OK, everyone will agree it's no fun out there right now. Plus, kids are getting bored being inside and anxious about when school will (if) start.
So, what to do? Well I always find that making cheese clears the head and concentrates the mind. Check out this wonderful new book, The Home Creamery. It's pretty awesome and is simple and clear. There are no photos but that isn't a big deal. I got the tip on this book from a great craft website called Angry Chicken www.angrychicken.typepad.com. There are recipes for creme fraiche (which is dead easy), yogurt (also easy), sour cream, butter, buttermilk, yogurt cheese, and paneer, all foolproof and in one handy tome. Also, the trouble-shooting guide is helpful, detailed, and offers alternate methods. Try making your own mozzarella and ricotta. It's not hard, but you do have to start with great milk. I like Strauss Family milk available at Whole Foods, which comes in totally cool, reusable glass containers. They even sell raw milk in small quantities. Can anyone out there recommend great pasteurized or raw milk purveyors?
Great quote from Brillat-Savarin about cheese. "Cheese is milk's leap toward immortality" Make some today!
August 24, 2009
The beanstalk is growing!
Since we launched the beanstalk in early 2009 our focus has been to chronicle the food and garden activities at OCS and give students and parents information about interesting progressive food/garden efforts around the globe. We've posted some pretty tasty recipes too as well as lots of great pics of our students and community. Now we are expanding our blog to include all the arts at Odyssey and hope to turn our blog into an interactive meeting place and central hub of arts ideas, information and fun activities.
With our broader focus, we welcome members of our school community (teachers, students, and parents) to participate and share their artistic talents with the group. Send a note, post a photo, share a thought or alert us to upcoming events. Our goal is to create a blog that really connects with our community in the garden, the art room, the classroom, or in the kitchen.
The change should happen the first week of September, so stay tuned.
With our broader focus, we welcome members of our school community (teachers, students, and parents) to participate and share their artistic talents with the group. Send a note, post a photo, share a thought or alert us to upcoming events. Our goal is to create a blog that really connects with our community in the garden, the art room, the classroom, or in the kitchen.
The change should happen the first week of September, so stay tuned.
August 17, 2009
Farmers Markets We Love
Some pics of two great farmers markets; the local pasadena farmers market with its wonderful community vibe and the world class San Francisco farmers market in the restored Ferry Plaza building. Visiting your local market can be a great family tradition at the start of each weekend. Plus you'll bring home plenty of goodies to keep everyone happily munching through the week.
July 30, 2009
LA Times "A New Crop of School Gardens
Check out this recent article from the LA Times regarding the a groundswell of interest among parents and communities to create school gardens as creative ways to enrich school life. Too bad the state of California continues to cut funding for nutrition, ecology, garden and innovative lunch programs in schools.
The article can be found at www.latimes.com/features/food/
The article can be found at www.latimes.com/features/food/
July 23, 2009
Totally weird news but in a wonderful sort of way
This tidbit appeared in the Guardian UK this week and it's odd, timely and not a bit silly. Enjoy.
"US Woman Bakes her Way out of Mortgage Crisis"
A New Jersey woman has cooked up a sweet solution to a bitter financial jam: a bake sale.
Angela Logan has sold enough frosted "mortgage apple cakes" to meet a $2,600 (£1,600) loan payment on her house and avoid foreclosure.
Following a slew of television appearances and news stories on her plight, the divorced mother of three is overwhelmed with orders from as far away as Hong Kong and a US military base in Iraq, she has told media.
An actress and comedian, Logan ran into financial trouble after a building contractor cheated her and her agent went out of business without paying her thousands she was owed. Facing bank foreclosure on her house, she initially offered the $40 cakes to friends, family and neighbours. By yesterday she had received more than 500 orders and has said she will keep baking until the orders cease.
The icing on the cake: A local hotel offered to allow Logan the use of its kitchen after health officials warned her cannot use her home for commercial food preparation. She has a website, maccakes.com, and a slogan: "Fighting foreclosure one cake at a time."
Logan, whose acting credits include "wife" in the 1992 Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang and a part on the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit detective programme, may have a new career.
"I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it," she told The Record newspaper of northern New Jersey. "Right now I'm just trying to pay this mortgage."
"US Woman Bakes her Way out of Mortgage Crisis"
A New Jersey woman has cooked up a sweet solution to a bitter financial jam: a bake sale.
Angela Logan has sold enough frosted "mortgage apple cakes" to meet a $2,600 (£1,600) loan payment on her house and avoid foreclosure.
Following a slew of television appearances and news stories on her plight, the divorced mother of three is overwhelmed with orders from as far away as Hong Kong and a US military base in Iraq, she has told media.
An actress and comedian, Logan ran into financial trouble after a building contractor cheated her and her agent went out of business without paying her thousands she was owed. Facing bank foreclosure on her house, she initially offered the $40 cakes to friends, family and neighbours. By yesterday she had received more than 500 orders and has said she will keep baking until the orders cease.
The icing on the cake: A local hotel offered to allow Logan the use of its kitchen after health officials warned her cannot use her home for commercial food preparation. She has a website, maccakes.com, and a slogan: "Fighting foreclosure one cake at a time."
Logan, whose acting credits include "wife" in the 1992 Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang and a part on the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit detective programme, may have a new career.
"I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it," she told The Record newspaper of northern New Jersey. "Right now I'm just trying to pay this mortgage."
July 10, 2009
Lend a Helping Hand
The success of OCS’s end-of-year Charity Marketplace highlights a truth: one person, no matter how small, can make a difference in the world. This year’s marketplace raised over $4,750 to help local charities including the Pasadena Humane Society, Danny’s Farm, Habitat for Humanity, and Union Station. Our childrens’ efforts brought us an exceptionally enthusiastic and fun-filled day and, by any measure, brought pride to the community we all live in.
But our helping hands, and those of our children, can extend far beyond the school’s borders. Consider this: In the developing world, investing in agriculture is twice as effective in reducing poverty as other forms of investment. Right now 963 million people worldwide face hunger every day, and many of those hungry live in countries where agriculture is the predominant employer. It is also far more likely for poor children to be underfed than adults since their caloric needs for healthy growth are often underestimated.
At the recent G8 meeting in Italy, the U.S. has affirmed its commitment to increase agricultural investment, especially in Africa, as an anti-poverty measure. This is great news for poor farmers and their families, who too often have relied on food sent from the United States and other western countries to help address their hunger. Instead, they’ll now receive tools, seed, fertilizer, money for infrastructure and irrigation, technology and training to improve their own farms and feed themselves.
In our small way, one by one, we can help. To find out more about what you and your family can do, check out ONE at www.one.org/us/actnow
But our helping hands, and those of our children, can extend far beyond the school’s borders. Consider this: In the developing world, investing in agriculture is twice as effective in reducing poverty as other forms of investment. Right now 963 million people worldwide face hunger every day, and many of those hungry live in countries where agriculture is the predominant employer. It is also far more likely for poor children to be underfed than adults since their caloric needs for healthy growth are often underestimated.
At the recent G8 meeting in Italy, the U.S. has affirmed its commitment to increase agricultural investment, especially in Africa, as an anti-poverty measure. This is great news for poor farmers and their families, who too often have relied on food sent from the United States and other western countries to help address their hunger. Instead, they’ll now receive tools, seed, fertilizer, money for infrastructure and irrigation, technology and training to improve their own farms and feed themselves.
In our small way, one by one, we can help. To find out more about what you and your family can do, check out ONE at www.one.org/us/actnow
June 4, 2009
Guacamole Fiesta
Below are some photos from last week's guacamole fiesta. Thank you Mr. Cullen and HOM parent Liz Burrill and Ms. Jessica and HOM parent Maggie Haase. Enjoy.
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