Food & Farming / News & Views / ‘It’s an alien! A spaceship!’ Nope. It’s Romanesco
‘It’s an alien! A spaceship!’ Nope. It’s Romanesco
Students give strange-looking veggie a try during FoodCorps taste test
FoodCorps Diaries | October 16, 2013 | By Meghan McDermott
About the Author
Meghan McDermott is in her first year as a FoodCorps service member working with MLUI. She helps schools feature more locally grown foods in the cafeteria and the classroom.
Recent Comments
- Mark Coe: Having had the oppertunity to present at a local school with Meghan and Leanna, supporting the work Food Corps does is a wonderful thing. They provide a learning oppertunity to our children in agricu...
- Linda Hutchinson: Great! Having been raised on a farm, near Arcadia, I wish my dad who was a Farmer's Market regular in the 60's, 70's and 80's, was here to be involved in the "farm to table" and "local food" initiati...
- Dale Scheiern: It is easy to store and enjoy all winter long too!! Take 1 qt. freezer bags, fill to the point they will lay fairly flat ( not rounded) so they stack easily in the freezer. Local fruit all winter lo...
- Sharron May, The May Farm: You are correct if you are referring to industrial monocultures of animal or plant agriculture which are extractive, organic or not. Fortunately there are small farms pioneering more regenerative prac...
- LillyM: I've been fortunate enough to meet and work with Lianna and hope to meet Meghan. Every FoodCorps volunteer I have met over the years has been incredible. A phenomenal organization with dedicated and...
Nope, it's not an alien. It's Romanesco cauliflower, a strange-shaped veggie grown by Lutz Farms in northwest Michigan. (Photo: Daniel Marbury) |
“It looks like a baby alien!” “A space ship!” “A forest of mini Christmas trees!”
Those were just a few of the remarks I heard when I arrived at Traverse Heights Elementary School in Traverse City to promote the locally grown produce being served in the cafeteria.
What vegetable could provoke such an engaged and dramatic response from hungry students? On Sept. 17, the “baby alien” in question was a head of Romanesco cauliflower, grown by Lutz Farms in Kaleva and served up for lunch.
Romanesco cauliflower, for those unfamiliar with this broccoli cousin, does look a bit extraterrestrial at first glance. It’s easy to see how curious kids might come up with more than a few imaginative identities for this brilliant brassica, with its lime-green hue and a spiky, multifaceted surface. But there’s much more to this funky vegetable than its appearance; Romanesco is rich in vitamin C and contains more beta-carotene than standard white cauliflower.
A Traverse Heights student considers trying the strange-looking Romanesco, served up in the salad bar as florets. (Photo: Daniel Marbury) |
Roasted Romenesco florets were served on the salad bar, and while they cooked version was considerably less alien in appearance, many children seemed wary of adding it to their tray. But with a little encouragement and an interactive display of the variety of cauliflower colors, shapes and sizes, many were persuaded to give this veggie a shot.
And if the colorful spread failed to entice them, there was always the promise of being able to vote.
Ah, the cafeteria tasting vote. The power of the voting booth cannot be overestimated; it gives students a sense of ownership, choice, and autonomy while demonstrating the effectiveness of farm to school education. Encouraging children to cast a ballot for “tried it,” “liked it,” or “loved it” seems to be the tipping point between kids trying a new vegetable and opting out. “If you try just a little bit you get to vote!” usually gets the attention of even the most hesitant child—and a majority of the time all it takes is one tiny bite to convince them that the lime green spiky stuff on the lunch line not only looks cool, but tastes pretty good, too.
We’ve got the numbers to back it up. On Sept. 17, 135 Traverse Heights students cast a ballot; 96 of them voted “loved it,” 11 “tried it” and 28 “liked it.” Not bad for something they thought came from Mars just minutes before casting their vote.
Of 125 students who cast a ballot, 11 "tried" the Romanesco, 28 "liked" it--and 96 "loved" it. (Photo: Daniel Marbury) |
The voting system carries into the classroom as well, though often through raised hands instead of paper ballots. The following week at Interlochen Elementary, I was able to introduce students to the Fibonacci sequence by showcasing natural spiraled beauties like Romanesco in the company of sunflowers, pinecones, seashells, and succulents. By taking a multidisciplinary approach and encouraging children to try new things, we end up with kids learning and discovering something they enjoy—a win for all sides.
There’s another reason I love using the voting system: almost as good as seeing kids’ expressions as they try (and find they love) a vegetable for the first time is knowing that the data you’ve collected will help many of the players involved in farm to school work- teachers, parents, administrators, kitchen staff, and volunteers- demonstrate the very earthly effects of farm to school education.
Meghan McDermott shows off the newcomer to the salad bar, Romanesco. (Photo: Daniel Marbury) |
5 Comments
4007 days ago, 2:40pm | by JoAnne | Report Comment
Yum! And sooooo pretty!
4007 days ago, 2:57pm | by Trina | Report Comment
Very Cool! Great program and great story. I'm 45 and I tried Romenesco for the first time this fall. Loved it!
4006 days ago, 9:14am | by Barb Loe | Report Comment
We've been growing this for years and love it, too. It's my favorite variety, so pretty and good, too!
4005 days ago, 12:18pm | by Mark Coe | Report Comment
Great Job Meghan and Dan!! and a HUGE THANKS for your support to all Lutz Farms
4005 days ago, 9:58pm | by Kathe Wagner | Report Comment
I've tried this and love it.
Good job Meghan