Salad bar on a plate

We had a great time Wednesday and Thursday making lunch with the kids. Because more students have been joining the program (yay!), the groups have been shifting a little, so every day it seems like we are meeting new kids and working with them in new ways.

Lunch Wednesday was a menu perfectly suited to getting lots of help from the kids - salad bar on a plate. When we had salad the first week, the kids enjoyed it, but we decided it would be more appealing to have all of the ingredients arranged separately on the plate. Team 2 got to work shredding cheese, chopping cucumbers, and prepping the lettuce. We tossed the leafy Romaine in a huge red dish with plenty of red cabbage, some kale, and some sunflower sprouts from Green Edge Gardens, as well as some carrots chopped by the group we had the day before.

Cindy and Dane have been continuing to work with the students on appropriate kitchen skills, like knife safety and sanitation (check out the fine form shown by a 4th-grader in this picture!). This week, they also taught lessons about ingredients and nutrition labels, discussing the ever-changing food pyramid (which is now actually a plate?). As the kids grow more familiar with us, each other, and the camp, they are beginning to absorb this information! We're certainly operating in terms of baby steps, but they are fantastic and rewarding steps nonetheless.

Fun days in the kitchen

Week 3 of the Kids on Campus summer program (I know - I can't believe it's been three weeks already, either!) started off slow, but by the end we were really in the groove.

The meals were planned on a 10-day rotation, similar to how the school-year breakfast & lunch system works, so by this week we began to repeat a few food items. I think that this made life easier for everyone - as a kitchen staff, and for the students helping us, there was a greater level of confidence in the food we prepared. Additionally, new foods seem slightly less daunting the second time around. Overall, I feel like a LOT more food has been consumed this week.

Just as did the first Monday of camp, this Monday started out with a breakfast of creamy oatmeal. This time, we stirred in plenty of local honey and maple syrup and a touch of cinnamon. It's topped with a generous portion of stewed fruit made with peaches and currants. We have been getting what seems like a neverending supply of peaches from the Donation Station! We are so lucky!


Frittata: A fancy way to say "cheesy eggs with veggies." With the help of Team 4, we made frittata on Monday for the second time this summer. Sauteed onions and garlic were layered in with copious, fresh, almost fluffy kale and chard, along with cheese and an egg mixture. We set up an assembly line, and the kids helped us assemble it.

Weather-wise, this has been an abnormal year here in southeast Ohio. Spring rains seemed to stretch on for eons, delaying planting and early harvests, and now that summer has come, it has come with a vengeance and we are now experiencing continuous hotter temperatures. This has affected our menu at the camp, because we are so focused on getting food that is available fresh locally - which translates to whatever's in season, and this year, it hasn't always been what we might have expected for that point in the summer. We have been lucky enough to use exclusively local, cage free eggs in our kitchen, but this past week it became increasingly difficult to find such eggs. It has been so hot that nobody's hens are laying! So, we have had to "scramble" to switch around the menus. The kids love egg-based dishes, so luckily by week's end we were able to come up with a new source for eggs.



Speaking of eggs. . . what's next for breakfast? Tuesday's breakfast this week was French toast! We received an ample supply of donated honey-wheat bread from Crumbs bakery - perfect for drenching in batter, baking in the oven, then slathering with fresh blueberry syrup! The kids were thrilled to have French toast sticks, and we were thrilled that yes, in fact, you CAN make French toast in the oven! Syrup made that morning from fresh blueberries certainly didn't hurt, either.

The students' glee continued Tuesday afternoon as we served macaroni & cheese for a second time, as well. Cindy's trick for the mac & cheese still works well; we baked three sweet potatoes and blended them up into a creamy sauce with the cheese and milk, turning it a beautiful orange hue - and nobody was any the wiser (til now! oops!). Sweet potatoes lend a great, well, sweetness to the dish, and I love how easily they blend into pretty much anything you'd like.

After a weekend away, where everyone (students and leaders alike!) experienced a variety of distractions, it was a little difficult to drum up enthusiasm for the meals. Especially since I only see the majority of the kids at mealtimes, I struggle to find ways to connect with them, other than dancing around like a maniac and enthusiastically shrieking about how exciting it is that we are having oatmeal for breakfast! We are all so busy during the mealtimes, and we have all been trying a little harder to really connect with the kids. This week, we improved on that a lot and at every meal at least one or two of us VISTAs was able to sit down at a table and eat with the kids.

This post is long enough, so I'm going to sign off for the moment, and when I return, I'll update on the absolutely terrific, action-packed days we had to finish out the week! Happy Friday!

Friday, July 8

Step 1 for making a delicious breakfast: Make crepes. Step 2: Stuff with peanut butter and bananas. Step 3: Roll up and enjoy!

That's what we did for breakfast on Friday, and it was fairly popular, although crepes are a relatively new idea for most people - myself included. But we just presented them as thin pancakes, and it was the first time we had peanut butter so I think the kids were excited about that!

Lunch Friday was even more exciting - open-face grilled cheese + veggie sandwiches. For cooking time that day we were with Team 2, which consists mostly of students in grades 4-6 or thereabouts, and they were able to enthusiastically prepare and assemble the sandwiches.

First, they helped us roughly chop Swiss chard, which formed the first layer of the sandwiches. Next came shredded carrots, which Team 3 had helped us with the day before. Then, each sandwich got a thin slice of fresh tomato before being topped with a generous handful of grated cheese. We baked them in the oven 'til they got all bubbly, and served them with a roasted zucchini & nut salad. The kids helped chop all that zucchini, too! It was one of our more popular vegetable sides so far.

One of my favorite things about this lunch was how easy it was for the kids to help make it. Some of our meals so far, delicious though they were, were labor-intensive or put us in such a time crunch that it's sometimes difficult to figure out how to let the kids lend a hand. Some days we feel like we're on one of those TV game shows like "Iron Chef," scrambling to plate the meal before a buzzer goes off!! As time has passed, though, and we have gotten more comfortable as a team, it's been easier to let the kids help out. Monday of this week we made frittatas for the second time, and the kids did a lot more of the work this time around... but that is a post for another day!

Week 2 breezes by!

Because the 4th of July fell on a Monday this year, our program took an extra-long weekend for the holiday. Along with the Monday off, Kids on Campus also took a hiatus on Tuesday. This means we only have the kids for three days this week! And what a busy three days they have been!

Wednesday morning started off with a chewy homemade granola bar, served up with fresh apple slices. Filled with fiber-rich whole-grain oats, sweet local honey, and dried currants, these granola bars more resembled a tasty, nutritious cookie, and what a fantastic way to start the week!

Many people have been asking us if we have a menu that we can provide. We are very fortunate to receive a large percentage of our food supplies from sources like the Donation Station at the Athens Farmers Market and the Chesterhill Produce Auction. The nature of these places is that what is most amply available is that produce which is directly in season. Sometimes, we plan a meal for one fruit or vegetable (say, zucchini) but instead get a bushel of something else (say, corn) through a donation - we then adjust our schedule accordingly.

This is exactly what happened yesterday! We showed up Wednesday morning with an enormous bag in tow containing 75 ears of corn, fresh from a local farmer at the Chesterhill Produce Auction! Lunch on Wednesday was "Happy Cow Burgers," a black bean patty mixed with other fresh veggies and savory spices and served on a Crumbs honey-wheat sandwich bun. Originally, we had planned to make oven potato fries with them, but who can turn down farm-fresh corn in July? The kids loved it too, and many were begging for seconds (luckily, we had ears of corn coming out our, well, ears!). We're also continuing to get feedback and refine our recipes, so I think things will just get better and better!

Although us VISTAs and our KoC leaders have been busy bees in the kitchen, don't worry - we've been putting the kids to work, also! Two groups helped us roll out tortillas this week, and Team 3 almost singlehandedly made today's carrot salad that we served with lunch. Every team has also been enthusiastic helpers after lunch in the kitchen, doing dishes, sweeping, and scrubbing - all things that are very important for keeping a kitchen functional!

This morning's breakfast was a new item, so the students had to be slightly more adventurous than usual, but I'm happy to say most of them rose to the challenge! Dubbed Three Bears Porridge, this dish centered on locally-grown spelt berries. Spelt berries, similar to wheat berries, are the fresh kernel of the grain, which once dried can be ground into flour. If you cook it, though, similarly to how you would cook rice or any other grain, it plumps up and can be used in any number of dishes! I have used spelt berries in savory dishes, or in place of rice in a dinner dish, but this morning we simmered it in apple juice and mixed in plenty of local honey & maple syrup, and 30 cups of fresh berries and fruit. Thanks to generous farmers at the farmers market, we had a rainbow of blueberries and peaches awaiting us this morning!

For lunch today, we stuffed homemade tortillas (made in part with whole-spelt flour) with a savory mixture of black beans, corn, rice, and salsa, finished off with a healthy amount of cheese and mixed greens, and baked them until they were warm and toasty all over. I had a chance during what is usually a hectic lunch hour to sit and talk with some of the kids while they were eating, and I really enjoyed that.

Overall, we continue to be impressed with the campers' collective interest in what we're eating and enthusiasm for being involved in the process. However, I am certainly open to suggestions for any more creative ways to liven up the food and make it the presentation more engaging and interesting to the kids while also being educational.

I'm excited for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch - I think that both will be very popular. I won't divulge too much, but breakfast involves peanut butter and lunch involves melty cheese! Who could argue with that?


(Here are a few links to other things to do with spelt berries:
Carrot Raisin Spelt Berry Salad with Cumin and Cilantro
Apple and Spelt Berry Salad

I'll post our spelt berry recipe as soon as I get my hands on it!

Fed Hock in the News

In today's Athens News, our program at Fed Hock received positive press - twice in one issue!

A small feature article in the Local News section reported on the camp, interviewing our Kids on Campus site director Crystal Smith and a few campers. The article explains how KoC works, and shines a favorable light on the work we're doing out there.

The reporter visited the school during last Friday's fun field day. The article mentions our emphasis on a local, fresh, plant-based diet and the importance of the lessons learned within.

"It may be surprising to hear that the kids at KoC enjoy eating vegetables. When asked if she thought eating healthily was fun, camper Johanna replied, 'Yeah, because you don't really do anything when you eat healthy but get strong.' "

I'm so glad that they quoted a few students in the article, as I can't say enough times how it really is about the kids, and so far it has been utterly rewarding to see how they are already learning and growing!

Read the whole article here.

Even more exciting was a letter to the editor in the same edition, written by our U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, who is already well-known for being a champion for our cause, supporting food-security organizations throughout the state. His letter (text here) encourages farmers to donate to the summer food programs, and provides some basic facts as well as contact information.

It's so wonderful to feel such support coming from all directions. Thanks, Sherrod Brown, and to the Athens News for featuring us! Now it's just up to us - onward to another busy, productive week!

(Thanks to the A-News for the top photo)

Week 1 is in the (reusable) bag!

Yes, I can scarcely believe it, but the first week of the summer program is already well behind us! The week wrapped up with a warm, sunny Friday that the kids spent having a fun Field Day outdoors at the school. The program is set up so that each Friday is a field trip or other fun activity, so no curriculum (other than, of course, the education gained from positive, fun activities).

While the students splashed around outside, we stayed busy in the kitchen. Our Friday meals are all planned to be easily taken in a to-go format - no messy frittatas or stir-fries today. On the menu this week were Veggie Roll-ups, fresh flour tortillas into which we put a medley of vegetables, fresh Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, grated cheese, and a creamy all-natural dressing. We tossed in a few baby carrots for good measure and an applesauce cup into each student's brown bag.

This setup, of course, posed some environmental questions. A main goal of this camp is Zero Waste! (if you say it aloud, you will realize it's a double entendre) and so far we have been succeeding with flying colors. At each meal, we have a system of many tubs set up, where students dispose of any uneaten food, mugs, plates, silverware, etc. On Friday, we added a few extra bins, leaving one for paper bags, for applesauce cups, and on down, so again, there was very little actual trash left at the end of the meal. We suspect some staff member will be able to find an art project to do with the applesauce cups, and we'll reuse the brown bags next week.

The morning started out with a bangin' success, as well. On the menu for breakfast: fresh fruit smoothies and whole-grain muffins made with locally-milled spelt flour (more about that in a future post), currants, and walnuts. Many of the kids were initially unimpressed by the word "smoothie," but nearly everybody drank down the entire thing - and who wouldn't? Erin, another VISTA, blended together frozen bananas with organic yogurt, Snowville milk, and plenty of peaches and blueberries - most of which we received as donations at the farmers' market through CFI's Donation Station.


All in all, it was a busy yet extremely rewarding week. It was amazing to watch as, each day, the kids grew more and more comfortable with being at the camp and the things they were learning. It was quite a remarkable journey from the first morning, where very few of the campers finished their oatmeal, let alone tried it, to the last, where only four children did not finish their muffins, and everyone tried a taste. I nearly jumped for joy! It has also been marvelous to watch them in the kitchen; they are enthusiastic about it all, even (or especially!) washing dishes! I hope that next week, they will get to be involved even more with the food preparation, as we can really see the positive effects of engaging them in the food-prep process. The students' eyes twinkle when I announce who helped make which components of the meal. We're giving them ownership over their food. It's the first step, at least!

A Rainbow of Food

We have had a busy few days out at Fed Hock! The kids have been doing a great job learning about cooking, kitchen rules, composting, and so much more. We have been throwing new foods at them as fast as they can turn around, and the response has been excellent. We've begun rewarding students for trying new foods and for cleaning their plates at each meal - and the amount of food tossed out decreases every mealtime. Yesterday for breakfast we had homemade granola made with toasted locally-grown amaranth, topped with fresh blueberries, apples, and dried fruit. Yummm!

Each day, we get a different group of students in our nutrition room. Cindy and Dane teach them some basic kitchen safety skills, and they get to practice chopping! Many of the vegetables served are prepped by students as young as 1st and 2nd grade. After the meal, they help with doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. We appreciate their help, and they have a great time! In the picture to the right, a rainbow of veggies cook away in an Asian-inspired veggie + marinated tofu stir-fry we cooked up for lunch today, complete with rice, a cucumber salad, and, of course, plenty of sizzling skillets!



Cindy has a "No-Yuck" rule, and a brightly colored poster emblazoned with that message adorns the wall in the cafeteria behind our serving table. And it works! Naturally, we are so very fortunate to have food that is tasty, nutritious, and not yucky at all, but enthusiasm among the kids has been growing. Yesterday for lunch we had frittatas made with farm-fresh eggs, jack cheese, and Swiss chard, and it was one of our most popular lunches yet! Served up with a Crumbs Bakery roll and a mess of fresh coleslaw (another rainbow of green & purple cabbage, orange carrots, and red apples, with homemade dressing), it was a great meal. Fed Hock Superintendent Dr. Wood even made a special appearance to try some! And we couldn't have made that mountain of coleslaw without the help of our students, who chopped, shredded, and stirred.

Tomorrow the students are having a Field Day, but we will all be there bright and early for a tasty breakfast of freshly-baked muffins. Stay tuned!