November was Pumpkin Month!

The featured vegetable for the month of November was Pumpkin. Through our sponsor, The Hudson Highlands Land Trust, HVFS received 50 pumpkins donated from a family farm in Garrison, NY. Our chefs at Haldane and the Garrison School used these pumpkins in our Chef in the Classroom program teaching kids how to cook with local, seasonal produce.

At Haldane, Chefs Sarah Garcia and Matt Sporer, students from the Culinary Institute of America and Slow Food members worked with the 3rd and 4th graders teaching them how to make pumpkin bread.

From mashing to mixing, the kids did all the work.

Chef Sarah is a pastry chef in training and explained to the students the importance of accurate measurements of all the ingredients. Instead of using cups and teaspoons, in a professional bakery, they use a digital scale to measure in grams and ounces. (This was a great lesson in math and chemistry!)

At the Garrison School, Chef Laurie taught the 7th graders how to make pumpkin muffins. She  divided the students into groups and handed them recipes with step by step instructions.

The groups worked independently with only guidance and tips from the chef.

Both the Haldane School and the Garrison School students will get to sample these recipes in the cafeteria this month.










Many thanks to the family farm in Garrison for donating the pumpkins used in the cooking classes and in the school-wide taste tests in the cafeterias.