Today was a easy but nice working day. We talked about what we were going to sell at the farmer market,what was in season for taste testing and we also did pickling today which went extremely better then yesterdays pickling. When we were talking about the farmers market we have great things in mind.Besides the pickling and brainstorming for the day we also worked on entrepreneurship and demand. When we were talking about demand we learned many different meanings to the word and how the increase in price the more product you can get and the decrease in the income means less product. So today was a pretty nice and simple day.

Freezer and Pickle Day

Today was a very cold day. We cleaned the freezer and had to re orgznize it by taking out food and making sure the same items were in the same place together. We ended up having more inventory then we thought and after awhile it began to get confusing .This afternoon we made pickles out of pickeling cucumbers .We cut them into spears, chopped fresh garlic and gathered together pickle spice,dill and salt seasonings and also water and vinegar so that the pickles can soak and become Dill pickles. The last and final thing that we had to do was clean and sanitize the kitchen.

Chickens, Entrepreneurship,& Processing Oh My!

Today we broke down chickens again, it was a lot easier than yesterday because they weren't frozen. We also talked about Entrepreneurship and different ideas and innovations. We were separated into groups of two and we had to brainstorm about new ideas and opportunities such as, a training camp to help prevent obesity for kids around the world. YMCA's could have free summer camps that could get kids involved in sports and eating healthy foods. There was a question that asked us what could be some good uses for an empty plastic detergent bottle. We came up with; a piggy bank, a water cooler, weights, and a gas container. We went back to the kitchen to strain our chicken broth that has been  simmering for two days. This will be used for a pan sauce for the chicken which we will saute on Thursday. Another thing we did was blanch and shock zucchini and squash after we chopped them up. We completed the process by packaging, labeling, and freezing them for later use.

Chicken Breakdown/Berry Picking

Yesterday we broke down chickens,for some of us it was the first time. We made chicken stock and learned about mire-poix. We also learned how to saute chicken. We practiced knife cuts on potatoes and then mashed them.





Today we visited Kurt Jane at their farm Braeutigam's Orchard. We learned about growing blue berries and got the chance to pick a pint of blue berries. They also let us feed their goats and cows.

Recipes From Home Contest!

It is the time of year where we ask your to submit your Recipes from Home! This is a contest where your child can submit their favorite family recipe using at least 1 fruit or 1 vegetable that is grown locally (apples, asparagus, beans, carrots, greens (collards), green beans, peaches, peas, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and tofu). These recipes will be used in the development of new recipes for the MRH school menu. The winning recipe will be prepared by your child with te assistance of the chefs from Les Dames dEscoffier. All of the studends from MRH schools will get to try the winning recipes in their lunches and vote on their favorites in order to determine a grand prize winner. Use the form below and submit your child's favorite Recipe from Home! Applications are due April 15!




Last Year's Winners:

 

 Recipes from Home Contest

Official Entry Form – attach to recipe

Healthy Eating with Local Produce (HELP)

_______________________________________
Name


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Grade                        Home Room Teacher


____________________________________________________
Email Address


___________________________
Home Phone Number


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Name of Recipe Recipe Category             (Salad, Soup, Main Dish, Side Dish)

Rules of Entry:
1. All recipes must include at least 1 fruit or vegetable that is local. (Apples, asparagus, beans, carrots,   greens (collards), green beans, peaches, snap peas, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and tofu).
2. Preparation instructions are clear, numbered, and in a logical order.
3. All ingredients are listed with common household measure (not metric).
4. Recipe is easy to prepare at home and kid-friendly.
5. Recipe must fit into one of the four main categories: Salad, Soup, Main Dish or Side Dish
6. Points will be awarded for creativity.
7. Students may enter up to 3 different recipes.
8. Recipes must contain no more than 8 ingredients.


________________________________ ___________________
Signature                                                    Date

Farm to School Workshop

 Saint Louis University hosted the University of Missouri Extension's Farm to School Workshop on Wednesday, February 16. It was a great gathering of farmers, school nutrition professionals, and food activists! We had a full house of over 150 people. Healthy Eating with Local Produce was prominently featured in many of the panels, and we were able to pass on many of our best practices.

Farmers Dave Thies and Steve Hamra spoke about their experiences selling to schools.

Dr. Millie Mattfeldt-Beman gave an overview of the HELP grant and was joined by two students from Maplewood Richmond Heights school district, Relissa and Dynique, for a panel discussion about the student's experience with Farm to School. Relissa and Dynique were hired on to work for the grant under the high school entrepreneurship program and were trained in sustainable food systems and food processing.

Chef Robert Rusan, Foodservice Director Carol Kon, distributor Randy Woods, and farmer Adrienne Hunter gathered for the third panel to discuss the logistics of food aggregation and distribution.

A delicious lunch was catered by Fresh Gatherings cafe featuring diary, eggs, meat and vegetables

from local farmers! Eric Hahn from Locavore Foods out of Detroit was the keynote speaker. He delivered an inspiring story with examples of how Farm to School can logistically work.

After lunch, breakout sessions were provided for the farmers and the school nutrition folk. Information specific panels were provided for each. The farmer side focused on food packing, grading, handling, safety, distribution and insurance. School food service focused on bidding, procurement, strategies, handling, processing and training.

Networking abounded, with old friends reuniting and new relationships being built. Everybody here at HELP hopes that attendees walked away with enough tools to start taking small steps towards putting local agriculture in our cafeterias. Many thanks to Bill McKelvey for producing a great event! If there are any questions that we can answer about the HELP grant, please contact the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at (314) 977-8523 or visit our web page at http://helpgrant.weebly.com/.

Tomatoes Galore!

Production has been in full swing this first week of October! From Mulberry Farms and Trover Farm in Illinois, we received 2000 lbs of tomatoes!! With this much fresh produce, we have to move quickly. About 300 lbs of marinara has been made so far, and there is plenty more to come.

So how do we do it? Well luckily there are no more skinning and seeding tomatoes. As you can see below, we just put whole tomatoes in the kettle. 

 

Here are the lovely and talented staff putting the tomatoes in the kettle

After a couple of hours, and some blending, the sauce has reduced enough to make a great marinara. After the sauce is cooled, it must be sous vide, or sealed in an vacuum sealed bag, to ensure a fresh, safe product for the Maplewood Richmond Height kiddies.

So what’s next you ask? More marinara, definitely some applesauce, baked apples, and other great fall treats!
Have you tried making your own marinara yet? No need for a steam kettle at home!