Zomppa Magazine - Spring 2013 by Zompp

Food Good, Social Good.

Huegelkultur: raised garden beds World Peace at the Dinner Table

Keeping Families Active Spring Crafts

Chocolate Mousse... Lemony Olive Oil Cakelett... and more!

Spring 2013 Vol. 2 Issue 2

Delicate, HeartShaped Berry

ZomppaKids Korner

SPRING GROWTH

CONTENT

IN THIS ISSUE...

Letter from the Editors ......................................... 5 Huegelkultur: the new name in raised bed gardening ................................ 7 World Peace Starts at the Dinner Table ........................................... 10 Delicate, Heart-Shaped Berry Strawberry-Basil Tart .......................................... 13 Keeping Families Active ..................................... 17 Low Fat Low Calorie Chocolate Mousse ............................................. 19 Spring Crafts with Kids .................................... 23 Chocolate Almond Milk Pudding....................... 31 Spring Treats ...................................................... 34

HUEGELKULTUR

Heart-Shaped Berry

World Peace

Active Families

Chocolate Mousse

Crafts with Kids

Spring Treats

Chocolate Pudding

For Kids Only

Zomppa Favorite Meals ................................................. 38 Kids’ Korner Farmworkers in Spring ................................ 39

Where Do I Come From - Yogurt ................... 42 Growing Food in Old or BrokenToys ...................53 Spring Equinox ..................................................54 Greenhouse Effect ............................................ 58

STAFF Editors Belinda Kat Patty Featured Contributors Baking Bar Cake Whiz (Abeer) Homa Kristie Leanne Molly

About Zomppa Zomppa ® is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit that aims to transform kids’ relationship with food through healthy eating, sustainability, and cultural awareness. Zomppa ® targets children and their parents, teachers, community members, school and homeschool networks through the Zomppa ® Magazine, Zompping for Food & Planet program, and ZomppaKids programs.

Photo by Belinda

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FROM THE EDITORS Spring 2013 Happy Spring, Reader: Another season is upon us and we at Zomppa embrace it (and all its allergy-inducing pollen!). Spring is a glorious time of the year; not only is it nature’s way of hitting the ‘reset’ button on life, but it is also a time of year when many of us feel a sense of awakening. Springtime - with it chill in the morning, dew-y drops on the grass and freshly-born baby birds chirp, chirp, chirping in the early light - reminds many of us of the world and its inhabitant’s (young, old and new) ability for stimulate renewal and reawakening of the sense. It is a season that helps us to shed the cold, fridged staleness of winter and helps us to find new wonderment in the familiar sense. We’ve offered up a excerpt of Langston Hugh’s beautiful depiction of springtime: In time of silver rain The earth puts forth new life again, Green grasses grow And flowers lift their heads, And over all the plain The wonder spreads In this quarter’s edition, you’ll find many articles, recipes and thoughts to help motivate you and your family while you re-mulch your gardens, clean out your pantries and start the season fresh with exciting and seasonal fruits and veggies from the farmers market! Also, you’ll find our burgeoning children’s section filled with new activities for kids and submissions by kids for kids! We are very proud of our young contributors and encourage any and all young people to contact Zomppa about publishing your thoughts and considerations. Patty, Kat, & Belinda Co-Editors

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Featured Contributors

Baking Bar are passionate bakers who encourage parents to bake with their children from an early age to develop this life skill.

Abeer is a lover of all things sweet. Crazy about baking, cake decorating, and edible crafts, she is the face behind the incredible cakewhiz.com.

Homa is a an acclaimed author about raising global citizens, speaker, training, consultant, and dedicated mother of three. And she speaks four languages .

Leanne has a long history in the field of social justice, documentary filmmaking, and education. She is also a dynamo mom in the kitchen. 6

Kristie is the founder of Sprouts, a nutrition program for little ones and a mother of three focused on fun, healthy home meals.

Molly is a wife, mother of three, former Peace Corps Volunteer, and specialist in Native Arts. She loves baking and the outdoors.

HUEGELKULTUR: THE NEW NAME IN RAISED BED GARDENING

HUEGELKULTUR

Written by Leanne

How It Works

My Gramma Dee spoke some German. She liked

The basic idea behind it is that you build a mound of rotting wood. Then, you cover it with dirt and throw in some seeds. The wood will break down over the course of the year- or two or three, depending on how big a hill you make- and keep the soil warm, moist, and fertile. It is said that some do not have to water their hügels all season!

to show it off, but rarely had the opportunity in adult company. So she turned to us children. We were treated to snippets and phrases- dosed out like the medicines she gave her patients at the hospital. I remember a few words that I felt useful in my angsty adolescence- words like schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortune of others), or just thought sounded silly like sonderfahrten (special excursions). So when I saw the word hügelkultur come up on a homesteading website, I was instantly intrigued. Not only is it fun to say, hyoo-gool-cull-tyer, but it is a fascinating new trend in raised-bed gardening. The translation from German is “hill culture.”

There are all sorts of guidelines as to what woods work better and which to avoid (most importantly- any form of treated wood, the chemicals used will leach into to the soil and plants). I have found that the simplest, most fun, and economical thing to do is just go on a nature walk- with a wheelbarrow. Look for fallen trees that have been laying for a while. If you wouldn’t want to sit on it for a rest, then it is perfect for the hill. Leave whatever bugs are there- they will help with the composting process. Cover the pile with healthy soil and start planting.

Note: the beds will shrink over time as the wood crumbles and settles. This is wonderful! It means that the soil is that much richer and able to retain heat and water. Do not try to till it up or turn it. All the good stuff is happening on the inside, just sit back and let it do its thing.

HUEGELKULTUR My Experience I am by no means a master gardening. I am determined, though, and keep at it year after year- even though most of my attempts have been ill-fated. This is usually due to our over-hot summers, squash-bug attacks, and (ahem) the fact that I get really lazy come Summer. I am hoping that the hügelkultur will carry on my initial Springtime enthusiasm, and keep my fruits and veggies blooming through the harvest. Luckily, my family is not only tolerant of my agricultural adventures (spiral gardens, garden teepees, hanging garden s... the list goes on) but also active in their creation. My husband and I hand-dug trenches about two or three feet deep, into which we threw a huge amount of wood that we found in the woods near our house. The kids threw in sticks and leaves to fill the gaps. Instead of buying fancy topsoil, we used dirt from the root balls of the trees knocked over by last year’s windstorms. We laid between five and six inches on top of our wood pile, in an A shape. I poked holes on each side and randomly inserted seeds including squash, tomatoes, peppers, and various flowers. My vision is that in a few short months, it will erupt into a bounty of food. It will be a virtual mountain of vitamins and nutrients, and I will have saved hundreds of gallons of water in the process. Further, with the height of the beds, I will spare my poor old back from the toil of bending and stooping to harvest my cornucopia of dietary splendor.

Next Issue: Hügelkultur, Part II- What Really Happened.... WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HÜGELKULTURE AND RAISED GARDEN BEDS?

RAISED BEDS:

Usually built in boxes raised above ground level and filled with a mixture of soil, fertilizers, and pre-composted materials (such as yard or kitchen waste). Generally have flat surface or are slightly mounded. These need to have compost refreshed occasionally, and be watered frequently.

HÜGELKULTUR:

Tend to be built on flat land or in trenches, out of piles of sticks or semirotten wood topped with soil. In general, these mounds are quite tall and sometimes peaked. The wood composts itself as the garden ages and retains much more moisture, eliminating the need for added fertilizers and daily watering.

WORLD PEACE WORLD PEACE STARTS AT THE DINNER TABLE– RAISING ADVENTUROUS EATERS THROUGH GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP 2.0 Written by Homa

If you’re part of the growing movement embrac-

ing the values of global citizenship, you may be aware that this ideal goes way beyond typical “food, fun and festivals” that might have made up a laundry list of ingredients in Global Citizenship 1.0. In Global Citizenship 2.0, we experience deeper learning, authentic relationships, a passion for diversity (way beyond “tolerance”) and ultimately, a stronger sense of compassion, where my present and future are intricately connected with yours, even if we’ve never met. While Global Citizenship 2.0 offers a deeper and richer connection with the wider world, I wouldn’t want to throw out “food, fun, and festivals” in my journey to get there. In fact, activating all five senses can reinforce connections and instill memories that last. For many people, globalization evokes imbalance and stark inequality, and in my travels to schools across the country, teachers have voiced their concern that global education is too screen-centric. Indeed, an internet search, facts about a country, or an app that teaches words in a foreign language doesn’t build relationships and get kids outside their comfort zone. But combine these with sensory experiences and friend-building, and a whole new adventure kicks in. I’ve been reading and admiring Zomppa since it started, so I am excited to share a few ideas for global engagement through the power of good, real food. I often think that world peace starts at the dinner table. To get started, here are a few ways to raise a global citizen, a peace-maker – and an adventurous eater.

Go Glocal.

Take an adventure to the grocery store or local farmer’s market. Let your little one choose: which vegetable and which fruit would they like to eat today? Extra points for trying something they’ve never eaten before. Look for its label of origin. Maybe Peru or Israel or Washington State? Locate these places on a map at home, or right in the market on your smartphone. 10

Role play or imagine the sort of journey a fruit salad from various countries might have made, and create a fantastic story of their villages, the person picking them, and how they got here to make eating it exciting – and enticing. On the flip side, supporting local agriculture by eating locally-produced foods can reinforce your global vision. When we understand where our food comes from, what goes into producing it, and what this means for our planet and our bodies, we gain greater empathy and build stronger connections to the world – near or far.

2. Travel the Globe Without a Passport.

Decide on several countries, or even a whole continent you’ll “visit” over several weeks or months through the choices of ethnic restaurants within driving distance, or new recipes at home. For example, you can go from Japanese and Thai food, to Vietnamese, Chinese, Mongolian, Indian and Iranian for a rich journey through Asia. Once you start searching, food diversity might be closer than you’d expect. Choose together which country to visit, find it on the map, learn a few words from that language, and possibly get friends involved.

Begin a Conversation.

If you frequent a restaurant or market owned or staffed by someone born elsewhere, try to get to know them for their personal experience, not simply as the person who serves you. This is an important starting-point for friend- and compassion-building. As you get to know diverse people living nearby, their stories and experiences will enrich your lives and you can give back to them, too. This is how community is built.

BUNDLES of GRATITUDE

Photo by Belinda

Invite new friends to the table.

One of the simplest, most powerful ways to build friendships and peace is to invite new friends to share a meal at your home. i-Earn USA, the US member of the pioneering global K-12, project-based collaboration network, recently tweeted this message to me when I asked “Can World Peace start at the dinner table?” If you can’t host an exchange student, or feel your family is too busy to invite guests you hardly know at home, try blocking off a date well in advance and keep the menu simple. As great as the food could be, the fellowship will be remembered much longer.

WORLD PEACE 5.

Make a difference!

About 925 million people globally suffer from chronic hunger. No one should be guilted into eating because of starving children elsewhere, but age-appropriate doses of awareness will make wanting to make a difference come naturally – eventually. Engage your child in collecting non-perishable foods for a local food pantry, then drop off the donation together. Take action through Zomppa. Prescreen information on a global charity, like Future Fortified, UNICEF USA, Heifer International, World Food Programme, Share Our Strength or Save the Children, then select parts of the website to view together and consider how you might help other children have good food too. By engaging in solutions to food challenges anywhere, your family can start to feel like a “link” in a long chain of eaters near and far. In my travels researching and speaking about global citizenship I’ve met countless adults who were influenced by the challenging conversations in which their parents engaged with them over the dinner table. I hear over and over again how these meaningful conversations helped them to see new perspectives, and how much this affected their mindset to be more inclusive, empathic, and curious. They were more willing to try new foods in that safe environment, and more comfortable asking difficult questions about events or people that crossed their path that day. From there, they could venture out to do bigger things in the world – and also invite friends in to break bread. See for yourself, how can your dinner table become a starting point for building world peace?

Photos by Belinda

Note: Homa Sabat Tavangar is the author of the acclaimed guide to raising and educating global citizens, Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World (RandomHouse), consultant to diverse organizations and schools on all things global, and chief advisor – when they want it – to her three daughters, ranging in age from 10 to 20. She has a forthcoming book, The K-5 Global Education Toolkit. Find her at http://www.growingupglobal.net 12

HEART-SHAPED BERRY THE DELICATE, HEART-SHAPED BERRY

Written by Leanne

have a friend - let’s call him Guillermo - who comes every harvest season to work in the tobacco fields. He is originally from Mexico, but has been in the United States for nearly ten years. He travels with the crops, from Florida to North Carolina to Pennsylvania and back again, year after year. He does this because he has two daughters in college back home in Mexico, one in medical school. The only way his family can afford their education is if Guillermo works up north. He has not seen their faces in a decade, but he works tirelessly to do what is best for them. His calloused hands and deeply worn face are a testament to his love and dedication. From sunrise to sunset Montends, and harvests tobacco.

day through Friday, he plants,

The grower who owns the farm Your-Own strawberry field. There are people who go there, own fruit. They realize that pickback-breaking. So on Saturday, them. Whatever is left over at

Guillermo works on also has a Pick-

Photo by Margie

but don’t actually want to pick their ing strawberries is actually pretty Guillermo does the hard work for the end of the day, he gets to keep.

Sunday is his only day off, and I occasionally give him rides to stores, church, or to visit workers on other farms. He sends most of his money home, but still insists on compensating me in some way- so he gives me strawberries. Oodles of strawberries. I have made strawberry jam, muffins smoothies, and a strawberry-jalepeño salsa, but my alltime favorite recipe is this Strawberry-Basil Tart. In looking to make a healthier version of t he traditional fruit tart- which is chock full of heart-clogging ingredients - I cobbled together several recipes found on vegan and gluten-free websites (though I do not, currently, adhere to either of those diets). The result is amazing! Let’s all send a silent “thank you” to Guillermo and all the others who, like him, hand pick the Spring and Summer fruits we so love. To all the men, women, and children who do the hard work so we can enjoy delicious confections such as this.

HEART-SHAPED BERRY

Strawberry-Basil Tart Crust Ingredients: 4 TB melted coconut oil 2 TB agave nectar (or honey) 1 1/2 cups almond flour, packed 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 9 inch tart shell or pie pan Directions: 1. Stir together the melted butter and honey. 2. Add the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. 3. Press the dough into the greased tart shell. Spreading as evenly as possible. 4. Place in freezer and preheat oven to 350. 5. For a fully baked tart shell, bake for 15-20, until nice and golden brown. Use a pie crust shield after 10 minutes to prevent the top from getting to dark. (if you don’t have pie crust shields, just lower your oven to 325 after 10 minutes). 6. Allow baked tart shell to cool completely before filling. Filling Ingredients: 8 oz. container cream cheese (or Tofutti® plain Better Than Cream Cheese, for the dairy-free) ¼ cup agave nectar (or honey) 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups strawberries, sliced 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 TB agave (or 1/2 TB each honey and water) Directions: 1. Whip cream cheese, agave, and vanilla together until smooth. Spread into tart shell and refrigerate until firm. 2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. 3. Stir together strawberries, basil, cinnamon, and agave in small saucepan. 4. Cook over medium until soft and warm. 5. Spoon over chilled tart shell. Garnish with fresh sprigs of basil.

Spring into Action!

Education Director Leanne Simon led a hugely successful Zomppa Spring Break Workshop for 12 kids in Durham, NC. We’re delighted that the ZomppaKids and their families hope for more this spring and summer. Help us bring more programs like this around the world and bring the Zompping for Food & Planet curriculum to kids everywhere. The workshops take children between the ages of 4-8 on a whirlwind tour of the world while learning about healthy eating, environmental sustainability, and good citizenship. Visits to urban farms, lots of seed planting, and chances for creative expression. For more information on the curriculum, check out:

www.zomppa.com

The SUNSHINE VITAMIN

KEEPING FAMILIES ACTIVE Written by Kristie

It’s very easy for little kids to stay active, even indoors,

toddlers are always on the move. They’re just starting to explore the world and want to see all they can. As children get older, it gets more and more challenging. They start school, have homework, maybe have another daycare they go to and schedules become more hectic. The draw of tv, the internet, games and mobile devices seem to take kids away from wanting to be outdoors. But, we as parents can help make sure they stay active and enjoy it. Consider these startling facts from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: • Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. • In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

ACTIVE FAMILIES Editors’ Note: a nutritent-rich diet combined with an active lifestyle are both critical parts of leading a healthy body and future. Spring is the perfect time to outside and moving! Instead of focusing on how we got here, let’s focus on how we can change habits and prevent it from happening to more children. Children need 60 minutes of play every day to grow up to a healthy weight. Here are a few ways to get your kids more active.

1. Sign them up for a class

This is one of the easiest ways you can make sure your child is getting exercise on a regular basis. Whether it’s a sports team, swim, dance or martial ars class, you can be assured your child is getting some good exercise every week. If you choose something your child is interested in, they will be more likely to work and play harder. Most sports programs are affordable, but if it’s still not in the budget, there are many other ways to stay active.

2. Go for a walk

Find a local park, walk into town or just around the block. Have a dog? What a great way to get outside every day! Going for walks is an excellent way to not only get exercise, but to check in with your kids and talk about their day/week and discuss topics they might not share with you otherwise. Walking together is a great way to bond with your children and as a whole family.

3. Be active together

Whether your cleaning the house, playing ball outside or going on a family outing, your children want to be with you and having you join in can make it special. Having your children help out around the house can help keep them movPhoto by Kristie ing and get some chores done Copyright © 2013 Zomppa ®. All Rights Reserved.

ACTIVE FAMILIES

Photos by Belinda at the same time. Take them outside and play hide and seek or play catch. Go to the park and have a picnic, find a local playground or go for a bike ride. Take them for a run or to the gym. Every gym is different, but children can be trained on the equipment at a pretty young age. Doing an exercise tape together at home can also be fun and make kids feel grown-up. For younger kids, there are parent and child classes out there such as dance, sports and yoga.

4. Limit screen time

It’s pretty easy to “check out” in front of the tv, internet, play a video game or pickup a mobile device. Even us as parents fall into that trap. Try to set certain times when it’s ok to use the screen, rather than whenever they get bored. Set limits so your child doesn’t gravitate towards that on a regular basis. And if they are in front of the tv, they don’t need to be still, make them stand, move around or choose a show or game that allows them to participate.

5. Be a good role model

Your kids look up to you and watch your every move. If you are on an exercise plan, your kids will see that and follow suit. Studies have shown that kids who are surrounded by others who are interested in being active, are more likely to be active themselves. Your kids need you, start a plan to be active today! Kristie Stark is the founder of Sprouts, a resource for family cooking and nutrition in Rhode Island. She is a mother of three children who is exploring ways to make mealtimes at home more sane, tasty and nutritious. Sprouts was launched in the spring of 2012 as a pilot nutrition program in preschool and elementary school settings. The vision for Sprouts is to connect children and families with food resources and tools they can use to grow health and happiness in their lives through cooking classes, online resources and ultimately, a physical space and community center.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE LOW FAT LOW CALORIE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Written by Baking Bar

Photos by Baking Bar

It’s spring apparently, though you wouldn’t really know it from the amount of snow we’ve had in Northern Ireland

over the past few weeks! We know that Easter is just over so many of you will have lots of chocolate in your cupboards, or in our case, bellies. Either way we decided that we would create a recipe based around chocolate, a little something you can enjoy without feeling too guilty. A lot of us suffer from the problem of ‘chocolate addiction,’ and we all need our chocolate fix from time to time. These delectable little chocolate mousses are the perfect accompaniment to a family meal or just a little something special to have in the fridge for those chocolate emergencies.

BARMBRACK

ARTICLE 1

Photo by Belinda

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Low Fat Low Calorie Chocolate Mousse Ingredients: 140g Good Quality Dark Chocolate 160ml Boiling Water Half sheet of Gelatin / 0.5tsp Gelatin Powder Directions: 1. Either measure out 160ml of freshly boiled water or bring to the boil in a saucepan. If using the saucepan method measure the water afterwards to ensure it is still 160ml as some will boil off as you bring it to the boil. 2. Place the boiling water in a large bowl above another bowl of ice cold water. 3. Immediately add the good quality dark chocolate broken into small pieces into the boiling water. 4. As you start stirring the boiling water will quickly begin to melt the chocolate, once the chocolate begins to mix with the water you can start using an electric whisk. Wear an apron as this can be a bit splashy! 5. Continue to beat the chocolate mixture until there are no lumps of chocolate yet, you may need to scrape the bowls sides down a few times during mixing. 6. Continue to beat the chocolate until the cool water beneath the bowl begins to cool and set the chocolate, this may take 5-10 mins. You will notice the chocolate mousse change from a thin frosting type consistency to a thicker chocolate fudge consistency. 7. Once you reach this stage you can spoon the chocolate mousse mixture into any small serving glasses or dishes, leave the decorating until later as this may sink into the unset chocolate mousse mixture. 8. Place the chocolate mousses into the fridge to set, this can take 2-3 hours but is best if left overnight. 9. These will keep in the fridge for a few days covered with a little clingfilm. 9. Remove from the fridge a few minutes before serving and decorate however you wish. We recommend chocolate curls.

CRAFTING with KIDS Written by Molly

SPRING CRAFTS WITH KIDS

The holidays are not just about buying presents. One of the best ways to involve kids in gift-giving process is to

create gifts. Making gifts not only helps stimulate creativity but also serves as a reminder that it is the thought that counts.

Sidewalk Cornstarch Paint Our all-time, very favorite outdoor paint always makes its first appearance as soon as the weather begins to warm and the leaves start to show pale green on the bare branches. We call it sidewalk paint because it can be used all over the sidewalk, driveway, yard, fence, basically any outdoor surface. Made of organic food (cornstarch), it washes away with the springtime showers. Using natural color dyes (i.e. beet juice) ensures that the paints are safe and non-toxic. To make our favorite paint, simply mix: 2 TB cornstarch 2 TB water Color (food coloring, liquid watercolors, beet juice, etc.). We use those little plastic single serve applesauce cups or a muffin tin to mix our paints and then enjoy painting with brushes, our hands and feet or by pouring out the paint onto the ground. P.S. The combination of cornstarch and water is in and of itself a fun art/science experiment, play around with the quantities of each ingredient to form a non-Newtonian fluid - rigid when pressed firmly but soft and slimy without pressure.

CRAFTING with KIDS

Coloring Eggs Whether or not you celebrate Easter, coloring eggs is a fun activity. There is something about transforming a threedimensional, commonplace object into a colorful work of art. We almost always hard boil our eggs before decorating, but you don’t necessarily need to. There are endless ways to embellish eggs, here are a few ideas to get you started. 1. Dye eggs with food color. All you need is a bit of food coloring (safe to eat), vinegar and water. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a few drops of color and add water to a cup to cover the egg. 3. Color with wax crayons and follow step one for a wax resist affect. This works especially well if the eggs are still a bit warm. 3. Place a small flower or clover on an egg, cover with a nylon stocking and refer back to step number one for dying. 4. Using a pin, poke a hole in both ends of a raw egg. Blow the insides into a bowl (to eat later) and then paint the egg with acrylic paints, glitter glue, markers or other materials that would not be good to eat. Have fun experimenting.

Photos Photos by Molly by Molly

TIPS for CRAFTING with KIDS Growing Seeds Gardening isn’t exactly “arts and crafts,” but I always associate planning and planting with our family’s creative pursuits. In the winter, when our seed catalogs come, the preparation and anticipating begins. Even though science has fairly well explained what happens when a seed grows, doing the actual work of planting, watering, waiting and then seeing a sprout still seems like a small, beautiful miracle. It surprises and delights me every time, and I see the same sort of amazement and pride in the kids when they observe their work grow and become a living plant. We usually order or buy some seeds (I like to pick a local store or seed dealer, if I can) and often, we save seeds directly from our food. Some seeds grow (usually seeds that are purchased do well) and some seeds don’t (either because they need different conditions or were not properly prepared), but that is part of the scientific process. As for supplies, you don’t need much: some soil, some seeds, a place to plant, water and sunlight. When we start seeds indoors, we use egg cartons, yogurt and applesauce cups (with small holes in the bottom), old baking sheets and a table by the window. If we start seeds outdoors, we sow the seeds directly in the ground or in small containers filled with potting soil. Seed packages will give specific directions on when and where to plant, libraries often have a large selection of gardening books, and the Internet is a great resource for information and ideas. Letting the kids have the experience of trial and error also empowers kids to try things out, see how their ideas work, and make adjustments if necessary. It is a good idea though to use a few seeds that you are fairly sure will grow to supplement the experimental seeds and ensure some success.

Photos Photos by Molly by Molly

TIPS for CRAFTING with KIDS

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CHOCOLATE ALMOND MILK PUDDING Written by Abeer

Spring

is a wonderful time where we are surrounded by so much natural beauty and vibrant colors. I also think Spring is a great time to teach children about plants and their growth AND development. These chocolate almond milk pudding cups can help with that. The glass cups represent flowerpots. The brown colored chocolate pudding represents soil. The crumbled Newman-O cookies represent topsoil or stones and pebbles. The stalks of mint leaves represent plants. Parents and teachers can also discuss the details of leaves such as color and venation. They can also talk about different types of plants- some that produce flowers and some that don’t. They can even discuss what plants require in order to survive (sunlight, water e.t.c)

CHOCOLATE ALMOND MILK PUDDING Ingredients: 1/3 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened) 3/4 cup sugar 3 tbsp cornstarch 3 cups almond milk or soy milk 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp vanilla extract Directions: 1. Pour 2 ½ cups of milk into a saucepan. Place saucepan on medium heat. 2. Add cocoa powder, sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until everything mixes properly. 3. Pour ½ cup milk into a separate bowl and add cornstarch. Mix it with a spoon until the cornstarch dissolves in the milk. 4. Pour this cornstarch mixture into your saucepan. Keep mixing with a wooden spoon or lumps will form. 5. After about 5 minutes of mixing, your mixture will become thick and it will start to stick to your spoon. 6. Take your saucepan off the stove. Add butter and 1 tbsp vanilla extract immediately. Give it one final stir and your pudding is now ready! Assembly: 1. Pour chocolate pudding into individual cups. Make sure they are clear cups so kids can see the “soil.” 2. Sprinkle some crumbled Newman-O cookies on top of the pudding. 3. Prior to serving, stick a few stalk of mint leaves into each cup.

TIPS for CRAFTING with KIDS

SNOWFLAKE COOKIES

Photo by Abeer

Other Variations Instead of using Newman -O cookies, you can use crushed nuts like walnuts, almonds and pecans. They are packed with healthy oils that are good for you. If you want to teach your children about flowers, then visit your local florist and ask them for organic flowering plants that are free of pesticides and aren’t poisonous. You can stick those into your pudding cups instead of mint leaves.

SPRING TREATS Written by Patty Spring is in full swing and the days are steadily becoming longer and longer. The northern hemisphere’s spring months are an awesome time of the year: a time for renewal and reawakening of the senses and spirit! A time for cleansing and starting anew. It is also the time of year when our neighborhood farmers markets re-open with the seasons bountiful and colorful offerings. Visit your local market to preview the latest crop of seasonal fruits and vegetables and while you are there, consider picking up a few items to update your pantry and food storage. We’ve offered up a few suggestions to get your engines started!

LEMONY OLIVE OIL CAKELETTES Adapted from Ina Garten’s Lemon Yogurt Cake Serving 16 muffins Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 cup Greek yogurt 1 cup of sugar 3 eggs 2 tsp grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup of olive oil 16 thinly sliced lemon pieces to place on top of muffins

Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins. 2. Place, in mixer the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and olive oil. Mix well. 3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. 4. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. 5. Then, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixer while mixer is on low. 6. Stop the mixer and fold the oil in by hand until just combined. 7. Pour into lined muffin tins until about 3/4 full. 8. Place a sliced lemon on top. 9. Bake for about 20-23 minutes and then let cool on a rack. 10. Great with a cup of earl grey or in a lucky kid’s lunch box.

Photo by Patty 34

SPRING TREATS MULTI-PURPOSE, CLUMPY GRANOLA Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Granola Serves A LOT Ingredients: 1 cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 egg whites, beaten until foamy 1 TB vanilla extract 1 TB almond extract 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup of toasted sesame seeds 1/2 cup of chia seeds 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (thick kind if the best!) 1 cup of raisins, cranberries or currants Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. 2. On low heat and in large sauce pan, add the sugar and syrup together until dissolved. 3. Do not stir. Pour liquid mixture into a bowl and allow to cool slightly. 4. Add the egg whites, extracts and spices. 5. Then add in the oats, sesame seeds and chia seeds. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. 6. Then, using spatula, flip granola over and sprinkle over your dried fruit. 7. Bake for another 10 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, break up granola and keep fresh in an air-tight container. 9. Enjoy your granola either in a trail mix OR with some seasonal navy blue blueberries and greek yogurt. Yum!

Photo by Patty

WINTER TREATS

Photos PhotobybyPatty Patty

ZomppaKids Korner

spring 2013

FAVORITE MEALS

YOUR FAVORITE MEALS

Get published! submit a snap of you and your favorite meal and tell us about it - it’s your chance to share! if you have a short story, poem, or drawing about food, let us know, and we’ll publish your work!

FARMWORKERS FARMWORKERS IN SPRING Content by Leanne

Spring

is finally here and the plants are blooming! For farmworkers, that means it is time to get to work. The workers come by the thousands to harvest the fruits and vegetables we eat. Did you know that 85% of the food we eat is HAND-PICKED?!

FARMWORKERS Farmworkers often return to the same farms year after year to help the growers with everything from planting the seeds to picking the delicious fruits. Many become “experts” at growing certain vegetables or fruits and pass their knowledge on to others. Picking food is really hard work! It is often very hot, and there are few times for rests or breaks. It is very important that our farmworker friends bring water into the fields with them. If they don’t drink enough water when it’s really hot outside, they may get very sick or suffer from heat exhaustion.

FARMWORKERS

Heat exhaustion Happens when the body gets too hot. It can make you very, very sick and even cause death. It can be prevented by drinking lots of water, and trying to cool off in the shade, if you are in hot places.

It is very important that we keep our bodies safe and hydrated, especially if we are going to be out in the sun all day. Can you think of other ways that farmworkers can keep their bodIdeas - circle ones that may help!

WHERE DO I COME FROM

WHERE DO I COME FROM?

series

Let’s find out more about....

YOGURT 42

WHERE DO I COME FROM

WHAT IS YOGURT MADE OF?

circle one

orange juice

milk

tea

WHERE AM I FROM

HOW IS YOUGURT MADE? color & count the numbers

milk is HEATED milk is COOLED GOOD BACTERIA (which helps to make other things grow) is added milk sits and FERMENTS (a chemical change) for a few hours time to EAT

WHERE DO I COME FROM

WHERE CAN MILK COME FROM?

circle one

tree

cow

flower

WHERE DO I COME FROM

WHAT DOES A COW EAT?

grass!

color me

WHERE AM I FROM

WHAT DOES A COW SAY? MOO! MOO!

say it with me! let’s sing a song (to tune of “Wheels of the Bus”) & move your hands like you are milking a cow! The Cows on the Farm The cows on the farm go moo. . .moo. . Moo Moo. . Moo . Moo, moo. . Moo . Moo The cows on the farm go moo. . Moo . Moo All night long Milk the Cows This is the way we milk the cows Milk the cows, milk the cows This is the way we milk the cows so early in the morning Copyright © 2013 Zomppa ®. All Rights Reserved.

WHERE DO I COME FROM

AM I GOOD FOR YOU? I CAN be

MILK is a good source of: CALCIUM: makes your bones stronger **choose plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruit!**

WHERE DO I COME FROM

CAN WE COOK? try this with an adult HEALTHIER RECIPE for RASPBERRY & GRANOLA YOGURT PARFAIT 1 5.3-ounce carton of Greek yogurt (about 1 cup) 1-2 tablespoons of cherry preserves (really depends on how sweet you want it) 2 small handfuls of granola (any kind will do) 1/2 a cup of raspberries (or any fruit you like) Directions:

Starting with the yogurt, layer your parfait with the yogurt.

Layer next with preserves

Layer next with granola

Layer next with raspberries. The number of times that you can layer your parfait depends on the size of your container.

5. Enjoy!

OLD TOYS

Content by Leanne

GROWING FOOD IN OLD OR BROKEN TOYS

We all have our favorite toys- plastic dinosaurs, baby dolls, trucks, or play furniture. Sometimes we love them so much that they break! It can be really hard to part with something that you loved that much. So, here’s an idea to reuse those old toys in a really cool way (and convince your parents to keep them around a bit longer!). Use them as planters for simple fruits and vegetables!

Step 1 (the hardest): Make a space in the toy for the soil and roots to go. This may mean cutting the top off the top of a doll’s head, or peeling off the roof of a car- but don’t worry, it will be worth it in the end. Step 2: Make drainage holes on the bottom. You can poke holes with a sharp stick, knife, or drill. Please ask an adult to help with this-we want you to end up with the same number of fingers as you started with! Step 3: Fill the open space with potting soil, seeds, or seedlings. Step 4: Water daily and watch your food grow!

SPRING EQUINOX

WHAT IS SPRING? Spring is one of 4 SEASONS. What are the other SEASONS? Spring begins on MARCH 20 or 21 every year on the Spring SOLSTICE.. Much of our FOOD is planted and starts to grow during the SPRING.

SPRING EQUINOX

During the Spring Equinox, there is 12.hours of DAY and 12.hours of NIGHT. During Spring, the NORTHERN half of the EARTH gets WARMER. Many plants - like the ones we EAT - START GROWING.

SPRING EQUINOX

Can you help the EARTH follow its path around the SUN? CONNECT THE DOTS!

go this way! 56

SPRING EQUINOX

In Spring, many plants and flowers start to GROW. Can you draw some FLOWER for these stems?

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Content by Belinda

What is a greenhouse?

A greenhouse is made of glass. Sunlight enters, and its heat is trapped inside. The building stays warm, so plants can grow all year round, even when it’s cold outside. Greenhouses are great for growing seedlings, flowering plants like sweet peas, and vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, and basil. 58

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

What is the greenhouse effect?

The Earth is covered with greenhouse gases. Sunlight enters, and the Earth’s surface keeps some of its heat. The Earth cools off by giving off an energy called infrared radiation. The greenhouse gases keep some of the heat, keeping the Earth warm. Copyright © 2013 Zomppa ®. All Rights Reserved.

59 Photos by Ariel

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

What are greenhouse gases? Some of the greenhouse gases are natural, made up of things like water vapor and carbon dioxide. Other greenhouse gases are made by people, such as hairspray cans and plastic. If there is too many greenhouse gases, the Earth’s climate may change and get too warm.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

What happens if the earth gets too warm? The weather may change with hotter summers, colder winters, and more severe storms. Glaciers may melt into the ocean and sea levels may rise, which could flood homes. Some areas may have too much rain and others may have too little, which could hurt food crops. Some animals may lose their homes.

61 Photos by Ariel

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Try this! Fill two mason jars halfway with water. Put a lid on one jar. Put both jars in a sunny area. Wait a few hours. Check on the jars. Is one jar hotter?

This is just like the heat that cannot escape from the Earth’s surface! Be careful of the hot water!

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Draw and color some plants and vegetables in the greenhouse!

63 Photos by Ariel

RECIPE INDEX

Page Strawberry-Basil Tart ........................................................................................ 14 Low Fat Low Calorie Chocolate Mousse ............................................... 19 Chocolate Almond Milk Pudding .................................................................. 31 Lemony Olive Oil Cakelette .............................................................................. 34 Multipurpose, Clumpy Granola ......................................................................... 35

Photos by Patty