May I have some asparagus and green garlic please?

Stephanie and I just finished doing a cooking demo at the middle school highlighting a major spring hitters, asparagus and green garlic, tossed with organic brown rice pasta, lemon, olive oil,veggie stock and some grated parmesana reggiano. Sounds good right? It was excellent but what would it matter if the kids who make up our target audience heckle for pepperoni pizza and turn up their noses at this amazing concoction? They did not heckle and in fact loved the dish and wanted the recipe. We publish all the recipes on the schools electronic twice weekly newsletter. However this story had a different beginning when the demo’s started a few years ago. We planted the organic garden and got it into the science classes but we wanted more. We wanted the food from the garden to go into the cafeteria as well creating a broader audience and pool of participants for the garden. We quickly learned that we were going to have to have the demo’s to get the students to actually taste real food. Food that by the way, they grew all by their own sweet, little selves. We were not the queens of popularity to begin with. Over the last 5 years a shift has occurred. We are very popular now and working in the garden is a choice assignment at Pleasant Hill Middle School.

Michelle Obama did another kick off of her pet project “Let’s Move” on Friday. She is beginning to get the idea, along with all the people that are actually doing the work that it takes more than just plopping health and great food in front of people, students. It takes time and I just hope that they all stick with it. Our country did not develop the physical state that we are in overnight. It took years and it will take years to fix it.

Get the palates back I say. Show these kids at a young age what food is and how to produce it themselves. They may start out grumpy and raggin on about yucky bugs and mud on the designers but it only takes a little time before they are enamored by their work. Teenagers and most youngsters are pretty self centered so the key is to make it, whatever it is, all about them.

I guess what I really started this rant about is that it does not take billions of dollars to do something about childhood obesity and all the related diseases causing our kids to have shorter life expectancies than us. It takes action and involvement. It takes a little planning and commitment on a local level. Get out to your kids, or niece or nephew or grand kids or neighbor kids schools and start a garden. It really is not that hard or Steph and I would not have 4 of them going simultaneously on 4 different campuses. At least I don’t think I work that hard. These kids just need the info to be able to grow, cook and eat and these particular grains of knowledge are not on the STAR TEST so it aint going to be taught in school. We have to do it for the schools and students. We have to think that this is something worth fighting for in our communities. If we wait for Michelle’s business to trickle down to us we are advising you to not hold your breath. I am a little skeptical I guess but with all those aforementioned billions is seems that a good deal of it will get caught up in administration before we get a working garden in every school. One that actually has kids working it as well as eating from it. This is leading us to better health for our babies, our future operators of our communities, our states, our nation.

Steph and I do not run numbers except how much product we needed for a cooking demo so I can’t tell you if there are any changes in weight or related statistics but our success can most definitely be measured in the mouths and minds of our students. When they ask “what are we cooking today?” and we reply “organic brown rice pasta w/ sautéed organic asparagus and green garlic” and the say “Yay!! I want some”, well you can draw your own conclusions about it but we nod our heads and look at each other with big smiles. Yep, not very scientific but I think it is working for our kids.

If you need any information or direction on starting a school garden we can probably help. We have lots of experience now and know a bit more than a few years ago about it. Most schools want a garden and volunteers but need a leader, a coordinator for the project. Be that leader and give the kids of our communities a fighting chance against junk food giants and years of bad information devastating their health. You will be rewarded every time you get your hands dirty and see the satisfied determination on their amazing faces.

The recipe with the addition of cremini mushrooms and under that the samwe recipe but with quinoa instead of pasta. It's all good.

Asparagus Pasta w/ Green Garlic and Cremini Mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cooked pasta such as brown rice instead of wheat or Orchiette or small shells to hold sauce
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock, heated
1 pound asparagus, sliced in ½ inch pieces
4 stalks of green garlic, cleaned and sliced
1 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
6 ounces of Reggiano parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly grated pepper
Heat olive oil in a deep sauté pan. Add green garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add a cup of stock and let it come to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until asparagus turns bright green. Add pasta and heat through. Season w/ salt and pepper and toss in parsley. Garnish w/ shaved parmesan. Serves 4.

Asparagus Quinoa w/ Green Garlic and Cremini Mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cooked quinoa
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock, heated
1 pound asparagus, sliced in ½ inch pieces
4 stalks of green garlic, cleaned and sliced
1 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
6 ounces of Reggiano parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly grated pepper
Heat olive oil in a deep sauté pan. Add green garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add a cup of stock and let it come to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until asparagus turns bright green. Add quinoa and heat through. Season w/ salt and pepper and toss in parsley. Garnish w/ shaved parmesan. Serves 4.