As a high school foods teacher at Golden Secondary, I recently embarked on a culinary adventure with my senior foods classes that turned out to be more rewarding than I could have imagined. It all started with a simple idea inspired by friends trying to offload their massive zucchinis and other excess garden produce.
How It All Began
Knowing that food sustainability and security are important parts of our BC Curriculum, I saw an opportunity to teach my students about using all parts of produce while engaging with our community. I reached out on the Golden Community page, asking for donations of excess vegetables – the biggest squash, weird beets, or imperfect kale people had to offer.
The response from our community was incredible. We received so much produce that what I initially planned as a week-long project quickly expanded into two weeks of cooking and learning.
What We Cooked
Over the two weeks, my students and I worked our way through a variety of dishes:
Week 1:
– Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
– Zucchini Fritters and Muffins
– Roasted Vegetables (including fried beet greens)
– Student Choice Cook using local produce
Week 2:
– Roasted Pumpkins and Homemade Pickles
– Homemade Pumpkin Pie
– Apple Crisp
– A two-day final cook where students used up all remaining produce
Learning Beyond the Kitchen
This project wasn’t just about cooking. It tied directly into our ongoing work with community partners like the Golden Food Bank and Local Food Matters. It also built on our spring initiative where we planted and tended the Golden Secondary Garden Beds.
Through these hands-on experiences, my students gained a deeper understanding of where their food comes from and how to use it all, reducing waste in the process.
A Heartfelt Thank You
I want to extend a huge thank you to our Golden community. Your generosity fed at least 52 hungry teenagers (and their friends!) while providing an incredible learning experience. The students were amazed by the quality and variety of local produce, and I was thrilled to see them so engaged in learning about food sustainability.
This project showed me once again how powerful community involvement can be in education. It’s experiences like these that make teaching so rewarding, and I’m already looking forward to what we might cook
