Edible education provides hands-on experiences that connect students to food, our bodies, our earth, and each other. Our holistic curriculum offers students experiential learning opportunities that deepen their relationship with food, facilitate learning the skills of cooking and gardening, build their capacity for critical examination of the food system, develop their agency to affect change and create wellness in their own lives and in their communities.
Core Pillars
Gardening – Growing your own food increases access to food, builds connection to the earth and creates a living classroom.
This year we are installing a new greenhouse where students will grow fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables using vertical tower gardens. Tower Gardens are aeroponic systems that can grow produce year round in a variety of spaces. They use 95% less water and grow much faster than traditional gardening, making them ideal for small urban settings. Desert Garden children will have the opportunity to plant seeds and care for the tower gardens in our new greenhouse as well as harvest and eat the produce!
Whole Foods Nutrition – Whole foods are a key element to optimal health and work synergistically to supply all of nature’s nutrients in a perfect package, providing us with vital life force energy. Children learn nutrition with lessons and by eating whole, nutrient dense foods for every meal.
Cooking – We cook healthy foods WITH and FOR our children. By doing, one learns.
Local Foods – Purchase and serve children organic, locally grown foods. We support our local farmers.
Sustainability – Our daily lives replenish the Earth for future generations. Every decision is with the Earth in mind.
Holistic – We support the whole child with natural foods, remedies and environments and teach about the interconnectedness of the world
Featured Recipe
Maple Vanilla Granola
As part of our Wellness Wheel for Life initiative this year, we have committed to serving whole food snacks to our children every day. Just like our organic lunches, snacks are now being made by hand with love using unprocessed, organic ingredients. Every morning, students from each classroom bring a reusable bag to Ms. Chelsey at the Wellness Garden Market stand to select a wholesome snack that always includes fresh, seasonal, often locally grown produce. The harvest, along with nutrition information about each ingredient, is brought back to the classroom to be prepared mindfully and shared with every child.
A weekly favorite at the Wellness Garden Market is our homemade Maple Vanilla Granola. While oats are a humble and inexpensive grain, they have a remarkable nutritional profile. Not only are oats anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, and high in fiber – they are also a good source of iron, especially when combined with berries for Vitamin C to aid in the absorption. We add pumpkin seeds to this recipe for extra crunch, protein and omega 3 fatty acids. This granola is naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup and sprinkled with dried fruits.
RECIPE:
This easy to make recipe can be reinvented by swapping out the dried fruits and seeds with other varieties. Serve with yogurt or plant-based milk, fresh berries, seasonal fruits and bananas for a satisfying snack or even a healthy sweet treat after dinner!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 Cups Rolled Oats
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
- ¼ Cup Coconut Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Cup Dried Fruit (dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins or apricots)
PREPARATION:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Add oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix thoroughly.
- Arrange granola on a parchment-lined large baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and turn the pan around so the other end goes into the oven first (so it bakes evenly).
- Add dried fruit to the pan while the granola is cooling.
- For chunky granola, don’t stir your while it’s baking!