Ginger Root Garden

Ginger Root Grove in a Pot 

Ginger root can be planted in a pot and grown at home. When choosing a root at the market, look for a fresh one with buds.  It will grow into a lovely houseplant, with fragrant, ginger-lemon scented leaves, which can also be used for tea and for cooking. And eventually, (in about a year) it will produce other bulbous roots that you can use in cooking.  This gardening project teaches patience!  It may be a good idea to plant some faster growing seeds, such as radishes, so that children can experience the magic of growing a plant from seed right away.

Here's What You Need:

A pot or container at least 12 inches diameter and 12 inches deep.

Potting soil to fill

A large fresh nob of ginger root

Here's What You Do:

     Soak the ginger in a bowl of warm water overnight.  Let your child handle it first and explain that it is a rhizome, a mass of roots that grow underground horizontally and sends out roots and shoots from its nodes--the little buds on the mass.

     When you are ready to plant, fill your pot with potting soil and let your child break the ginger root into two or three pieces and space it on top of the soil.  Press each piece of root about halfway into the soil, but do not cover with soil.

  Water your new planting thoroughly and place it in a sunny spot.  Keep the planting moist, and practice patience!  It will be several weeks before green shoots appear above the soil.  

Roots are growing underground, though. If you have a root-view type planter, you can see them spreading.

Keep a garden journal and write the date that you planted your ginger, the date when you first spot a green shoot, and the date that you finally harvest a bulb for cooking.

In the meantime, you can explore powdered ginger, candied ginger, ginger tea, and ginger in stir-fry!  

Fresh ginger tea is calming, soothes stomach aches and 
can even help with morning sickness

Use fresh grated or thinly sliced, peeled ginger root.  Several slices or a couple of tablespoons of grated ginger per cup.  Boil in water for 10 minutes, cover and let steep for 5 or 10 more minutes.  Strain and sweeten with a bit of honey  and a twist of lemon or lime if desired.

Gingersnaps

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
     Cream shortening and sugar; add molasses and egg; beat well.
     Sift dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture; mix well
     Form dough into small balls; roll in granulated sugar to coat; place 2"
     apart on cookie sheet.
     Bake in 375 degree oven, just until set, 10-12 minutes.
     Let cool on cookie sheet one minute; remove to cooling rack

Click on the link below for recipe

 Pineapple Ginger Stir Fry

Eggs in a Basket--cozy breakfast fare

Little ones love cooking eggs in a piece of toast!
Older children can break the egg and tip it into the prepared bread:  Younger children can scramble the egg first.  

Here's What You Need:

*Toasted bread, or waffles-or a bagel, cut in half
*Eggs
*Butter, or cooking spray
*small bowl  and fork to scramble eggs.
*Heart-Shaped or other shape cookie cutter, or a simple drinking glass to make a circle


Here's What You Do:
*Toast a piece of bread, waffle or bagel
*Have your child press a cookie cutter or drinking glass into the middle of the bread or waffle to make a hole--the bagel already has one!
*Show your child how to crack an egg on the edge of a bowl and empty it into the bowl.  Alternately, have your child hold an egg in the palm of his or her hand.  Demonstrate giving the egg a whack with a table knife and then pulling the two halves apart to empty the egg into the bowl.  If you are willing to sacrifice a few eggs, this process is fascinating to children, and a good skill to practice and learn.

*Let your child whisk the egg with a fork.  
*Place a cold frying pan on the table.  Grease with butter, or use cooking spray.
*Have your child place the prepared bread into the center of the pan.  
*Your young chef can pour the whisked egg from the bowl into hole in the bread.



*For safety,you take over now by heating the stove and frying the "egg in a basket" as your child watches. Flip and cook on both sides.

A few books featuring eggs......

By Michael Dahl

Natural Sugarplums- Nutcracker's Delight

Mix dates, figs, walnuts, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and lime juice to make a wholesome "sugar plum" with no added sugar.

Little ones enjoy forming the dough into balls, and as a nice finish, rolling each sugar plum in crushed walnuts. Beautiful on a holiday table.


Watch this amazing rendition of "Sugar Plum Fairy" to set the mood!
Glass Harp "Sugar Plum Fairy"


Here's What You Need:


8 dried figs
8 dates
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins, (I used golden raisins)
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Juice from 1 lime
crushed walnuts, for rolling


Food processor, or blender


Here's What You Do:


Have your child count out the figs and dates and place them into the food processor, along with the other ingredients.  Process the mixture (an adult's job) until the ingredients are chopped and form a stiff dough.


Turn the mixture into a bowl and show your child how to roll the dough into small balls. (this recipe makes about 15 one inch balls) Roll each ball into crushed walnuts.  Refrigerate until firm and serve. Scrumptious--and good for you, too!

Adapted from a recipe found in:

Raw Food--A Complete Guide for Every Meal of the Day, by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja

Citrus, Cloves & Ribbon=spicy, piquant holiday decorations!

These pomanders make aromatic, 
hand-crafted gifts.
Create them now so they have time to "cure."

Some of you may be fortunate enough to grow your own oranges, lemons or limes.  However, since whole cloves come mainly from Indonesia, Madagascar and Zanzibar, most of us will need to buy those in bulk from the supermarket!

Pomanders date back to the 15th century, and were particularly popular in the Victorian age.  They were used as natural air-fresheners as well as decorations, so you will be carrying on an age-old tradition that appeals to many of the senses.

Here's What You Need:

Oranges, lemons or limes, unblemished

Whole cloves (to be economical, buy in bulk from Costco or the bulk section of the supermarket)

Wooden skewer, toothpick, or knitting needle (to pre-poke holes)

Ribbon in holiday colors

Rubber bands, masking tape, rubber gloves, (optional).

Here's What You Do:

*Use a wooden skewer, toothpick, or knitting needle to pre-poke holes in the rind of the fruit, in your desired pattern.  This avoids frustration as younger children insert the whole cloves.  Older children may design their own pattern.

Before you begin, mark off a criss-cross pattern with rubber bands or masking tape where the ribbon will eventually go.

*Insert a whole clove into each prepared hole.  

*When you are satisfied with your design, wrap a ribbon around your pomander and hang to dry for a few weeks.

*Use to freshen clothes closets, give as gifts, or decorate your home for the holidays!

This is a touching holiday story, set in the days when an orange was a luxury and a rare treat:

Review, An Orange for Frankie

Oranges and Lemons, a Nursery Rhyme

Oranges and lemons
Say the bells of St Clements
You owe me five farthings
Say the bells of St Martins
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey
When I grow rich
Say the bells of Shoreditch
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney
I'm sure I don't know
Says the great bell at Bow 

This moving story is well worth a listen, and a good way to begin the holiday season!  Click on the link below to listen to a classic, sweet story.

John Henry Faulk's Christmas Story--about an orange and more--NPR

Here's another story featuring oranges as a gift of love from an older brother to his younger brother, in a time and place where food was scarce and times were hard. Romania, 1989.

Night of Oranges

by Flavius Stan

A child comes of age.

It is Christmas Eve in 1989 in Timisoara and the ice is still dirty from the boots of the Romanian revolution. The dictator Nicolae Ceausescu had been deposed a few days before, and on Christmas Day he would be executed by firing squad. I am in the center of the city with my friends, empty now of the crowds that prayed outside the cathedral during the worst of the fighting. My friends and I still hear shots here and there. Our cold hands are gray like the sky above us, and we want to see a movie.

There is a rumor that there will be oranges for sale tonight. Hundreds of people are already waiting in line. We were used to such lines under the former Communist Government—lines for bread, lines for meat, lines for everything. Families would wait much of the day for rationed items. As children, we would take turns for an hour or more, holding our family's place in line.

But this line is different. There are children in Romania who don't know what an orange looks like. It is a special treat. Having the chance to eat a single orange will keep a child happy for a week. It will also make him a hero in the eyes of his friends. For the first time, someone is selling oranges by the kilo.

Suddenly I want to do something important: I want to give my brother a big surprise. He is only eight years old, and I want him to celebrate Christmas with lots of oranges at the table. I also want my parents to be proud of me.

So I call home and tell my parents that I'm going to be late. I forget about going to the movie, leave my friends, and join the line.

People aren't silent, upset, frustrated, as they were before the revolution; they are talking to one another about life, politics, and the new situation in the country.

The oranges are sold out of the back doorway of a food shop. The clerk has gone from anonymity to unexpected importance. As he handles the oranges, he acts like a movie star in front of his fans.

He moves his arms in an exaggerated manner as he tells the other workers where to go and what to do. All I can do is stare at the stack of cardboard boxes, piled higher than me. I have never seen so many oranges in my life.

Finally, it is my turn. It is 8 o'clock, and I have been waiting for six hours. It doesn't seem like a long time because my mind has been flying from the oranges in front of me to my brother and then back to the oranges. I hand over the money I was going to spend on the movie and watch each orange being thrown into my bag. I try to count them, but I lose their number.

I am drunk with the idea of oranges. I put the bag inside my coat, as if I want to absorb their warmth. They aren't heavy at all, and I feel that this is going to be the best Christmas of my life. I begin thinking of how I am going to present my gift.

I get home and my father opens the door. He is amazed when he sees the oranges, and we decide to hide them until dinner. At dessert that night, I give my brother the present. Everyone is silent. They can't believe it.

My brother doesn't touch them. He is afraid even to look at them. Maybe they aren't real. Maybe they are an illusion, like everything else these days. We have to tell him he can eat them before he has the courage to touch one of the oranges.

I stare at my brother eating the oranges. They are my oranges. My parents are proud of me.

---

Flavius Stan was an 18-year-old exchange student from Romania who was attending the Fieldston School in the Bronx, New York when he wrote this story, which originally appeared in The New York Times.

Stone Soup

When we each give a little, we can feed the whole world.

Marianne Larned

The beauty of this soup is, you can use whatever you have, ask your child about their favorite vegetables and use those, or invite some friends over and ask each to bring one ingredient to add to the soup.  When I taught preschool at Shorewood, we made this soup every year, and it always delighted the children.

Here's What You Need:
a "magic" stone that you and your child have chosen together. Clean it well, and boil it in water a few minutes to purify.
A large pot.
A bit of olive or canola oil.
Onions, celery, carrots, potatoes....clean out the refrigerator! Or, invite friends to participate and bring a few ingredients.  
Optional:  chicken or vegetable stock, but water works just fine!  Tomato paste, salt, pepper, seasonings.  Anything you would normally put in your soup.
Here's What You Do:
*Read the story below and have storytelling time with you children--you can tell it in your own words. Or, go to the library and check out one of the versions recommended at the end of this post.
*Take a walk together and select your magic stone. Clean it well.
*Chop up vegetables, letting your child help as much as possible.  Peeling the vegetables is optional--many of the nutrients are actually contained there, and it gives the soup a rustic look if you chop without peeling.
*Add a little oil to the bottom of the pot and saute onions, garlic and celery, if you are using them.  
*Add several cups of water, stock or broth to the pot.  Add your clean, magic stone.
*dump in all of your chopped vegetables and other ingredients.  (tomato paste, barley, cooked rice, quinoa, your choice!)
*Bring soup to a boil for two minutes, and then turn to medium/low--and cook until veggies are tender/crisp.  (not too soft)
*Have dinner with your family, friends and neighbors--whoever contributed to the stone soup!  Great with crusty bread, corn bread, or tortillas.

Stone Soup
A Folktale

     There was once a man who had been traveling for a long time. Having run out of food, he was weary and hungry from his journey. When he came upon a small village, he thought, "Maybe someone could share some food."

When the man knocked at the first house, he asked the woman who answered, "Could you spare a bit of food? I’ve traveled a long way and am very hungry." "I’m sorry, but I have nothing to give you," the woman replied.

     So the traveler went to the next door and asked again. The answer was the same. He went from door to door and each time he was turned away. Not one of the villagers were willing to oblige the man as times were tough and no one had much to spare.

But then one villager said, "All I have is some water." "Thank you," the traveler said smiling gratefully, "We can make some soup from that water. We can make stone soup."

     He asked the man for a cooking pot and started building a small fire. As the water started to boil, a passing villager stopped and asked him what he was doing. "I’m making stone soup," the traveler replied. "Would you like to join me?" The curious villager agreed.

     "First, we must add a special stone," said the traveler. "One with magic in it." He reached into his knapsack and carefully unwrapped a special stone he’d been carrying with him for many years. Then he put it in the simmering pot.

     Soon people from the village heard about this strange man who was making soup from a stone. They started gathering around the fire, asking questions. "What does your stone soup taste like?" asked one of the villagers. "Well, it would be better with a few onions," the traveler admitted. "Oh, I have some onions," he replied.

Another villager said, "I could bring a few carrots." Someone else offered, "We still have some potatoes in our garden. I’ll go get them."

     One by one, each villager brought something to add to the pot. What had started as just some water and a magic stone, had now become a delicious soup, enough to feed the whole village. The traveler and the villagers sat down together to enjoy their feast, and the miracle they’d help to create.  

---

Stone Soup Inspirations

The Stone Soup Folktale has been the inspiration for many other groups and organizations. Most notably the book, Stone Soup for the World edited by Marianne Larned. This collection of heartwarming stories, many which can be found on the Stone Soup for the World website, feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things and show that greatness grows out of simple acts of giving. After reading the inspirational stories, we hope you catch the Stone Soup spirit, which is the belief that "Like the traveler in the folktale, we each have a magic stone: the power to give and get others to join us in building a world that works for everyone."

The Stone Soup Foundation works to support the premise of the stone soup story, that with a little imagination, cooperation and goodwill, we can make the world a better place.

Somewhere on this planet, someone has a solution to each of the world's problems.It might be one of us.The future is in our hands and the hands of our children.With your help, we can build a more hopeful world.What can you do today, tomorrow, next week, next year?And if you sometimes think you haven't enough time, energy, or resources,remember the Stone Soup folktale:When we each give a little, we can feed the whole world.

Marianne Larned 

By Ann McGovern

By Heather Forest

By Jon J. Muth

By Marcia Brown

By Jess Stockham

Munchy, Crunchy Pumpkin Seeds!

Easy to roast at home,
and a delicious, nutrient-rich snack

After carving your jack-o'lanterns, separate the seeds from the stringy pulp and get ready to roast 'em!  (save a few to plant in next year's pumpkin patch--see "Seed Harvesting" in the garden section.)

Here's What You Need:
about 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds,  separated from the pulp.
sea salt, or any salt
bowl of water
baking pan (line with foil for easy clean-up)
olive oil, (or other oil)
Optional:  garlic power, Mrs. Dash, other seasoning sprinkles. 


Here's What You Do:  
*separate the seeds from the pulp as well as you can--
*put about 2 cups of water in a bowl with about 3 tablespoons of salt.
*Soak overnight, drain, and pat dry.
(alternately, you can skip the overnight soak process and sprinkle salt on the seeds after tossing them with oil.)
*heat oven to 300 degrees.
*toss pumpkin seeds with a bit of olive or other oil and spread on the foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.
*sprinkle with other seasonings, if desired.
*bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring and turning occasionally, until the pumpkin seeds are golden brown.


Pumpkin seeds are packed with vitamins and fun to eat!  You can also toss them into salads.

Five Little Pumpkins Fingerplay

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, 

"Oh my it's getting late!"

The second one said, 

"There are witches in the air!"

The third one said, 

"But we don't care."

The fourth one said, 

"Let's run and run and run!"

The fifth one said, 

"I'm having so much fun!"

Then Wooooooooo went the wind

and OUT went the lights (clap hands)

And the five little pumpkins 

rolled out of sight.


Mr. Jack O'Lantern Poem

Mr. Jack O'Lantern, is very round and fat.
He has a yellow candle, 
Lit right beneath his hat.
It makes his face look happy,
and very, very bright.
When he winks and smiles at me,
On spooky Halloween night!

Zucchini-chini-bo-bini

Sometimes neighbors with gardens leave mounds of zucchini on the porch, ring the doorbell, and run!  If this happens to you--here are two recipes--one for a kid-pleasing side dish and one for the best zucchini bread recipe I know--and you'll still have plenty left over to stir-fry!

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Perfect for little hands to dip with marinara sauce or ranch dressing!

A healthy side-dish to make together, an adult cuts the zucchini into sticks and the young chef can have fun shaking the veggies in a zip-lock bag to coat before baking.

Ingredients:

Canola or olive oil cooking spray

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn meal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 medium zucchini cut into 1/2" by 3" strips

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flours, corn meal, salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag.

Dip zucchini sticks in egg white, put in the bag and shake!

Place coated sticks on a cookie sheet, not touching and spray with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn zucchini and spray any floury spots.  Bake until just tender for about 8-10 more minutes.

Serve with marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups grated zucchini

3 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon each:  baking soda, cinnamon  and allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease two loaf pans.  In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, eggs, zucchini and vanilla.  In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Add to zucchini mixture and stir in chopped nuts.  Pour batter into the loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Test bread for readiness by pricking with a fork or toothpick--it should come out clean.  Let cool for ten minutes before removing from pans.

The Zucchini Song

You can listen to this clever song by Dan Crow for free!


http://new.music.yahoo.com/dan-crow/tracks/zucchini-song--173851620

from the book "Grow It, Cook It......*

When Life Gives you Lemons....................

 ......make lemon ice pops!!

If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the world that grows lemon trees, you may be able to pick them from your own backyard.  We went to Arizona one year for Thanksgiving at my brother's home and they had a bounty of lemons from their own tree! (Thanks, John and Shan!) We made lemonade, lemon mousse pie, lemon french toast, etc.  


Here in Seattle, I get my lemons from the produce section of the market.


Try this cool, zingy recipe from the book Grow It, Cook It:  Simple Gardening Projects and Delicious Recipes, from DK Publishing.


Here's What You Need:


6 juicy lemons
1 cup honey
3 cups cold water
18 small, empty yogurt cups (save 'em up!) or small Dixie paper cups


Here's What You Do:


*Put the honey in a saucepan and finely grate the zest from 3 of the lemons--add the zest and 2 cups of water to the honey.  Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring, then remove from heat.
*Squeeze the juice from all of the lemons--should be about 1 cup.
*Strain the honey and lemon zest solution through a strainer into a bowl.  Add the lemon juice a bit at a time.  Stir and taste--keep adding lemon juice to your taste. 
*Put the lemon mixture in the fridge to cool.
*Add the last cup of water when the mixture is cool and stir well.
*Pour into the empty yogurt containers and freeze until firm but not solid.
*Insert a popsicle stick into each container in the middle.  Freeze until solid.
*Enjoy while cooling off on a summer day!


Cheater Version:


*Make cold lemonade from frozen concentrate.  Pour into containers and freeze until firm. Insert the sticks and freeze until solid. Lots quicker, but then again--"it's the process, not the product!"


*Check out the book!