochenyo word for the mint. Our breakout room question asked the third graders what they would name their city now if they had the chance. A few of their responses: Peace, Nature, and Trees.

The Road Ahead

Faced with the question of how schools can continue to serve their students in the age of COVID-19, I’m experiencing a deep, overwhelming feeling of not-knowing. When I look at these images from the past school year, I see children engaging with all their senses side by side with their peers. The magic is in the hands-on, in-person experience that they share around the table. It’s messy. It’s filled with laughter. We break bread with our neighbors and our community grows stronger. But what now? Should we just give up? Hit the pause button and come back in 2022?

We don’t know what next year will look like but it’s pretty clear it can’t look like what has come before. I realize that “knowing” has always been a fallacy and that our work may actually have replicated the very systems and structures we aim to dismantle. Instead of leading with my ideas and my agenda, I pledge to spend these next months connecting with students and families in our community whose voices rarely get heard. What does it mean to tell the truth when teaching social studies? What can The Breakfast Project do to better support Indigenous, Black, and Brown students at our school? How can we best show up for our community during this time? Where are our resources needed the most and how can we distribute them most equitably? The answers may look nothing like what I thought I knew. The work involved will be uncomfortable, but we must do it. We are committed to doing it.

I hope the summer brings you what you need, and we look forward to being back with you again soon. May you stay safe and be fed.

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 9

We started our circle this week talking about food advertising and the role marketing plays in a consumer economy like the one we have in the United States. Many students were able to recall jingles or mascots they’ve seen representing everything from the importance of daily servings of fruit and vegetables to Coca-Cola products. (Ads for Airheads Candy also seemed to make a strong impression.) We then watched a video from Vox called The Quest for the Perfect Apple about the rise of trademarked apples developed for their taste and texture and the consumer response to them (spoiler alert: the apples have been popular).

In the kitchen, everyone got busy chopping apples. We used a mix of Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji, Jazz, and Pacific Rose varieties so that our final dish, applesauce, would have depth of flavor and showcase both the tart and sweet qualities that make apples so tasty. We love this recipe because it’s most fun when made in a group, employs the nutritious apple skins, doesn’t need any added sugar, and is so simple. We’re grateful we had a sweet last class before the school closures. Stay safe, everyone, and we will see you back in the kitchen soon!

Breakfast Around the World: Week 9

We enjoyed making Egyptian falafel so much last semester that we made another North African/Middle Eastern breakfast this week featuring fava beans called ful medames. The fava beans are cooked with onions, garlic, and cumin, then served mashed with flatbread and an array of sides such as hard-boiled eggs, onion, parsley, lemons, tomatoes, and yogurt.

This recipe requires some advanced preparation to cook the beans, but otherwise comes together very quickly. We had more time than usual to share the meal at the table. Many students took the opportunity to tell jokes and make each other laugh. During this difficult time when we must stay far apart, we look forward to being able to connect again in person over food in the near future.

Grade 1 Edible Social Studies: Week 8

In the garden this week, Ms. Stuti started class by reading the book Oh Say Can You Seed? by Bonnie Worth and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. The first graders then divided into three groups and got to explore a collection of seeds of all different sizes, colors, and shapes. The largest seed they examined was a coconut. The smallest seeds came from the sesame plant. Students took turns making observations about the seeds, then came up with their own classification system. Some groups sorted the seeds by edibility; others sorted by color; others sorted by texture. After the sorting was done, other students got to guess how each group chose to classify their seeds.

We ended class with a seasonal snack of sliced Navel oranges and time to water the plants and explore the garden. Why do you think there is such an array of seeds found in nature?!

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 8

This week the second graders talked about how transactions make up an economy and watched a short video about how farmers markets provide a simple, joyful way for producers and consumers to connect. In the kitchen, students worked together to make a miso-ginger dressing, which they ate with Little Gem and Red Butter lettuces.

The dressing gets its tang from ginger and rice vinegar; sweetness from apples, carrots, and mirin; and umami from miso and soy sauce. We can’t wait to share the students’ hard work with friends and family on April 18. One chef remarked, “We’re going to make a bajillion dollars this is so good!”

Breakfast Around the World: Week 8

This week we made a Korean breakfast of zucchini pancakes with a tasty dipping sauce. Most of the class was spent cutting the squash into matchsticks, which were then tossed with salt to help draw out moisture. Students then squeezed as much water out of the salted zucchini as they could (similar to the process they used to make Polish potato pancakes), then made a simple batter with eggs, onion, and flour.

The best part of the class was when kids who came into the class strongly stating they did not like zucchini asked for thirds.

Grade 1 Edible Social Studies: Week 7

The first graders will spend six weeks in the garden exploring all things seeds, including rice, which they now know so much about! In the outdoor classroom, we read the book From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons and students began the germination process for dried fava beans. They placed a bean between the side of a clear cup and a damp paper towel and will continue to check on the seeds over the next week to make sure they have enough moisture to sprout.

Our seasonal garden snack was Kishu mandarins, and at the end of class, everyone had an opportunity to participate in garden jobs: caring for our school chickens, exploring the dig zone, or watering plants. We can’t wait to plant favas together once the beans germinate!

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 7

We were so excited to welcome the second graders into the kitchen this week! Our class started in the classroom where we watched a video from the Lexicon of Sustainability about economies of community. Over the course of six classes, students will be making their own value-added food products, enjoying them in the kitchen together, and storing the surplus they produce to sell and give away at their school-wide farmers market on April 18. We will be discussing local food systems and exploring an alternative to economies of scale.

In the kitchen, our chefs worked together on a homemade granola, which involved a lot of measuring and taking turns adding a total of 18 ingredients. Because the granola requires baking after mixing, students enjoyed granola that was baked the day before. The granola they prepared was either enjoyed by the next class or jarred up for the farmstand. Everyone had a choice of soy milk or whole milk yogurt, and a surprising number of students liked the granola mixed with both at the same time!

Breakfast Around the World: Week 7

We celebrated the two-year anniversary of The Breakfast Project’s first pilot class at Harvey Milk this week and made the same recipe we debuted the program with in February of 2018, overnight multi-grain waffles. Each class prepared the yeast batter for the next day’s class and added eggs to the batter made the day before.

Many of our original chefs from that first spring pilot have graduated and gone off to middle school, but there were a handful of students in each of our three classes who have been with Breakfast Around the World since the beginning. It was a special and delicious celebration! We think there should be a make-whipped-cream-by-hand station installed in every classroom as it’s a great way to get some exercise before the start of the school day.

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 6

This week our second graders held a combined class and welcomed a special guest from our school community, Simon Richard, the produce buyer for Bi-Rite Family of Businesses. Simon is a Harvey Milk parent and has been sourcing and growing produce for Bi-Rite Markets for over 15 years.

With a lot of background knowledge about producers and consumers from their time with Ms. Butler, Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Hensen, and Ms. Stuti, the second graders had a lot of questions for Simon. How does food get to the markets? What produce do people buy the most? (Answer: avocados, followed by bananas!) What does Bi-Rite grow at its farm in Sonoma? Where are the farms located that grow produce for Bi-Rite? How important is the way a product looks in order for it to sell well?

Simon spoke about how a typical market operates, the importance of eating with the seasons, highlighted Bi-Rite’s relationships with local farmers, and brought local, organic Kishu mandarins for all of the second graders to enjoy. It was a treat to enjoy produce at the peak of their season!

Grade 1 Edible Social Studies: Week 6

It was our final week in the kitchen with our first graders for the year, and we ended our culinary journey on a sweet note, as all meals should! In the classroom, we read Islandborn, written by Junot Díaz and illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Lola, the protagonist, was born in the Dominican Republic but moved to New York City when she was a baby. While working on a school project, she interviews friends and family and connects with the vibrant, colorful place from which she came.

In the kitchen, we made Dominican arroz con leche, scented with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and nutmeg, as well as a tropical fruit salad. Even with such a short unit, I think we were able to show how many different, delicious ways there are to prepare rice and to celebrate how many different people make one nation. We hope all of our first grade families will keep our theme going at home and keep the discussion alive around the dinner table!

Breakfast Around the World Week 6: Costa Rica

Gallo pinto was so popular last year we decided to bring it back this week. It’s one of those breakfasts that somehow tastes improbably rich and flavorful even though it’s basically rice and beans. The students started by making a sofrito with onions, peppers, and garlic. They then added long-grain white rice to the pot and while the rice cooked, they warmed tortillas and fried their own eggs (courtesy of our wonderful school chickens!). Cracking eggs is a skill we will continue to work on as the semester progresses - we definitely have fewer compost-only situations on the worktables to clean up!

“Gallo pinto” means spotted rooster in Spanish, and once our chefs added in the cooked black beans, we could see where the dish gets its name. One of the keys to the layers of flavor in the gallo pinto comes from the cooked sofrito melding with the addition of those same ingredients, but raw, towards the end of the cooking process. We ate the beans and rice with homemade Salsa Lizano, the national sauce of Costa Rica, and the warm tortillas with a fried egg on top. ¡Qué chiva! 

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 5

This week the second graders took their creations from the past few weeks in the garden and packaged them for their upcoming farmstand in April. Students decorated their succulent jars with raffia ribbons, wrapped their seed bombs in paper and made labels, and worked on signage for both their garden treasures and the value added food products we’ll be making together in the kitchen in the coming weeks.

We are so excited for them to showcase all their hard work for their families and the school community soon!

Grade 1 Edible Social Studies: Week 5

We started class this week with the book Chachaji’s Cup by Uma Krishnaswami and Soumya Sitaraman. It tells the story of a multigenerational family that enjoys the ritual of drinking tea together and how the narrator processes his great-uncle’s stories about the partition of India.

In the kitchen, Ms. Stuti taught us how to make jhalmuri, a popular Indian street snack made from puffed rice. The toasted rice is mixed with fresh fruits like cucumber and tomatoes, herbs, spices, crunchy chickpea noodles, roasted black chick peas, lots of freshly squeezed lime juice, and another ingredient that was new for many of us, mustard oil. The resulting salad is colorful with loads of different flavors and textures.

We were disappointed that scheduling conflicts prevented us from working with Ms. Francis’s class this week, but were happy to be reunited with some of our beloved fourth and fifth grade chefs, who were able to cook with us instead.

Breakfast Around the World Week 5: India

Ms. Stuti taught us how to make a delicious potato-stuffed Indian flatbread called aloo paratha this week. We made the dough right before class, then students peeled and mashed cooked potatoes and added spices and herbs to make the filling. We introduced two methods to fill the paratha. Some students used their fingers to make a deep well, similar to a clay pinch pot. Others rolled out the dough first, then added the filling on top. Everyone loved working with flour and rolling pins, and we agreed it takes a lot of practice to get as much filling in the bread as you can without having it poke out once you start rolling.

We cooked the parathas on high heat with homemade ghee and enjoyed them with butter and Ms. Stuti’s seasonal achar, an Indian pickle, featuring carrots, cauliflower, and watermelon radish.

Grade 2 Edible Social Studies: Week 4

This week the second graders continued their exploration of products and how they’re created by propagating succulents in the garden. Students filled glass jars with soil and potted various plants that had been divided, leaving the root and crown on each new plant in tact. The end products are truly beautiful to behold.

At the end of class, there was time for communing with the chickens, exploring the dig zone, and, of course, a seasonal snack - Pink Lady apples!

Grade 1 Edible Social Studies: Week 4

This week we started class with the book A Different Pond by Bao Phi and Thi Bui and discussed the difference between immigrants and refugees. The book tells the story of a Vietnamese-American boy who goes fishing with his father, a man who lost his brother in what the United States refers to as the Vietnam War. We talked about Little Saigon in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood and the many Vietnamese-American-owned businesses you can find there.

In the kitchen, the first graders made Vietnamese gỏi cuốn (spring rolls). It was our first class incorporating products made from rice (paper and noodles) instead of the rice itself. First we prepared all the filling ingredients: calendula, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, purple cabbage, spearmint, Thai basil, cilantro, Hodo braised tofu, red butter lettuce, and rice vermicelli. Everyone was careful to cut the ingredients into long thin strips chefs call “julienne” so that the filling would not tear the delicate rice paper when rolled up.

Next we rehydrated the rice paper wrappers by submerging them one at a time in a bowl of warm water and counting to ten. Students then customized the fillings of their spring rolls. We enjoyed them together with a vegan version of nước chấm, the traditional fish-sauce-based dipping sauce. The kids really enjoyed this recipe - there were many smiles at the end of class!