They learned about the science of pickling and preserving, dehydration, pasteurization, canning and ice cream making.
Let's just say the day allowed for a lot of great taste testing for both kids and adults.
The kids made their own blueberry freezer jam (time didn't allow for actual canning with sterilized glass containers) and each took a small container of it home. We've already eaten G.'s entire container and we're working on L.'s now.
Matching dehydrated food with it's whole food counterpart was an interesting challenge. It was not nearly as easy as you'd think, especially when you throw in papaya, which is a less familiar fruit to some kids and looks an awful lot like a bunch of other more familiar stuff.
But pickling, that was the most fun for my kids - and their taste buds. Fino is a HUGE fan of pickled anything. He has been the one to encourage the girls to try his pickled treats because I don't touch the stuff. (I actually had an allergy to a preservative in pickles and condiments when I was a kid and although I've outgrown the allergy for the most part, I never developed a taste for this kind of stuff). My kids however are making up for my pickle-deprived childhood.
G. was hardly a year old when Fino turned over a jalapeno to her (Fino eats them at EVERY meal, including breakfast) and she actually liked it. Neither of the girls are big fans of overly spicy pickled items these days but it's not uncommon for them to eat a bit when they're in the mood. They certainly spent their early years eating plenty of jalapenos (while mom got stuck with some majorly stinky diapers ... thanks daddy).
The pickling workshop included a blind taste testing with Q-tips. Dipping the Q-tips into various containers and then dabbing it on their tongues to guess the flavor prompted a lot of smiles and laughs from all the kids. Kids really do love dipping action.
The true highlight for the 30+ kids at the workshop though was the ice cream making. From measuring out ingredients to churning to the unveiling of the finished frozen product, they enjoyed every step. The kids added crushed cookies (my kids thought that Pampered Chef chopper to crumble the cookies was awesome and are begging me to buy one) and once mixed, very much enjoyed licking the ice cream makers' bowl before really cleaning it up (with soap and water instead of their tongues).
It should not be a surprise that most kids enjoy cooking and learning about food because it's a hands-on (-in) experience. There are some great science and math lessons in the kitchen for kids as well, not to mention a great self-esteem boost to follow recipe from start to finish and have the outcome taste great (which I do admit requires a bit more prep time for the adult to ensure success when the kids are younger).
Over the years I allowed the girls to help me in the kitchen when they were interested, even when it wasn't convenient. Now that they're older, they can actually prepare family meals and it frees me up to get other stuff done. That little bit of extra time early on has far outweighed the benefits these days.
Since this workshop, the girls have been in the kitchen more than usual cooking and baking ... and I couldn't be happier about it.
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