Seed to Plate

A six-lesson curriculum to promote healthy eating through

increased awareness of how food is grown and prepared

For use in grades two through eight

Produced by Jones Valley Urban Farm

2011
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 Table of Contents

I. About Jones Valley Urban Farm…………………………………………p. 4

II. About Seed to Plate……………………………………………………… p. 4

III. Beginning a Garden………………………………………………………p. 5

IV. How to Get the Most from This Curriculum…………………………… p. 6

V. Teacher Background Information………………………………………. p. 8

VI. Seed to Plate Unit Plan………………………………………………….. p. 10

VII. Lesson 1: Rules, Tools, and Healthy Fuels…………………………….. p. 11

VIII. Lesson 2: Edible Rainbows……………………………………………… p. 17

IX. Lesson 3: Weeds and Needs: Junk Food vs. Healthy Food…………… p. 23

X. Lesson 4: Too Much, Too Little, Just Right…………………………….. p. 29

XI. Lesson 5: Building Blocks in Plants and People…….………………… p. 35

XII. Lesson 6: Food Systems…………………………………………………. p. 41

XIII. Acknowledgements……………………………………………………… p. 49

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 About Jones Valley
Urban Farm
Jones Valley Urban Farm (JVUF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that in the last ten years has
successfully transformed over three acres of vacant downtown property into an urban teaching farm
and initiated education programs serving thousands of adults, children, and students across
Birmingham and Alabama. In our first ten years, JVUF was pioneering a new field and working to
reinvent the concept of urban food production. During this time, the organization established more
than 25 community/school gardens, led local reform efforts in school-based nutrition—including the
removal of all deep-fat fryers from Birmingham City Schools, educated over 4,000 students through our
K-8 program, and trained over 800 cafeteria and childcare workers in healthy food preparation.

As we enter our next ten years of growth, our goal is to establish a permanent education center for
food, agriculture, and nutrition. JVUF’s aim is to use this center as a resource for schools and teachers,
helping them adapt their curriculums to meet both the learning and health needs of students in the 21st
century. While many stakeholders within the field of education accept the idea of incorporating
innovation and creativity in everyday curricula, it remains a difficult task for teachers given the daily
demands of classroom learning. In response, JVUF is working to develop curriculums and materials
that meet traditional academic standards while making room for lessons in problem solving and
inquiry-based learning. By using an urban teaching farm as a basis for learning, JVUF has the ability to
replace passive learning with active learning and help children and students develop the ability to
think critically and creatively about core subject matter. We consider our work an investment in the
future—one where Alabama children and students improve their health and wellness through a greater
understanding of agriculture, food, and nutrition. For more information about JVUF, please visit our
website at www.jvuf.org.

About Seed to Plate

Prompted by the award of a 2006 USDA Community Food Project grant, a diverse group of specialists
convened to create Seed to Plate, an experiential education program intended to generate positive
experiences with healthy food and influence people to make healthier food choices. Several years and
thousands of children later, Seed to Plate is a thriving field trip program for students in grades
kindergarten through eight. Groups visit our farm and partner kitchen for hands-on activities in
growing, preparing, and eating healthy food. Demand continues to grow, accompanied by teacher
requests for lessons to use in their own classrooms. This curriculum is a response to that need. Each
lesson comprises garden and nutrition activities and healthy snacks strung together by a common
theme. Lessons are correlated to National Health Education Standards (NHES) and National Science
Education Standards (NSES). It is our fervent hope that Seed to Plate allows you to teach children how
to prepare healthy soil to grow healthy plants to produce healthy food to make healthy people to build
healthy communities.

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 Beginning a Garden
A school garden is a powerful resource for students and
teachers alike. A garden provides a dynamic environment
for observation, discovery, and experimentation.
Interdisciplinary lessons in this living laboratory encourage
students to become active participants in the learning
process. Educational benefits of school gardens have been
well-documented by researchers and include:
• Increasing positive attitudes towards fresh fruits and
vegetables and towards nature and the environment
• Improving knowledge of nutrition concepts
• Improving science achievement
• Developing cooperation, self-understanding,
communication, and positive behavior

Though school gardens can vary considerably based on the setting and needs of the users, the basic
steps to start and sustain a garden are the same. JVUF recommends the following work plan for
beginning a school garden:
1. Promise. Write a statement explaining why you think the garden is a good way to meet
school/student/teacher/community needs. Your “pitch” for getting support for a garden should
be clear and simple.
2. Permission. Support of the principal and other school leaders is critical to developing a garden
that is sustainable.
3. People. Recruit a small planning group of parents, teachers, students, school staff, and
community volunteers to plan the scope of the garden.
4. Plans. Plan how the garden will be used and maintained throughout the school year and over
school breaks. Consider when it will be used, who will use it, how it can be integrated into the
existing curriculum, and how plants will be used. A master plan of priorities will help the
group identify goals, objectives, and intended outcomes of the garden and ensure long-term
relevance and use.
5. Pencils and plots or pots? Plan the physical space in a way that supports the programmatic
plans made. There are countless educational garden designs available in books and on the
internet for gardens of all sizes and budgets. Choose elements that engage and inspire
members of the school community and promote experiential learning among students.
6. Pennies, planks, plants, and people. Develop a resource list, budget, materials, and labor force
to install and maintain the garden. Plan for upcoming seasons, lessons, events, and school
breaks. Seek Master Gardener volunteers to help plan seasonal crop rotations and companion
plantings.
7. Pleasure and pride. Promote, recognize, and enjoy garden successes! For example, plan a
cafeteria taste-test of garden-grown produce; site special projects and events in the garden; and
encourage students to take ownership of garden planting and projects.

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 How to Get the Most
from This Curriculum
The activities in this curriculum, intended for students in grades two through eight, can be
adapted for your students’ level of background knowledge, cognitive abilities, and fine motor
skills. Each lesson includes activities to be completed in the garden and in the kitchen.
Suggested discussion questions are shown in bold text.

Each lesson is planned

for approximately two
hours and thirty minutes,
but timing will vary
depending on use of
suggested discussions,
games, recipes, and
other activities.
Adapt the activities for your climate and the current season. For
example, plants could be grown in a sunny window during the cold
months in northern states. Refer to your local Cooperative
Extension Service for information about your particular region.

Lessons are correlated to

National Health Education
Standards (NHES), National
Science Education Standards
(NSES), and State of
Wisconsin Nutrition
Education Standards (NES).
Standards are listed on lesson
opener pages.

Some lessons specify the use

of food packages, magazines,
or other household items.
Refer to the red Lesson
Materials box on each lesson
opener page and begin
gathering needed supplies.
Relevant teacher background information
for all lessons is provided on pp. 8-9 and
referenced on all lesson opener pages.

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 Each lesson includes recommended recipes. Use as many of the recipes as you like, or choose
other recipes you know. Consider copying the recipe pages and placing them in clear gallon-
size zipper bags to keep them clean in the kitchen.

Recipes indicate the

Use whatever ingredients number of sample
are available in your servings made.
garden and get remaining
ingredients from another Students can help with
source. Consider adapting most parts of snack prep.
recipes to make the best Assign each student a task
use of produce available in to complete, like
your garden. chopping or blending.

Emphasize that students can tell the recipes are healthy because they contain fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole grains, and heart-healthy fats and they lack excessive salt, sugar, and solid fats.
Students can calculate the nutrition content of the recipes by using an internet search engine to
find a nutrition data calculator, where they enter the ingredients and quantities in the recipe.

A variety of assessment options are

provided in the blue Check for
student understanding box. One or
two of the activities can be assigned
as appropriate, or students can
choose which assessment activity to
complete.

Use the lesson objectives, outlined in

the blue box on the lesson opener
page, for guidance in evaluating
student mastery of key concepts in the
lesson assessments, including the At
Home activities. Class discussion of
completed assessments can also be
valuable.

The At Home activities at the

conclusion of each lesson
extend the lessons to student
families. They can be
collected and evaluated
according to lesson objectives.

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 Teacher Background
Information
Edible Plant Parts
Is a squash a fruit or a vegetable? What about a potato? Rhubarb? Mushroom? Seed to Plate focuses on
herbaceous angiosperms, or vascular flowering plants. Plants are composed of cells, which make up tissues,
which make up organs, which work together in systems. Plant systems perform the functions necessary for plant
life: absorbing and transforming energy; growing new tissues for different functions; and reproducing to form new
plants. There are six basic plant organs: roots, stems, and leaves, which make up the root and shoot systems; and
flowers, fruits, and seeds, which make up the reproductive system. Each organ has a specific structure and
function. Roots absorb water and minerals and store energy. Fruits develop around a fertilized egg (a seed) to
protect it and help disperse it. The term “vegetable” is nonspecific and merely refers to any edible plant part. For
example, celery (stem), broccoli (flower), snow peas (fruit), spinach (leaf) and carrot (root) may all be referred to
as vegetables. The term “fruit” applies only to plant parts that develop around fertilized seeds, such as tomato,
apple, peach, or squash. When students aren’t sure if a plant part is a fruit or a vegetable, encourage them to cut
it open to see if it contains seeds or vascular bundles (for example, the stringy part of celery) that carry nutrients
through a stem. And in case you are wondering, squash is a fruit, potato is a tuber (an adapted stem tissue),
rhubarb is a stem, and a mushroom isn’t a plant at all but a fungus.

The Soil Ecosystem and Soil Components

An ecosystem is all of the organisms in a place interacting with their nonliving environment. The soil is a thriving
ecosystem filled with diverse organisms that play critical roles in the soil, such as breaking down organic debris,
filtering water, and degrading environmental contaminants. Soil has five basic components: (1) parent material;
(2) soil biota, or single- and multi-cellular organisms; (3) oxygen; (4) water; and (5) organic material, or organism
waste, including dead and decomposing organisms. The parent material is small rock or mineral particles, held
together in aggregates such as clumps, plates, and crumbs, which determine soil texture, structure, drainage, and
chemistry. The pore space between the soil aggregates forms the habitat for plant roots and soil biota. The soil
biota help cycle carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water, and other resources through the environment. Water and
oxygen are required by soil biota and are necessary for some chemical reactions. Organic material provides a
source of nutrients for soil biota as well as additional habitat and nutrients to be used by plants. Plants and
animals, as well as the soil biota, change the structure and chemistry of the soil as they interact with each other
and their environment. The USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service offers additional background
information on soil and free lesson plans.

Enriching Soil
“Rich” soil means soil with a high level of certain plant nutrients. Plants, like people, need some nutrients in
large amounts (macronutrients) and some in smaller amounts (micronutrients). Plant macronutrient elements are:
C, H, O, N, P, K, S, Ca, and Mg. Testing the soil means either testing physical properties like texture, structure,
and drainage or testing chemical properties like levels of available nutrients or pH. Chemical soil tests can be
performed to determine whether critical soil macronutrients (especially N, P, and K) are present in sufficient
amounts for plant growth. If soil is deficient in any of these elements, soil amendments can be made to adjust pH
and nutrient levels. Soil amendments include composting, mulching, companion planting, and adding fish
emulsion, bone meal, or alfalfa meal. At Jones Valley Urban Farm, we practice sustainable farming using organic
methods to enrich soil and deter pests. Excellent resources for organic gardening and soil amendment
appropriate to specific garden needs are available at no charge through your local Cooperative Extension Service,
or online at www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension.

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 Compost and How It Works
Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic wastes, carbon-containing waste that comes from living or once-
living things. Organic waste creates a habitat for soil organisms, which move into the compost and consume the
waste, breaking it down into simple parts. The end result is humus, a carbon-rich, fiber-rich mixture of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium, which the micro-organisms have converted into nutrient forms that plants can use.
The humus can be used as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer, and mulch for the garden. Anyone can make compost –
either outdoors in a compost pile or bin or indoors in an aerated plastic tub. For outdoor compost, the right
ingredients will attract the soil organisms to come inhabit the compost. For indoor compost, red wiggler worms,
Eisenia foetida, should be added.

Food Handling and Safety

Food must be protected from any potential sources of contamination or spoilage. Exposure to bacteria, fungi,
parasites, or viruses can cause food to spoil. Spoilage can occur if foods are left too long at unsafe temperatures
or are prepared on unclean work surfaces or with unclean hands or utensils. Always ensure that work surfaces
are cleaned before and after use. Hands should be washed with soap and warm water before preparing food and
after touching any potentially contaminated surfaces. Utensils and other implements should be clean before use.
Raw meats should be kept separate from other foods and cooked thoroughly before eating. Foods should be held
at safe temperatures, which means hot food should remain above 140°F and cold food below 40°F. Foods
should not be left to rest between these temperatures. Leftover food should be stored promptly and used with
seven days. Food with visible mold or other growth, or food that smells “off”, should not be eaten. When in
doubt, throw it out.

Healthy vs. Processed Foods

Healthy foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, plant fats, and high-fiber
foods. Healthy foods can be fresh or minimally processed, such as frozen or canned. These foods are high in
nutrients the body needs to grow and stay healthy. Processed foods have been altered from their original state,
typically with some depletion of nutrients. These foods are often packaged and include chips, boxed or
microwave dinner, and many sweets. Fast food is another example of highly processed food. A whole food is
typically healthier than its processed counterpart. For example, an orange is more nutritious than orange juice.
Processed foods are sometimes preferred for their convenience. In this case, choosing minimally processed foods
like frozen chopped vegetables can be a good option. Many healthy foods can also be prepared quickly and
simply. Choosing healthy foods over processed foods can help a person maintain good overall health.

Balanced Meals
A balanced meal provides the different nutrients the body needs, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins,
and minerals, in the right proportions. MyPlate illustrates guidelines for a balanced meal. Fruits and vegetables
have vitamins and minerals that strengthen the body and help protect from illness. They also provide some
energy. Grains provide energy, too. Protein and dairy foods provide building material for growth and strength.
Fats are used for building some structures in the body and are needed for healthy brain development.

Healthy Cooking Methods

Raw or lightly cooked foods typically retain nutrients better than fried or overcooked foods. Cooking foods with
little or no added fat is ideal. When using fat, choose heart-healthy fats like olive or canola oil. Avoid butter,
lard, or shortening. Healthy cooking methods include boiling, steaming, roasting, sautéing, grilling, and baking.
Avoid cooking foods too hot or too long. Limit the addition of toppings like cheese or creamy dressing. Avoid
adding too much sugar or salt. Vinegars, herbs, and spices can add flavor without adding sugar, fat, and salt.

Age-appropriate Nutrition
Overnutrition, or excessive food consumption, is a significant public health problem in the U.S. and is increasing
in children. Eating all foods, especially fats and sweets, in moderation and choosing appropriate portion sizes
can help a person avoid overnutrition. A school’s child nutrition director can provide current guidelines on
proper portion sizes and nutrient requirements for your students’ developmental needs.

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 Seed to Plate
Unit Plan
Lesson Title Lesson Goal Standards

Lesson 1 Rules, Tools, and Students will be able to work with tools safely NHES 1, 3, 6
Healthy Fuels in the garden and the kitchen to prepare NES 1, 2, 4, 6
healthy foods that fit into a balanced meal. NSES 6

Lesson 2 Edible Rainbows Students will be able to explain how healthy NHES 3, 6
soil can grow a colorful variety of nutritious NES 1, 4, 6
plants that meet the body’s needs. NSES 2, 4, 6

Lesson 3 Weeds and Needs: Students will be able to apply strategies for NHES 3, 6
Junk Food vs. limiting weeds in the garden and junk food in NES 1, 3, 4, 6
Healthy Food the diet. NSES 2, 6

Lesson 4 Too Much, Too Students will be able to relate using resources NHES 1, 4
Little, Just Right wisely and limiting waste to maintaining the NES 1, 3
health of the environment and the body. NSES 3, 6

Lesson 5 Building Blocks in Students will be able to analyze the break NSES 3, 4, 6
Plants and People down and build up of materials in plants,
people, and the environment.

Lesson 6 Food Systems Students will be able to evaluate the NHES 2, 4

components of the food system that connect NES 3
garden produce to prepared meals. NSES 6

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 Lesson 1

Rules, Tools, and

Healthy Fuels
Goal: Objectives:
• To justify reasons for safety guidelines (cognitive)
Students will be able to
• To classify foods into the food groups that make up a
work with tools safely in
balanced meal (cognitive)
the garden and the
• To state the benefit of fruits and vegetables in daily diet
kitchen to prepare
(cognitive)
healthy foods that fit into
• To work confidently in the garden and kitchen (affective)
a balanced meal.
• To use proper techniques for harvesting with clippers,
washing hands, and using kitchen knives (psychomotor)

Standards

NHES 1 Health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health

NHES 3 Access valid information, products, and services to enhance health
NHES 6 Goal-setting skills to enhance health
NES 1 Concepts related to and connections between food choices, eating habits, activity, and
healthy growth
NES 2 How to keep food safe for consumption and how to prepare food safely
NES 4 Personal health promotion and disease prevention, and practice behaviors to promote health,
prevent disease, and reduce health risks
NES 6 Appreciate and classify food and demonstrate an interest and appreciation for a variety of
foods
NSES 6 Personal health

Lesson Materials Notes and Resources

1. Harvesting tools (clippers, buckets, If you don’t have a poster of MyPlate, you
etc.) can easily draw one on a marker board or
2. MyPlate poster butcher paper. Refer to
3. Age-appropriate books and magazines, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.
or computers with internet access
4. Recipes and ingredients Refer to Teacher Background Information
5. Food preparation tools (kid-safe knives, on pp. 8-9 for lesson content support.
cutting boards, etc.)

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 Lesson 1
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

INTRODUCTION (20 mins) WASHING (10 mins)

Introduce students to the garden or farm and Transition to the kitchen. What do students
to staff. Give a brief history of the garden, know about hand washing? Discuss the
such as how long it has been in existence, importance of proper hand washing with
who planted it, who cares for it, what soap and warm water, using the song “Old
purpose it serves in the community, and how McDonald” as a guideline for how long to
the food is used. Give an overview of wash. Wash hands. Then wash the
garden guidelines. harvested produce.

Name game: Students take turns naming KITCHEN TOUR (10 mins)
something found in a garden that begins with Show students around the kitchen, pointing
the same letter as their first name. Discuss out tools and areas used for food storage,
the roles of these objects in the garden. preparation, and clean up. Discuss safety
guidelines, including food safety.
GARDEN TOUR (20 mins)
Tour the garden. What do students notice? Kitchen categories game: Sitting in a circle,
Point out features and objects, explaining students establish a rhythm of slapping legs
their roles in making the garden a productive twice, clapping twice, and snapping twice.
place. Things to show and discuss include: Speaking on the snaps, the first person
• Garden beds names a kitchen category, such as fruits or
• Tool shed utensils. The person next to them should
• Water system (rain barrel, hose, then name an item in that category, followed
sprinkler, etc.) by the next person, and so on. Continue
• Compost taking turns until someone misses naming an
Emphasize guidelines, such as the proper item on the snap when it is their turn. Then
places to step and how to handle plants, the game begins again with the next person
giving justification to help students naming a new category.
understand.
BALANCED MEALS DISCUSSION (15 mins)
Human play-dough game: Assign groups of Display MyPlate poster. Beginning with
students to create garden objects or cycles fruits and vegetables, brainstorm what
using their bodies. For example, ask a group students already know about the different
of four students to model a tomato plant that food groups. Discuss the role of each food
grows, produces fruit, and dies. Other group in the body. Students look through
suggestions include: tool shed, water cycle, books and magazines, or use an internet
and water collection system. search engine, to identify foods from each
portion of the plate. Emphasize good
HARVESTING (15 mins) sources of each food group, such as fresh
Discuss the parts of plants that are eaten: produce, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds. Emphasize that foods in the fruits and
Demonstrate the proper way to harvest vegetables group can be grown in a garden.
produce. Emphasize safe handling of tools Together, agree on a symbol that conveys
like clippers. Using the appropriate tools, the role of each food group in the body. For
harvest the produce to be used in the snack. example, fruits and vegetables help protect

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 Lesson 1

the body, so a shield could represent fruits

the goals and discuss progress on that
and vegetables. Continue using the selected occasion.
symbols throughout subsequent lessons.
CLEAN UP (15 mins)
KNIFE USE AND SNACK PREP (25 mins)
Instruct students on appropriate ways to
Describe snack to be prepared. Demonstrate
clean up, such as safely storing leftover food,
proper handling of kid-safe knives. Assign
placing vegetable scraps in compost,
students tasks with the knives and help them
handling knives carefully, and cleaning all
work with their produce. Prepare all parts of surfaces used. Clean the kitchen workspace.
snack.

SNACK AND FOOD CLASSIFICATION (15

mins)
Serve the snack in small portions. While
eating snack, prompt students to classify the
ingredients into the food groups in a
balanced meal, as shown on MyPlate.

GOAL SETTING (5 minutes)

Explain that goals can help us practice eating
a healthy diet. Guide students in setting
goals for eating fruits and vegetables over the
next week, reminding students that fruits and
vegetables strengthen and protect the body.
Emphasize realistic goals students feel they
can achieve. Establish a follow-up time for

! Check for student understanding

• Students draw and label a map of the garden and/or kitchen, with captions about safety
guidelines
• Students select well-balanced meals from a restaurant menu, justifying their selections
• Students perform a skit as television chefs teaching an audience about working safely in the
kitchen
• Students perform a skit teaching a neighbor how to properly wash their hands or demonstrate
another skill learned
• Students play charades with garden and kitchen tasks
• Students describe a healthy snack
• Students explain the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet
• Students refer to the school lunch menu and explain whether today’s lunch is a balanced
meal, including reasoning
• Students list the foods they ate for breakfast or lunch and classify them into the MyPlate food
groups

! 13!
 Lesson 1

Recommended Recipes

Fruity Smoothies
(serves 8)

Fruit and Veggie Stackers 2 C fresh or frozen peaches or berries

(serves a group) 1 ! C skim or low-fat milk or orange juice
1 fresh or frozen banana, sliced
Make layers of a whole-grain cracker or
pita bread triangle + 1 tsp low-fat cream Blend all ingredients in blender until
cheese or peanut butter + a slice of fruit or smooth and thick.
veggie, like grapes, apples, bananas,
tomatoes, or cucumbers. Tip: Try substituting plain soymilk if
desired.
Tip: See who can make the best-tasting or
most colorful combo. Tip: Emphasize the natural sweetness of
the fruit. Brainstorm other foods that can
be sweetened with fruit instead of sugar,
such as breakfast cereal.

Pita Pizzas
(serves 16)

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
Small handful of fresh herbs, like basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley
1 C diced veggies, like spinach, squash, and bell peppers
1 C shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
4 whole-grain pita breads or flat breads

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix tomatoes and

garlic with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs.
Spread sauce on pitas. Sprinkle with
veggies and cheese. Bake at 400° until
cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.

Tip: Suggest that students arrange the

veggies to make funny faces or patterns on
the pizzas.

! 14!
 Lesson 1

Guacamole
(serves 12)

2 avocados
1 garlic clove, minced
8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Veggie dippers like carrots,
celery, peppers, and cucumbers

Scoop out avocados and mash.

Mix veggies together with lime Yogurt Dip
juice. Serve with veggie dippers. (serves 16)

1 C low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 lime or orange
Fruit dippers like apples and pears

Grate the zest (the colored part of the peel) of

the lime and squeeze the juice. Stir zest and
juice into yogurt. Serve with fruit dippers.

Tip: Not enough avocados to go

around? Mix in some low-fat
cottage cheese.

Tip: Guacamole is a popular

salad in Latin American cuisine.
Look at the sticker on the
avocado to see which country it
came from. What other Latin
American dishes are students
Tip: Focus on calcium! Calcium is needed for
familiar with?
muscle movement and sending messages in the
body. Most calcium is stored in bones and
teeth. Brainstorm good sources of calcium, like
low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese,
salmon, spinach, broccoli, almonds, and figs.

! 15!
 Lesson 1 Name_________________________________

At Home: Recipe Planning

Share
Think about the snacks that you ate today. Decide which dish you liked the best. Draw or describe
how to make the dish:

Tell your family about the dish. Does it sound like something they would like?

Plan
Think about fresh fruits and vegetables that your family eats. What is your favorite fruit or vegetable to
eat? Name or draw it here:

Choose at least one fruit or vegetable that you and your family could prepare together. Find a recipe
for the food. You might look in cookbooks at your home or the library, ask a friend, or search the
internet for a good recipe.

Act
Make the dish with your family. Draw or describe the dish here:

How did your family like the dish? Draw or describe their reactions here:

Would you make this dish with your family again? Why or why not?
!

! 16!
 Lesson 2

Edible Rainbows
Goal: Objectives:
• To describe methods for enriching soil (cognitive)
Students will be able to
• To state the benefit of eating fruits and vegetables of
explain how healthy soil
various colors (cognitive)
can grow a colorful
• To distinguish between cooking methods that help foods
variety of nutritious retain nutrients and those that deplete nutrients (cognitive)
plants that meet the
• To model a colorful snack or meal (psychomotor)
body’s needs.

Standards

NHES 3 Access valid information, products, and services to enhance health

NHES 6 Goal-setting skills to enhance health
NES 1 Concepts related to and connections between food choices, eating habits, activity, and
healthy growth
NES 4 Personal health and disease prevention, and practice behaviors to promote health, prevent
disease, and reduce health risks
NES 6 Appreciate and classify foods and demonstrate an interest and appreciation for a variety of
foods
NSES 2 Properties of objects and materials
NSES 4 Properties of earth materials
NSES 6 Personal health

Lesson Materials Notes and Resources

1. Spades Refer to Teacher Background
2. Plastic cups Information on pp. 8-9 for
3. Butcher paper lesson content support.
4. Water
5. Age-appropriate books and magazines, or
computers with internet access
6. Harvesting tools (clippers, buckets, etc.)
7. Marker board or butcher paper
8. Recipes and ingredients
9. Food preparation tools (kid-safe knives, cutting
boards, etc.)
10. Talking totem (ball, potato, or orange)
11. Broccoli
12. Pot with lid and steamer basket
13. Egg
14. Frying pan

! 17!
 Lesson 2
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

REVIEW (10 mins) the nutrients in different plant parts come

Welcome students back to the garden. from the soil.
Prompt students to summarize garden and
kitchen guidelines. Try to recall the garden Plant parts game: Form students into small
words that matched each student’s name in groups. Name different produce plants. In
the name game. groups, students decide who will play which
part and model the plant with their bodies.
MUD MURAL (15 mins)
Students use spades and cups to collect soil HARVESTING (10 mins)
samples of different colors and textures from Harvest produce of numerous colors for use
around the garden site. On a large piece of in the snack. Emphasize that fruits and
butcher paper, students can use water to vegetables come in a variety of colors and
“finger paint” with their dirt and make a mud that different colored foods often contain
mural. How does soil look, feel, and paint? different nutrients.

ENRICHING SOIL (15 mins) WASHING (10 mins)

How does soil support plant growth? Transition to the kitchen. Review hand
Prompt students to brainstorm what is in the washing guidelines and wash hands and
soil. Discuss soil components with an harvested produce.
emphasis on how soil meets plant needs,
such as by providing water and nutrients. RAINBOW MODEL (10 mins)
Where do the nutrients in soil come from? Explain that eating meals and snacks with a
Show how soil can be enriched with more lot of color variety is a good way to be sure
nutrients by touring the garden and pointing to get all the vitamins and minerals the body
out examples of composting, crop rotation, needs. Draw a rainbow on a marker board
and cover crops, describing the methods as and brainstorm fruits and vegetables for
you go. If possible, students help with a task every color of the rainbow.
like building a compost heap; applying
compost, bone meal, egg shells, or fish Tasty trio game: Students sit in a circle and
emulsion to beds; making compost tea; or the first student names a healthy food. The
scattering seed for a cover crop. Emphasize next two students name different colored
how the action will benefit plants by foods that go well with the first food. For
providing nutrients in a form that the plants example: celery + peanut butter + raisins.
can use.
SNACK PREP (20 mins)
PLANT PARTS SCAVENGER HUNT (10 mins) Review safety guidelines and knife use. Lead
Explain that different plant parts store students in preparing the healthy snack that
different nutrients in plants. Name different features at least five fruits and vegetables of
plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, various colors. Emphasize the
fruit, and seeds) and ask students to locate recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and
edible examples of each. Use the garden if vegetables each day.
possible, or use books and magazines or an
internet search engine if garden plants are SNACK AND COLOR COUNTING (15 mins)
not sufficient. Remind students that many of While eating snack, ask students to count

! 18!
 Lesson 2

how many different colors are present. sample correctly steamed broccoli. Allow
Emphasize the value of eating fruits and the remainder to cook until the broccoli is
vegetables raw to conserve all of the pale and the water is green. Why is the
nutrients. Guide students in setting goals for broccoli pale and the water green? Sample
color variety in their meals or snacks over again and compare the two differently
the next week. steamed broccolis. Emphasize that some of
the nutrients have been cooked out of the
Alphabet soup game: Students sit in a circle food and are now in the water instead,
and one person holds the talking totem. He because the food cooked too long. Then ask
or she says, “I’m thinking of garden produce a student to crack an egg into a bowl. What
that starts with the letter ___.” They pass the is the raw egg like? Heat a frying pan and
talking totem to the right and the next person ask a student to dump the egg into the hot
must name an example that starts with that pan and cook it. How does the cooked egg
letter. Continue passing the totem until a differ from the raw egg? Emphasize that
student is stumped. The next student begins heat changes the proteins in the egg and that
the next round by naming a new letter. This in some cases, high heat can ruin nutrients.
game can help students think of fruit and Refer back to the list of cooking methods,
vegetable examples beyond those they might prompting students to cross through the
be most familiar with eating. methods they think involve cooking too long
or too hot. Remind them of the raw foods in
COOKING METHODS MODELING (20 mins) their snack. Discuss ways students could
Display or suggest cooking implements, such aim for healthier food preparation methods
as a frying pan, a pot of water, and a over the next week, such as by helping make
microwave. What associations do students a salad at home or ordering grilled instead of
have with each implement? What other fried at a fast-food restaurant.
cooking methods are students familiar with?
List cooking methods on a marker board. CLEAN UP (15 mins)
Explain that cooking affects the nutrients in Store all leftover food, deliver kitchen scraps
foods. Put a bunch of broccoli on to steam. to compost, and clean the kitchen
Cook just until bright green and crisp-tender workspace.
and remove half the broccoli. Students

! Check for student understanding

• Students read restaurant menus and choose colorful, healthfully prepared dishes they would
like to order, justifying their choices
• Students work in small groups to perform “mad scientist” skits in which they teach the
audience about enriching soil
• Students print images from the internet and paste onto paper plates to make a well-balanced
meal featuring at least five different colors
• Students design a daily menu plan that includes at least five servings of colorful fruits and
veggies
• Students create pictures of gardens or farms using at least five different colored crayons,
markers, colored pencils, or paints
• Students share nutritious recipes they make at home with their families, justifying healthy
ingredients and cooking methods

! 19!
 Lesson 2

Recommended Recipes

Fresh Rainbow Salad Bar

(serves a group)

Create a salad bar with fresh veggies, fruits, and condiments. Students build their
own rainbow salads.

Tip: What other healthy foods could be included in a salad bar?

Rainbow Fruit Salad

(serves 12)

1 apple, chopped
1 pear, chopped
1 peach, chopped
1 banana, chopped
2 Tbsp orange juice

Combine fruit and toss with orange juice.

Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

(serves 16)

1 C peeled, chopped cucumber

3 Tbsp low-fat plain yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
" tsp salt
" tsp black pepper
" tsp dried dill

Combine ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Serve as a
salad dressing or with veggie dippers.

! 20!
!
Lesson 2

Basil Pesto
(serves 16)

! C sunflower seeds
! C grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
! C olive oil
4 C packed fresh basil leaves
! tsp salt

Toast sunflower seeds at 350° for 8 minutes.

Combine seeds, cheese, garlic, and oil in
blender or food processor and blend until no
large chunks remain. Gradually add basil and
blend until smooth. Season with salt.

Tip: A toaster oven is an easy way to toast the seeds.

Tip: Basil pesto is a great pasta sauce or dip for whole-grain bread or crackers.

Tip: Use basil pesto as a pizza sauce on whole-grain pita crust. Sprinkle with a
little low-fat shredded cheese and bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until cheese is
melted.

Rainbow Pasta Salad

(serves 18)

8 oz whole-wheat or tricolor spiral pasta

! C chopped tomatoes
! C chopped broccoli florets
! C chopped cucumbers
! C chopped carrots
! C chopped bell pepper
! C corn kernels
! C basil pesto or Italian dressing

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Rinse under cold water. Add chopped vegetables and toss with dressing.

Tip: What rainbow pasta salads would students make with their favorite veggies and
dressings?

! 21!
 Lesson 2 Name_________________________________

At Home: Color a Colorful Meal

Draw
Imagine a yummy meal made up of nutritious foods that are at least five different colors. Color the
meal on the balanced plate below. See how many different colors you can use! Next to each space,
add adjectives describing the foods, such as “hearty”, “baked”, or “crunchy”.

Share
Share your colorful picture with your family. Explain how the variety of colors means that the meal
provides different nutrients that your body needs.

Act
Next time you eat together as a family, count the number of colors on your plates. Write the number
here: _____. List the cooking methods for the meal here: __________________________________. List
two things you’d be willing to try next time to make your meal more colorful or to use healthier
cooking methods:

1.

2.

! 22!
 Lesson 3

Weeds and Needs: Junk

Food vs. Healthy Food
Goal: Objectives:
• To explain how weeds compete for resources in the garden
Students will be able to
(cognitive)
apply strategies for
• To distinguish between healthy foods and processed foods
limiting weeds in the
high in added sugar, fat, or salt (cognitive)
garden and junk food in
• To interpret nutrition labels (cognitive)
the diet.
• To plan meals based on healthy foods (cognitive)
• To effectively rid a garden crop of weeds (psychomotor)

Standards Notes and

Resources
NHES 3 Access valid information, products, and services to
enhance health
Refer to Teacher
NHES 6 Goal-setting skills to enhance health Background Information
NES 1 Concepts related to and connections between food on pp. 8-9 for lesson
choices, eating habits, activity, and healthy growth content support.
NES 3 Critical thinking and practical reasoning skills to address
food choices, nutrition, and health concerns
NES 4 Personal health promotion and disease prevention, and
practice behaviors to promote health, prevent disease, and
reduce health risks
NES 6 Appreciate and classify foods and demonstrate an interest
and appreciation for a variety of foods
NSES 2 Properties of objects and materials
NSES 6 Personal health

Lesson Materials 9. Tape 15. Package of fatback

1. Gloves for weeding 10. Big take-out beverage 16. Recipes and ingredients
2. Harvesting tools (clippers, cup 17. Food preparation tools
buckets, etc.) 11. Refined white flour (kid-safe knives, cutting
3. Apple 12. Whole-wheat flour boards, etc.)
4. Container of applesauce 13. Bottle of olive oil or 18. Small cards with words
5. Boxed or frozen dinner canola oil (half empty is related to nutrition, food
6. Assorted nutrition labels best) groups, and MyPlate
7. Regular (not diet) soda 14. Canister of hydrogenated 19. Timer
can or bottle shortening, such as 20. Marker board
8. Sugar packets Crisco

! 23!
 Lesson 3
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

REVIEW (5 mins) applesauce may also have added sugar. Use

Welcome students back to the garden. the nutrition label and ingredients list to
Review content by asking students how a show how to determine if it has added sugar.
colorful diet can help keep them healthy. Then display a boxed dinner and ask
students to describe it. Guide students in
WEEDING (10 mins) interpreting the nutrition label. Emphasize
Walk around the garden and surrounding that the boxed dinner contains added sugar,
areas, prompting students to identify weeds. fat, and salt, as well as some ingredients that
What do students know about weeds? are not even foods. Distribute assorted
Emphasize that weeds compete with crops nutrition labels and guide students in
for resources like water, nutrients, soil space, classifying foods as healthy foods or junk
and sunlight. Predict the consequences of foods based on the information in the labels.
weeds in a garden and highlight the value of (Note that nutrition information is based on a
removing weeds. Guide students in 2,000-calorie diet for adults, and children’s
differentiating between weeds and food needs may vary. Check with your school’s
plants in a selected garden bed. child nutrition director for guidance.) Focus
Demonstrate the proper way to remove on correct identification of fresh, whole, and
weeds by the roots so they can’t grow back. minimally processed foods such as produce,
Weed the specified area of the garden. beans, nuts, whole grains, fresh dairy, and
Should the pulled weeds be added to the fresh meats.
compost pile? Explain that weeds can take
over a compost pile and discard the weeds SUGARY SODA MODEL (10 mins)
in a trash bin instead. Show examples of Display a regular soda can or bottle. Is it a
other weed-control methods, such as ground healthy food or a junk food? Students read
cloth or mulch, if possible. the nutrition label to identify the amount of
sugar in the can. Using the formula [4 grams
HARVESTING (10 mins) sugar = 1 teaspoon sugar = 1 sugar packet],
Harvest garden produce for use in the day’s determine the equivalent number of sugar
snack. packets in the can. Tape that number of
sugar packets together in a strip. Are
WASHING (10 mins) students surprised by the length of the strip?
Transition to the kitchen. Wash hands and Why or why not? Then show a big take-out
harvested produce. cup with the volume labeled on the bottom.
Determine the equivalent number of sugar
HEALTHY FOODS IDENTIFICATION (20 mins) packets in the cup if it were filled with the
Display an apple and a package of same soda. To do this, determine the
applesauce. How are they alike and number of cans the cup would hold and
different? Are they healthy? How can you multiply that number by the number of sugar
tell? Guide students in drawing the packets in the can. Make another sugar
conclusion that the apple is a healthier packet strip to illustrate the sugar content in
choice because it still contains all the a soda this size. Discuss times when
nutrients and doesn’t contain any added students might drink too much soda. How
ingredients. Point out that some nutrients might this prevent them from getting all the
may be lost in making applesauce. The nutrients they need? Discuss healthier

! 24!
 Lesson 3

beverage options, such as water, milk, or contains fresh produce, whole grains, and
unsweetened tea. Guide students in setting healthy fats.
goals to limit their sugary drink intake to an
appropriate amount over the next week. SNACK AND HEALTHY FOOD
IDENTIFICATION (15 mins)
WHOLE GRAINS OBSERVATION (5 mins) While eating snack, guide students in
Pass around samples of refined white flour counting all of the snack ingredients that are
and whole-wheat flour. How do the flours fresh, whole, or unprocessed foods. Identify
look, feel, and smell? Compare the nutrition whole grains and healthy fats. Refer to
labels. Highlight student observations to ingredient nutrition labels. How can
emphasize that whole-wheat flour still processed junk foods crowd out healthier
contains all of the nutrients in the wheat, foods in the diet? Compare junk foods to
unlike white flour, and that whole grains are weeds that compete for garden resources.
more nutritious than refined grains. What
are some whole-grain foods students like? CLEAN UP (15 mins)
How can students replace some refined- Store all leftover food, deliver kitchen scraps
grain foods in their diet with whole-grain to compost, and clean the kitchen
foods? workspace.

HEALTHY FATS MODEL (5 mins) HEALTHY FOOD MENU (15 mins)

Present containers of oil and shortening and Students draw or describe a one-day menu
a package of fatback. What do students of foods they like for a diet rich in healthy
observe about the three fats? Open the lid foods. Share with the group, if time allows.
of the shortening (leave the cap on the oil)
and turn both containers upside down. Nutrition pictionary game: Divide students
What do students observe? Compare the into two teams. A member of the first team
nutrition labels, focusing on saturated fat. draws a word card. The student has 45
Emphasize that liquid fats, or plant fats, are seconds to illustrate the word (no words,
healthier than solid fats, like animal fats or numbers, or gestures!) on the marker board
processed fats, because they do not clog while their teammates try to guess. If they
blood vessels. guess correctly, they earn a point. If they do
not, the opposing team has 30 seconds to try
SNACK PREP (30 mins) to guess the word and steal the point. Then
Review safety guidelines and knife use. Lead it is the second team’s turn to draw and
students in preparing the healthy snack that guess. Play continues.

! Check for student understanding

• Students draw pictures of their lunches and suggest how to swap out junk foods, if any, for
healthier foods that would be more nutritious
• Students compile recipes for a meal that includes fresh produce, whole grains, and healthy fats
• Students write haiku poems about healthy foods in the diet
• Students work in groups to create television ads or raps promoting healthy foods, such as
whole grains or fresh produce
• Students use nutrition labels to classify foods as healthy or junk foods, providing justification
• Students record what they eat the following day, circling fresh or whole foods and underlining
junk foods

! 25!
 Lesson 3

Recommended Recipes

Hummus Dip
(serves 16)

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
" C olive oil
" C lemon juice
Salt to taste
Veggie dippers like carrots and peppers

Place beans and garlic in blender or food processor

and blend until smooth, adding a little water if
necessary. Gradually add olive oil. Add lemon juice
and season with salt. Serve with veggie dippers.

Tip: This dip originated in the Middle East. What other Middle Eastern or Mediterranean
foods are students familiar with?

Tip: Emphasize the value of beans in the diet. Beans are inexpensive and are packed with
lean protein and fiber. What beans do students like best?

Tip: Use on a sandwich in place of mayonnaise, which is a processed food high in fat.

Un-Soda
(serves a group)

Unsweetened soda water

100% juice, such as orange, grape, or pineapple

Pour a glass three-fourths full of soda water and top it off with " C 100% juice for a
refreshing drink.

Tip: How is this a healthier choice than regular soda? Pass around a soda can and a juice
bottle so students can observe the sugar contents specified in the nutrition labels.
Emphasize that even 100% juice is high in sugar and should be limited.

Tip: Emphasize the role of water in keeping the body healthy. Both plants and people
need plenty of it, especially in warm weather. Water is always a healthy beverage choice!

! 26!
 Lesson 3

Corn Salsa
(serves 16)

2 ears of corn (or use drained canned or frozen)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 lime, juiced
Small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole-grain dippers like crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, or rice cakes

Cook corn in boiling water for four minutes. Cool until the corn can be handled easily, then
scrape the kernels from the cob with a knife. Combine with the remaining vegetables. Add
lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with whole-grain dippers.

Tip: Corn has been grown by Native Americans for centuries. Discuss other nutritious foods
grown by Native Americans, such as beans and squash.

Tip: Which types of vegetables do most students eat? Emphasize that frozen vegetables are
nutritionally similar to fresh vegetables and are healthy choices. Canned vegetables without
salt or other additives are a good option when fresh or frozen vegetables are not available.

Whole-Wheat Crackers
(serves 20)

1 ! C whole-wheat flour
1 ! C white flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 C olive oil
1 C cold water
Salt, pepper, and herbs for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix flours and salt. Add oil and mix with a fork. Add water
and mix until blended. Divide into four balls and knead each on the counter for
several minutes. Flour the counter and a rolling pin and roll each ball out as thin
as possible. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet. Mark individual
crackers with a knife, but do not cut all the way through the dough. Prick with a
fork and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and herbs. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes,
until crisp and golden. Cool and break apart into individual pieces.

! 27!
 Lesson 3 Name_________________________________

At Home: Kitchen Raid

Plan
Healthy foods include the following: fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean,
unprocessed meats. Processed foods, or junk foods, are often high in added sugar, fat, and salt. For
example, potato chips and cookies are processed foods. Prepared meals like frozen dinners are often
junk foods, too, because many of them contain few nutrients and are high in sugar, fat, and salt.

List or draw some fresh, healthy foods that you like to eat:

Classify
Choose one pantry shelf, food cabinet, or refrigerator shelf in your family’s kitchen. With the help of a
family member, look through the foods on that shelf. In the space below, make a list of the healthy
foods and a list of the junk foods on the shelf.

How many different healthy foods did you find? How many junk foods? Of which type of food is there
more? Which type of food does your family buy more frequently?

Recommend
Think about the junk foods in your family’s kitchen. When does your family typically eat them? Think
about meals at home, meals on the run, snacks, and desserts. Make recommendations for three junk
foods in your kitchen that you could replace with healthy foods in the future. List or draw them here:

Junk food: Healthy food:

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

! 28!
 Lesson 4

Too Much, Too Little,

Just Right
Goal: Objectives:
• To identify resources plants and people need for growth
Students will be able to
(cognitive)
relate using resources
• To predict consequences of using resources excessively or
wisely and limiting waste
wastefully (cognitive)
to maintaining the health
• To differentiate appropriate portion sizes (cognitive)
of the environment and
• To apply personal responsibility in caring for garden and
the body.
self (affective)
• To plant and care for seeds and seedlings (psychomotor)

Standards

NHES 1 Health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health

NHES 4 Interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks
NES 1 Concepts related to and connections between food choices, eating habits, activity, and healthy
growth
NES 3 Critical thinking and practical reasoning skills to address food choices, nutrition, and health
concerns
NSES 3 Characteristics of organisms; Structure and function in living systems; Regulation and behavior
NSES 6 Personal health; Populations, resources, and environments

Lesson Materials Notes and Resources

1. Potting soil mix For soil testing, grades 2-3 use
2. Soil test kits capsule chemistry kits and grades 4-8
3. Fast-germinating, seasonally appropriate seeds use Lamotte kits. Kits can be
4. Cups purchased from a garden store or a
5. Take-home instructions for seedling care science teacher supply company.
6. Harvesting tools (clippers, buckets, etc.)
7. Portion size models (baseball, deck of cards, Your local Cooperative Extension
light bulb, dice, spoon) Service can recommend appropriate
8. Measuring cups and spoons seeds. Instructions for seedling care
9. Assorted nutrition labels can be copied from seed packets.
10. Recipes and ingredients
11. Food preparation tools (kid-safe knives, Refer to Teacher Background
cutting boards, etc.) Information on pp. 8-9 for lesson
12. Food advertisements and food packages content support.

! 29!
 Lesson 4
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

REVIEW (5 mins) Explain that people need similar nutrients: N

Welcome students back to the garden. (nitrogen) for tissue and muscle growth, P
Review content by asking students to list (phosphorous) for bone growth, and K
healthy foods they’ve eaten that day or (potassium) for muscle functioning.
week.
PLANTING SEEDS (15 mins)
GARDEN NEEDS TOUR (10 mins) Students plant their own seeds with the
Take a walk around the garden. For each potting soil mix in individual cups to take
object, supply, or structure encountered, home with them. How will students provide
prompt students to explain how it is used to the resources needed for growth? Provide
grow healthy plants. What resources do printed instructions for plant care.
plants need to grow? How are these needs
met? If possible, point out methods for Right light game: Students pretend to be
recycling resources, such as a rain barrel, a plants. Call out various light conditions: full
compost pile, or recycled planting sun, partial sun, and indirect light. For each
containers. Discuss sunlight as a valuable light condition, students run to an area of the
energy source. If available, show examples garden with the right lighting. Then, observe
of plants that have been over- or under- light conditions in the garden and identify
watered. Emphasize the importance of plants that thrive in each light condition.
conserving resources and using only as Tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, eggplant,
much as is needed. What are some negative and basil are full-sun loving. Leafy greens,
consequences of wasting resources? Relate peas, beans, beets, turnips, and carrots, are
to the waste of food, water, fossil fuels, and suited to partial sun. Asparagus, leeks, and
money. mint prefer indirect light.

HARVESTING (10 mins)

Harvest garden produce for use in the day’s
snack.

WASHING (10 mins)

Transition to the kitchen. Review hand
washing guidelines and wash hands and
harvested produce.

PORTION SIZE ILLUSTRATION (10 mins)

Prompt students to suggest resources people
need for growth. What happens when
people get too much or too little of a
SOIL TESTING (20 mins) resource? Emphasize the benefits of eating
Remind students that the nutrients in soil well for active living and disease prevention,
help grow healthy plants. Show students including eating in moderation. Name
how to identify fertilizer numbers on a common foods and prompt students to draw
package of potting soil mix. Work together or model what they think is an appropriate
to test soil chemistry for N, P, K, and pH. serving size of that food. Use portion visuals

! 30!
 Lesson 4

to illustrate appropriate serving sizes: While eating snack, brainstorm times

• Cup of cereal, leafy vegetables, or students might eat more than they need,
yogurt or a piece of fruit: a baseball such as at a party or a buffet, or when
• Meat, poultry, fish: a deck of cards someone else serves their plate. Invent
• Medium potato: a light bulb solutions to help students control their
• Teaspoon of butter or another high- portion sizes. Rehearse scenarios so that
fat spread: a die students can practice the strategies.
• Tablespoon of peanut butter or
dressing: a spoonful CLEAN UP (15 mins)
Demonstrate sizes of measuring cups and Store all leftover food, deliver kitchen scraps
spoons, emphasizing that these are often the to compost, and clean the kitchen
guides on nutrition labels. Pass around workspace.
nutrition labels and guide students in
identifying portion sizes. RESISTING EXCESSIVE PORTIONS (10 mins)
Show examples of food advertisements and
SNACK PREP (30 mins) food packages. Students sort images into
Review safety guidelines and knife use. Lead two groups based on whether image depicts
students in preparing the healthy snack. an appropriate or excessive portion size.
Focus on limiting waste and recycling or How can media sometimes encourage
composting where appropriate. people to eat too much? How might peer
behaviors affect portion sizes? Guide
SNACK AND SERVING SIZE DISCUSSION (15 students in making personal plans for how
mins) they can resist influence from media, friends,
Serve the snack in appropriate portion sizes. or family to eat more than they need.

! Check for student understanding

• Students draw and label a garden map to show how plants get the resources they need for
growth
• Students create a one-page how-to guide for taking care of their seedlings, with emphasis on
resources the seedlings need to survive
• Students select objects of their choice to represent appropriate serving sizes for favorite foods
• Students identify television, magazine, or billboard advertisements that depict or encourage
excessive portion sizes and describe how they would modify the ads to encourage responsible
eating
• Students draw a plan for a small garden that conserves resources and recycles
• Students list the resource needs that plants and people have in common

! 31!
 Lesson 4

Recommended Recipes

Roasted Broccoli
(serves 10)

1 bunch broccoli
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
" C Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Spread broccoli on baking

sheet greased with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Drizzle with
remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and
pepper. Roast broccoli at 425° for 20 to 25 minutes.
Toss with Parmesan cheese.

Tip: Emphasize that limiting toppings like cheese, dressing, or sauce helps prevent
adding too much sugar, fat, and salt.

Flavored Water
(serves a group)

Ice
Water
Slices of orange, lemon, or lime
Berries
Cucumber slices
Fresh mint

Make two or three pitchers of ice water.

Use different combinations of citrus fruit,
berries, cucumbers, and mint to make
colorful, lightly flavored water. A few
handfuls of fruit or veggie slices per
pitcher is enough.

Tip: Discuss “empty calories” in soda and talk about how flavored water can be a
good alternative when you want something refreshing to drink.

! 32!
 Lesson 4

Fruit Salsa
(serves 20)

4 C chopped watermelon
2 apples, chopped
2 C blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp berry jam
Whole-grain dippers like crackers, pita chips, or
cinnamon chips

Combine fruit. Mix lemon juice and jam. Toss fruit

with jam mixture. Serve with whole-grain dippers.

Tip: What are some other fruits or vegetables that could be used to make a tasty salsa?

Cinnamon Chips
(serves 16)

Sweet Potato Fries 4 whole-wheat tortillas

(serves 20) Canola oil or canola cooking spray
2 Tbsp sugar
2 sweet potatoes ! tsp cinnamon
2 tsp olive oil
! tsp cinnamon or 2 tsp fresh rosemary Preheat oven to 400°. Cut tortillas
into wedges. Brush both sides with
Preheat oven to 425°. Cut sweet potatoes into oil. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a
cubes. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss with bag. Add tortilla wedges and shake
cinnamon or rosemary. Spread on a baking until coated. Spread on baking
sheet and roast at 425° for about 25 minutes. sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes,
flipping chips half way through
Tip: Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than Irish baking time.
(white) potatoes and keep you feeling full longer.
When could students choose sweet potatoes Tip: Emphasize that occasional small
instead of Irish potatoes? servings of treats can fit into a
healthy diet. Cinnamon chips can
be a good choice for a treat because
they contain whole grain and are not
too high in added sugar. What are
some other sweets that are good
choices for a treat?

! 33!
 Lesson 4 Name_________________________________

At Home: Plan a Recycled Garden

Plan
Your seedling will eventually outgrow its cup and need a new home. Using recycled containers is a
way to limit waste. Plan how you could use a recycled container, such as a clean, empty food
container, for your plant. Think of a place you can put the plant in its new container, such as in a
sunny window, on a porch or patio, or in a yard. Consider access to sunlight and water for your plant.
Draw your recycled garden here:

Construct
Save the recycled container from its previous use. Ask a family member to help you poke holes in the
bottom of the container so that the soil can drain. Fill the container with soil so that you’ll be ready to
transplant when your seedling is big enough.

Transplant
When your seedling is growing beyond the size of its cup, transplant it into your recycled garden at
home. Water the transplanted seedling. Talk to your family about the value of using recycled
materials in your new garden. Draw or describe some other resources that you could conserve or
recycle at home:

! 34!
 Lesson 5

Building Blocks in
Plants and People
Goal: Objectives:
• To analyze the components of the soil ecosystem
Students will be able to
(cognitive)
analyze the break down
• To explain how materials are recycled in natural systems
and build up of materials
(cognitive)
in plants, people, and the
• To relate small building blocks in plants to small building
environment. blocks in people (cognitive)
• To describe the human body as an ecosystem (cognitive)
• To recycle waste materials to make something functional
(psychomotor)

Standards

NSES 3 Organisms and environment; Structure and function in living systems

NSES 4 Properties of earth materials
NSES 6 Personal health

Lesson Materials Notes and Resources

1. Spades Refer to Teacher Background
2. Marker board or butcher paper Information on pp. 8-9 for lesson content
3. Hand lenses support.
4. 2-liter soda bottle
5. Scissors
6. Paper towels
7. Tape
8. Mesh or screen
9. Heat lamp (opt.)
10. Soil thermometer (opt.)
11. Harvesting tools (clippers, buckets, etc.)
12. Small container of spoiled milk
13. Recipes and ingredients
14. Food preparation tools (kid-safe knives,
cutting boards, etc.)
15. LEGO or similar-type building blocks

! 35!
 Lesson 5
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

REVIEW (5 mins) BUILD A BERLESE FUNNEL (15 mins)

Welcome students back to the garden. A Berlese funnel can be used to identify
Review content by discussing whether any small living things in a soil sample. Cut the
students made an effort to choose healthy- top section off a 2-liter soda bottle. Place
size portions based on last week’s lesson. some wet paper towels in the bottom of the
bottle. Remove the cap from the top section
TURNING TRASH INTO TREASURES (20 mins) and invert the section so the open top of the
Provide students with an assortment of waste bottle points down into the bottom of the
materials, such as clean containers, bottle like a funnel. Tape the sections
cardboard, plastic bags, and aluminum foil. together so the top will not fall in. Place a
What would happen if the waste materials piece of mesh or screen in the top of the
were thrown in the trash? How could this funnel. Add a scoop of soil on top of the
be prevented? Challenge students to use the mesh. Place the entire Berlese funnel under
“trash” to build something useful. Provide a heat lamp or outside in the sun. Check the
construction materials such as tape, glue, bottle after several hours or the following
and pipe cleaners. Suggested “treasures” to day to see what bugs have dropped from the
build include pencil holders, garden pots, soil sample through the funnel. Students
picture frames, or toys. When students are examine bug life with hand lenses. Discuss
finished, discuss how they’ve recycled how much life exists in a small soil sample,
materials to give them new purpose. How reminding students that there are many more
does nature recycle? How do our bodies living things too small to see with their eyes.
recycle?
COMPOST PILE TOUR (10 mins)
BUG HUNT (10 mins) Bring some vegetable scraps to the compost
Demonstrate the proper way to hold a spade. pile. What happens to food waste that is
Ask a student to model safe handling of the added to compost? Dig into the edge of the
tool(s). Distribute tools and guide students in pile a bit so that students can observe the
digging up a little topsoil in a designated contents. What do they see, smell, and feel
area. Explain that an ecosystem is all the in the pile? If the compost pile is active, feel
living things in a place and their nonliving the pile for heat. Where does the heat come
surroundings. Use the marker board to from? Measure the temperature with a soil
create a group diagram of the soil ecosystem. thermometer, if possible. Discuss the
Using hand lenses, students explore the soil community of small living things responsible
and record anything they find on the for the composting process. Emphasize that
diagram. Fill in other things that students waste materials in the compost pile are
can’t see but know are there, such as air, broken down into small building blocks by
water, and nutrients. Discuss the things decomposers. The process gives off heat and
recorded on the diagram. What are the leaves rich soil for use in the garden.
roles of small living things in the soil
ecosystem? Emphasize relationships among Anagrams game: Students agree on a word
living things, such as food webs. Discuss related to gardening, cooking, or growth of
cycles that occur, including water, carbon, plants or people. Write the word on the
and nitrogen cycles. marker board. Students brainstorm other
words that can be formed from the same

! 36!
 Lesson 5

letters in that word. For example, compost bacteria help break down the food people
can be used to form top and cost. Record eat so that it can be used by the body.
the new words and emphasize that the same
letters are rearranged to make something SNACK PREP (30 mins)
new. When students cannot think of any Review safety guidelines and knife use. Lead
more anagrams, begin with a new word. students in preparing the healthy snack.

HARVESTING (10 mins) SNACK AND CYCLING DISCUSSION (20 mins)

Harvest garden produce for use in the day’s While eating snack, discuss how the
snack. nutrients in the foods students eat are being
transferred to their bodies. How do plant
WASHING (10 mins) foods connect people to the soil ecosystem?
Transition to the kitchen. Wash hands and
harvested produce. Build up and break down game: Students
work in small groups. Each group gets a bag
of LEGO blocks. Students observe the
blocks given to each group. Groups have
two minutes to build something out of their
blocks. Ask students to compare and
contrast the different groups’ structures.
Then students disassemble their structures
into individual blocks again. Students
compare each groups’ blocks. Discuss how
similar materials were used to build different
structures, which were then broken back
BODY ECOSYSTEM DISCUSSION (5 mins)
Present a sample of spoiled milk. Students down to similar building blocks. Emphasize
share their observations of appearance and that the building blocks in plants and people
smell. What has happened to the milk? are similar, but they are arranged in different
Explain that the milk is spoiled because too ways. The materials can be broken down,
such as when a person digests an apple, and
many harmful bacteria have grown. Predict
what would happen if someone were to rearranged to form new materials in the
human body.
drink it. How do harmful bacteria affect the
body? Survey students about whether they
CLEAN UP (15 mins)
think there are any helpful bacteria in their
Store all leftover food, deliver kitchen scraps
bodies. Discuss how the body is an
ecosystem that includes small living things, to compost, and clean the kitchen
workspace.
just like soil or compost. Discuss how

! Check for student understanding

• Students make dioramas showing the components of the soil ecosystem
• Students use art supplies to illustrate the composting process
• Students draw self-portraits that include the living things in their digestive systems
• Students write songs, raps, or chants about small living things in the garden and the body
• Students create a map or web to show how the same building blocks can pass through soil,
plants, and people

! 37!
 Lesson 5

Recommended Recipes

Yogurt Ranch Dip !

(serves 12) Yogurt Parfaits
(serves 16)
1 C low-fat plain yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice Layer the following in a bowl:
1 tsp Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley 1 qt low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp chopped fresh chives or scallions 2 C whole-grain oat granola
Veggie dippers or whole-grain dippers 1 ! C sliced fruit or berries

Whisk together yogurt and lemon juice until Tip: Try topping with nuts or seeds for
smooth. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Serve extra protein.
with veggie dippers or whole-grain dippers.
Tip: Set up a sundae bar so students
Tip: Discuss how yogurt is made with the help can go down the line and assemble
of small living things, bacteria, that change the their own parfaits in small cups or
building blocks of milk into new materials. bowls.
These probiotics, or “good bacteria”, differ from
the “bad bacteria” that make us sick.

Cottage Cheese
(serves 12)

1 gal skim milk

# C vinegar
! tsp salt

Heat milk to 120°. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Stir 1 to 2 minutes, until curds
form. Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes. Pour the cheese into a colander lined
with cheesecloth. Drain for 5 minutes, then rinse the cloth-covered cheese under
running water until cool. Mix in salt.

Tip: Serve this plain or as a dip for fruit, veggie, or whole-grain dippers. It can also be
used to prepare other recipes.

Tip: Discuss how vinegar helps rearrange the building blocks of milk to make curds
that stick together and separate from the whey.

! 38!
 Lesson 5

Mushroom Omelet
(serves 8)

2 tsp olive oil

1 C mushrooms, chopped
4 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
Salt and pepper to taste
" C cheese

Heat oil in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Beat eggs
together with milk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour over mushrooms. Cook
without stirring until the top is set, gently lifting the edges so that uncooked egg can
flow to the bottom. When set, sprinkle with cheese, fold in half, and slide onto a
plate.

Tip: Try using homemade cottage cheese in this recipe.

Tip: Discuss the role of mushrooms as decomposers in the ecosystem. Mushrooms

break down waste nutrients into forms that can be reused by other living things.

Helpful “Bugs” Taste Test

Have samples of different foods for students to taste. Students share their reactions to
each food. Discuss how the foods are made.

Bleu cheese is a cheese with a certain type of mold added to it. The mold is
responsible for the blue-green crevices running through the cheese and also for the
distinctive flavor. The mold is related to antibiotics, drugs that help fight harmful
bacteria in the body.
!
Sauerkraut is a German cabbage dish made by sprinkling salt over chopped cabbage
and pressing the water out. The cabbage then ferments in the salty water,
developing a strong sour taste.

Tip: Students can also sample the raw ingredients – milk and cabbage – so they can
taste how the foods have changed.

! 39!
 Lesson 5 Name_________________________________

At Home: Composting

Construct
Composting is a way to recycle some of your kitchen waste. Compost requires four basic ingredients:
brown stuff, green stuff, air, and water. Read the instructions below for the two types of composting,
and work with your family to set up the type you decide is best for you.

Outdoor Compost Pile Indoor or Outdoor Worm Bin

1. Outdoors in a bin or pile, layer nitrogen-rich 1. Get a shoebox or larger size plastic bin with
green stuff, like grass clippings and vegetable a lid.
scraps, with carbon-rich brown stuff, like dry 2. Use a hammer and nail, or an electric drill,
leaves, coffee grounds, soil, sawdust, or straw. to poke lots of air holes on the sides of the
You should have much more brown stuff than bin near the top.
green stuff. 3. Tear newspaper into strips, moisten with
2. Water the pile occasionally and use a water, and place the strips loosely in the
pitchfork, rake, or shovel to mix it up and add bottom of the bin.
air. This makes the right habitat for the soil 4. Add a few handfuls of soil or potting mix
community that will break down the compost. and a small container of red wiggler worms
(available at most bait shops). Cover the
bin.
5. Add some kitchen waste, chopped into tiny
pieces, to the bin each day. Stir the
compost once a week. If it is very dry,
sprinkle in a little water, but don’t make it
soggy.

Compost
These are good things to put in your compost: These are things that don’t go in compost:
Uncooked vegetable scraps Meat
Eggshells Oils or other fats
Coffee grounds Dairy products
Grass clippings or dry leaves (outdoor) Pet wastes
Wet newspaper strips (indoor) Weeds

Recycle
When the compost is broken down, it is ready to be recycled into the soil ecosystem. An outdoor
compost pile will be broken down into humus in about a month, or longer in cold weather. When you
can no longer see the separate parts of the mixture, and it looks dark and fluffy, the compost is ready.
A worm bin will start to look granular on top in a few weeks. When you see these worm casings on
top of the pile, they are ready to be scooped off and used. Here are some ways to use your compost:
• Sprinkle into pots of houseplants
• Sprinkle onto potted plants outdoors
• Sprinkle onto an herb garden or a kitchen garden
• Apply to flower beds or shrub beds

! 40!
 Lesson 6

Food Systems
Goal: Objectives:
• To describe farms, the food industry, and the digestive
Students will be able to
evaluate the components system as examples of systems (cognitive)
of the food system that • To list steps involved in producing common foods for
connect garden produce consumers (cognitive)
to prepared meals. • To identify ways to strengthen a local or regional food
system (affective)
• To analyze the role of marketing and advertising in
personal food choices (affective)

Standards

NHES 2 Influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors
NHES 4 Interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks
NES 3 Critical thinking and practical reasoning skills to address food choices, nutrition, and health
concerns
NSES 6 Personal health

Notes and Resources

To increase relevance of the food system
Lesson Materials model, consider finding some real data on
1. Small model car the quantity of potatoes (or oranges or
2. Marker board or butcher paper apples) produced and consumed each year
3. Food system role cards in the U.S.
4. Potato, orange, or apple
5. Stopwatch You may want to locate food commercials
6. Harvesting tools (clippers, buckets, on video-sharing websites prior to the class
etc.) session if you plan to show video ads during
7. Food packaging from products the food marketing discussion.
marketed towards kids, such as sugary
cereal and sweet snacks Role cards for the food system game are
8. Computer with internet access (opt.) found in the Lesson 6 Appendix on p. 47.
9. Recipes and ingredients
10. Food preparation tools (kid-safe Refer to Teacher Background Information
knives, cutting boards, etc.) on pp. 8-9 for lesson content support.

! 41!
 Lesson 6
Lesson Procedure
! 2.5 hrs

REVIEW (5 mins) at the other end is Hungry Person. Note that

Welcome students back to the garden. cards are numbered and should be
Review content by discussing how plants distributed in order. For fewer students,
and people are made up of similar building remove the less essential roles as you see fit.
blocks. For more students, assign some roles to two
students. Ask each student to state his or her
FOOD SYSTEM DISCUSSION (10 mins) role in the food system. Give Farmer a
Show students a small model car. Ask them potato to pass through the food system line.
to identify the different parts and their roles. If possible, provide some real data about
How do the parts work together? annual potato production in the U.S. Time
Emphasize that a car is a system of parts students while they pass the potato from
working together as a whole. What are Farmer to Hungry Person. Record the time
some other systems students are familiar on a marker board. Discuss a player or two
with? How is the garden a system? Walk that could be most easily removed from the
through the garden and ask students what food system. The student steps out and the
happens to the produce grown there. How gap closes. Time the potato again and
is the garden part of a bigger system? record the time. Repeat until only Farmer
Brainstorm what happens to the food grown and Hungry Person remain. Reflect on the
on larger farms. Prompt students to think times recorded on the marker board,
about the food one step at a time: where imagining that each second represents one
does it go first and what happens second day. Help students draw conclusions about
and then what? Emphasize production, the length of time and the number of players
processing, distribution, and consumption of involved. What are some benefits to a
the food. shorter supply chain? What are some ways
to reduce the number of players in the food
FOOD SYSTEM MODEL (30 mins) system to make the supply chain shorter?
Students agree on a common food to discuss, How can growing foods locally or shopping
such as pizza or a sandwich. Brainstorm all at farmers markets simplify the food system?
the steps that take place to produce the food How does the food system affect the
and get it to the students’ plates. Students environment? Discuss reducing the use of
create a group map of the steps on a marker fossil fuels, improving the quality and
board. Prompt students to consider growing nutritional value of food, reducing costs, and
ingredients, processing, packaging, reducing packaging waste. Site examples of
transporting, storing, and selling. the local food system, if possible.

Food system model: Students line up HARVESTING (10 mins)

shoulder to shoulder to represent the food Harvest garden produce for use in the day’s
system. Explain that each student represents snack.
a different player in the system and they are
going to model the process by which food WASHING (10 mins)
moves from a farm to their plates. Pass out Transition to the kitchen. Wash hands and
the food system cards (found in the lesson harvested produce.
appendix) to assign each student a role. The
student at one end is Farmer and the student

! 42!
 Lesson 6

FOOD MARKETING DISCUSSION (20 mins) you eat. How are the digestive system and
Discuss some favorite cereals, snacks, or the food system alike and different?
other packaged foods. Prompt students to
describe a familiar food box or package. Story chaser game: Students sit in a circle
What do students typically notice when and the teacher names a prepared food, such
they pick up packages of food? What makes as spaghetti or vegetable soup. The first
them choose one item over another? student speaks one sentence about the first
Introduce the concept of food marketing and step in producing that food. The next
discuss how food companies encourage student speaks one sentence about the next
people to buy their products, showing some step in producing the food and so on.
food packages targeted towards kids as Continue through a description of the
examples. If possible, you may want to production and digestion of the food.
show preselected video advertisements also.
On food packaging, show how to identify CLEAN UP (15 mins)
where the product is made and what it is Store all leftover food, deliver kitchen scraps
made from. Then discuss foods that aren’t to compost, and clean the kitchen
packaged, typically fresh, whole, workspace.
unprocessed foods. How are these foods
marketed?

SNACK PREP (30 mins)

Review safety guidelines and knife use. Lead
students in preparing the healthy snack.

SNACK AND DIGESTION TRACING (20 mins)

While eating snack, consider how the food
moves through the digestive system of the
body. Create a map of the system on a
marker board. Emphasize that each organ of
the digestive system has a role in helping the
body get the nutrients it needs from the food

! Check for student understanding

• Students work in small groups to perform skits about how a favorite food moves through the
food system or the digestive system
• Students redesign a familiar food package to make the most important information more
accessible to consumers
• Students create marketing strategies (billboards, jingles, commercials, etc.) for favorite foods
grown in the garden
• Students write letters to local businesses suggesting how the businesses could contribute to a
local food system
• Students list foods their families eat that are produced locally, regionally, nationally, and
internationally

! 43!
 Lesson 6

Recommended Recipes

Flavored Popcorn
(serves 16)

! C popcorn kernels
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Heat oil in a large pot over medium

heat. Add popcorn. Partially cover
and shake over medium heat until Applesauce
popping slows to a few seconds (serves 12)
between pops. Divide among three
bowls and flavor with: 5 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
# C water
1. Cinnamon 1 Tbsp lemon juice
2. Shredded cheese ! tsp cinnamon (opt.)
3. Salt, garlic powder, and oregano

Tip: Explain that popcorn is a whole

grain and involves minimal processing
and packaging.

Tip: The popcorn pot should be shaken

by an adult. Be cautious of the
escaping steam.

Combine apples and water in a medium

saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for
about 20 minutes, until apples are soft, stirring
frequently. Uncover. Mash with a fork or potato
masher. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Remove from heat and serve warm.

Tip: Discuss how homemade applesauce has a

shorter supply chain that canned applesauce.

Tip: Emphasize that no added sugar is needed if

you use naturally sweet apples.

! 44!
"!
Lesson 6

Berry Freezer Jam

(makes 4 half-pint containers)

4 C fresh or frozen (thawed) strawberries or other berries

! C sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 " C unsweetened apple juice
1 (1.75-oz) package (or 3 Tbsp from a jar) powdered low- or no-sugar pectin

Crush berries to make 3 C. Mix crushed fruit with sugar and lemon juice. Let stand. Place
apple juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in pectin. Boil for 1 minute, stirring
frequently, and remove from heat. Carefully add to strawberries and stir for 3 minutes. Use a
ladle to scoop the jam into clean half-pint glass or plastic freezer containers, leaving !-inch
of headspace at the top. Screw on lids and let jam cool before storing in freezer for up to one
year. Jam keeps for three weeks in refrigerator.

Tip: Discuss how home food preservation has been an

important part of survival throughout history. Home food
preservation allowed people to store fruits and vegetables
from the summer harvest to eat during the winter, when less
food was available.

Tip: Consider making enough for each student to take a jar

home, but make multiple batches, rather than increasing the
recipe to make one large batch. The jam may not gel
properly if amounts are increased. Consider making batches
with different berries or a mixture.

Crunchy Toasted Cheese Sandwich

(serves 16)

8 slices whole-grain bread

2 C mixed chopped vegetables, such as tomato, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and zucchini
! C shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler. Mix veggies and cheese. Top bread

slices with spoonfuls of the cheesy vegetable mixture,
spreading to edges. Broil for about 4 minutes or until
cheese melts.

! 45!
 Lesson 6 Name_________________________________

At Home: International Grocery Cart

Shop
Next time you go to the grocery store or food mart, look for foods that were grown or produced in
other countries. You might want to look in the fresh produce section, in the foreign foods section, or
in the vinegars and sauces section. List some foods you find that come from other countries.

Food: Country:

Think
How does the food system make it possible for you to eat foods not grown close to where you live?

In what ways is this a good thing? Explain.

Cook
Think about your class discussion of some foods that are grown or produced in your region of the
country. List some of these foods here:

Plan a meal based on foods that are grown or produced close to where you live. Describe the meal:

Prepare the meal with your family. Are the foods you’ve prepared a common part of your family’s
diet? Explain.

! 46!
 Lesson 6

Lesson 6 Appendix

2 Activist
1 Farmer
A person who communicates with politicians about
A person who grows and harvests food on a farm
forming laws for food production

3 Lobbyist
4 Politician
A person hired by a food company to talk to politicians
A person who passes laws about how food is produced
about passing laws that benefit their interests

5 Researcher 6 Financial Worker

A person who researches how food should be produced, A person who lends the farmer money or provides
distributed, and consumed insurance for the farmer to grow food

7 Seed Manufacturer 8 Tool Manufacturer

A person who makes seeds A person who makes farm tools like tractors and shovels

9 Truck Driver 10 Shelf Stocker

A person who drives a truck full of seeds or tools to a A person who stocks seeds and tools on the shelves in a
warehouse or store where the goods can be sold store

12 Truck Driver
11 Farm Hand
A person who drives a big truck carrying the harvested
A person who helps the farmer grow and harvest food
food from the farm to the processing plant

13 Food Processor 14 Truck Driver

A person who washes, cuts, mixes, bags, and boxes food A person who drives a big truck carrying the processed
from the farm food to a distribution center

16 Advertiser
15 Distributor A person who designs the logos, boxes, trucks, and signs
A person who directs which stores sell the food that advertise the food to the public and make people want
to buy the food

17 Truck Driver 18 Shelf Stocker

A person who drives a big truck carrying the packaged A person who puts the food on shelves in stores
food from the distribution center to stores

19 Cashier 20 Customer
A person who sells the food to customers in stores A person who buys the food

21 Cook 22 Hungry Person

A person who prepares food for eating A person who eats the food that was prepared

!! 47!
!

!
!
!!

Acknowledgements
Jones Valley Urban Farm would like to extend its utmost appreciation to
the following community partners, without whom the development of Seed to
Plate and the production of the Seed to Plate curriculum would have been
neither possible nor fun:

Birmingham YMCA Youth Center

Jane Chambliss

Shannon Cleckler

Elaine Davis

Sally Dover

EBSCO Industries

Burgin Fowlkes

Frank Franklin

Bree Garrett

Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation

Anna Rose MacArthur

Edwin Marty

Troxell Pautler

Rachel Reinhart

University of Alabama at Birmingham Dietetic Internship Program

University of Alabama at Birmingham Health Education Program

! 49!