By Marci Lutsky
This week we held the second in a series of kid’s summer farm to table cooking classes. The classes are held at B&B Farms in Egg Harbor City. In each class we spend two hours harvesting ingredients and cooking healthy and delicious recipes. This gives children an understanding of where food comes from and appreciation for how good locally grown produce tastes. I am passionate about seasonal cooking and feel fortunate to share this passion with children.
For farm to table cooking classes we wait until the week before class to see what is available and then choose our recipes based on that information. We had a lot of great choices this week so it was hard to narrow down the recipe choices. We started with zucchini which when available in abundance this time of year, can feel overwhelming. If you are tired of grilling or roasting zucchini and can’t stand to make zoodles one more time, consider making chocolate zucchini bread. Dust off the grating blade of your food processor and make a sweet treat that your kids won’t even know has a green vegetable included.
I’ve heard repeatedly from home gardeners and farmers that this is an excellent tomato season and I would have to agree. Not only are the tomatoes at B&B Farms the sweetest and most delicious, but the variety can not be beat. Just when I thought sungolds were my favorite, I tasted black cherry tomatoes and everything changed. Hopefully you aren’t tired of tomatoes yet because we still have a lot of time left in this growing season. Are you looking for a fun way for kids to enjoy tomatoes? If they like mozzarella cheese, try making a caprese pasta salad. Combine cooked pasta with fresh tomatoes and bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) topped with a simple dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. We’ve made this in a bunch of kids cooking classes and it is always a hit.
Without a doubt, the show stopper at our second farm to table kids cooking class was make your own cantaloupe banana smoothie bowls. We have found in our classes that kids love choices when it comes to topping their food. We blended frozen bananas with chopped cantaloupe and added a splash of coconut milk. We spooned that mixture into bowls and then topping choices included blueberries, shredded coconut and granola. At the end of class when we asked what everyone’s favorite recipe was, it was definitely this one.
Farm to table kids cooking classes are my favorite classes that we teach. I love when kids try new ingredients that they didn’t know they liked. Our final farm to table class at B&B Farms will be held on Tuesday, August 27th from 10-12 pm. For more information, email thehappyheartcorner@gmail.com. See you at the farm!
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
Marci Lutsky is a local mom of eight year-old twins and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
