SquirrellyMama Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 If you were leading a 4H Culinary Club for kid 4th-8th grade, what kind of topics would you include? So far I have: Meal Planning Pizza Making Smoothies Food Processor - Make fresh salsa, guacamole, dips, pesto Knife skills Measuring/Doubling batches- making cookies, muffins, etc... How to dehydrate food How to make pickles (we always get tons of cucumbers in the garden) What other topics would interest this age group and be useful. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I would include some topics and maybe even some demonstration of my own design to illustrate the principles in the book Kitchen Science. I'd also include using herbs to flavor food and a discussion of their medicinal properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Sourdough bread? It would be an ongoing project, but getting the thing started, fed, and keeping it alive all semester would be an exam of sorts. I love my starter. I keep it in the fridge like a pet :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I don't know if I can read any more food threads! I now have the urge to make sourdough bread....and many cravings from that other thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Yogurt! You can make yogurt! I use a pot, a thermometer, and a cooler. My hands-on time is about twenty minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I would take about herbs, and drying herbs, as well as dehydrating foods. Being the science geek, I'd also talk about kitchen chemistry - what makes that delicious scent of baking bread...ozone...how is that produced, etc. Unusual ways to get vegetables in your diet - eggplant parmesan, pureed veggies in soups for those that have texture issues, that type of thing. I'd also be inclined to do lessons on sustainable agriculture, eating local when possible, and make some field trips to farmer's markets in season. It would be fun to cook an entire meal out of what they could purchase from a really good farmer's market...artisan cheeses, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, fresh carrots, salad greens, strawberries or blueberries, etc. It's a great life skill to have, and if any of the club members are naturally inclined towards gardening it will help them be creative using that over abundance of produce X when the plants decide to put out a bumper crop! Beyond that, canning, and freezing lessons would be great. It can be hard to do canning safely with younger students or a large group due to the boiling water issue. But, you could break those lessons out for only students say 13 and older, and have a kitchen day just for them. A fundraiser for the club might be a little cookbook they create from recipes they come up with or have been handed down in their families with tips on how to make them more healthy -(replace the Crisco in this batch of cookies with real butter or with coconut oil or whatever, make your spaghetti yummy vegetarian without losing protein here's how and that type of thing) and include little stories and humorous tales of the club's adventures in the kitchen, supermarket, farmer's markets, and gardens. I think there would be many people in the community that would love to buy something like that for $5.00, and if the club members do all of the processing and graphic arts, they'll have a really nice club project to turn in at the county fair. You could then expand into catering - how to plan, shop, and cook for 20 or more people. If you don't do that yourself, you might find a caterer that would be willing to come and do a demonstration/lecture. Even better, help the club cook for say all of the 4-H leaders in the county. It could be a light meal, just something for the kids to do to demonstrate their skills. The culinary arts is, in my not so humble opinion, and exciting subject for 4-H clubs because the life skills gained are so valuable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 How about cheese making? Or use the homemade yogurt (previous suggestion) to make a yogurt cheese? I would also explore some ethnic dishes, particularly ones using veg and beans, healthy and economical. Maybe hummus, minestrone, vegetable pakoras? Also, how about strawberry picking followed by jam making? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Jane, isn't there an easy way to make cottage cheese? I was thinking that this was one of those that could be done in jiffy? Hmmm....must go look that up...it's another excuse to finish my own packing for the trip because I think I'm packed out, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 nutrition. I'm always surprised by the number of people who have no idea what a healthy diet looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 How about stove-top cooking? How to steam (veggies?), boil (pasta), and sauté (meat) would be good skills. Learning to judge doneness on the stove top can be tricky. ETA: making mozzarella is easy, fun, and tasty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Jane, isn't there an easy way to make cottage cheese? I was thinking that this was one of those that could be done in jiffy? Hmmm....must go look that up...it's another excuse to finish my own packing for the trip because I think I'm packed out, LOL! Ricotta is supposed to be easy. Something that I have been meaning to do. :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Ricotta is supposed to be easy. Something that I have been meaning to do. :leaving: The microwave recipe looks pretty darn easy and neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 cutting and cooking a whole chicken eggs different ways salad dressings simple sauces (tomato/marinara, roux/cheese sauce) with pasta pan sauces (gravy, etc.) stir fry custard/pudding/ice cream beans and rice (separately or together) Books which may be helpful for you while planning (check your local library): Essentials of Cooking by James Peterson (all 1-page explanations and photos of cooking techniques, more basic than his massive Cooking which does over 600 techniques) Jacques Pepin New Complete Techniques (similar to Peterson's massive Cooking with tons of techniques and photos but all broken down to a page or two) The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn (memoir, Flinn takes on food ignorance by inviting strangers to join a short cooking bootcamp...less professional than the 2 above but helpful in terms of thinking about the basics that people want or need to survive more than every technique available) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Oh, my! I now have an urge to teach home ec next year. This all looks like so much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Oh my, I'll have 3 years of meetings with all of these suggestions! Thanks, I love all the ideas! Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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