Young Chefs

Posted on 21 April 2010 | 1:03 pm

At our schools there is always a way for students to provide input and ask questions about lunch. At the Bay School this comes in the form of a comment box that is always available. It often tickles me to read these comments and suggestions as it is a glimpse into the developing minds that wrote them. I’ve gotten “The quesadillas were bomb!” and “Can you put lemon wedges on the salad bar?” These comments are insightful and helpful. I really enjoy getting them. Often, they include hearts and smiley faces.

There are some that really capture my attention and last week I got one of them. This student appears to be a very good chef in their home and had some detailed, good suggestions. Although we already have many of their suggestions in practice, I thought that everyone would be interested to see them as it would yield a great dinner at home:

How to Make Meaty Marinara Sauce

TOMATO BASIL MADNESS AT CSB!

Posted on 16 April 2010 | 4:52 pm

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is an American classic lunchtime favorite combination and this tradition continues with an immensely popular TOMATO BASIL SOUP at the Cathedral School for Boys. Our Tomato Basil soup is WILDLY popular and the soup line stretches out the door when it is on the menu!  Parents report back, “My son says he could live on your tomato soup!” and “He will only eat YOUR tomato basil soup.”  Overheard comments include, “YES! There IS tomato basil!” and “You should serve it more often – everyone loves it so much.”

WOW! Thank you, Gentlemen!

We love serving nutritious REAL FOOD that is eaten with such pleasure and enthusiasm.  We also want you to eat well outside the lunchroom , so please find our recipe listed below.

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

1/4 cup butter or substitute veggie oil (we do)

2 medium red onions, diced

8 cups tomato, diced (fresh if in season, canned if not)

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tsp paprika

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/8 cup dried basil

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt to taste.

Melt butter, and saute onions. Add tomato, cook 5 minutes more.  Add vegetable stock, paprika, maple syrup and cayenne; bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender (or let cool slightly and transfer to a blender for blending). Stir in fresh basil. Salt to taste.

Enjoy and Eat Well!

A Word on Organic Farming

Posted on 5 April 2010 | 7:54 pm

Patterns in Nature - a Leek from Mariquita Farm

From CUESA’s newsletter:

Beating the Heat: An in Interview with Anna Lappe

Can you talk about the role small-scale sustainable farmers can play in mitigating climate change?

What I found really exciting was understanding how farming practices that don’t rely on fossil fuels and man-made chemicals — practices like crop rotation, composting, and creating your own fertilizers — are all ultimately focused on creating healthy soil, which also stores carbon.

The Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trial compared organic farming practices with chemical-based farming practices, over multiple decades, and found that we capture more carbon on organic farms. Their research says that if organic agriculture were practiced on all the farmland on the planet, we could sequester nearly 40 percent of the carbon dioxide in the air.

Another thing I’ve found — on all the organic farms I’ve ever visited — is that these farms become much more resilient. They’re able to withstand periods of drought, as well as periods of deluge from rain and flooding — because of that healthy soil. In the case of flooding it can act as a sponge, and in the case of drought it can act as a time-release of water that’s been stored over time.

CSA Boxes Start at Town School

Posted on 24 March 2010 | 2:33 am

A budding young vegetable connoisseur

Two Small Farms started delivering gorgeous CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes to Town School last Wednesday. They included beautiful veggies like Portuguese Kale, Chantenay Carrots, Butternut Squash and Spring Onions, to name a few. There were also amazing Tulips for those who ordered flowers as well. We are excited to hear the wonderful meals families prepared with their bounty.

One great thing I noticed with my box is that it really encouraged me to cook at home more often last week. I made a tasty vegetarian Thai Curry, an earthy pasta dish and a hearty chicken soup, made bright with the fennel and spring onions from my box!

More pictures and recipes to follow!

18th & Rhode Island

Posted on 22 March 2010 | 8:31 pm

Doesn’t this look great?! Such a healthy, bountiful garden on what was once a vacant plot of land in Potrero Hill. And what’s more, it’s a permaculture garden, meaning it is designed to mimic the genius design of nature. I visited this lovely piece of land today just by chance, and just by chance, David Cody was harvesting some Sorrel for dinner that night. David, one of the designers and caretakers of this garden and educational space, generously spent half an hour with me, explaining all about how the garden was built on three feet of cardboard, and how this amazing system works. And boy does it work! I felt so alive walking through all the clover and fava, fruit trees and bee hives. David works with Kevin Bayuk in this garden http://www.18thandrhodeisland.org/ , as well as www.hayesvalleyfarm.com . They teach permaculture garden design four times per year. There are many opportunities to help out too. Check it out!