A group of about 15 students and their parents gathered on Monday, June 3rd in the Athena Elementary cafeteria for a Family Garden Night. They learned together how to prepare and cook tortilla chips and to make salsa verde. The program was designed and run by Walla Walla Valley Farm to Table with Lee Thomas, Garden Education Manager, and the Oregon State University Extension Service with Madeline Breiling, SNAP Education Intern.
The first task for students and families was to slice tortillas into triangles to make chips, which went into the oven to bake. Then they cut tomatillo tomatoes, cilantro, green onions and peeled and chopped garlic. Finally, the kids took turns using the small chopper, which was kid-friendly with a pull string to operate.
Dekklen, a second grader, did not like the tomatillos and cilantro. Second grader Kendall didn’t like the onions and cilantro but worked with Thomas to make a batch of salsa with only tomatoes and garlic and liked that much better. “It was fun to cut the vegetables and to experiment with what to put in the salsa,” Kendall said.
Henry, a kindergartner, enjoyed the family event with his mom, Rhonda Schmidtgall. Henry liked doing the cutting. Rhonda said she likes events like this because they are interactive and children are more willing to try new foods because their peers are trying them. “It’s also great socialization for kids and an opportunity to teach healthy eating habits,” she said.
Thomas from Farm to Table said it seems like everyone who attended was really excited about cooking, learning the motor skills for cutting and the math for measuring the ingredients; plus all the factors and skills that go into cooking are really essential for when children grow up and cook for themselves.
Breiling from OSU Extension said she enjoys this kind of event because the kids get to play a big part in making the food. “A lot of times when kids help make food they are more likely to try it. They get excited about picking it from the garden and participating in every part of it,” Breiling said.
The school and Farm to Table are trying to arrange some opportunities this summer for families to come get produce from the school garden, Thomas said.
