Little Wisdoms From the Edible Schoolyard

My personal and professional lives reflect an intersection between food and education. I have worked in restaurants and public education for nine years. For most of those years, my two occupations were separate—until I began volunteering at the Edible Schoolyard in 2006. Being at the nexus of what Alice Waters calls the “Delicious Revolution” is rich with lessons about healthy eating, ecology, agriculture and fostering community. Not only do I see students learn about these subjects, but I walk away with deeper knowledge about food, where it comes from and how to utilize and appreciate it with others. All of this comes from spending two hours a week at King Jr. High School, volunteering in the Edible Schoolyard kitchen. Every week, I walk away with new knowledge—some is quantifiable, while the rest affirms previously held assumptions or reveals unexpected discoveries. I want to convey the little wisdoms I learn every time I go to the classroom.  Many of which can best be described through short narratives.

The quantifiable lessons are the easiest to note, document and discuss. A common example is when a student begins the class saying he or she does not like a certain food, and comes to adore that same food by the end of the day or semester. A few weeks ago the students were given mushrooms, grown in their very own garden, to be used as the filling for potstickers. At the beginning of class, many students were saying “eew, that’s gross,” it stinks,” and “that’s disgusting.” While negative comments such as these are strongly discouraged in the kitchen classroom, they do happen from time to time. When mushrooms came to the table, they happened more than usual. However, once the mushrooms were cleaned, diced and sautéed by the students, the comments ceased. By the time the mushrooms were folded together with ginger, garlic and scallions, stuffed inside the potsticker skins and pan-fried, the students couldn’t eat enough of them. There was not a drop of food left on the plates and students who began the class with negative views of mushrooms changed their opinion entirely. The majority of the students in the class went from not liking to loving mushrooms in one class period.

Beyond the observations around food and the changes students undergo in their perceptions of fruits, vegetables and grains of all kinds, my experience at the Edible Schoolyard is a window into student’s personal relationships between eating, identity, and cultural history. Recently, I asked a sixth grade student what she generally eats for dinner. She responded, “I eat Black folks food.” Her response illuminates something I suspect is true–that food is deeply connected to our identities and cultural backgrounds on multiple levels. According to Professor Engelhardt, “All kinds of stories are hiding in our food. Breaking the codes of food begins with its uses, preparations and costs but ends with the social histories of race, class, gender and place that hide in the recipes, ingredients and food practices we embrace.” Each student has a story in the recipes and dining traditions they experience and follow. The edible schoolyard gives me the opportunity to hear those stories. When the student said, “I eat Black folks food,” I asked her to tell me some examples, she then listed foods like fried chicken and greens. The foods she mentioned are quintessential components of Soul Food. Fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas are iconic parts of southern African American cuisine. After slavery ended, the culture and traditions of that cooking spread to the cities across the United States. One hundred and forty six years after emancipation, a student in the Edible Schoolyard put race, history, culture and identity in one short sentence. She self identifies as Black and associates her customary diet as Black food. Race sits right inside the letters of the word Black, while the history is in the fact that the “Black folks food” she is referring to (fried chicken and collard greens) was typical among the slaves and over time became an essential part of community and comfort, now known as soul food. She spoke her identity by proudly stating and affirming her African American culture through the foods she eats. Within that identity, that of a young African American woman, she is among others, and makes that clear with the use of the word folks, a plural reference to others who eat the same foods. A whole story was hiding the space between her words, in a place made available to her by the Edible Schoolyard kitchen and garden program. Moreover, her story is a poignant example of the food dialogue enabled by the Edible Schoolyard, a dialogue not easily charted or quantified with numbers.

I continue to be amazed by the depth and breadth of lessons covered while students gather around the subject of food. An essential part of existence on both a physical and psychological level, food, when cushioned in thoughtful curriculum can be the catalyst for powerful discoveries about new tastes as well as race, history, culture, community and identity. The “Delicious Revolution” Alice Waters speaks about begins with the seeds of the plants students grow and ends with a myriad of unexpected lessons, all while sitting around a table sharing stories and freshly prepared seasonal food. The Edible Schoolyard is educating the next generation about the importance of responsible, sustainable, and intelligent food choices. The magnitude of this is paramount. If school is about teaching young people to be good, smart citizens, knowing how to grow and prepare ones own food while being ecologically sensitive is essential. If we don’t, the number of obese, diabetic, and otherwise unhealthy children is likely to rise. If we do teach our students what is being taught at the edible schoolyard, they will learn to grow, eat and consume sustainably, while helping preserve this planets resources for generations to come.

Traveling to Catalunya through wine and food

Once a month I gather with cooks, servers and managers from Oliveto, Chez Panisse, Eccolo, Adagia, Boulette’s Larder, Salt House and beyond, as well as business school grads, lawyers, physical therapists, and people from the non profit sector to taste wine and share food. The common thread is that everyone who attends wants to learn more about different flavors of the world. This month we focussed on the northeast corner of Spain: Catalunya. In Spain, there are 65 official growing sub-regions (Denominaciones de Orígen D.O.). Catalunya is home to eleven of those. Each district has its own rules for how to produce the wine, which grapes to include and which alcohol range that is allowed.

The wine districts of Catalonia:

• D.O. Alella
• D.O. Empordà
• D.O. Catalunya
• D.O. Conca de Barberá
• D.O. Costers del Segre
• D.O. Montsant
• D.O. Penedes
• D.O. Pla de Bages
• D.O.Q Priorat
• D.O. Tarragona
• D.O. Terra Alta

Last night we tried wines from Priorat, Montsant and Catalunya, most of them red, because red wine varietals are more widely planted in the region. The common grapes of the area are Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo (Ull de Lebre), Merlot and Syrah. My personal favorite was a Giné Giné wine made of grenache and carignan. The wine was straight forward and silky, with enough interest to encourage another sip. The other reds we tried also had fairly expressive fruit, were slightly jammy, and treated in some percentage of new or neutral oak. The less than interesting wines were disjunct and aggressive.

Among the whites, we drank the Can Feixes, a blend of 39% Parellada, 27% Macabeo, 24% Chardonnay and 10% Malvasia. The wine was delicious, slightly oily, with hints of lemon peel and sage. We also tried a wine from Odysseus, made with Pedro Ximenez, a fascinating grape normally limited to sherry country in the south of Spain. In Priorat where Silvia (the wine maker) grows it, it is neither fortified nor sweet. Rather, it is bone dry, crisp, slightly bitter, full in body, and layered.

After trying a number of wines from Catalunya (around 12 different bottles), I do not have a distinct flavor profile or understanding of the terroir of the region. For the most part, the wine tasted like wine that could have grown in Argentina, other parts of Spain, certain vineyards in France, or California. Perhaps we didn’t get deep enough in to the producers and particularities of the various hills, slopes, soils and so on. Have other people noticed distinct, marked characteristics for that region? For those of you who attended the dinner, did you walk away with a stronger sense of place for Catalunya?

Wine and the business of Organic

Over the weekend one of the Mondavi sons was featured in a news story about organic wine. While watching the interview I could not discern whether his move toward organic farming is a business strategy or an honest attempt to repair the damaged, nutrient starved soil and surrounding land. He said organic farming practices cost approximately 10% more than conventional techniques, but that those costs will not be passed on to the consumer. When he said that, I thought: will those cost be written off as marketing expenses because the public is beginning to demand organic products? Or is the company thinking of the money as charity….a contribution to further generations? As more and more big food companies adopt organic processes and obtain the coveted organic seal of approval I am more perplexed by the move towards industrialized organic farming…Will the large companies dilute the vitality and standards of organic practices by strong arming the policy makers into loosening the regulations and laws that govern the organic label? Or are consumers driving a dramatic shift in agricultural business practices?

For those who are interested, I am including one section of a report I drafted a year ago about the wine industry while conducting research for The Natural Capital Institute.

Wine production: Organic/Biodynamic/Conventional

Modern or “conventional” viticulture relies on commercial herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. Organic grape growers avoid chemical solutions. They rely on cover crops, mulch, beneficial insects and composting. Biodynamics is similar to Organic growing, with the addition of special attention paid to the natural stages of the lunar cycle. Moreover, in Biodynamic wine growing/making efforts are made to add as little as possible to the soil, air and wine. According to the California Wine Mall, an online directory of California wineries, 48 of the 1367 wineries in California are at least partially organic, in selected vineyards, all vineyards, and in some case in wine making.
Organic Practices:
Cover crops serve several purposes throughout the year. Each fall after harvest, selections of crops (including peas, oats, clover and vetch) are planted between the rows of vines. During the winter rains, the cover crop minimizes soil erosion. In the spring, the cover crop is plowed, and it acts as a natural fertilizer, returning valuable nitrogen to the soil. Additionally, cover crops provide habitat for beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings, which in turn eat the insects that often damage grapevines.
Traditional wine producers use a computer-controlled tractor attachment to cut weeds without damaging vines. More sustainable methods include hoeing by hand in between the rows, and mulching (using shredded rootstocks and other organic materials) around the vines.
Fertilization: Compost – made from vine cuttings, leaves, stems, grape skins and seeds — can be spread in the vine rows, usually in October. It is particularly useful in areas that need more nitrogen. The compost can also be used to brew compost tea. Composted material is placed in a sack made of cheesecloth, much like a tea bag, and warm water is bubbled through it for two to four hours. The resulting liquid is a highly enriched organic brew that can be sprayed directly on the leaves and bunches to combat mildew or can be run through irrigation drip lines to directly fertilize the roots.
Pest Control: Organic pest control is done primarily by encouraging a sustainable population of a diverse array of insects, including lacewings, ladybugs, predatory wasps, thrips and insectivorous mites. Cover crops are a large part of this effort. For more severe outbreaks, organic soaps and oils can be sprayed on vines.

B-1RD, Inc., headquartered in Park City, Utah, is a company that specializes in training falcons to protect crops from pesky starlings, crows and other types of birds that can have devastating effects on grape quality and yields.

The Vineyard Falcon Crop Protection (VFCP), a program developed by Getty Pollard, is a combination of the age-old sport of Falconry and the natural phenomenon revolving around a falcon’s ability to stalk, pursue and generally harass starlings in much the same way that a cat is naturally inclined to hunt a mouse.

Organic Grapes vs Organic Wines

The difference between a wine containing organic grapes and a certified organic wines concerns sulfites. Sulfites have been used for centuries to discourage the formation of vinegar and inhibit oxidation. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used by winemakers to keep freshly pressed must from spoiling. It keeps down the activities of native yeast and bacteria and preserves the freshness of the wine. Small amounts of sulfites occur naturally in grapes; the USDA, however, through its National Organic Program, states that organic wines must be made with organically grown grapes, and no added sulfites. In the USA, domestic and imported wines must carry warning labels if they have sulfites in excess of 10 parts per million.

Fining or Filtering Wine: What’s added?

“Fining,” or “filtering,” is the process of clarifying the wine after fermentation, removing any grape skins, stems, or other solid matter, as well as yeast cells which may leave the wine cloudy. The most effective fining method is to add an “agent” that spreads out and settles, with the solids, to the bottom, leaving the filtered wine at the top. Agents used in fining can include:

* gelatins (made from bones and hooves)
* isinglass (a type of gelatin made from the air bladders of fish)
* egg albumin (egg whites)
* chitosan (from crustacean shells)
* casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins)

Biodynamic Wine
For thousands of years, farmers have been working land in accordance with the seasons, the moon cycles, and the natural order of nature. Then, after World War II, overeager vintners almost destroyed vines with chemical fertilizers. Biodynamic wine production gained popularity as a response to this threat, though the agricultural theories behind it originated with the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925).

Biodynamic winemakers view the vineyard as a living organism that is mirrored by the Earth’s seasonal rhythms and cosmic cycles. It is associated with practices such as burying manure-filled cow horns over the winter months (to lower pH, and produce more nitrate), fermenting flowers in stags’ bladders, spraying a tea made of compost, and timing procedures with the phases of the moon. Biodynamic practices are ecologically responsible, but the main impetus encouraging the practice among wine producers is its capacity to help bring about the full terroir (the taste of the place, wind, soil, rain, sun, etc.) of a wine. Conventional agrochemicals and fertilizers are forbidden. Although the so-called “Bordeaux mixture” (a blend of lime, copper sulfate and water) and sulfur are permitted to help control powdery mildew and downy mildew. Biodynamic techniques often include the use of animal manure, but unless they are readily and cheaply available, their use can be pricey. Some farmers have cattle or other livestock on their property in order to have such resources available.

The USDA does not regulate or certify biodynamics. The Demeter Association, founded by a European association in 1928 to support and promote the Biodynamic agricultural methods that Rudolf Steiner set forth in 1924, and is now the main governing body for biodynamic practices. Today, Demeter International is a registered association representing 3500 farms with about 100,000 hectares of agricultural area in 40 countries worldwide, including the United States. Demeter is the oldest trademark related to organic farming products. Demeter assesses more than just wine, they certify agricultural farms of all kinds. In the USA and Mexico Demeter “Aurora Certified Organic” indicates that a product has met their standards. The standards refer to soil, sun/solar cycles, and strict rules about minimal organic substances added to the fields. All rules apply to the fields and processing facilities. Each farm is visited once a year to re-evaluate the certification.

Conventional Techniques: Typically wine grape fields require less fertilizers than those producing table grapes because vines that struggle for survival extract more mineral flavor from the soil and often result in more concentrated wines because those that survive represent the strongest rootstocks.

After speaking with dozens of small scale (6,000 cases or less per year) winemakers from California, Oregon and Washington, most agree that farming organically or biodynamically produces better tasting wine (which is always their stated purpose) but that they would not sacrifice their entire crop to avoid using a fertilizer or herbicide if something posed a serious threat to their vineyard. Therefore, they do not want to be bound by an organic or biodynamic certification.

One of the most common problems in vineyards are birds.
The most common techniques used to combat this are: firearms, propane cannons, loudspeakers, flash tape and plastic Mylar film, or the method of covering each individual row with industrial-strength bird netting (the most expensive approach).

Fertilizers: Often used when there is a severe nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, boron, iron, manganese, or magnesium deficiency. Manufactured fertilizers are used to overcome these deficiencies. They are typically spread on the ground of the vineyard or sprayed. Sprayed pesticides are more harmful because it is carried into the air and effects the surrounding lands and people spraying more readily. An alternative is dusting the plants or sprinkling granules on the soil.

A common fertilizer is nitrate. With high rainfall or overly aggressive irrigation, the nitrate from nitrogen is leached so easily that it is lost to the vine roots unless the vine roots are very deep. The nitrate may end up contaminating groundwater. Often, watery, thin wines are the result of using too much nitrate fertilizer and/or over-irrigating the land. The excessive addition of potassium can increase the PH, affecting the acidity and longevity of the wine.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Wine, the delay between application of agrochemicals and the harvest of wine grapes, most chemicals don’t make it into the bottle because they are said to be eliminated throughout the wine making process (pressing, filtering, fermenting…). The residue of agrochemicals is however pervasive on the surrounding ecosystem of the vines. Moreover, the continuous use of most pesticides renders some pests resistant to the chemicals used and can cause an increase in their population.

Maximum residue limits (MRLs) have been established for particular agrochemicals and how they break down, but are not universal because all countries do not have the same vine diseases, therefore they do not use the same chemical applications. The Codex Alimentarius (‘food code’ in Latin) was established by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to simplify the food regulatory understandings. According the the Oxford Dictionary of Wine, the US does not recognize the Codex MRLs .

What is eaten in one week….a look around the world

My fiancé and I spend about $100/week on food. We eat mostly seasonal/local, organic, grass fed and free range meats. As food professionals, we are also skilled cooks. Knowing how to cook means we buy very little processed food. We find that buying grains, fresh produce, and raw ingredients is a much more affordable way to eat well. However, that approach is not feasible for all.

I am curious, what do other people spend on food? What kinds of foods do you buy and how do you make it edible?

Here is a peak at what families in other countries eat.

Japan : The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25


Italy : The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Germany : The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

United States : The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

Mexico : The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt : The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

Ecuador : The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

Chad : The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Photographs by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio from the book “Hungry Planet”

Another food blog?

There is so much information available at the click of a mouse. Among that information, blogs, recipes, books, journals and photos about food are in abundant supply. So, why another food blog? I would like to build an online space to host rigorous, thoughtful conversations about food, politics and the culture of eating.