What are root vegetables?  Root vegetables are underground plant parts that we grow for food. These under-appreciated  vegetables are in fact nutritious additions to a variety of soups and stews, loaded with carbohydrates and dietary fiber, high in vitamins and minerals, yet often low in [...]]]> The Vegetable of the Month for January 2010 is:  Root Vegetables!

What are root vegetables?  Root vegetables are underground plant parts that we grow for food. These under-appreciated  vegetables are in fact nutritious additions to a variety of soups and stews, loaded with carbohydrates and dietary fiber, high in vitamins and minerals, yet often low in cost and easy to store.

Common root vegetables include carrots, beets, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, radish, jicama and celeriac.

Here is a Healthy Waltham vegetable soup recipe featuring root vegetables and other favorites.

Curried Waltham Butternut Squash Soup

Corn, also called “maize,” is one of the most popular cereals and a staple food of many peoples and cultures across the globe.  Corn is a good source of folate and vitamin B1, as well as vitamin C and B6.  It also contains fiber, manganese, phosphorus, [...]]]> The Vegetable of the Month for December 2009 is:  Corn!

Corn, also called “maize,” is one of the most popular cereals and a staple food of many peoples and cultures across the globe.  Corn is a good source of folate and vitamin B1, as well as vitamin C and B6.  It also contains fiber, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, niacin and potassium.  Corn can be served in many ways, either on or off the cob, from salads and side vegetables to tortillas and tamales.  Cornmeal can also be made into cornbreads and porridges.

Here is a recipe modeled after the corn chowder served this month in the Waltham Public Schools cafeterias:

(Coming Soon!)

May 2008 - Before the garden

and here it is in the fall of 2009:

Summer 2009 - The growing garden!

With free soil amendments donated by Agway in Waltham, we dug up a small patch and planted beans, tomatoes and marigolds with the summer program students. In the fall, we had a tiny harvest and collected marigold seeds with the afterschool EcoTeam.

The [...]]]> McDevitt Middle School garden began in the summer of 2007 with a modest effort:

With free soil amendments donated by Agway in Waltham, we dug up a small patch and planted beans, tomatoes and marigolds with the summer program students. In the fall, we had a tiny harvest and collected marigold seeds with the afterschool EcoTeam.

The next spring, we planted raspberry canes in this location, and a seedless Concord grape vine. That summer, the EcoTeam built McDevitt’s first raised bed. They wrote about this in their website.

This fall, the original McDevitt garden was a flourishing raspberry patch with a grape vine beginning to cover the fence:

This unassuming-looking piece of fruit has become a staple in my house and a lunchbox favorite.  Golden brown in color, it looks to be half pear, half apple.  We discovered it by accident during a day of apple-picking at Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick.  [...]]]> by Maria DiMaggio, Healthy Waltham Project Coordinator (and Waltham Public School parent)

This unassuming-looking piece of fruit has become a staple in my house and a lunchbox favorite.  Golden brown in color, it looks to be half pear, half apple.  We discovered it by accident during a day of apple-picking at Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick.  Turns out these folks also grow a lot of Asian pears.  Instead of apples, we came home with bags and bags of Asian pears.

Besides tasting pretty good (crunchy like an apple but sweet like a pear) there are several other things we like about them:

• They keep for weeks in the fridge
• They can be substituted for apples and pears in baked goods with excellent results
• When peeled and cut, they don’t turn brown for hours

This last one, not turning brown, makes them great for sending in a lunchbox.  My kids prefer apples to be cut up rather than biting into a whole apple.  However, most apples turn brown quickly.  After several hours, cut up apples don’t look that appealing.  But Asian pears will generally keep their color for several hours at room temperature, and for 24 hours in the fridge (cut them up and store in a plastic container).

These fruits can be quite pricey in winter and summer.  But in the fall, locally-grown Asian pears can be found at the grocery store at a decent price.  More information on Asian pears can be found at Fruits & Veggies – More Matters

1st Grade

(45 min.)

Book: Pumpkin Jack by: Will Hubbell

Learning Objectives:

-     Make seasonal connection to plant life cycles

-     Introduce vocabulary related to plant life cycles

-     Connect themes of seasons, life cycles, and gardening to the children’s lives

-     Obtain viable pumpkin seeds to plant next spring

Science vocabulary:

Life-cycle

Frost

Rot

Book vocabulary:

Fierce (intense, angry)

Jack-o’-lantern (pumpkin with a face)

Spell (magic)

Wrinkled [...]]]> Pumpkin Lesson

1^st Grade

(45 min.)

Book: Pumpkin Jack by: Will Hubbell

Learning Objectives:

-     Make seasonal connection to plant life cycles

-     Introduce vocabulary related to plant life cycles

-     Connect themes of seasons, life cycles, and gardening to the children’s lives

-     Obtain viable pumpkin seeds to plant next spring

Science vocabulary:

Life-cycle

Frost

Rot

Book vocabulary:

Fierce (intense, angry)

Jack-o’-lantern (pumpkin with a face)

Spell (magic)

Wrinkled (wrinkled clothes have many lines & folds in them)

Beneath (the snow)

Faded (lost color)

Withered (leaves)

Generous (Tim was generous. He gave away all of the pumpkins but the one he kept for himself.)

Supplies:

1 big pumpkin

sharp serrated knife

Newspaper

Plastic bowels or other containers

Paper towels

Dry-erase board, chalkboard, or smartboard

Set-Up:

Spread thick newspaper over tables. Set a plastic bowl or container on each table.

Keep pumpkin at the front of the room so that children entering can see and touch it.

Lesson:

1)    Gather as a group on the floor or in chairs with the teacher at the front with a dry-erase board (or chalkboard, or Smartboard).

1. Introduce themes of seasons, life cycles, and kids gardening.
2. Go over key science vocabulary.

2)    Go over key vocabulary found in the book Pumpkin Jack

Read Pumpkin Jack

3)     Make connections between the story and the children’s lives at home/school.

1. Ask who has carved a pumpkin with their family?  Seen jack-o-lanterns in their neighborhoods?
2. Who has seen pumpkins growing in the garden at school?  At another farm or garden?
3. Who has ever planted a seed?  During what season?  Who has eaten pumpkin seeds?  What season?
4. How many seeds are in a pumpkin?  How many seeds does it take to grow a pumpkin plant?  How many pumpkins can one plant grow?

4)    Teacher carves the top off the pumpkin and lifts it to show all the seeds.  Then everyone separates into smaller groups at their tables.

1. At each table, the children have a turn to reach into the pumpkin and grab a handful of seeds and “guts.”
2. Using their hands, they separate the seeds from the “guts” and put the clean seeds into a container to save them.

5)    Clean up!

1. When the whole table is finished, they can go wash their hands in the bathroom.
2. b. The teacher collects all the clean pumpkin seeds and, outside of class time, washes them with water in a colander and spreads them out on clean paper towels to dry overnight.  Then, they must be stored over the winter in a cool, dry place. To be planted by the same students in the Spring!

The Spanish version can be found by clicking here: Spanish Version of Cookbook