Holiday Pickled Beets
BEETS:

1 lb beets

1 tbsp olive oil

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, smashed

salt, pepper to taste

aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the tops off beets and wash beets thoroughly. Place in large mixing bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary and garlic . Toss well and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. (If desired, beets can be wrapped in aluminum foil as well.) Place in oven on middle rack and roast for 1-1 ½ hours or until a skewer can be inserted into beets without resistance. Once beets are done, let cool. Remove skins with a pairing knife. Do not run under water. Cut beets into ¼ inch round slices.

Pickling liquid:

3 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 ginger root peeled and sliced

5 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 allspice berries

Combine water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Whisk in sugar and remaining ingredients. Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour the liquid solution and beets into a jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator.

Yields 1 quart.

Chef In The Classroom: Beets Day

Yesterday, we had our last Chef in the Classroom event for 2010. Mrs. Isler's second grade class chose Beets for December's Farmer's Choice vegetable. Chef Mark Gandara set up his mobile kitchen and the kids gathered around. Together, they decided to make pickled beets. There was a great deal of enthusiasm with lots of kids volunteering to measure and mix. They learned how to roast the beets with fresh rosemary and make a pickling liquid with fresh ginger, carrots, cinnamon, and vinegar (recipe coming soon).

Best of all, when it came to tasting it, more than half the class tried it, and many asked for seconds. The adults present were amazed to see kids eating beets. For some of the adults, it was their first time trying beets as well!

A big thank you goes out to Mark and Sunny Gandara for making our new Farm to School program at Haldane such a success. And for those planning holiday parties, they have some yummy prepared foods you can buy to save you some time in the kitchen.

And don't forget to tell your kids to buy lunch on Tuesday, December 21st and try Mrs. Isler's 2nd grade class "Holiday Pickled Beets" recipe. It really can't be beet!

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

We had another successful Farmer's Choice vegetable selection in the cafeteria last week. A big thank you goes to Mark and Sunny Gandara for making another delicious recipe with our kids. I also wanted to mention again that the Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy Cooperative generously donated all the milk for this recipe. On a personal note, I was thrilled to go up to one of the nine farms in the coop and pick up the milk myself. The director of Hudson Valley Fresh, Sam Simon showed me around his farm and introduced me to the cows. It was a meaningful experience seeing first hand where our milk comes from. I hope we can put together a field trip for Haldane students to visit the farm and see first hand where their milk would be coming from if the cafeteria switched over to local milk.

                                       Spiced Pumpkin soup

Serves 6

One- 3 lb cooking pumpkin
ground cinnamon-1tablespoon
ground ginger-1tablespoon
ground allspice-1 teaspoon
curry powder- 1teaspoon
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
milk- ½ gallon
brown sugar- ¼ cup

Method-

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all spices and add into a dry sauté pan and toast over medium heat till fragrant, remove from heat. Line a cookie sheet with foil. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Discard seeds (or save to make roasted pumpkin seeds).
place pumpkin on foil lined cookie sheet cut side up and rub cavity with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and toasted spices(you will not use all of the spice mix). Place in oven and roast for 45 min to an hour or till pumpkin is soft to touch. While pumpkin is roasting place milk in saucepot along with 1 teaspoon of spice mix and bring to just under a boil. Remove from heat. Once pumpkin is done remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 min. using a kitchen spoon scoop the cooked pumpkin flesh into the cup of a blender and add warm milk to blend until smooth and until you reach the consistency and thickness you want. Repeat process until all pumpkin is pureed. Add sugar and season with salt & pepper.

Butternut Squash Puree & Broccoli Surprise

Mark Gandara, our "Chef in the Classroom" has given us the recipes for the first two Farmer's Choice vegetables this year. We hope you will enjoy making these recipes at home!

ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE

Serves 4

1 Butternut Squash

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs of rosemary

4 leaves of sage

Maple syrup to taste

Dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Cut butternut squash lengthwise in half. Clean out the seeds using a large kitchen spoon. Take each half and lay them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle olive oil salt and pepper on the squash, stuff cavity with the fresh herbs. Turn Squash cut side down and place into oven. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, until Squash is soft to the touch.

Remove from oven, let cool enough to handle. Scoop flesh out of skins into a big bowl, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and maple syrup to taste. You can either use a potato masher or a blender to turn squash into a smooth puree. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

BROCCOLI SURPRISE

SERVES 4

1 lb broccoli

1 carrot, peeled and grated on a box grater

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp dark sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 orange, zested and juiced

1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and ground coriander, toasted

Combine orange juice, zest, soy sauce and spices together in a blender. Slowly add oils to emulsify mixture.

Rinse broccoli and trim if needed. Place a pot filled with salted water over high heat, bring to a boil, add broccoli and boil gently for 3-4 minutes or until vibrant green.

Drain broccoli, toss with grated carrots and chopped cilantro. Add sesame-orange dressing to taste. Season with salt and Pepper.

Broccoli Day in Mrs. Comerford's 1st Grade

Yesterday, we had our first "Chef in the Classroom" activity at Haldane. This is the curriculum component of our Farmer's Choice local, fresh vegetable we serve every month in the cafeteria. Chef Mark Gandara and food educator, Sunny Gandara from Fork and Glass catering company went to Mrs. Comerford's first grade class to collaborate with the students on a recipe using local broccoli (the vegetable that the kids voted on to serve in the cafeteria for the October Farmer's Choice selection.)

There was a lot of excitement when the chef set up his "mobile kitchen" in the classroom. He had an assortment of fresh herbs, spices and condiments on the table and a bowl of fresh broccoli, carrots and oranges as well. The kids gathered on the floor, and Mark began the cooking class. He passed around spices for the kids to smell and asked the students what ingredients they would like to add to the broccoli. Next, he called for volunteers to help measure, stir, squeeze, and grate. Within an hour, the dish was complete and everyone got to sample it.

Here are some of the comments I heard:

You're the best chef ever!
I can't stop eating this!
Can we have seconds?

Everyone tried it, but two. As Mark was finishing up, he asked the kids what we should call it. They came up with "Broccoli Surprise." And that is what will be served this Thursday, October 21st in the cafeteria for our second Farmer's Choice selection of the year.

Studies show that kids that actively engage in cooking are more likely to try new foods. Observing the enthusiasm of the students, I understood why hands-on experiential learning is so important in education. It was empowering for the students to work side by side with a professional chef and help create a recipe that they can proudly take ownership of. And best of all they will tell all their school friends on Thursday to try the "Broccoli Surprise" because they were involved in making it.

Make sure you remind your kids to buy lunch on Thursday! And remember, if they don't like the meat selection or are vegetarians, they can order a la carte.

Next month: Pumpkin!

Local Milk Survey

We are working on putting together a presentation on local milk for the next Wellness committee meeting, Oct. 25th. I know many of you have already filled out this survey for Hudson Valley Fresh milk. But if you haven't, and are interested in seeing local milk served at Haldane, please fill out this short survey and send back to: info@growinghaldane.com.

Local Milk Survey

Hudson Valley Fresh is a not-for-profit cooperative of small, family-owned dairy farms in Dutchess and Columbia counties. HVF is dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of the Hudson River Valley by supporting sustainable agriculture and securing living wages for local farmers and their families. Unlike most commercial dairies, the farms at Hudson Valley Fresh have low cow density so the cows have room to graze throughout the summer and fall and get lots of exercise in the winter too. The milk is not ultra-pasteurized, does not contain artificial growth hormones and is delivered fresh to stores within 36 hours of milking.

Does your child buy milk at school? YES NO

Are you interested in your child buying local Hudson Valley milk? YES NO
Milk at the cafeteria costs 50 cents. Would you pay an extra 25 cents for local milk? YES NO
Name: ____________________________

Haldane's First Farmer's Choice A Big Success!

Yesterday, Haldane students got to try the first of what will become a once a month selection of Farmer's Choice local vegetable dishes served in the cafeteria. The dish was a butternut squash puree with maple syrup. The recipe was given to us by Mark Gandara of Fork and Glass Catering Co. The squash came from Madura Farm in Middletown, NY. (You can visit their stand at the Cold Spring Farmers' Market every Saturday) The maple syrup came from 3 Chicks Sugar Shack of Garrison. (Also at the farmers' market)

I was in the cafeteria observing the lunch, talking to the kids and getting their reactions. It was an incredibly positive experience. Many of the students requested the squash. And those that did not, were offered a spoonful to try. The upbeat encouragement on the part of the servers turned many skeptics into takers. I sat with one group of 2nd graders who all had the squash on their trays. I was later informed that seven out of eight of them really liked it. There was also a buzz among teachers wanting to get the recipe.

All around it was an extremely successful beginning to our new Farm to School Initiative. Next month, we will be adding the educational component to the Farmer's Choice monthly vegetable. Each month one class will get to vote on the vegetable for that month, and our local chef and food educator Mark and Sunny Gandara will come into that classroom and collaborate with the children on a recipe. They will also talk about the vegetable's origin, how it grows, where it grows and its nutritional value.

Next month, we will be starting with Mrs. Comerford's first grade class, and they have already voted on the vegetable: Broccoli.

Come See Us At Haldane Curriculum Nights!

On Curriculum Nights, September 22 and 23 come visit Haldane's Farm to School and Garden tables. Haldane is launching its Farm to School initiative with monthly “Farmers’ Choice” fresh vegetable selections in the cafeteria beginning Thursday, September 30th. The vegetables will be coming from local farms in the area and the first recipe will be provided by Fork and Glass catering company. Try a sample at our table.

Haldane Farm to School is an initiative of the Wellness committee that was created with the objective of improving student nutrition by encouraging the use of fresh, local farm produce in meals served in the cafeteria, as well as providing classroom-based nutrition and food system education. Haldane’s Garden committee has been hard at work building gardens on the school grounds. Come see the plans at our table.The gardens will be ready for planting early Spring 2011.