- Author: Sophie Loeb
Each year, many schools and youth groups venture out to UC Elkus Ranch for a delicious “Lunch-at-the-Ranch” experience. Kathi Baxter, Environmental Science Educator, developed “Lunch-at-the-Ranch” 6 years ago to accommodate those children who had previously visited the ranch and were interested in returning for a different experience. The educational program is designed for children in second grade and above, primarily because participants need to be able to read recipes and use knives safely.
Children arrive at the ranch at 9:30 ready to fill their bellies. Staff take them to the barns, pens, and coops to visit the animals with the specific goal of identifying the kinds of food the ranch produces (lamb, pork, goat's milk for cheese, eggs, cow's milk). The food hike then forays into the garden for a herb, veggie, fruit, and flower harvest, where the young adventurers learn how to pick the outside leaves of a head of lettuce, find carrots that are ready to be harvested, discover which flowers are edible and which are decorative, note the difference between an herb and a vegetable, and more. Staff help the children make the connection between compost and healthy soil that produces nutrient dense fruit and vegetables.
Their baskets brimming with garden goodies, the kids hike back down to the conference center for a break while the parents wash and prepare all the collected produce. Next up is instruction in MyPlate nutrition education, knife safety and proper hand-washing, and then an “Ingredients Walk” along the tables to learn where all the ingredients they didn't harvest are sourced from (e.g., baking soda, chocolate chips, vanilla). The kids then go off to wash their hands (20 seconds at least please!) and then come back to start cultivating their culinary masterpieces. One adult and five to six kids are grouped at each table to chop, mix, and bake their way through delectable recipes like lemon and mint infused water, veggie pizza, salad with a goat cheese and herb vinaigrette, and a wholegrain fruit based cookie – usually chocolate chip zucchini or pumpkin raisin, depending on the time of year. Together, the mini chefs roll out dough, spread sauce, sprinkle cheese and chop, clip and grate veggies, tasting the raw beets or chard along the way to decide if they are yummy enough to add to their dishes. Sampling produce is highly encouraged!
While their pizzas and cookies bake, the kids clean off and set tables with tablecloths, silverware, cloth napkins and a homemade non-edible flower centerpiece. Each chef takes creative license in topping and decorating their creations; some pizza end up with smiley faces made from carrots or calendula petals. The meal is served in courses: salad, pizza, and for a grand finale, cookies and milk. As the kids finish their meal Elkus staff engage the youngsters in a little evaluation – what did you eat that you haven't tried before, what did you put on your pizza today that you would ask for the next time you have pizza, what didn't you like? Staff often overhear: "the next time I go to Round Table, I am going to ask for zucchini on my pizza!" For many young eaters, it is also often the first time they have consumed salad.
The Ranch hosts 14 to 15 of these programs per year, charging $15/child. For qualifying schools, the Ranch offers partial scholarships to ensure access to the program.
“Lunch-at-the-Ranch” aligns with the mission of the Ranch at large: “We are providing a very strong connection between food and how it has grown, engaging kids in the process of harvesting and preparing healthy choices, and throwing in a fair amount of environmental stewardship as we go. Gotta have land and water to grow this stuff!!” noted Environmental Science Educator Kathi Baxter.
“Lunch-at-the-Ranch” is equal parts science and magic. The staff has all materials prepared, printed, and laminated for the kids and parents, shopping lists and garden checklists are used, and a time line is provided and followed carefully to ensure those cookies are on the table before the bus is ready to leave. “To Go” bags are ready just in case.
But the real magic is in the details…. On one occasion, a student asked what was on the menu and promptly informed Baxter that he only ate pepperoni pizza and would not be eating any salad, ever! He even brought his own lunch.
“We went on our tour and came back to the kitchen and when I passed by his table he pulled me over to show me his pizza. It was piled with shredded carrots, bits of broccoli, spinach and tomatoes. We agreed it was a work of art. When it came out of the oven I checked in with his table and asked him how it tasted. Big smile and a thumbs up (his mouth was full!),” reflected Baxter.
Within a couple hours after the group left, Baxter received an email from the boy's mom, asking for all of the recipes they had made.
“I was concerned that he had eaten something he wasn't supposed to but she wrote back right away that prior to this trip there were only 5 (FIVE) foods he would eat. It was the first time he ate salad, pizza with vegetables, and cookies with fruit. She was going that weekend to get soil and seeds to plant a vegetable garden with him and they made their own version of our pizza and salad that night for dinner. She was thrilled!” exclaimed Baxter.
Many of the visiting students leave this program with an expanded palate of vegetables that they are willing to eat. Much of this success starts with the harvesting process which brings kids in direct contact with their food source.
From seed to plate, “Lunch-at-the-Ranch,” is educational, engaging, and no match for even the pickiest of eaters.
“When the kids get to pull the carrots out of the ground or pick the lettuce leaves themselves and then choose how they will be presented on their pizza or in their salad, they are so much more likely to eat those foods…” reflected Baxter.
- Author: Sophie Loeb
Augie Aguilar is a man of few words and exceptional character. His smile, cheeky sense of humor, and positive attitude are endearing; his love of UC Elkus Ranch is infectious. Aguilar, the “jack-of-trades” ranch foreman has spent two decades caring for it.
Ranching runs through Aguilar family veins. Aguilar's father grew up on a farm in Guadalajara Mexico, and sought to pass the tradition onto his son, who, too, was raised on a farm in Half Moon Bay, and by the age of eight, he was driving tractors, and by thirteen, plowing the ground. Aguilar's father taught him how to vaccinate, wean, and castrate animals, and how to work and prepare the ground.
“We had cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats. We used to kill the animals and eat meat from our farm. Those days are over, now you have to go to [a grocery store] and buy meat. I miss those days! My dad used to do the whole thing,” commented Aguilar.
Before his father's passing 12 years ago, Aguilar used to bring his dad to the ranch.
“He was actually telling me how to do things. He would say ‘you're not doing it right!' He would get so mad, he would say: ‘What's the matter with you?' But he was proud,” reflected Aguilar.
Gabriel Aguilar, Augie's cousin, worked for eight years in Aguilar's current position from 1987-1995 before Aguilar continued the lineage as a part-time worker. Fast forward 20 years, and Aguilar has not lost an ounce of passion for stewarding the land and imparting his wisdom on to his own children.
When Aguilar's three children were babies, he used to babysit them at the ranch. His two kids in high school are now interested in pursuing higher education and careers in environmental sciences as a result of “growing up” at UC Elkus Ranch; his 10-year-old, too, is inspired by the outdoors.
Aguilar's eyes lit up as he talked about his family: “My daughter wants an outdoor job like this. My middle guy goes: ‘Dad, when you retire, I want to take care of your job!' Even the little guy wants to be a cowboy. They aren't meant to be inside in an office. They are lucky, not too many kids have the opportunity to have this…”
Aguilar continued, “My wife told me, 'you can retire at your other job, but not Elkus.' She likes it here... whenever I have a big cleaning on the weekend, I bring my whole family out and make a BBQ.”
UC Elkus Ranch really is a family affair; a second generation of Aguilar's may just call it home someday.
To narrow in a few words what Aguilar accomplishes in one day, is nearly impossible. From plumbing to veterinarian work, to cleaning, and construction, Aguilar's knowledge is unreplicable. Aguilar manages to find a solution to just about anything the ranch challenges him with; inclimate weather, water shortages, and oversized pipes are no match for Aguilar's work ethic.
“Sometimes I do it right, sometimes I don't, but I always try,” laughed Aguilar.
Aguilar literally knows the ins and outs of the ranch from the ground up: he witnessed the main lines of the ranch going in when he first started out at the ranch. With the limited resources available, it is amazing what Aguilar can do.
Leslie Jensen, UC Elkus Ranch coordinator, spoke to Aguilar's role on the ranch: “I feel much better when he's on site, because I know if something goes wrong, someone is there to fix it. Augie knows the ranch better than anyone. Just knowing where the pipes are, is huge...he's been places where probably no one else has been around the ranch.”
Aguilar has great appreciation for the ranch family he has cultivated over the years and consequently, fails to see what he does as a “job”. For Aguilar, UC Elkus Ranch means serenity, family, and security.
With a giant grin on his face, Aguilar summed up his experience at the ranch:
“It is the best place to be!”
- Author: Sophie Loeb
Bay Area Science Festival “Insect Respect” Tour at UC Elkus Ranch
UC Elkus Ranch offered its first ‘Insect Respect' tour this past Sunday, October 25th as part of the Bay Area Science Festival's Explorer Days sharing the facility with new visitors from across five counties. Children and adults (30 total) from across the Bay Area came to share a unique hands-on experience gaining a better understanding of the insect world and the many ecosystem services our six legged neighbors provide. Ranch Director Dr. Virginia Bolshakova kicked-off the event with a discussion about what traits make an insect an insect. Live Madagascar hissing cockroaches offered entomological diplomacy as children and adult participants jumped at the chance to hold them! Despite much tummy (or abdomen) tickling, the cockroaches refused to make a hiss!
Virginia and Casey Hubble then led an interactive tour of the Purisima Creek that runs through the Center and provides the life water for the ranch. Everyone was ready to get their feet wet on the topic of stream invertebrates. We learned that many kinds of invertebrates can be found in the stream, and that biologists use certain species as indicators in determining the overall health of a stream. Families participated in a ‘catch and release' survey, collecting invertebrate fauna from in and around the flowing waters to measure the biotic index.
After lunch many kids tested their pallets by eating barbequed insects. These crunchy mealworm snacks are a tasty way to add some protein to your diet, and are a valuable food source in many cultures around the world. Entomophagy, the practice of consuming insects, has served as a nutritional, tasty and safe food source for people for tens of thousands of years all over the planet!
UC Berkeley graduate students, Madison Dipman and Lisa Treidel, led the afternoon tour through the gardens of Elkus Ranch - exploring the micro world of decomposers and pollinators. After learning about the Waggle Dance in bees, both children and adults buzz-waggled around the garden in a tag team game that simulated the foraging behavior of honey bees. A trip through the barn yard led to compost piles where kids were able to sift through the decomposing layers and discover the diversity of insects required to break down organic material. Once fully decomposed, this material becomes Elkus Ranch's ‘Black GOLD' soil amendment feeding our lush gardens. Finally, the tour wrapped-up with some chicken love and goat hugs – an important part of this amazing adventure! Many thanks to our courageous and enthusiastic visitors who made this Bay Area Science Festival Explorer Day a great success! Hope to see everyone back at the ranch one day soon! - Elkus Ranch BARF (Beneficial Arthropod Research Farm) Team
SUMMARY BASF Insect respect tour 25Oct2015