Cocoa Mulch and a Breakfast Classic
Yesterday was all about breakfast at the Teaching Kitchen! Meg Tallon led her usual Thursday afternoon class at the Ashley Street out-of-school time program in Orient Heights. First on the agenda was cooking. Tallon had harvested kale and carrot greens from the garden prior to the students’ arrival and grated fresh cheese. These ingredients would all be used later as omelet fixings. She began the lesson with a general discussion on breakfast—the most important meal of the day! Students strategized how to ensure that they get a healthy breakfast everyday, regardless of what busy weekday mornings can present them with.
The conversation quickly turned into a hands-on experience: two students cleaned and chopped the fresh kale, as one cracked eggs into large bowls. They scrambled the eggs adding salt, pepper, all of the greens, and cheese. After spreading a bit of butter into the hot pan, students took turns pouring and tending to the egg-mixture. After learning Tallon’s folding technique to create the perfect omelet, it was time to serve and eat! Everyone enjoyed their creation.
Class moved outside to the garden where students planted tomatoes and pumpkins. Tallon explained the importance of cocoa shells and how the nitrogen they contained is beneficial to plants such as tomatoes. Students scattered handfuls of the shells around the base of certain plants, only slightly distracted by the strong cocoa aroma the mulch held! The next activity was watering. “Watering is the most fun thing,” one student reported, eagerly. Tallon demonstrated using Fish Emulsion mixed with water as a type of plant fertilizer. When all the plants in the garden had been tended to, students then harvested kale to take home to their families. Great energy was present in both the kitchen and the garden, and despite the chilly afternoon, students seemed to enjoy being outside to observe the progress of their very own crops!