Bird Scavenger Hunt

Hawk / Woodpecker
Quail / Scrub Jay
Turkey Vulture / Hummingbird
Singing / Soaring
Scratching / Gleaning
Feather / Bird poop
Owl pellet / Nest


Worm Hunt

Where on the Farm and in the Garden do you think you might find the most worms in a shovelful of soil? Why?

Where do you think you might find the least? Why?

Location / Number of worms in a shovelful of soil

Where did you find the most worms?

The least?

How did this compare with what you expected?


Temperature Hunt

Where in the Garden Classroom do you think you might find the coldest temperature?

The warmest temperature?

What makes the temperature different in different places?

Location / Temperature

Where did you find the coldest temperature?

The hottest?

How did this compare with what you expected?

What was the difference in temperature between the coldest place and the hottest?


Recipes

Garden Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Place about 1/3 basil leaves in the food processor a little bit at a time with 1/3 of the oil and whip until well chopped. Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic and blend again.

Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while stopping to scrape down sides of container.

Process pesto until it forms a thick smooth paste.

Repeat this process 2 more times until all ingredients are used!

Serve over pasta, on pizza, or as a dip for veggies, crackers or pretzels. Pesto keeps in refrigerator one week, or freeze for a few months.

Maple Roasted Walnuts

Walnut halves or pieces

100% maple syrup

Dry-roast the walnuts for a few minutes in a pan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle maple syrup over the walnuts until they are well coated. Continue stirring constantly until the syrup is no longer liquid and has begun to crystallize on the walnuts. Spread on a cookie sheet to cool, and enjoy! Store in the fridge or freezer to keep best—if they last that long without getting munched!


Nutty Seed Dip!!

1 ½ cups cooked lentils

1 cup soaked pepitas

1 cup walnuts

2 cloves Garlic

1/3 cup lemon juice

½ cup green onions

¼ cup cilantro

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup Braggs

Mince the garlic and juice the lemon. Chop the green onions and cilantro. Crack the walnuts open!

Add pepitas, walnuts, minced garlic, and lemon juice together and whiz in food processor. Whiz!!!

Add the green onions, tahini, Braggs, lentils, and cilantro to food processor and whiz again until dip is smooth and creamy. Taste the Nutty Seed Dip & enjoy!

Corn Tortillas

1 ½ cups masa
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt

Mix together in a bowl with hands. Form in to a ball. Take some of the dough and press flat between hands or use a tortilla press. Place on hot skillet and cook for a few minutes. Flip and cook other side. Let cool and enjoy with freshly made butter or garden salsa.


Soft Pretzels

(The secret to good pretzels is boiling them first before baking!)

For 8 or 9 pretzels:

1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounce or roughly 2 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/8 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

4 cups all-purpose flour (we used whole wheat)

4 cups water (for boiling) with 4 tablespoons baking soda

Condiments: butter, coarse kosher salt, regular table salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, mustard

1.  Dissolve yeast, sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Let sit for a couple minutes. Stir in the flour and knead for about 8 minutes.

2.  Place in a greased bowl and cover with damp towel. Let sit for an hour.

3.  Cut into about 12 pieces and roll each into a 2 foot rope, pencil thin. Twist each piece up into a pretzel.

4.  Combine 4 cups warm water and baking soda in pan (cast-iron or non-aluminum). Let this come to a simmer, not a boil. Put each pretzel in for about a minute, flipping if necessary.

5.  Place on greased cookie sheet. Back at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

6.  Brush or dip in melted butter or mist with water; sprinkle salt or cinnamon/sugar on top.

7.  Enjoy!

Garden Omelets

Small handful of fresh herbs (such as oregano, basil, chives, and sage)

Greens fresh from the plant

Eggs- one or two per person

Grated cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Pull the herb leaves off the stems and tear up the leaves. Tear up the fresh greens. Beat the eggs, then stir in the herbs, salt, and pepper.

Heat the frying pan over medium-low heat and spray with cooking oil. Sautee the greens for a minute. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. After a couple minutes, start checking for doneness periodically by sliding a spatula under the omelet. When the omelet is cooked about halfway through, use both spatulas to flip the entire omelet over. This is the tricky part! With a bigger omelet (more than 5 eggs), it’s helpful to flip it in order to cook it all the way through. Place shredded cheese on one half of the omelet. When the underside is done, fold the omelet in half and turn off the heat. Transfer the omelet to a plate and let cool just enough to be cut. Cut wedge-shaped slices for all children and adult helpers, and serve. Enjoy!

Lavender-Lemon Shortbread

These delicious and simple shortbread bars are an excellent compliment to fresh herbal tea. This recipe yields about 8 or 9 bars.

½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup sugar
zest of one lemon
pinch of salt
1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp. lavender flowers, dried or fresh, removed from stem

1.  Preheat oven to 325, or prepare your outside cooker (i.e. cob oven or solar oven).

2.  In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest.

3.  In another bowl mix lavender, flour and salt together.

4.  Add flour mix to butter mixture.

5.  Press dough into 9 or 10 inch pan or pie tin. Pierce dough in a few places and score the dough (pre-cut) to make cutting the wedges easier after baking.

6.  Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into 8 or 9 pieces. Remove from pan and enjoy!

Farmer Interview

Find someone working on the farm and ask questions about their job…

1.  What is your job on the farm?

2.  What is your favorite farm chore?

3.  Why are you a farmer?

4.  What is your favorite vegetable?

5.  What is your favorite fruit?

6.  What is your favorite flower?

7.  What season do you like most on the farm?

8.  What is the hardest chore on the farm?

9.  What insects do you think are the most important on the farm?

10. What is your favorite farm animal?

Farm Update

What’s going on on the Farm today?

1.  Are there farmers working in the fields? How many? What are they doing?

2.  Are there farmers harvesting fresh produce? What types of fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers are the farmers harvesting?

3.  Can you see or hear any farm animals? (Birds, cats, gophers, squirrels, snakes, bugs….) What are the animals doing? Where are they on the farm?

4.  Are there any special groups of people touring and visiting the farm today?

5.  Are there any farmers working on tractors in the fields today?

6.  Do you notice any gopher damage? Where?

Weather Report

Day:

Temperature:

Humidity:

Wind Direction & Speed:

Clouds:

Rain:

Forecast:

How does the weather today make you feel?

What does the weather today make you want to do?