Farmers Markets Around Atlanta

Have we had enough of these April showers yet? If you can see the billboards through all the rain, you may have noticed that some of the region’s large farms have begun strawberry picking. Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge and Washington Farms near Watkinsville are getting their crops ready, which is a good sign that the various farmers markets around Atlanta are up and running, with fresh fruits and vegetables, salsas, juices, meats, honey, and all sorts of other local vendors selling directly to customers.

My family loves shopping at the Marietta Square Farmers Market. It is open Saturday and Sunday mornings and brings out vendors selling the most wonderful milk, cheeses, jams, and veggies along with the omnipresent King of Pops cart and a local girl who pays for her horse’s boarding fees by selling the best limeade you’ve ever had. Marietta Square Farmer’s Market is a favorite with my family, but there are several other established farmers markets in the city. I asked some of our Children’s Museum of Atlanta staff which ones they like to visit.

The venerable Your Dekalb Farmers Market was many people’s favorite. Hajar Lateef, from our Visitor’s Service staff, told me that she loves going to get all the vegetables and fruits from different parts of the country, and that the selection is unbeatable. “It’s like a candy store!” she exclaimed. Development assistant Alicia Robertson is also a big fan, and particularly enjoys visiting one particular vendor among the ones who sell prepared foods at the market. She loves buying fried garlic plantains from one of the sellers.

Toy Expert Lucreacia Henderson only just started going to Your Dekalb Farmers Market at the beginning of the year. She says “It’s the one place I can find all the natural and organic stuff that I’m looking for in one place,” singling out a particular coconut oil as a favorite. But it’s not all herbs and oils for her, because one vendor makes a particularly amazing peanut butter cookie. “You can see the peanuts in it! I’ve brought home his whole stock!”

While Your Dekalb Farmers Market is the largest in the city many  of our employees visit the smaller ones in their own neighborhoods. Courtney Strickland, also from our Visitor’s Service team, enjoys the “quaint” Sandy Springs Farmer’s Market along with what appears to be all of her neighbors. “If you’re in Sandy Springs, you go,” she told me. Apart from the vegetable sellers, she’s particularly fond of buying fresh, homemade bread and honey.

On the east side of town, Michelle Cherubim enjoys the Stone Mountain Farmer’s Market, and is glad that she lives nearby, because she believes that it has the most variety of any in the city, with foods from many different countries. Daniel Lomax, our newest Imaginator, is particularly fond of the venerable Sweet Auburn Curb Market, which first opened almost a hundred years ago. As writer Christiane Lauterbach explained in a story for Atlanta Magazine last year, manager Pam Joiner reinvigorated Sweet Auburn in 2005 by bringing in small and eclectic restaurants to draw crowds to the produce and the meats. Daniel tells me that he can’t find fresher fish in Atlanta than what’s available at Sweet Auburn.

One thing’s definitely certain: farmer’s markets are hugely popular. So, make sure you get to your local market early enough to beat the crowds and grab some great deals!

More information about Atlanta-area farmer’s markets: AJC

Gardening With Kids

Gardening with children is a very important, and fun, activity to experience with your kids! Exposing children to where their food comes from or how flowers and plants grow allows them to understand and experience a natural process that can help them learn patience, problem-solving, science and an overall appreciation of nature’s way. Gardening can give kids a sense of responsibility, empowerment and accomplishment.

Pike Nurseries is a great place to go locally to get all the supplies you need to begin gardening with children. There are so many ways to begin the process. If the weather isn’t cooperating, plant a garden indoors. Pike Nurseries has a free class on container gardening this weekend! It can be as simple as an taking an egg carton, filling each section with dirt and planting little seeds in each so you can watch the little sprouts come up. Once you decide between planting flowers or food, you need to make sure to have the right soil and space available. And don’t forget about garden protection! Birds love to feast on your hard work, so some kind of cover can be necessary for fruits and veggies.

When you begin to till the soil, explain why it’s good to rough up the soil and how the seeds will need water and good soil to grow healthy roots! Tilling can be an easy activity for a toddler as young as 4. Once you plant the seeds, make sure to keep note of what seeds are planted where. Making little identifiers can be a fun craft project. Or draw the garden in a notebook and keep track with fun illustrations. You can explain along the way about how important it is to plan ahead with watering the garden and keeping any weeds out. This will help with teaching children about responsibility.

A garden will definitely keep kids guessing and wondering as the sprout turns into a little plant and the little plant turns into a flower or fruit/veggie. The important thing is to always remember that the time spent teaching children about the colors, shapes, sizes, soils, tools and tips of gardening is definitely a time to cherish and one that will surely impact their lives in a positive way.

Sources: Mom.me – Tips for Toddlers | Mom.me – 10 Reasons to Garden with Kids | Pike Nurseries – Free Classes
Photo Credit: Pike Nurseries

Q & A with Chef Tanisha!

Cooking With Colors has been one of our most popular programs over the last couple of years. Each “season” of ten weeks sees our favorite local chef, Tanisha Mott, explore healthy eating and nutritious ideas for families. Her sessions are hands-on, with lots of fruits and vegetables for her young helpers to chop and cut. With recipes, tips and suggestions for household kitchens, it’s impossible to finish a class without some new-found enthusiasm for enjoying healthy food. We caught up with Chef Tanisha after her class this week, where everybody enjoyed an avocado dip with endives, along with some samples of jicama for the families to taste.

Chef Tanisha, you’re originally from Jamaica, is that right?

It is. I was born and raised in Kingston, in Norman Gardens.

What were some of your favorite meals growing up?

I loved stewed peas, made with oxtail, stewed beef, and three different kinds of peas, and little dumplings that are called “spinners” in Jamaica. They’re called that because you roll them between your hands in a spinning motion! I also loved callaloo, which is almost a cross between spinach and collards. Once the leaf is all cleaned, you steam it like you would spinach. I love that!

What were some of the first dishes that you remember preparing yourself?

I remember making a mango stewed chicken. I worked for a fashion company, and the CEO offered to pay me if I cooked for one of his events. I was actually eating a mango when he asked me! I loved food and I loved fashion, so my career today is one of my two dream jobs!

What inspired you to become a chef?

My grandmother was always cooking, and she made everybody so happy. I wanted to do that as well, make people happy. I design plates just like I might have designed fashions! My grandmother would work at a counter and I would sit in a little cubbyhole and just watch her as she told me what she was doing. No measurements! She would say, in her Jamaican voice, “’bout so,” or “about so much.” She would always make banana fritters, and they were so ripe! She’d add a little brown sugar, vanilla, and flour.

Of all the classes that you’ve taught with families, what have been some of the kids’ favorites to make and eat?

Believe it or not, the rutabaga stew was the most popular with Cooking With Colors!

(the interviewer raises a skeptical eyebrow)

It’s true! They loved rutabagas! One student actually licked the bowl! Guacamole is always a favorite whenever I have a class, because it’s green and slimy and kids always want to play with it. Number three is my lemongrass steak. You take any kind of beef, and make a marinade with scallions, onion, ginger, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sear it or grill it; I like to grill it. Those are the top three.

If you could change any one thing about our country’s food culture, what would it be?

The way foods are being processed. There’s such a huge variety of food available, but the companies are taking all the good out to make it last longer with preservatives. If only we could go back to eating more natural!

Finally, what suggestions do you have for parents who want to teach their kids about nutrition and cooking?

Definitely have the kids be part of the process! It’s so fun for them, and it’s also easier to get them to eat things when they feel that they’ve contributed!

Thanks so much, Chef Tanisha! There are three more classes in this season of Cooking With Colors, and reservations are required. We recommend calling no later than 72 hours before the class date and time to purchase tickets. You can call our Reservations line at 404-527-3693.

Cooking With Colors: A Traditional Jamaican Dish

A colorful diet is a healthy diet! As a part of the Museum’s Eat a Georgia Rainbow program, local chef Tanisha Mott helps children create colorful and healthy creations with local fruits and vegetables. Cooking With Colors is among our most popular programs, and it returned this week for a new season of ten classes.

Tanisha Mott started right in the world of culinary arts by volunteering at Tavern on the Green and Alison on Dominick Street in New York City. She was born in Jamaica and relocated to New York in 1988 as a high-school student after being awarded a full scholarship to Johnson & Wales. In Charleston SC she spent time in several of Charleston’s top rated kitchens, and she graduated with an AS in Culinary and a BS in business management.

Chef Tanisha has traveled throughout the US following her passion for Culinary Arts. She has cooked for such celebrities as Michelle Obama, Jill Scott, Shirley Franklin and Sonny Perdue with Compass Group as executive chef. She is currently running her own catering and events company, T.N.T. Catering, as well as teaching culinary arts training classes.

We asked Chef Tanisha to contribute a recipe for Growing Into the World and were pleased to receive this popular, traditional meal from Jamaica. Ackees are the national fruit of Jamaica (they are related to lychees and distributed in many grocery stores in cans), and ackee and saltfish is the country’s national dish. Tanisha writes that ackee and saltfish “can be eaten any time or any day of the week. However, in my family it was served as a breakfast on Saturday as my dad play old hits and we talked about our week and upcoming events. Ackee and saltfish is sautéed saltfish (codfish) with boiled Ackee, onions, thyme, Scotch Bonnet peppers, tomatoes, bell pepper and black pepper. It is usually served with a combination of any of these items: Yellow Yam (boiled), Fried Breadfruit, fried or boiled dumplings, boiled green bananas or fried plantains.

“Ackee is Jamaica’s national fruit. In Jamaica the debate continues whether it is a fruit or a vegetable either way it is a beautiful and delicious dish.”

Ackee and Saltfish with Fried Dumplings (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 can ackee (use fresh if you have – about 2 cups)
1/3 lb. saltfish – boneless/skinless (salted cod)
1 medium onion diced
1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
fresh thyme (couple sprigs) leaves only no steam
1 medium tomato cubed
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions Thin Sliced
1/4 medium bell pepper diced
(All items can be found fresh at the local farmers market).

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot boil saltfish in water for 5-7 minutes drain and add more water. Repeat three times or until salty taste is slight.
Clean the ackee. Open can, drain, and rinse with cold water.
Pick up (flake) the saltfish and check for any bones.
Sauté diced onions and sweet pepper.
Add diced Tomatoes, scallion and thyme leafs.
Add saltfish and the ackee, cook over medium heat.
Add white pepper
Serve in a bowl eat with fresh baked biscuits or traditional Jamaican breakfast items such as: boiled yellow yam, fried or roasted breadfruit, boiled or fried dumplings, boiled green bananas and fried plantain.

As a leftover item: It can be baked in a biscuit or croissant as a breakfast pocket.

Don’t miss out on Cooking With Colors, Mondays at 10.30 am. The class is limited to ten children and their adult caregivers. Advanced ticket purchase required, please call 404.527.3693 or email reservations@childrensmuseumatlanta.org for more information. We recommend calling no later than 72 hours before the date and time of the class to purchase tickets, and bookmark the class’s page: http://www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org/parents/cooking_with_colors

On the Road Again: What to Eat

When you are traveling this summer, it’s always a struggle to make sure that your children are eating well. You may feel that drive to slack off a little, because it’s summer! Resist that urge, because this is actually a great time to help your kids learn good habits, and the technology available to us today can help a lot in keeping your family fit and happy on the road.

The phrase to remember is “plan ahead.” Remember when you were kids – you know,  just a few years ago – and road trips meant you pulled over and got some interstate fast food as quickly as possible while roaring ever onward to your destination, or hoping that maybe, somewhere, you’ll find a rest area when somebody in the back seat starts complaining of a growing need for a diaper change? There’s no need to do that anymore. Not even on one of those endless highways like I-16 that are between us here in Atlanta and one of Georgia’s beaches. (We admit that it is possible that some long roads, like those that cross the Yukon, might seem more wearisome and desolate than I-16, but it’s pretty unlikely.)

The first suggestion is to take a few minutes before you leave, looking over your route, and find a better place to stop than the same, over-familiar fast food that’s already available in your neighborhood. Use resources like Urbanspoon or food blogs to find places to eat ahead of time. Don’t think of cheap food as fuel; make your stop a destination. Certainly, you will add a few more minutes to your trip if you sit down and eat instead of using a drive-thru, so just leave a little early, and enjoy a meal at local barbecue joint or a meat and three, and enjoy some vegetables instead of a greasy bag of fries.

With that in mind, keep an eye out for local farms along your route.  Let’s say you’re traveling north into the mountains on US-23.  Between Gainesville and Dillard, there are at least five places to stop for fresh fruits and vegetables.  Take a few minutes at either a large farm or a small roadside stand, and get a basket of strawberries or blackberries instead of bags of potato chips and candy from a gas station.  A note of caution, however: if your family is anything like mine, you might end up with a back seat full of unintentional jam, preserves, and jelly from some of these farms!

On a related note, wherever we go (and we travel a lot!), my family plans ahead for what we call “Baby Mercy Breaks.”  Whether it’s just ten minutes to get a few wiggles out or an hour or more of leg-stretching, knowing in advance where we can find a highway rest area, state park, or even another children’s museum in another city is incredibly helpful, and keeps everybody in the car sane and happy.  Don’t just use them for quick restroom breaks; plan to stop and get some exercise for a few minutes!

It’s a really great, sensible idea to tack on a couple of hours to your drive to eat well and play well.  Just plan ahead and make the journey as important as the destination!

Image Source: Lane Chapman Blog

Kids in the Kitchen

In the hustle of everyday life it can be hard for busy parents to take time out to teach their kids basic cooking techniques. Cooking requires time, patience, and some extra clean-up, especially with the little ones. I have been working with children in the kitchen for over a decade and am a true believer that all of the extra work is worth the time and effort.

Cooking with your kids can help get them interested in trying new healthy foods they might normally turn away. I have seen this happen countless times, and when kids are involved in cooking their meal, they take ownership and are more likely to eat the foods they prepare themselves. Of course children would rather choose snacking on chips and cookies over veggies any day. Wouldn’t we all?

That’s why I like to teach them hands-on techniques of how to cook and eat everyday healthy whole foods that make their bodies feel good and grow strong. I have discovered that if you make it fun and exciting they will want to come back and cook with you again and again. I turn up some of their favorite music and I invite them to party with me in the kitchen. I have started cooking with children as young as 1 years old. I give them little tasks, whether it’s breaking up lettuce, or putting the carrots I just chopped into a measuring cup or bowl, mixing, and gathering ingredients from the fridge and pantry; children really just love to help. You can let your child practice cutting with a butter knife, and also let them taste the ingredients you are using, of course avoiding the raw eggs and meats.

While you have their attention, it is a great opportunity to talk to them about the ingredients and where they come from. It is also a great way to teach them their colors, numbers, flavors, and important kitchen safety rules. “Remember sharp knives, and fire are only for adults, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”  I’m personally a big fan of Pinterest and like to let the children pick out what we are going to make from one of my boards that I have filled with recipes I like.

Don’t be afraid to let your kids get involved in the kitchen, even if it means more mess and more time at the beginning. I would recommend starting off small choosing one meal per week where your child will be your helper. Over time, he or she will gain self-esteem, learn about different cultures, and feel like they are contributing to the family.  They will also develop life skills, and will be more likely to try more fresh fruits and veggies.

快乐 Happy Veggie Egg Rolls!

1 tsp peanut or olive oil

2 cups of savoy or green cabbage, chopped

2 cups of shredded carrots

2 cups of bean sprouts

4-5 shiitake mushrooms stems discarded caps thinly sliced

1 can of water chestnuts, chopped

2 tbsp green onions, sliced

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp corn starch

1/4 cup warm water

14 egg roll wraps

sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce (for dipping)

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Once hot add the cabbage, sprouts, carrots, chestnuts, ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to wilt but still remain a little bit crisp. In a separate small bowl combine the corn starch with the water and mix thoroughly. Add the corn starch mixture and soy sauce to the pan along with the green onions. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place two tablespoons of the cooled mixture on the center of the egg roll wrap. Fold the bottom up over the filling. Next, fold the two sides over, making it look like an envelope, then roll it up like a burrito. Have a little bowl of warm water next to you, dip your finger in and use a little bit of the water to seal the edges closed.

Place egg rolls on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn them over. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Serve with sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce. Enjoy! Xiǎngshòu! 享受