Story
Kitchen Full of Kids
Several years ago during a cooking class, I asked the kids where carrots come from. After several kids responded with “Kroger,” our local grocery store, one of my goals was to teach “the Earth” as the real source of food and create menu’s centered on the garden. During the last several years, the garden has become a centerpiece for the classes I teach at Blackberry Farm over the holidays and during the “A Kitchen Full of Kids” event in August.
We spend time in the garden collecting our ingredients including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, potatoes, carrots, sweet onions, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We create our menu by whatever is in season at the time. Once our baskets are full, we head to the kitchen, wash our garden bounty, and begin to cook.
The cooks range in age from three and up. If you were to peek through the window as we prepare breakfast, lunch or even an afternoon snack, you might see a three year old putting fresh fruit in ice cube trays for our Blackberry Lemonade with fresh mint and a five-year-old peeling carrots for carrot french fries with fresh dill and a ten-year-old helping the other kids make broccoli pasta cupcakes with fresh mozzarella. A group of teenagers may be making a picnic lunch with iced chest strawberry soup and BLT pita pockets with a fresh tarragon aoli to take to the boathouse or learning about all the different varieties of basil.
Parents who wonder what their kids are doing in cooking school are always pleasantly surprised to see what accomplished chefs their kids have become. It is especially rewarding to a child to hear their parent say, “I would serve this to my friends” and many say “can I come to class with you tomorrow.” This has encouraged me to offer more “family classes” during my cooking schools at Blackberry Farm.
We spend time in the garden collecting our ingredients including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, potatoes, carrots, sweet onions, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We create our menu by whatever is in season at the time. Once our baskets are full, we head to the kitchen, wash our garden bounty, and begin to cook.
The cooks range in age from three and up. If you were to peek through the window as we prepare breakfast, lunch or even an afternoon snack, you might see a three year old putting fresh fruit in ice cube trays for our Blackberry Lemonade with fresh mint and a five-year-old peeling carrots for carrot french fries with fresh dill and a ten-year-old helping the other kids make broccoli pasta cupcakes with fresh mozzarella. A group of teenagers may be making a picnic lunch with iced chest strawberry soup and BLT pita pockets with a fresh tarragon aoli to take to the boathouse or learning about all the different varieties of basil.
Parents who wonder what their kids are doing in cooking school are always pleasantly surprised to see what accomplished chefs their kids have become. It is especially rewarding to a child to hear their parent say, “I would serve this to my friends” and many say “can I come to class with you tomorrow.” This has encouraged me to offer more “family classes” during my cooking schools at Blackberry Farm.
We spend time in the garden collecting our ingredients including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, potatoes, carrots, sweet onions, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We create our menu by whatever is in season at the time. Once our baskets are full, we head to the kitchen, wash our garden bounty, and begin to cook.
The cooks range in age from three and up. If you were to peek through the window as we prepare breakfast, lunch or even an afternoon snack, you might see a three year old putting fresh fruit in ice cube trays for our Blackberry Lemonade with fresh mint and a five-year-old peeling carrots for carrot french fries with fresh dill and a ten-year-old helping the other kids make broccoli pasta cupcakes with fresh mozzarella. A group of teenagers may be making a picnic lunch with iced chest strawberry soup and BLT pita pockets with a fresh tarragon aoli to take to the boathouse or learning about all the different varieties of basil.
Parents who wonder what their kids are doing in cooking school are always pleasantly surprised to see what accomplished chefs their kids have become. It is especially rewarding to a child to hear their parent say, “I would serve this to my friends” and many say “can I come to class with you tomorrow.” This has encouraged me to offer more “family classes” during my cooking schools at Blackberry Farm.
Looking forward to seeing you and your family in the garden!
Helen DeFrance
Learn more about Kitchen Full of Kids.
Several years ago during a cooking class, I asked the kids where carrots come from. After several kids responded with “Kroger,” our local grocery store, one of my goals was to teach “the Earth” as the real source of food and create menu’s centered on the garden. During the last several years, the garden has become a centerpiece for the classes I teach at Blackberry Farm over the holidays and during the “A Kitchen Full of Kids” event in August.We spend time in the garden collecting our ingredients including tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, potatoes, carrots, sweet onions, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We create our menu by whatever is in season at the time. Once our baskets are full, we head to the kitchen, wash our garden bounty, and begin to cook.
The cooks range in age from three and up. If you were to peek through the window as we prepare breakfast, lunch or even an afternoon snack, you might see a three year old putting fresh fruit in ice cube trays for our Blackberry Lemonade with fresh mint and a five-year-old peeling carrots for carrot french fries with fresh dill and a ten-year-old helping the other kids make broccoli pasta cupcakes with fresh mozzarella. A group of teenagers may be making a picnic lunch with iced chest strawberry soup and BLT pita pockets with a fresh tarragon aoli to take to the boathouse or learning about all the different varieties of basil.
Parents who wonder what their kids are doing in cooking school are always pleasantly surprised to see what accomplished chefs their kids have become. It is especially rewarding to a child to hear their parent say, “I would serve this to my friends” and many say “can I come to class with you tomorrow.” This has encouraged me to offer more “family classes” during my cooking schools at Blackberry Farm.
Looking forward to seeing you and your family in the garden!
Helen DeFrance
Learn more about Kitchen Full of Kids.