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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
The Food Literacy Project:
Praise for leafy greens and the lowly worm
By Kimberly Crum • Photos by Jolea Brown
THE Field Day Farm is a rural retreat sandwiched in an
unlikely place, between Oxmoor Country Club and I-64. In
order to reach the farm, you drive past manicured golf
greens to a gravel lane that runs adjacent to the highway.
The whoosh of traffic competes with the pastoral scene,
where neat rows of red and green vegetables are hand-
hoed by bronzed young adults in shorts and straw hats. This
combination of highway and fertile fields is symbolic of the purpose of this farm — to
produce “slow-food” in a high-speed world.
Field Day Farm grows eggplant, peppers, onion, beets, kale, radishes, peas,
tomatoes, garlic, and herbs to be sold wholesale and at farmers’ markets. It is a
peaceful place, frequently punctuated by the joyful noise of children from suburban
schools and urban community centers. The farm is partner to the Food Literacy
Project, a non-profit organization that provides educational programs and technical
assistance to children and adults. Food education is based on the belief that hands-
on knowledge about what we eat promotes healthy eating habits and a concern for
the ecosystem.
Food educator Carol Gunderson teaches schoolchildren in the Youth Learning
Garden, where the only rule is “Please touch, smell, and taste.” Pick an edible leaf.
Pull a root vegetable. Nibble a lettuce leaf. Gunderson, a native Louisvillian, had not
planned a career tending vegetables when she first attended Vassar College in New
York. “I was from an agricultural state but knew nothing about farming.” From a
distance, she began to appreciate Kentucky’s agricultural traditions, its culture, and
unique beauty. She volunteered at an organic farm, brought bluegrass music to the
Hudson, and wrote her graduation thesis about tobacco farming. After graduation,
Gunderson worked as an intern at the Slide teaching farm in California. She is now
the executive director of the Food Literacy Project, an organization she founded in
2006.
Gunderson’s partner is tenant farmer Ivor Chodkowski, also a native Louisvillian. He
employs farm interns to help produce a plethora of products, using sustainable
farming methods that improve, rather than deplete, the topsoil such as natural
fertilizers and pesticides. “The kids love to remove the potato bugs,” says Gunderson.
She adds, “Ivor is also a good cook, which makes him a better farmer (because) he
knows how vegetables are supposed to look and taste.”
During a day at the farm, children use all their senses. “What’s that smell?” a child
asks, wrinkling her nose at the sweet aroma of cow manure that drifts across the
breezy fields. Students are urged to touch each of the four plant parts: root, stem,
leaf, and flower. They produce plant-part burritos: roots and stems wrapped in a leafy
lettuce tortilla with an edible floral garnish. “Can you really eat these?” a student asks.
Some participants identify plants in a scavenger hunt. “It’s a carrot!” Others smell the
frilly-leafed fennel, its fragrance like licorice. While making bread, children observe
the action of yeast. They mix, knead, and form doughy creations: a star, a bird’s nest,
and a “little bowl.” They take turns shaking a jar of heavy cream that will become
creamy white butter to spread on warm wheat bread. And last but not least, Food
Literacy students learn to appreciate the lowly worm.
A lively work group studies worms in buckets of dirt. There are frequent screeches as
girls and boys toss worms at one another. “A worm peed on me!” one boy says
proudly while Casey, their instructor, leads them in a worm anatomy lesson. “We’re
trying to see which end is the head and which is the tail,” one child explains. The goal
of worm study is to teach children the importance of this lowly creature. “What do we
know about worms?” Casey asks at the close of the worm-awareness session. “They’
re slimy; they have a heart; they eat garbage and turn it into soil!”
Organizations like the Food Literacy Project are helping to change the way
mainstream America thinks about food and farming, Not so long ago, organic farming
and urban compost heaps were the purview of hippie vegetarians. Now the
mainstream omnivore understands the importance of eating organic. We visit farmers’
markets and buy local produce in season. Many of us know someone with a compost
heap, even if we’re not quite ready to put red wigglers to work on our eggshells and
coffee grounds. Much of the change in attitude about food is due to educational
programs like the Food Literacy Project that helps children to experience earth’s
bounty and appreciate the lowly worm. Ways to support local agriculture while
improving healthy eating habits
• Become a subscriber of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Subscribers pay
a set price for weekly boxes of 7-9 vegetables (through the growing season) from
local farmers.
www.louisvillecsa.com/
www.fielddayfamilyfarm.us/communitysupportedagriculture.cfm.
• Sponsor a group visit to the Field Day Farm
www.foodliteracyproject.org.
• Start a compost heap
www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/planning/compost.asp.
• Visit a farmers’ market near you.
• Become a member of the international slow food movement www.slowfoodusa.org
Vegetable-Stuffed Chard Leaves in Tomato Sauce
(Edible Plant-Parts Burritos)
Created in collaboration with the Food Literacy Project
By Chef Jay Denham at Park Place on Main
At the Food Literacy Project, we like to explore what’s
growing on the farm by finding examples of all the plant
parts that we can eat. For example, in the fall we’ll pick a
leaf of swiss chard for the “tortilla;” inside it we’ll place a
few slices of radish or carrot (root), a bit of sour rhubarb (stem),
a couple of broccoli flowerets (did you ever know broccoli is a flower?),
some cherry tomatoes (fruit), and sliced okra (seed pods).
Roll everything up in the chard leaf, and presto: plant parts burrito!
Here’s a more elaborate version you can make at home!
ROOT:
1/2 cup carrot juice
1/2 cup turnips, 1/4 inch dice (include some turnip stems if you’d like)
LEAF:
4 ea. medium chard leaves
2 tbsp. thyme, chopped
2 tbsp. oregano, chopped
FLOWER:
1 cup cauliflower flowerets
FRUIT:
3 cup tomato, 1/2 inch
1 cup eggplant, 1/2 inch dice
4 cups tomato juice
SEED:
1/2 cup sweet peppers, 1/2 inch dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup okra, 1/2 inch slice
1/2 tsp. hot pepper seed
salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE STUFFING:
Combine the eggplant, okra, cauliflower, sweet peppers,
1/2 of the garlic, 1/2 of the tomato juice, 1/2 of the tomato and
1/2 of each of the herbs in a large sauté pan. Cook on low heat
until most of the moisture is gone and the mixture somewhat
holds together.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Combine the rest of the tomato, tomato juice, garlic, carrot juice,
hot pepper seeds and herbs in a sauce pot and reduce by half.
ASSEMBLY:
Allow the stuffing and sauce to cool. Divide the stuffing into the
center of each chard leaf and fold over three sides of the leaf onto
the stuffing. Now take one side that has not been folded over the
stuffing and fold it over the stuffing the opposite way and roll the leaf
and mixture to the end of the unfolded side. Repeat with the
remaining leaves. Place the stuffed leaves in a casserole dish
just big enough to hold them and pour sauce over them.
Place in a 350-degree oven for 30 min.
Kimberly Crum is a regular writer for Today’s Woman.
You may email Kim at kcrum@iamtodayswoman.com.
Praise for leafy greens and the lowly worm
By Kimberly Crum • Photos by Jolea Brown
THE Field Day Farm is a rural retreat sandwiched in an
unlikely place, between Oxmoor Country Club and I-64. In
order to reach the farm, you drive past manicured golf
greens to a gravel lane that runs adjacent to the highway.
The whoosh of traffic competes with the pastoral scene,
where neat rows of red and green vegetables are hand-
hoed by bronzed young adults in shorts and straw hats. This
combination of highway and fertile fields is symbolic of the purpose of this farm — to
produce “slow-food” in a high-speed world.
Field Day Farm grows eggplant, peppers, onion, beets, kale, radishes, peas,
tomatoes, garlic, and herbs to be sold wholesale and at farmers’ markets. It is a
peaceful place, frequently punctuated by the joyful noise of children from suburban
schools and urban community centers. The farm is partner to the Food Literacy
Project, a non-profit organization that provides educational programs and technical
assistance to children and adults. Food education is based on the belief that hands-
on knowledge about what we eat promotes healthy eating habits and a concern for
the ecosystem.
Food educator Carol Gunderson teaches schoolchildren in the Youth Learning
Garden, where the only rule is “Please touch, smell, and taste.” Pick an edible leaf.
Pull a root vegetable. Nibble a lettuce leaf. Gunderson, a native Louisvillian, had not
planned a career tending vegetables when she first attended Vassar College in New
York. “I was from an agricultural state but knew nothing about farming.” From a
distance, she began to appreciate Kentucky’s agricultural traditions, its culture, and
unique beauty. She volunteered at an organic farm, brought bluegrass music to the
Hudson, and wrote her graduation thesis about tobacco farming. After graduation,
Gunderson worked as an intern at the Slide teaching farm in California. She is now
the executive director of the Food Literacy Project, an organization she founded in
2006.
Gunderson’s partner is tenant farmer Ivor Chodkowski, also a native Louisvillian. He
employs farm interns to help produce a plethora of products, using sustainable
farming methods that improve, rather than deplete, the topsoil such as natural
fertilizers and pesticides. “The kids love to remove the potato bugs,” says Gunderson.
She adds, “Ivor is also a good cook, which makes him a better farmer (because) he
knows how vegetables are supposed to look and taste.”
During a day at the farm, children use all their senses. “What’s that smell?” a child
asks, wrinkling her nose at the sweet aroma of cow manure that drifts across the
breezy fields. Students are urged to touch each of the four plant parts: root, stem,
leaf, and flower. They produce plant-part burritos: roots and stems wrapped in a leafy
lettuce tortilla with an edible floral garnish. “Can you really eat these?” a student asks.
Some participants identify plants in a scavenger hunt. “It’s a carrot!” Others smell the
frilly-leafed fennel, its fragrance like licorice. While making bread, children observe
the action of yeast. They mix, knead, and form doughy creations: a star, a bird’s nest,
and a “little bowl.” They take turns shaking a jar of heavy cream that will become
creamy white butter to spread on warm wheat bread. And last but not least, Food
Literacy students learn to appreciate the lowly worm.
A lively work group studies worms in buckets of dirt. There are frequent screeches as
girls and boys toss worms at one another. “A worm peed on me!” one boy says
proudly while Casey, their instructor, leads them in a worm anatomy lesson. “We’re
trying to see which end is the head and which is the tail,” one child explains. The goal
of worm study is to teach children the importance of this lowly creature. “What do we
know about worms?” Casey asks at the close of the worm-awareness session. “They’
re slimy; they have a heart; they eat garbage and turn it into soil!”
Organizations like the Food Literacy Project are helping to change the way
mainstream America thinks about food and farming, Not so long ago, organic farming
and urban compost heaps were the purview of hippie vegetarians. Now the
mainstream omnivore understands the importance of eating organic. We visit farmers’
markets and buy local produce in season. Many of us know someone with a compost
heap, even if we’re not quite ready to put red wigglers to work on our eggshells and
coffee grounds. Much of the change in attitude about food is due to educational
programs like the Food Literacy Project that helps children to experience earth’s
bounty and appreciate the lowly worm. Ways to support local agriculture while
improving healthy eating habits
• Become a subscriber of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Subscribers pay
a set price for weekly boxes of 7-9 vegetables (through the growing season) from
local farmers.
www.louisvillecsa.com/
www.fielddayfamilyfarm.us/communitysupportedagriculture.cfm.
• Sponsor a group visit to the Field Day Farm
www.foodliteracyproject.org.
• Start a compost heap
www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/planning/compost.asp.
• Visit a farmers’ market near you.
• Become a member of the international slow food movement www.slowfoodusa.org
Vegetable-Stuffed Chard Leaves in Tomato Sauce
(Edible Plant-Parts Burritos)
Created in collaboration with the Food Literacy Project
By Chef Jay Denham at Park Place on Main
At the Food Literacy Project, we like to explore what’s
growing on the farm by finding examples of all the plant
parts that we can eat. For example, in the fall we’ll pick a
leaf of swiss chard for the “tortilla;” inside it we’ll place a
few slices of radish or carrot (root), a bit of sour rhubarb (stem),
a couple of broccoli flowerets (did you ever know broccoli is a flower?),
some cherry tomatoes (fruit), and sliced okra (seed pods).
Roll everything up in the chard leaf, and presto: plant parts burrito!
Here’s a more elaborate version you can make at home!
ROOT:
1/2 cup carrot juice
1/2 cup turnips, 1/4 inch dice (include some turnip stems if you’d like)
LEAF:
4 ea. medium chard leaves
2 tbsp. thyme, chopped
2 tbsp. oregano, chopped
FLOWER:
1 cup cauliflower flowerets
FRUIT:
3 cup tomato, 1/2 inch
1 cup eggplant, 1/2 inch dice
4 cups tomato juice
SEED:
1/2 cup sweet peppers, 1/2 inch dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup okra, 1/2 inch slice
1/2 tsp. hot pepper seed
salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE STUFFING:
Combine the eggplant, okra, cauliflower, sweet peppers,
1/2 of the garlic, 1/2 of the tomato juice, 1/2 of the tomato and
1/2 of each of the herbs in a large sauté pan. Cook on low heat
until most of the moisture is gone and the mixture somewhat
holds together.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Combine the rest of the tomato, tomato juice, garlic, carrot juice,
hot pepper seeds and herbs in a sauce pot and reduce by half.
ASSEMBLY:
Allow the stuffing and sauce to cool. Divide the stuffing into the
center of each chard leaf and fold over three sides of the leaf onto
the stuffing. Now take one side that has not been folded over the
stuffing and fold it over the stuffing the opposite way and roll the leaf
and mixture to the end of the unfolded side. Repeat with the
remaining leaves. Place the stuffed leaves in a casserole dish
just big enough to hold them and pour sauce over them.
Place in a 350-degree oven for 30 min.
Kimberly Crum is a regular writer for Today’s Woman.
You may email Kim at kcrum@iamtodayswoman.com.
Ivor’s Heirloom Tomato Tart
“Ivor Chodkowski grows some
of the finest tomatoes you’ll ever
eat,” according to Carol
Gunderson. This recipe can
feature any of your favorite
heirloom varieties, such as
brandywine, Cherokee purple,
or green zebras. This recipe
makes one 10-12” tart.
Tart Crust:
Use your favorite recipe. Ivor
recommends the tart crust
recipe from the Joy of Cooking.
Filling:
2 medium Kentucky-grown
heirloom tomatoes, chopped,
plus a few round slices
1 /2 lb Kenny’s Farmhouse
Asiago cheese, shredded
2 egg yolks
1 pint heavy cream
1 handful of basil, chopped
1 handful of swiss chard or
spinach, chopped and steamed
until wilted, then drained
1 head roasted garlic
(instructions below)
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
To roast garlic, use a knife to cut
off the top 1 /4 inch or so of the
head, exposing the cloves. Then
brush with olive oil, wrap in foil,
and roast at 400 degrees for
about 35 minutes, or until soft.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out
of the papery skin before adding
to tart filling.
While the garlic roasts,
caramelize the onion by cooking
over medium heat in a pan with
a pinch of salt, stirring
frequently. As they begin to
brown, lower the heat as
needed and stir more frequently.
Remove from heat when they
are deep brown and taste
sweet, after at least 10-20
minutes.
Mix the tomatoes, caramelized
onion, and roasted garlic with all
remaining ingredients. Pour into
tart crust, then place a few round
tomato slices on top. Bake at
375 for about 40 minutes, or
until golden brown.
“Ivor Chodkowski grows some
of the finest tomatoes you’ll ever
eat,” according to Carol
Gunderson. This recipe can
feature any of your favorite
heirloom varieties, such as
brandywine, Cherokee purple,
or green zebras. This recipe
makes one 10-12” tart.
Tart Crust:
Use your favorite recipe. Ivor
recommends the tart crust
recipe from the Joy of Cooking.
Filling:
2 medium Kentucky-grown
heirloom tomatoes, chopped,
plus a few round slices
1 /2 lb Kenny’s Farmhouse
Asiago cheese, shredded
2 egg yolks
1 pint heavy cream
1 handful of basil, chopped
1 handful of swiss chard or
spinach, chopped and steamed
until wilted, then drained
1 head roasted garlic
(instructions below)
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
To roast garlic, use a knife to cut
off the top 1 /4 inch or so of the
head, exposing the cloves. Then
brush with olive oil, wrap in foil,
and roast at 400 degrees for
about 35 minutes, or until soft.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out
of the papery skin before adding
to tart filling.
While the garlic roasts,
caramelize the onion by cooking
over medium heat in a pan with
a pinch of salt, stirring
frequently. As they begin to
brown, lower the heat as
needed and stir more frequently.
Remove from heat when they
are deep brown and taste
sweet, after at least 10-20
minutes.
Mix the tomatoes, caramelized
onion, and roasted garlic with all
remaining ingredients. Pour into
tart crust, then place a few round
tomato slices on top. Bake at
375 for about 40 minutes, or
until golden brown.
Easy Bread and Butter
Compliments of the Food
Literacy Project
Making your own bread and
butter is easy and fun Watch
yeast come alive and wonder
about where the other bread
ingredients came from—a
farm, or someplace else? .
On the farm we like to bake
our bread in an oven,
powered only by the sun. You
can find out how to make your
own solar oven at
solarcooking.org/plans/.
3 c flour (a mix of whole wheat
and white, about equal parts
of each)
1 c warm (but not hot) water
2 tsp honey
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
heavy whipping cream and
jars (for butter)
cornmeal for the bread pan
Set up your solar oven so that
it faces the sun and there are
as few shadows inside as
possible. Or, preheat your
conventional oven to 400
degrees.
Dissolve honey in warm water
in liquid measuring cup, then
stir in yeast to moisten. Set
aside for a few minutes to
proof.
Meanwhile, measure out flour
and salt into a large mixing
bowl.
When the yeast mixture
begins to bubble, foam, or
otherwise show signs of life,
stir it into the bowl with flour
and salt.
When dough is getting
smooth rather than sticky, turn
it out onto a floured surface
and knead with your hands,
adding small amounts of flour
as needed to prevent sticking.
Lightly oil the mixing bowl and
place dough in oiled bowl;
cover with plastic wrap and let
rise in a warm place for about
one hour or until doubled in
size.
Form dough into two long
loaves, or let each family
member take a piece of
dough and form it into the
shape of their choice.
If using a conventional oven,
bake at 400 degrees for about
20 minutes, or until golden
brown. In the solar oven it will
need to bake for 30 minutes
or more, depending on the
temperature in the oven and
size of loaves.
While the bread bakes, make
some butter by pouring half a
cup or so of heavy cream into
a jar with a pinch of salt.
Tightly seal the lid and shake
the jar vigorously until its
contents become butter. The
cream will begin to thicken
after awhile, then eventually
the butter and buttermilk will
separate. Just when you think
it’s thick enough, keep
shaking and all of a sudden it
will turn into solid butter. This
should take a good 15
minutes or so of shaking.
Once your bread smells and
looks ready, remove from
oven, let it cool a bit, and enjoy
with the fresh butter.
Compliments of the Food
Literacy Project
Making your own bread and
butter is easy and fun Watch
yeast come alive and wonder
about where the other bread
ingredients came from—a
farm, or someplace else? .
On the farm we like to bake
our bread in an oven,
powered only by the sun. You
can find out how to make your
own solar oven at
solarcooking.org/plans/.
3 c flour (a mix of whole wheat
and white, about equal parts
of each)
1 c warm (but not hot) water
2 tsp honey
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
heavy whipping cream and
jars (for butter)
cornmeal for the bread pan
Set up your solar oven so that
it faces the sun and there are
as few shadows inside as
possible. Or, preheat your
conventional oven to 400
degrees.
Dissolve honey in warm water
in liquid measuring cup, then
stir in yeast to moisten. Set
aside for a few minutes to
proof.
Meanwhile, measure out flour
and salt into a large mixing
bowl.
When the yeast mixture
begins to bubble, foam, or
otherwise show signs of life,
stir it into the bowl with flour
and salt.
When dough is getting
smooth rather than sticky, turn
it out onto a floured surface
and knead with your hands,
adding small amounts of flour
as needed to prevent sticking.
Lightly oil the mixing bowl and
place dough in oiled bowl;
cover with plastic wrap and let
rise in a warm place for about
one hour or until doubled in
size.
Form dough into two long
loaves, or let each family
member take a piece of
dough and form it into the
shape of their choice.
If using a conventional oven,
bake at 400 degrees for about
20 minutes, or until golden
brown. In the solar oven it will
need to bake for 30 minutes
or more, depending on the
temperature in the oven and
size of loaves.
While the bread bakes, make
some butter by pouring half a
cup or so of heavy cream into
a jar with a pinch of salt.
Tightly seal the lid and shake
the jar vigorously until its
contents become butter. The
cream will begin to thicken
after awhile, then eventually
the butter and buttermilk will
separate. Just when you think
it’s thick enough, keep
shaking and all of a sudden it
will turn into solid butter. This
should take a good 15
minutes or so of shaking.
Once your bread smells and
looks ready, remove from
oven, let it cool a bit, and enjoy
with the fresh butter.