Many people would rather go to the dentist than speak in public. I am not one of those people. Quite frankly, I really get a kick out of speaking about topics I am passionate about in front of an audience.Yesterday was no exception.

I was one of three “mommy activists” on a panel at the Canadian Organic Growers conference. One mom, Fran Murrell came all the way from Australia. She spoke about her group,   MADGE -Mothers Are Demystifying Genetic Engineering. Check out her website www.madge.org.au.

Another mom, Susan Smith, is one of the founding members of a not-for-profit agricultural community land trust known as ROSE (Redeeming Our Soil Economically).  ROSE is dedicated to caring for Sunnivue Farm northwest of London, Ontario.

The moderator of the panel Allison Savage a food blogger who created Radishes and Rhubarb, a blog that contains great recipes and beautiful photos.

As I promised during my presentation, to save trees, I am posting my resource links here on my blog. I know how it is at conferences, we all pick up loads of handouts. They either get lost in a pile or tossed. With my method, you’ll never lose the links, they’ll always be here!

Just click on the colored links and you’ll be directed right to the sites! Enjoy!

BSF Action Plan- this plan along with many other resources on the Better School Food website has stood the test of time. Check it out and get involved with school food in your community.

Nourish curriculum- this free downloadable middle school curriculum is fabulous. It can be facilitated by teachers or parents. I’m betting scout troops could use it towards a badge too.I gave  a review of Nourish on the Better School Food blog.

Jeff Rubin- this Canadian economist is on the spunky side, which is good since most economists are pretty dull to listen too. Jeff’s message: your world is gonna get a whole lot smaller as the price of oil goes up and its availability goes down. Watch one of his talks on You Tube, I promise you won’t be bored!

The Alberta Tar sands has the potential to create massive damage to Canada’s water supply and environment in general.  Greenpeace has been working hard to raise awareness of this problem.

In the USA, our big problem that is destroying watersheds Hydro fracking: the movie GASLAND tells the story well.

Gardens are the answer! What was your question? Kitchen Gardener’s International is a great garden resource for home, school and community gardens.

My Movie list Help your community to raise it’s Food IQ by setting up a film series at your local library, community center or other venue. Include a pot-luck and make it a regular community building event. Here’s a handful of my favorite films.

Ingreedients is an eye opening look into things you can’t pronounce on food labels.

Food INC this film is a must see for a wake up call about our food system.

King Corn is a great movie about corn in America. Filmmakers Ian Cheney and Kurt Ellis have gone on to do even more wonderful things. They are founding members of Food Corps and have a new movie out called, Truck Farm.

How to Boil a Frog is one of my most favorite new movies and it’s Canadian to boot!  It was just nominated for the Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting award. It’s a comedy about the environment, how’s that for different?

The World According to Monsanto is a tremendously important film for anyone who cares about the food they eat.  You can watch the whole movie on YouTube or buy the DVD

The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a fun story about the history of farmland in America.

Additional movies

Tapped is a movie about the impact of bottled water.

And This is My Garden is a new film about school gardens that was created in Canada and has been screening there since 2010.

FRESH is a movie similar to Food Inc. but is a bit more sweeter and gentler.

Killer at Large is a movie about obesity. I have a cameo appearance in this film. You’ll get to see me raising hell in DC at a hearing for food advertising to kids.

2 Angry Moms is  a movie about school food activism. I am one of the Two Angry Moms, I am not the filmmaker, I am the trouble maker.

My book list is another fun way to build community and raise the consciousness of food related issues. Work with your local librarian or your PTA/PTO to start a book club.

Food Rules is Michael Pollan’s lastest book. Its short, its sweet and very digestible. See how many of the 64 food rules you can adopt for your own.

Chew on This is a middle school version of Eric Schlosser’s classic book, Fast Food Nation. Well worth the read for kids and grownups alike.

How to Grow a School Garden: A Guide for Parents and Teachers book

The bottom line message of my presentation is this: STIR THE POT! Don’t be afraid to make some trouble. Don’t say silent in the face of our kids being poisoned. Even if your kid seems to eating good food, trust me, all of our kids are connected. Do something to raise the Food IQ in your community. The rewards are numerous.

Stone Soup is a great way to get kids to fall in love with soup making. Stone soup making was a special event at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center back in the days when I taught my variety of food based education there.
As a prelude to making this recipe with kids, read a version of Stone Soup, the story of three hungry soldiers who come into a village and cleverly trick the peasants into sharing their food–by making a lavish soup out of seemingly nothing but stones. Like the soldiers’ soup, this recipe turns whatever vegetables you have on hand into a hearty meal. Kids love plopping a real stone into the broth,  but if your pantry is low on stones, you can let the potatoes fill that role.

Stone Soup

serves 6
1 stone, big enough that it won’t get lost in the soup (quartz is a good choice because it won’t break down in cooking)
1 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped fine
1 large carrot, cut into coins
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, and cut into quarters
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
6 cups chicken stock (or a combination of stock and water)
1 medium zucchini, diced large
1 medium yellow squash, diced large
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 cups cooked soup pasta (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

The first step is for your child to scrub and wash the stone thoroughly. Then, for an extra cleaning, she can drop it in a pot of water to boil while you prepare the rest of the soup together.

In another large pot, melt the butter or heat the oil, then sauté the onion on medium-high for 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir in the celery, carrot, potatoes and red pepper, sautéeing for 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, then add in the broth. Using a spoon, fish the stone out of the other pot, add it to the soup and bring to a boil.

Add the zucchini, squash, corn and pasta, cooking another 8 minutes or until the zucchini is the desired softness.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Before serving, ladle–minus the stone–into individual bowls.

Serves 6 to 8.

I was fortunate to have a bright sunny week at the beach last week. I unplugged as best as I could and caught up on some reading. Thanks to a speed reading course I took freshman year in college, I’m a voracious reader. After spending much of my summer in a camp garden, my reading list these days are focused more on growing food. Here are two of my favorites.

My Empire of Dirt by Manny Howard was a rollicking adventure story about a backyard garden that went a little too far. Based on the NY Magazine article from 2007, this book will have you wincing and chuckling about homegrown food.

This book, along with Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Vegetable Miracle and Novella Carpenter’s Farm City is another example of how the food movement is morphing from farmer’s markets and backyard veggie gardens into something more substantial.

I would love to get some bees and chicken going in my backyard. Fresh eggs and local honey would be great.  With the latest egg recall of a half a billion eggs, I have to believe more people are going to re-think their supermarket egg habit. 95% of eggs in the US come from industrial egg operations of 75,000 or more hens. Talk about too big to fail, or just plain too big! Smaller and closer to home is definitely better when it comes to food. A couple of hens would easily keep my family in enough eggs for most of the year.

Next read on the beach was a book about school gardens. I thought it might be dry reading but I was pleasantly surprised.How to Grow A School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers was the kind of book that really got me jazzed. If you are one of those parents who are trying to make a positive impact in your child’s school, this is the book you want to read. Its also the book you want to buy for your child’s teacher. This book demonstrates all the good reasons why every school should have a garden and walks you through the steps to get one going.

As Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA says,

I want to live in a world where there are more school gardens than McDonalds has franchises.

This book will help you to shift that ratio of fast food to slow food in your school district.

I have a grand opportunity tomorrow. NY Congresswoman Rep. Nita Lowey has invited me to a discussion on childhood obesity with Dr. Thomas Frieden, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Frieden was the NYC Health commissioner from 2002 to 2009. This guy  was the driving force behind some significant health policies in NYC, namely the workplace smoking ban, the trans fat ban and the implementation of  public calorie counts in places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

I could go on and on about how both the trans fat ban and calorie counts didn’t end up being all that effective in improving the food environments of NYC, but I’m not gonna go there. Dr. Frieden deserves kudos for putting these bold food policies in place and going up against the NRA (National Restaurant Association) and other food industry lobbyists such as the Center for Consumer Freedom.

So far, our approach to the exploding obesity epidemic has done next to nothing to improve eating habits of Americans. Its time to think outside of the box.What would be the right words to say to the head of the CDC that would inspire him to take this approach?

My goal is to share my vision of school food reform with the good doc. School food reform is not about building a better chicken nugget or pumping up the pizza with whole wheat crust and low fat cheese.  Like calorie counts, these strategies do nothing to change the poor eating behaviors of America’s kids.

What we must do is raise the Food IQ and transform the culture of food in each and every school district in the USA. How could the CDC go about doing that?  They would be smart to hire me as a consultant. My four point plan includes proven strategies that will increase veggie consumption and lead to more informed eaters.

• Vegetable gardens in every school complete with composting projects

When kids grow food, picky eating behavior decreases and respect for real food increases. Composting of vegetable scraps is a great science project that reduces waste disposal costs, improves the environment and provides a nutrient rich soil amendment for those gardens.

• Food based film series open to the entire community

There are many excellent movies that can help to build Food IQ in an entertaining and informative way. These films will get people talking about the many food based issues that we are facing.

• Cooking classes

Research from Harvard shows that those who cook food tend to be more healthier than those who don’t. This trend crosses all socioeconomic lines. We’ve got to get our kids off the couch and into the kitchen! Require them to be able to prepare 10 meals from scratch as a requirement for graduation.

• Integration of food based education into core curriculum

Food can be seamlessly integrated into history/social studies, science, math and english. Learning about misleading food labeling claims which could easily become part of a unit on critical thinking skills- something all kids and grown ups could use more of.

One way to get this good stuff going into schools across the country would be the Food Corps, think Peace Corps but with food. FoodCorps members will build Farm to School supply chains, expand food system and nutrition education programs, and build and tend school food gardens.

The CDC can also look to the 200+ Slow Food chapters  across the country who are involved with Slow Food in Schools projects. This nationwide network of community based food education projects range from school gardens to cooking classes, to farm to school initiatives.  With CDC support, both the Food Corps and Slow Food in Schools can be the paradigm shift that turns this health crisis around better than any new, improved chicken nugget ever could!

Campers love fire roasted red peppers

Yesterday I wrote about extending campout fare beyond burgers, dogs and s’mores. Today was the day I put theory into action. G1, the youngest cabin of girls, were the subjects of my little food experiment. Tonight at campout, in addition to the usual veggie burgers, dogs and burgers, I tossed some red peppers and zucchini on the grill.

The youngest girls had never seen a red pepper roasted on an open fire before. The outer skin turns black, while the inside becomes soft and super sweet. Fortunately, I had a couple of true “food ambassadors” in the group who shrieked excitedly when they saw me take the peppers off the grill and dress them with a touch of balsamic vinaigrette. As they were first in line for a piece of the roasted pepper, the other girls watched. The food ambassadors gobbled up the peppers and asked for more, the younger girls decided they wanted to try them before they were all gone.  Before I knew it, all the peppers were gone. I didn’t even get a chance to taste my creation.  I’m sure that word will spread and roasted peppers and squash will make it onto the campout food request list for more cabins.

We didn’t get a chance to try the Banana S’mores recipe I listed yesterday. After tossing 3 bananas on the grill, they were gobbled up before I had a chance to break out the  chocolate and graham crackers. Super sweet and super banana-y. Another big hit.

Lesson learned: when you’ve couple of enthusiastic adventurous kids who can act as food ambassadors, its easy to encourage others to try new foods.

Traditional Campout Food: roasted marshmallows

When I’m not busy in the garden, one of the fun aspects of my job as food educator here at summer camp involves joining each cabin of campers on the cooking portion of their campout. As a former Girl Scout leader, there’s nothing I love more than cooking on an open fire.

Burgers, hot dogs and s’mores are classic camp out food, our campers totally enjoy this menu and so do I. But I’m wondering if I might push the envelope to include some grilled veggies on upcoming camp outs. Imagine a summer squash, cut lengthwise and grilled on an open fire finished with a splash of balsamic salad dressing. Or a red pepper, roasted on the grill until it’s outer skin is blackened and the pepper becomes soft and super sweet. Grilled onions to add as a topping for those burgers. A potato and/ or sweet potato wrapped in tin foil and roasted among the coals could add another element to an already delicious cook out.

And for dessert, in addition to  our classic S’mores, I’m thinking we might add a fruit or two to the grill just for fun. Grilled peaches are delicious.  Just the thought of grilled bananas makes me hungry!

GRILLED BANANA S’MORES: Place 2 unpeeled bananas over medium-high grill heat; grill 4-5 minutes on each side until bananas darken and slightly soften. Remove from heat. Remove top half of banana peel and scoop onto graham cracker square. Top with half of a 1.55 ounce milk chocolate bar and another graham cracker half. Press gently together.

Adding some grilled veggies and fruits to our campout will no doubt create memorable food memories for these campers. They might even bring these ideas back home to their parent’s barbeque grills.

Have any other ideas of foods that would be delicious cooked out on an open fire? If so, post them in the comments section!

Harvest from the Ballibay Garden

This will be the second summer that I’ll be journeying out to the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania to work at Camp Ballibay, a magical summer camp with exceptional camp food. Last year, I spent much of my time in the kitchen, breakfast was my special focus. Many of you followed along on Facebook as I posted photos and recipes from the kitchen. Our garden was small, but we harvested loads of greens, radishes, peas and beans with the occasional head of red cabbage.  We even had some fun and created a hummus video which has become an Internet sensation, posted on nationally recognized  Fooducate and Slow Food USA blogs.

This year, we’ve got a fabulous new crew in the kitchen who will be bringing the food to a new level of deliciousness. Co-executive Chef Holly Mendenhall has her own catering business in Brooklyn, Unfussy Food. Many others in the kitchen bring lots of experience in health supportive foods.  Campers will be well nourished for sure!

This summer, my job description is even more adventurous. I’ll be in charge of the garden which has doubled in size since last year.  We’ll be creating food and garden activities for campers to deepen the relationship between growing food and enjoying it in the dining hall. This vision of food based education which is both fun and delicious is in complete alignment with my work with Better School Food and with Slow Food.

Personally, I’m thrilled because I know my youngest daughter Mikey will have a blast singing, dancing, acting and eating great food. Most importantly I can rest assured she won’t be in a toxic food environment like she is when in school. Crazy as it is, Mikey taught me so much about picky eating  that I was able to write a picky eater e-book with what I learned. Last year, the food environment at Ballibay helped her to expand her palate more than I ever could have done at home. She’s excited to go back for more “Balli-food”!

Professionally, I’m even more thrilled to have the opportunity to have a job doing what I love to do: growing food & cooking with kids. We’ll be developing a food based curriculum that will serve as a foundation for years to come.

I leave for camp early next week and will work to blog about my adventures there at least once a week. You can learn more about Camp Ballibay by visiting their website. Stay tuned for more details about my “Balli-venture”.

Goldfish crackers. They lost out to Chicken Nuggets which came in first place. What sort of contest would chicken nuggets beat goldfish crackers, you ask?

Time Magazine’s List of Nine Kid’s Foods to Avoid.

You’ll find them in most pre-schools and kindergarden classes. They come in “convenient” little bags for lunches; “a tasty and smart treat” according to their marketing info. Dieticians recommend their “whole grain goodness” and their 100 calorie packs. They now come in a rainbow of colors and also “flavor blasted” varieties.

How come they ended up on this list of Kids Foods to Avoid? Because according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, they are “swimming in salt”.

I’ve been leading the crusade against goldfish for years. In my workshops with teachers and parents of toddlers, I warn them that Goldfish can act as a “gateway drug”. So easy, convenient and seemingly not unhealthy, they get our kids started eating “edible foodlike products” that have no connection to real food. That satisfying crunch sets them up for things like Doritoes  and Cheetoes in the years to come.  Why not give them a healthy orange crunchy food like carrot strips instead? It only takes a few minutes to peel and slice a carrot or two. Your kid can use a peeler and help you to do it!

In my opinion, Goldfish have gotten even creepier now that they are rainbow colored and “flavor blasted”. Those colors were never proven safe for your kids. Flavor blasted can only mean one thing in my book: MSG. Ingredients include Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Enzyme Modified Cheese, Autolyzed Wheat Extract, and Disodium Guanylate. What the heck is all that??  The Truth in Labeling folks will tell you that Autolyzed Wheat Extract is a fancy word for MSG.

Bottom line: feed your kids real food, not goldfish.

I spent some time this morning pulling up weeds in my lawn and my flower beds. Weeds never cease to amaze and inspire me. I can learn loads from their persistence and resilience.  Even better than that, I can supplement my lunch! My lawn hasn’t been sprayed with anything for the past 12 years, so I’m not hesitant to harvest some tender baby dandelion greens.

Want to learn more about what’s edible on your estate? Slow Food Westchester is excited to host a weed walk on May 1st. Join Herbalist Bonnie Rogers as she takes us on an informative tour of edible “weeds” and herbs.  Learn about how to harvest and prepare  common plants that are likely growing as “weeds” in your own yards. Nettles, dandelion, chickweed and much much more.

When: May 1, 2010 1pm-3pm
Where: 743 Bedford Road, Sleepy Hollow NY
Route 448 across the street from Stone Barns
Time: 1pm-3pm
Fee: $20
RSVP: slowfoodwestchester@gmail.com

Looking for a great summer job? This opportunity can’t be beat. Camp Ballibay is a magical place and the food is part of that magic. I had the honor of working in the camp kitchen last summer and I’ll be returning this summer to work in the garden and the kitchen. If you’re passionate about  food, the environment or farming/gardening, this is the place for you!

Click here to see a video of  last year’s  campers talking about the food.  Click here to see the hummus music video that was created last summer. Who knows what cool things we’ll come up with this year?

Here’s the job description. Please pass it on!

Camp Ballibay (http://www.ballibay.com) and The Farm Arts Camp (http://www.FarmArtsCamp.com) seek kitchen staff to help run a high-quality camp foodservice operation for the months of July and August. Our kitchen will serve a community of approximately 200 kids and adults.  The two camps share a beautiful campus in NE Pennsylvania, about 3 hours from Manhattan. After many years of working with a large foodservice company, and 46 years of total operation, the camps’ new administration has moved strongly towards scratch cooking with locally produced ingredients. Our kitchen places an emphasis on healthful kid-friendly foods, a diverse international menu, vegetarian and vegan options, and – when possible – local specialty products. For the 2010 season we are doubling the size of our kitchen, increasing staffing, and adding a strong food education component to the camps’ curriculum.

Many Thanks,
John Jannone & Kristin Fieseler, Directors
The Ballibay Camps