Culinary Camp 2010

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Day 1

The last week of camp started out with a bang as campers were introduced to our fabulous garden and beautiful hens. They learned all about local crops, the importance of eating healthy foods, and.... COMPOST!!

Then we headed up to the kitchen to cook up some delicious Spanish paella, roasted potatoes, rice pudding, and chocolate zucchini bread. Yum!

Day 2

After a last minute change in plans, campers traveled to Kraut Run, an organic farm in Wentzville, MO. They learned all about local organic farming and had the opportunity to help farmer Chris pull carrots, sift compost, and spread mulch on his farm. Despite the hot weather, everyone had a great time!

Everyone also got to pet one of Farmer Chris's chickens. At one point, she started making all kinds of noise, and when Chris asked her what was the matter, she laid an egg right into his hand!

Back at SLU, we learned how to make our very own homemade Italian spinach ravioli with fresh pesto. Delicious!

Day 3

What an amazing experience campers had this morning! We were all treated to an incredible talk by Katie Rodriguez Banister, a local woman who was involved in a serious car accident when she was 25 and became a paraplegic as a result. The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" was certainly apparent: she shared her experiences both before and after the accident, and even though she has lost the use of her legs and most of her arms, she is an extremely tenacious and inspirational person. Everyone left with a much greater understanding and appreciation for individuals with a disability like hers.

The rest of the day was filled to the brim with cooking and healthy eating. Early in the morning, campers merged their gardening and cooking skills in a yummy concoction... edible dirt!

Whitney shared with us the benefits of local produce and all of the ways we might access such food.

In the kitchen, we cooked up a delicious pita bread with homemade hummus, apricot honey cake, and Israeli cucumber salad.

Oooh... those lemons were sour!

Day 4

Thursday is always a day of giving... and campers had the chance to do that in two major ways today. The first was through campus kitchen, an organization that receives food donations from local grocery stores, cooks it into meals, and delivers it to people living in St. Louis who are unable to provide food for themselves.

Our second way of "giving back" was... WORMS!! After much anticipation, we received a delivery of oodles of worms that will be used in our compost bin. Throughout this summer, we have been saving all of our food waste from the kitchen and placing it into a compost accelerator. Now we will give all of that food to the worms so that they can transform it into beautiful soil for use in our garden. In celebration of these new worms, we held a worm party out back to welcome our worms to SLU.

Day 5

Today marks the end of a great week and a great summer - it's the last day of camp! We started off the morning with a not-so-sweet smelling manure that will benefit the soil and help our plants grow big and strong.

Then, we made a few sweet treats to serve at this afternoon's parent party - strawberry crepes and chocolate dipped Madeline cookies.

Since the weather was so nice this afternoon, campers enjoyed some fun in the sun using our slip-n-slide

Afterwards, we put the final touches on our food from the week then celebrated with our parents!

Day 1

India is famous for its rich and colorful cuisine, so today campers traveled east to taste some delicious kheer (rice pudding), naan, savory red lentil dal, and a tangy cucumber salad

One of the goals of Culinary Camp is to improve campers' appreciation for a healthy lifestyle, so this afternoon, campers brainstormed various ways to stay in shape mentally and physically and what they might eat in a well-balanced diet.

Since exercise is a vital piece of a healthy lifestyle, campers went outside after lunch and played a fun game of capture the flag

Day 2

The campers began their day at camp with a field trip to Braeutigam Orachards and Farm Market in Belleville, IL. They picked a lot of peaches, visited baby goats, and played on a lifelike farm playground.

For physical activity, the campers played a variety of different games including Red Light/Green Light, Red Rover, hide-and-seek tag, and a fun hand game

After a busy day outside, the campers got to work in the kitchen. One group make exotic banana packages and a power smoothie, while the other group made sweet potato fries with a tasty peanut sauce and tofu stir fry.

Day 3

The morning began with disabilities awareness in the garden, where the kids got to test out various assistive devices, wheelchairs, and braces and learned how individuals with physical disabilities managed ordinary tasks.

We also got to hold our friendly hens!

Back in the kitchen, we enjoyed a delicious array of Japanese cuisine, including cheesecake, Soba noodle salad, and crispy teriyaki chicken wings

Day 4

Today we used our culinary skills to help others in need through campus kitchen. We made some lemon teriyaki salmon with steamed veggies and a delicious peach crisp. Afterwards, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the pool

Day 5

The last day of camp is always so bittersweet... everyone has had such a great time and is sad to leave, but they are also excited about the grand finale - the parent party!

We started the morning outside in the garden, where we helped water the plants with their favorite (smelly!) concoction: manure tea. Then, planted a few more plants of our own.