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In celebration of Farm to School Month, Chef Anna visited our site hosts at the L.M. Nixon School in Palo Alto for their annual Tasting Week. During Tasting Week, classrooms team up with a local chef to do some hands on preparation while exploring different tastes and textures of foods with which they may not be familiar.
This past week, Chef Anna worked with 40 first graders to prepare the Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Apples that was featured in last week’s newsletter. The kids were broken into eight groups. Each group destemmed, tore, and massaged kale, deseeded the pomegranate with the wooden spoon technique, hand grated cheese, and tossed the dressing.
While the kids worked on their kale, they learned how massaging the kale breaks down its cell walls making the chlorophyll and other nutrients more available at the same time as the leaves become more tender. The kids were thrilled to see their hands turning a lovely shade of green due to the release of chlorophyll. A few incredible hulk remarks were made.
Anna demonstrated how to make the dressing while she discussed the importance of making your own. She stressed that when you make your own food, you are in control and know exactly what goes into it. She explained that store bought dressings usually have high levels of salt and preservatives.
Amid leaf tearing and pomegranate whacking, conventional vs organic agriculture and seasonality were discussed. Once the preparation was complete, the teachers plated the salad and every single kid tried it, many asked for seconds. This was the first time many of the kids had eaten kale and all of them said they really liked it. They were eager to take home the recipe cards Anna brought and excited to share their new culinary skills and knowledge with their parents.
We are very pleased to be working with the L.M. Nixon School Health & Wellness Committee to bring Frog Hollow fruit and educational opportunities to their school. Stay tuned for news on Farmer Al’s upcoming visit to their garden on Food Day!
