Kids learn cooking, nutrition at Modesto farmers market

Junior high student Elizabeth Gibson kept a careful eye on the potatoes she fried Thursday at the Modesto Certified Farmers Market.

She is taking part in a summer program that has 30 kids shopping the stalls, learning about nutrition and trying their hand at cooking these items under a chef’s guidance.

“I’m learning how to skin fruits and vegetables, and I’m learning how to poach eggs and how to be careful with knives,” said Elizabeth, who attends Modesto Christian School. She also knows how to safely wield a spatula in a sizzling pan of fingerling potatoes.

The market got a $97,207 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to put on the program, Junior Chef at the Market, this summer and next. It runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday in June and July at the 16th Street venue.

Manager Marie Uber said she applied for the grant out of concern that junior high students are at risk of obesity. The program draws from 11 public and private schools in and near Modesto.

It has support from the University of California Cooperative Extension, which teaches nutrition and food safety, and the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District. The grant pays for the food purchases and the tent next to the market where the cooking is done.

This week, the students picked up basil for a tomato-peach bruschetta at the booth run by Riverbank-area farmer Susan Christensen. This recipe called for Sciabica olive oil from a few booths away, which also went into the aioli for the “smashed potatoes.”

Chef David Bradford, who leads the classes, said a few ingredients have to come from beyond the market. For the aioli, this included miso, which is a fermented soybean paste, and mayonnaise.

The market has supplied plenty for the young chefs. Last week, they poached eggs from Great Valley Poultry of Manteca. The week before, Dave’s Meat Service of Modesto provided ground turkey for tacos. The students have found ingredients for tomato-peach bruschetta, honey-mustard salad dressing and blueberry soup.

Ember Hodge, who is entering Roosevelt Junior High School, said she has liked the tacos best so far, along with the safety tips.

“We learned not to cut onions the way I was cutting them,” she said, meaning her fingers were too close to the knife blade.

Aaron Cover, who attends Brethren Heritage School, also favored the tacos.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I’ve learned food safety. I’ve learned how to cook.”

The students are learning about sugar, protein, healthy fat and other dietary topics. They practice safety around hot water and frying pans. They clean up after themselves, learning about food safety in the process.

“This week’s lesson is on botulism – exciting topic,” said Trina Walley, program coordinator at the district.

Overall, she said, the students “are really learning about cooking and healthy eating and buying local.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Kids learn cooking, nutrition at Modesto farmers market."