Haruko Ruggiero Leaves Midwest Food Connection
Uli Koester, Executive Director I was teaching an MFC class at Barton Open School in 2002 or so when the student teacher in the class approached me with great intent. She loved the lessons I was...
An Intern’s Take on MFC
By Carter D'Angelo, fall semester intern from Macalester College I have spent the past few months talking to teachers and administrators about Midwest Food Connection. I am from a small town in Massachusetts and grew up surrounded by small family farms. I have always...
Reflections from Ruthie, our Carleton College Winter Break Extern
Kindergarteners at Lake Harriet showing connections during Emily’s Organic Farming lesson “If you have a connection, you can make two connected circles with your fingers,” said Midwest Food Connection Educator, Emily Houser, to a group of kindergarteners at Thomas...
Beyond the Store: Bringing Kids to the Farm
We had the privilege of bringing four classes of third graders from Brimhall Elementary to two different farms this fall: Common Harvest, a family farm and CSA just east of the St. Croix River, and Big River Farms, a local food hub just west of the St. Croix River...
Testimonial for Wild Rice
Last week, I found myself talking about my students to a judge. "My name is Molly Sowash. I teach elementary school students about local food and sustainable farming,” I told her, “Tomorrow I'm going into the second-grade classrooms at EXPO Elementary and teaching...
2016-17 School Year in Review
As we begin another school year, we like to pause to reflect on the school year that has just passed. Here are some notable numbers from 2016-17: Total lessons taught: 772 Lessons in the garden: 59 Middle school lessons: 27 Number of schools: 52 Number of districts: 8...
Fruit Smoothie
INGREDIENTS: Apple Juice Banana (bruised or brown is OK!) Strawberries (saved and frozen or fresh). Peaches (soft or mushy is OK!) INSTRUCTIONS: Blend all ingredients together. Add any other fruits you like. Smoothies are especially great for using up bruised or...
Maple Sumac Popcorn
From the Local Long Ago Lesson INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup of popcorn seeds A tablespoon of Sumac A tablespoon of Maple syrup INSTRUCTIONS: Pop the popcorn. Drizzle on the maple syrup. Sprinkle on the sumac. Mix with a spoon. Serve and Enjoy!
Herb Butter
INGREDIENTS: A few leaves of your favorite fresh herbs. Herb Choices Include: basil, chives, dill, mint, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano or your favorite Butter – Salted or Unsalted. At room temperature. Your favorite bread or cracker. INSTRUCTIONS: Cut or tear the...
Seaweed Salad
INGREDIENTS: ½ to ¼ oz. dried wakame or dried mixed seaweed 1 small cucumber (or ½ a large cucumber) 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) soy sauce such as tamari 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 Teaspoon (tsp) real maple syrup 1 tsp sesame oil 1 small piece of ginger, grated (enough to make 1...
The WHY of our Work
In the fall, we walk into the classroom with a tall cornstalk in tow. The next week we hide root vegetables around the room for students to discover in an imaginary root cellar. In the winter, we paste beans to a map of the world and look at potatoes full of eyes. As...
Gifts from Many Cultures
“Raise your hand if your grandparents were born in a different country,” I ask a classroom of 4th graders at Bruce Vento Elementary. “Raise your hand if your parents were born in a different country,” I continue, encouraging students to look around the room at their...
Witnessing the Power of Stories
“My favorite part was when you told the story about the seed of the sun and all those other stories in that day.” – 3rd grader from Horace Mann Elementary As the newest and youngest member of our small staff, I have learned a lot over the past six months of...
Wild Rice
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup of wild rice (in class we used lake-grown, which cooks faster) a pinch of salt 1 Tbsp. oil 1 1/2 cups water (you may need up to a cup more) INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the oil in a saucepan, then lightly sauté the rice so it gets warm and toasty! Add 1...
Midwest Food Connection 101
Here are some photos from my visit to Frost Lake Elementary this January, exploring and tasting some new fruit in our “Global Fruit Picking” lesson. Ever wondered just how Midwest Food Connection is able to reach students all over the Twin Cities with our culinary...
Five MFC Projects to Watch For
Uli Koester In January, MFC wrapped up an exciting year of celebrations, special lessons, and speaker engagements. Twenty years of teaching children about great food! Emerging from this excitement, we find ourselves with a new mission statement and a strategic plan...
Observations from our Carleton Extern
Hello readers of the Midwest Food Connection’s blog! I’m Jenni Rogan, a sophomore at Carleton College interested in food and environmental education. I’ve done a lot of environmental education in the past, from running an after-school gardening program to working as a...
Ginger’s Gift: Ten Years Teaching for Midwest Food Connection
Ginger has been a remarkable teacher with our program and we are thankful so many kids got to have lessons with her! Here's why... Ginger has a warm smile and an easy laugh, which of course make her presence in any classroom welcoming and pleasant. She has an...