Sunny Afternoons with Washington Middle School

During this exceptionally rainy Seattle spring we’ve lucked out with some unexpected sunny afternoons perfect for getting outside, having fun in the mud, and getting some planting done. Our HOST group from Washington Middle School are now experts at working together to transplant starts and plant seeds directly in beds. They including use rulers to measure, mark veggie varieties, and water. We’ve had some exciting cooking projects going on as well!

On Field Trips to Green Plate Special:

We made noodle dishes from around the world and discussed the meaning of authenticity, as well as the connection between culture, heritage, and food. Students made Pad Thai, an Indonesian Peanut Sauce, and an Italian Puttanesca Sauce.

We made our own corn tortillas, all from scratch! Students learned about the history of corn in the Americas, and the process of “nixtamalization,” which was invented by the Aztecs. Students used hand-powered grain mills to grind the nixtamalized corn (aka posole or hominy) to make masa. It was then all hands on deck to use tortilla presses to press the balls of masa into tortillas, cook them, and then add LOTS of veggies to make quesadillas! Fillings included: beans from the GPS garden, onions, peppers, kale, avocado, chicken, cilantro, green onion, and GPS homemade tomato salsa to top.

At Washington Middle School:

Students made three different types of dips: hummus with chickpeas, ful (fava bean spread using GPS beans), and guacamole.

Students made three different salads: sesame soy dressing over arugula and spinach, healthy ranch dressing over kale, and a vinaigrette over mesclun. Who knew middle schoolers could be so excited about salad?!