OBJECTIVE

Inspire joy and excitement for preparing and eating food out of the garden.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What are our favorite foods? What do we like to eat on salad? What’s growing in our garden?

MATERIALS NEEDED

Lettuce, green garlic, peas, and other salad-making materials from the garden, Extra salad making materials just in case there isn’t enough in the garden, Salad spinner, Food processor, Olive oil, lemon, honey, Lemon squeezer, bowl, Knife, Large cups to put salad into, little cups to put dressing into

PROCEDURE

Introduction
We are going to celebrate the end of our year together. We will harvest what we’ve been growing (talk about what the word “harvest” means) and make it into a salad. Who likes salad? What do we like to eat on our salad?
We are going to work in groups to make our salad!

Activity
The first group goes outside to harvest whatever is available in the garden such as herbs, garlic, lettuce, and peas. Bring some extra just in case there’s not enough for each child to have their own salad.
As each group comes up to help make the salad, show them the harvest. What does the garlic smell like? What colors/shapes are in the salad mix?

Show the children the salad spinner and explain that it will help us to clean the lettuce. Why do we need to wash the lettuce/where did it come from? After you have washed the lettuce, show children how to hold down the lid and spin the lettuce. Have them work together to hold and spin lettuce and ask them what they notice is happening on the sides of the spinner with the water. What is this tool doing for us?

The next group to come over will help to start make the salad dressing. Show them the lemon and demonstrate how to use the lemon squeezer. When you squeeze it what happens? Let each child pass around the bowl and lemon squeezer to make juice.

When the next group comes over show them all of the salad making ingredients including the lettuce and dressing stuff. Ask them which ingredients they recognize. For the dressing, we will measure out two olive oils to one lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of honey and the green garlic. Measure and count out the olive oil and lemon together going around the circle so that each child has a chance to measure something. Look at oil and lemon separate in the food processor. What does this look like? Do we think we could mix it with our hands? Have children use the food processor to mix it up and observe how it looks different.
The last group will count out cups for each child in the class. Add lettuce, peas and other garden goodies into each cup. Make a small cup of dressing to go with each salad. Children can dip their salad piece by piece into the dressing to try it.

Wrap up/Assessment
Did you try the lettuce or salad dressing? Did you like them? Sometimes you don’t like new foods the first time you try them, but sometimes you like it the next time you try it. Keep trying because you might find that you like new foods.

FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS

Send dressing recipe and some green garlic home with the children.