Ask anyone if they know where the words organic and slow-food came from, and you might just shrug – at some point they appeared, but when? and how? Truth is, they’ve been around a lot longer than you might think.

It was nearly forty years ago when Alice Waters introduced local and organic cuisine at her Californian restaurant, Chez Panisse. With years of promoting new ways to consume food under her belt soon, she soon embarked on another initiative: changing the way that children think about food, too.

In 1996, Waters challenged the principal  at a a Berkeley middle school to cover an acre of cracked blacktop with a garden. She planted what now is known as the Edible Schoolyard and complemented it with a kitchen, developing a course where students could learn how important it is to grow and prepare fresh foods.

The book begins with Waters’ story of how the garden came together. With the help from David Hawkins, the first garden manager, a group of summer students, they designed it over the course of a summer. It chronicles the all of the Garden’s cherished moments, including the first cooking class day, when Esther, the chef, was horrified to learn that the students would be cooking with kale – she was sure it wouldn’t be the best choice to initiate their palates. (But clearly this was just the beginning).

Waters also recollects moments that forever would change the way the garden grew and the kitchen functioned; she touches on when they received a handful of olive trees, so they could work with the students to cure their own. She also reminisces of the dozens of visitors they have each year, from all over the planet, who have flocked to see the garden (and idea, nonetheless), in action.

Waters dubs what they are doing “Edible Education”, a perfect description for their delivery of food as an academic subject. Since it’s inaugural days, the garden has expanded into classes from all subjects: history, science, arts, and creativity shining in each lesson. They are working, learning, composting harvesting, eating, cooking, and, well, having fun.

But Waters’ voice isn’t the only one heard through the brightly coloured pages, that burst with memories and captured images. Brief student anecdotes make up a section of the book, and are also interspersed throughout the chapters along side photographs of every day garden and kitchen activities.

The include images set off a high level of vibrancy, bringing the reader right into the fresh garden; a photo of a Meyer lemon tree, for example, entices you to want to bite into one freshly plucked from the massive plant, regardless of the post-pucker that will ensue.

Memories of students’ favourite cooking moments are described in rich detail, as the young, budding food connoisseurs they are. “Then I put the first bite of it in mouth and it tasted magical delicious,” one writes. “It was like magic in my mouth.” Another student reflects: “The oranges were so good! They were so much better than in the grocery stores.” Each recollection is honest, heart-felt, and proves the importance and benefit of such a program.

The book also contains recipe lists which display the diversity of what the school really offers the students. Among the soups is a Garden Gazpacho, with Egyptian Pasta with Lentils as one of the grains. Thai Cabbage Salad, Jicama and Mango Salsa, and Sag Paneer are also throughout the recipes, an obvious distribution from all around the globe. Six recipes are included are included in the book.

The last pages display some interesting answers to the question: “What have you learned in the kitchen?” Our favourite was one that summarized the words of all of them put together: “I learn[ed] the value of food.”

If you haven’t learned it yet, you will after reading this book. Kudos to Waters for her innovative ideas, but also providing this book as a resource to others to understand the importance of “Edible Education.”

Published by Chronicle Books
Distributed by Raincoast Books
978-0-8118-6280-6
80 pages
$32.50

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For more information about Alice Waters, her restaurant and cafe, visit her website chezpanisse.com

Explore the official site for the Edible Schoolyard, at edibleschoolyard.org

Check out PBS’s American Masters info about Alice Waters and her revolution.

Youtube captured her recent feature on 60 Minutes, here.

Images courtesy of chroniclebooks.com

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