French Onion Soup Sale

CJA French onion soup for sale

Made by CJA students

MAKES A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT

$5 per jar

All proceeds go to CJA’s agriculture program

Email Mr. Dwyer to reserve your jar!

Coop to Table

"Bon appétit!  Today during Task Force we cooked and ate fried and scrambled eggs.  I was being open to growth.  When we started cooking the eggs we first cracked the egg on the side of the pan second we add our pepper while the egg is cooking.  I made a fried and a scrambled egg.  It was delicious.  We also talked about the food system in task force.  Instead of ordering food that comes from a factory which processes all the food, we just grew and made our own food.  The egg cooking activity was educational.  I didn't know how to make my own eggs.  Now I can make my own breakfast in the morning.  MMMMMMMM!"
--Cecil, grade 6

Eggs start with chickens...

...which Casimir collects...

 ...then we walk inside and crack the eggs... 

...add pinch of salt...

...and a dash of ground pepper...

...scramble if desired...

...then cook in a hot pan coated with olive oil...

...and enjoy!

The clean plate club

More Economics, Math, and Food

"In  ATF we did math this week.  We added up all of the things it took to cook our new batch of soup.  It took a lot of math skills but luckily we have a very good math teacher at CJA.  Gourmet Gorilla was willing to let us go into their kitchen and help cook the soup.  That was a good thing because we learned to cook, and also we learned the total cost of everything.  Math is a skill that stays in your life forever."
--Alzario, 7th grade

"We added up the cost and at Gourmet Gorilla we put the ingredients down on our chart.  We put the cost of salt and sugar on the chart but we didn't have the weight when we were at Gourmet Gorilla.  Chef Matt told us the amount later."
--Jamari, 6th grade

Agriculture Program Moderator Featured in Macalester College Alumni Magazine

Mr. Dwyer, the moderator of the Agriculture Task Force, was featured in Macalester College's alumni magazine recently.  Mr. Dwyer graduated from Macalester in 2005.  You can read the article by clicking here.  Check out the photos of agriculture participants at work.

Creating a new batch of soup at Gourmet Gorilla

"Hello readers of Agriculture Task Force.  We did a few things at Gourmet Gorilla but the main thing we did was learn how to make our next big hit: French Onion Soup.  I was cutting onions and all of a sudden, I started watering in the eye.  I always thought it was a myth but boy, oh boy, was I wrong.  It was really tempting to wipe my eyes.  I was really glad to show off my cutting skills.  I really think I would want to do this again.  It helped me because practicing pays off in the future."
--Laron, grade 7

"At Gourmet Gorilla we discussed the ingredients for the French Onion Soup (with bread).  We chopped onions, mushrooms, and pulled thyme.  We tasted soup with delicious bread with the ingredients for the soup.  I think we'll sell a lot of onion soup.  The soup is very good.  A lot of people will buy the soup.  I have been to a five star kitchen and I've been in the kitchen and made my own pizza and I sold more boxes I made."

--Cecil, grade 6

"At Gourmet Gorilla we prepared to make French Onion Soup.  I cup up ingredients to make the soup.  I cut up mushrooms which was very easy.  I also cut up onions and my eyes almost burned off my face.  I also helped get the leaves off the thyme.  I loved getting my ideas and learning how to cut the vegetables, except for the onions.  I have been in the kitchen when my mom was cooking and my eyes were burning.  Also, I practiced my knife skills at home."
--Jamari, grade 6

"We went to Gourmet Gorilla to finish our soup project.  When we arrived we started off adding the costs of the ingredients it would take to make the soup.  Then we washed our hands and helped cut the onions, which was a pain to the eyes.  Others worked on helping pull the thyme.  I think we did a good job.  We took care of business and got the job done, which was our major goal.  It was a fun day.  I even practiced more knife skills.  A connection to my life is like a knife: when I walk down the street, I have to be careful, and with a knife I have to be careful."
--Alzario, grade 7

 Cecil smells thyme

Dakota slices mushrooms 

Chef Matt offers Jamari some tips

Laron tastes the finished soup

Preparing the Garden for Winter

  "We got all the dead plants out of the garden.  We got all the tomato plants up.  Also, we went through the tomato bed and got all the things that were not supposed to be there like tomatoes that were no good, and anything that was not dirt.  We pulled the weeds out of the tomato bed too."

--Alzario

Alzario shows off a late harvest of tomatoes and acorn squash.

"We pulled the roots out because they were dead.  They were old.  They were dry.  Also the soil has to rest during the winter.  I pulled a lot of roots out of the garden's soil."

-Cecil

Laron and Cecil remove a tomato cage.

"I think the soil will rest.  And in the spring we'll start growing more fruits and vegetables."

--Cecil

Cecil composts the garden waste.

Cecil puts tomato cages into storage.

"We also cut the old irrigation pipes and put them into Mr. Dwyer's office.  We are going to use those pipes for our next year's hoop houses."

--Alzario

"I think we are making good use of things we don't need anymore.  So that way we don't have to go out and buy new materials.  And that is a good use for the world because if we don't spend so much money it could go to a good use in the world.  We are using old things for a very good use."

--Alzario

Knife Skills and Soup Tasting at Gourmet Gorilla

"The two goals we had when we went to [CJA's food service provider] Gourmet Gorilla were to figure out which soup we liked the best so we can make a big batch and sell it and to focus on the type of knives we use."
--Laron

"My favorite soup that I tasted was French Onion.  I think the ingredients in this soup were onions, oil, and water.  My second favorite soup was ribollita.  I think the ingredients were carrots, onions, greens, and I would say they were soaked or drained to get the greenish color.  I liked these soups because a few of them really didn't hit my taste buds and my first two did."

--Laron

"My favorite soup was French Onion.  Some of the ingredients were onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  My second favorite was the ribollita.  The ingredients in that one were carrots, greens, salt, pepper, and garlic.  I liked those soups because they are healthy.  All of them had a really nice taste to them, but I think the ATF should produce the French Onion soup.  I say that because it's simple and a lot of people like or love onions."

--Alzario

"I practiced slicing.  I sliced peppers and I had to use an unbalanced knife to slice the pepper.  I put my thumb behind my fingers and pulled the knife as I moved my hand as I sliced."

--Cecil

"I practiced with a bird's beak knife on a grape.  It's shaped like a beak.  It was very difficult.  I think I'll be trying it even more on my knife skills and I did it at home."

--Casimir

"I practiced holding the knife the right way and knowing where to put my fingers in the right way.  I cut a pepper.  Me practicing knife skills will help me in the long run because I want to be a chef someday."

--Alzario

"Matt very likely used a chef's knife all the time."

--Laron

"My thoughts on this trip are that it was very fun and very tasty indeed.  I liked the trip to Gourmet Gorilla."

--Cecil

Composting Chicken Waste

"We used the chickens' poop to put in CJA's compost because it has nutrients that can help the compost to become better soil.  I had to dig up the hard chicken ground and carry it to the compost.  Then I had to fill the bucket with a whole bunch of wood chips and pour back into the spot in the chicken run that I had dug up."
--Cecil

Expanding the chicken run

"We made a big change to the chicken run.  We added more space to the run so the chickens can run around.  The afternoon before we worked on it, Mr. Dwyer put chicken wire around the inside of the school's main fence.  I took pictures of what we were doing."

--Alzario

The original chicken run

The new space

Dakota gets excited

The ATF cooperates to cut chicken wire to the right size

"I cut the wire so that Mr. Dwyer can connect the door that allows the chickens to get from the old run into the bigger run."

--Jamari

Dion contemplates how useful wire can be

"I put the chicken wire together"

--Cecil

"The chickens were very scared at first but after a while they kind of liked it.  I love it because it allows the chickens to be free at last!"

--Jamari

"We did this to make the chickens happier.  They have more room .  Also they do not have to step in their own poop.  This will avoid them getting sick.  This will avoid the coop from smelling bad."

--Dakota

"Some of them were a little happy they had more space.  I think they are going to like it a lot.  And I know they will love it."

--Alzario

Rain Barrel Decoration Contest

"The Illinois Department of Transportation made a contest, and to win we have to make a design to decorate a rain barrel.  Usually when it rains, water goes in the sewer and floods.  But a rain barrel stops that.  Water goes in the rain barrel from the downspout so we can use it later.  We can water plants with this.  When that stops the rest of the water goes in the ground.  Then goes into the lake.  It takes a long time to get there.  By the time it is there it is clean.  If it was in the sewer it would be very dirty, and some people swim in the water in the lake."
--Dakota

"The Illinois Department of Transportation has made a contest to give a school a rain barrel.  Rain barrels help you be able to collect rain.  It then allows you to dump that rain in your garden.  It also helps us in a lot of ways.  When it rains, it goes into the ground anyway.  But we can have the power to dump later when it isn't raining.  This way we can save water for the school.  We can even save water for the whole community.  This is very useful and helpful.  This way we can conserve water.  I love rain barrels!"
--Jamari

Smokey Bacon & Tomato Soup on sale at Friday's Farmers' Market

Friday the 29th of September, the CJA Agriculture Task Force kicked off the sale of it's Smokey Bacon & Tomato Soup.  The sale was a big success; we sold all but three jars!

We've got another batch to sell, so come on down to buy a jar.  You'll get great tasting soup, support local farmers and help CJA students learn about health, sustainability, and economics.

CJA Farmers’ Market

This Friday, October 5th

2:30 dismissal, after the spelling bee

Outside the atrium

Great prices on crops grown at CJA, and

SMOKEY BACON & TOMATO SOUP

What's going on with CJA's chickens?

 CJA students spend time with our hens during recess.  Student photographers document the work.

Mr. Farmer, Coco, and Coretta

Photo by Marquis

Keonnie feeds the chickens some leftover bread

Photo by Marquis

Milaun knows how much chickens love to eat weeds

Photo by Marquis

Rakeem makes sure the ladies have enough feed mix

Photo by Nasir

Hykeem shows off this afternoon's fresh eggs

Photo by Keyshawn

The group is proud of a job well done

Photo by Marquis