Cleanin' up the yard - HUGE thanks to the CRCD!

[slideshow] We can't express enough gratitude to the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD) crew who came out to the Ralph Bunche House yesterday to clean up the yard!  Since RootDown LA did a "soft" take-over of the house last spring, we've only had so much time and so many resources to get the place sorted out after it had sat empty for more than a year.

The back yard in particular, had become grown over and dumped on - ginormous avacados fallen to the ground, thousands of leaves stacked so thick we didn't know what was beneath, and sadly, some beer cans and remnants of late night visitors who'd been taking advantage of the house's empty state.  The recycling bin, even, had become home to a hen and her eggs.

Our CDPH Network for a Healthy California grant is allowing us to expand our programming at Jefferson High further into the surrounding community via the Ralph Bunche House.  While the house will go under more significant renovation sometime in the next year, for now we just want to keep it tidy and presentable for all who come to cook, grow and eat healthy food with us.

Which reminds us - DO come join RootDown LA for Food Day on October 24th!  HOUSE PARTY!

Party for Food Day at the Ralph Bunche House!

On Monday, October 24th from 2-7pm, RootDown LA is hosting a house party at the Ralph Bunche House to celebrate the new Food Day. RootDown LA is super grateful to have use of the Ralph Bunche house for its programming this year.  The house is just a half a block from our home school, Jefferson High, where students get horticultural/garden design lessons from RootDown peppered into their science, art and design classes during the school day.  Then they come hang out after school and learn how to make all those garden veggies taste better when they learn our simple cooking techniques.

[slideshow]

Today was a perfect example of why we're so grateful Ralph Bunche left the community a house in which we can all now cook and eat together - we're building community!  Our older youth leaders, new high school students, their siblings, one parent, and two younger neighborhood boys all dropped by to chop up peppers, onions and zucchini and sautee them all with chicken to place on a bed of jasmine rice.  We all sat around a table and ate together, relaxing and enjoying the company on this unusually hot LA afternoon.

We're going to take it up a notch on the 24th.  Come join us at 1221 East 40th Place to eat, cook and hopefully dance a little (or a lot).  Bring your friends.  Bring your favorite homemade or healthy store-bought food or beverage to share.  Also consider bringing your own non-disposable plate, cup and silverware so we can reduce waste.

Find out more about this event on our Facebook page.  RSVP there or on the Food Day site.

You don't need a Masters to make a quesadilla!

[slideshow]

Yesterday we had SO much fun sharing our approach to nutrition education with the USC School of Social Work. Thanks to Jason Lipeles for inviting us in with our bags full of veggies.

Occasionally we get an audience that's pretty food savvy already.  We have a brief moment of fear - do we have anything to teach people who grew up on farms and whose parents taught them to cook?  They may know already about local foods, or understand you get more nutrients from whole foods than you do from processed foods. STILL we always find, there's plenty of room to further expand their veggie preferences.

Several students had never grated beets (grating is one of our techniques for getting the nasty veggies to taste better - yes, tasty grated beets - no cooking required!).   One student assured us she did not like tomatoes.  We gave her a cherry tomato plain and it was true, her squinched up face confirmed she was not a fan.  Then we handed her one with salt and she popped it in her mouth, "Yeah, it tastes better."  She smiled.  That's what we're aiming for - to help people have a BETTER experience with healthy food so they just may want to eat it more often!

A HUGE shout out to Farah El Khatib, who admits she has been VERY fortunate to have a mother who does all the cooking at home.  So much so, that Farah had never (until yesterday) learned to cook.  We started her off with onions (because she said she doesn't like the smell of onions.)  "We don't either" we assured her, "that's why we're letting YOU cut them."

She sauteed (another of our techniques) the onions in a hot pan until they were caramelized (technique). Then we threw on some bell peppers  and summer squash ("yellow stuff" as she called it).  Farah single-handedly (save for the grating of cheese and slicing of tomatoes done by her classmates) made quesadillas for the rest of the class.  Several of the crew commented, including our own newest staff member, Jasan Givens, that they didn't expect such simple quesadillas to taste so good.

Yeah, we don't mess around with our veggies at RootDown LA!   You're gonna wanna eat 'em!