November Kids Cook Classes

The schedule for November classes is set!

I will be repeating three classes from October at a new time.  I want to see how this time works for me personally and for drawing an interested crowd.  Please 'vote with your participation' and come to these afternoon classes if you want to see more offered at this time in the future.

Thursday November 5 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Herbs

Thursday November 12 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Apples

Thursday November 19 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Winter Squash

Each class includes exploration of the ingredient, hands on preparation of at least one dish, and story.  Children go home with a recipe card and the experience to assist in the kitchen.

Classes cost $3 each.  Pre-registration is not required.  Classes held at Sprout Soup, 4310 N High Street Columbus OH 43214.

Come to one or all!

Kids Cook Lesson Three: Crackers

Today I was joined by ten  lovelies at Sprout Soup for the third October Kids Cook lesson. We started by making graham crackers.  This recipe is super easy and has the advantage of being egg free so kids can play with the dough without worry about salmonella.

¼ cup milk or buttermilk 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or vinegar (omit if using buttermilk) ¼ cup canola oil 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup 2 ½ cups sifted whole wheat flour, plus more as needed ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. sea salt

1. Combine milk and lemon juice, set aside for a few minutes to curdle. In a small bowl, whisk the oil and sweetener together, and whisk in the curdled milk.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid mixture. Stir gently until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and balls up in the center. You might have to add extra flour, or if you’re using whole wheat bread flour, you might need to add a little more milk.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets if they are not non-stick. Using a rolling pin on a floured surface, and using more flour as necessary on top of the dough, and on the rolling pin, roll the dough out about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.  Arrange them on sheets.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp.  Transfer crackers to racks and cool them before storing in a tightly closed tin.

Recipe adapted from Alison's Lunch.

We sang 'Do You Know the Muffin Man?' with ASL signs for muffin, cracker, and bread.

While the crackers were baking, we explored wheat kernels.  Everyone got to feel and taste them.  We ground them with a mortar and pestle to release the endosperm from the bran.

We ate our crackers while listening to the story Little Red Hen.

Next week's class will be about the fall favorite squash, including pumpkin!

Need Your Input for Next Kids Cook Classes

The response to the Kids Cook classes has been truly overwhelming.  I plan to continue and Sprout Soup is happy to keep hosting. The question I am contemplating is what day/time to offer classes.  Classes are currently held on Thursday mornings.  I would be open to holding an afternoon or Saturday morning sessions.

If you are a reader with kids in Columbus, which time would you be most likely to attend?  Any other recommendations?

Kids Cook Lesson Two: Apples

Today thirteen children joined me to explore apples for the Kids Cook series at Sprout Soup.

We started out making a simple six ingredient apple crisp.  One table chopped peeled cored apples into pieces while the other mixed the topping.

6 peeled and cored apples, chopped and placed into 8x8 dish

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp cinammon

1/2 tsp salt

Combine topping ingredients with pastry cutter and spread over apples.  Bake at 350 deg. F. until bubbly (about 30 minutes)

After putting the crisp in the toaster oven, we sang Five Little Apples Hanging in the Tree and made apple trees with our bodies.

Next we made applesauce.  The apples were quickly stewed before the class.  Everyone got a turn using the foodmill to puree the applesauce.  Then we tasted it.

Finally we read Annie the Apple Farmer.  We ate the warm apple crisp and everyone went home with a recipe card.

Next week's class is about crackers.  Children ages 3 - 6 are welcome!

Let Them Use Knives

Most children have an innate desire to mimic their parents.  This is especially true in the kitchen.  With the proper instruction and practice, children CAN do most everything adults do.  Turning their motivation into teachable cooking moments sets the foundation for a lifelong healthy relationship with food.

Even young kids quickly become truly helpful cooks. In this busy age, having a child who is able to assist making meals and make themselves a snack is a time saver.

Beyond helpfulness to you, allowing children to contribute raises their self confidence.  They are more likely to eat foods they have helped prepare.  Think of years later when kids who cook age into college students able to feed themselves well.

We teach by modeling first, then working together, and finally allowing independence.

One of Lillian's favorite tasks is to help chop fruits and vegetables.  At first she was allowed to use a plastic knife, then metal butter knife, and has now graduated to a paring knife.  Yes, my just four year old uses a paring knife, the same paring knife Alex sharpens regularly.

When teaching children any lesson in life, it is necessary to give them the right tools.  It makes sense to me that if a child can exhibit self control and wants to cut a tomato, a butter knife is not going to do the job.

Of course, we maintain some basic precautions.  Knives are stored out of reach so they may only be used when an adult is around.  If Lil is in an angry or wiggly mood, we help her find a way to be calm before helping in the kitchen.  If she gets too excited about chopping and begins to look unsafe, we substitute a different knife or ask her to come back later after she has spent some energy.

"But what if she cuts herself?" aunts and grandparents ask when they see her with a sharp knife.  "What if?" I answer.  Given her lack of strength, it is unlikely she will do permanent damage if she slices a finger tip. Adult cooks, even professionals, cut themselves often.  Lil is well acquainted with the story about when Alex self amputated a bit of his thumb while chopping onions.  Practicing now under supervision is as good a time as any to begin knife skills.

With freedom and her sharp knife, Lil has grown to become a great assistant in the kitchen.  I give her cloves of garlic to chop and she does it happily.  She can chop apples for sauce, cut cheese in chunks, de-seed tomatoes, quarter mushrooms, and more.

I say, let children use knives.  Model good knife skills and allow them to practice under supervision.  You will not only give your children a life skill, but get some relief from chopping all those ingredients yourself!

Kids Cook Lesson One: Herbs

Today was the first class in the Kids Cook series.  It was a rousing success with a dozen kids and parents participating! Because I was leading the class, I did not take pictures.  Next class I will ask someone to take a few pictures for me.

Here's a quick recap of the class:

We washed hands with soap.  Then everyone smelled, touched, and looked at the variety of herbs.  We came up with a definition for herb:

"green, leaves, smells, can eat it"

Then, we tasted the herbs. Everyone liked different flavors!

Kids tore up their favorite herb or combination and mixed it into Ohio made cream cheese.  They spread this on crackers for a tasty snack.

Next we made window herb gardens.  This is a fun activity for anyone to try at home.

• Use a hole punch to make two holes below the seal of a ziploc type plastic bag.  We used the snack size.
• Insert fishing line and tie to form a hanging loop.
• Place a folded paper towel in the bag.
• Use a spray bottle to wet the towel.
• Scatter a few seeds on the wet towel.
• Hang by a suction cup hook in a sunny (typically south facing) window.
• Keep the zipper top unzipped to allow for air flow.
• Re-wet the paper towel when most of the water evaporates.
• After the seeds sprout and grow their second pairs of leaves, the seedlings need nutrients.  You can either gently transfer to a pot of soil or feed with a liquid fertilizer.

We finished by reading Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert.

This series of classes will continue on Thursdays  from 11:15 - 12 at Sprout Soup through the month of October.  The next class is about apples. Please join us if you can!

Picking Apples at Windy Hill Farm

I love apples and I love autumn, so it follows that I love spending a day apple picking.

For three years now we have been loyal patrons of Windy Hill Apple Farm, home to Charlie's Apples.  It is an organic farm with a selection of specially chosen disease resistant trees located north of Johnstown, Ohio.

The farm name was fitting as today's weather included high wind warnings.  We picked Liberty apples, some of the best apples for cooking.  They were a little picked over so filling our 1/2 bushel bag took about an hour.

I prefer Windy Hill Apple Farm for so many reasons:

*Charlie himself.  He is an intelligent former-engineer.  He is soft spoken but wise about apple growing and happy to share his knowledge.

*The organic farming methods means I do not worry about pesticide/herbicide exposure when Lil bites into an apple fresh off the tree.

*The lack of chemicals means the farm is teaming with wildlife.  We saw three birds' nests, a wide variety of insects, and evidence of deer.

*The apple products available on farm include hard cider, cider syrup, and cider vinegar.  All are hand made by Charlie and his family, delicious, and include no icky ingredients.  There are no candy sticks or fall decorations to inspire the 'I wants' from my daughter, only wholesome local apple goodies.

I tried some of this year's hard cider (made from last year's apples) and it is the best yet.  Blended from two apple varieties, the naturally fermented hard cider is richly flavored and a true heirloom product.  The Johnny Appleseed stories don't mention it often, but Johnny was really planting for hard cider, not fresh fruit.

*The farm is small and off the beaten path.  Today we were the only people picking.  Other times there have been one or two families, but never enough to feel crowded.  The bags are self serve and you pay on the honor system.

*Charlie's motivations are to understand and educate others about sustainable growing and carry on the long standing traditions of apple farming.  Production and profit seem to come second to these lofty goals.

If you go:

Pick what's in season.  Charlie's flagship variety, Gold Rush, will not mature until late October.  I plan to make a return trip then.

Call ahead. Some varieties sell out and it is best to call ahead so you know what is available.

Make a pit stop in Johnstown.  The farm doesn't have a public restroom, although Charlie has allowed us to use the bathroom in his home on site in emergencies.

Bring cash or check for payment.  Apples cost $8/peck, $14/half bushel (Amazingly, this is cheaper than the non organic pick your own at other local farms!!)

Stay tuned for some suggestions about what to make with all your apples!

The Birthday Cake Hound

This is a picture of Devorguilla, aka Devie, aka big hound, in 2002. It was just after we moved to Norfolk Virginia in our first house. I had not yet found work and we were extended beyond our means. But it was Alex's birthday, so I baked a German Chocolate Cake from scratch.

Devie found the cake and ate at least half. If you didn't know Devie then you wouldn't know that she normally had a huge chest and tiny waist. This picture only shows a very full tummy.

Devie did not die, although some dogs do from excess chocolate inhalation. At the time, I had such anger in me that I felt I wouldn't have minded if she did keel over.

For the intervening eight years, Devie has always been around when there is food and continues to put front feet on the counter to steal what morsels she can.

Yesterday we were outside visiting with friends. I heard the tell tale 'clack' of Devie's nails on the kitchen floor. It took only a second until I remembered Lil's birthday chocolate cake cooling beside the stove.

Ack!!! Devie had eaten into half of it. Damn dog and damn my leaving it in reach.

On our evening walk, we stopped by the local market to purchase more cocoa for another cake.

When we got out the butter to make another cake, guess who was ready at the mixer?

Yep. And later, when we were icing it?

Finally our twice-made chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was decorated with butterfly rings and served at Lillian's fourth birthday party. Happy birthday, my dear girl! May the Birthday Cake Hound never strike on your special day again