All went well. The week is over, my 10 years old has finished her State Tests at school, my 7 years old only cheated once accepting an ice cream cone off a truck in front of her school… one of her friends’ fathers paid for it.

We are a bit tired but extremely proud. Our stomachs shrunk a bit. It is now Saturday morning, we are officially out of the “Below The Line Zone“, but nobody had breakfast yet… the dull headache I had for the past 3 days already kicked in. It is very strange, I know that it is a symptom of hunger, but my stomach it is not recognizing it as such. My guts are making all kinds of funny noises, I know that I need to eat, but I am borderline noxious. The only way I can describe the overall feeling is a mild hangover: you know, when you feel your body needs energy but you are afraid of testing your stomach because of what you did the night before… so you wait, you suffer a bit, and eventually you know that it will pass.

But all I can think of is: what if today was going to be like yesterday? What if tomorrow I still had to count quarters to figure out what I was going to feed my family with? What if I was a single father (or mother)? What if this was just the way, the Below The Line way that my life unfolded on a daily basis? It would really SUCK!

My heart and prayers are today for any single soul that struggles for food, anywhere in this World. I did a week. I think I have learned much and understood a bit. But today I am planning in grilling some pork ribs and finally share a beer with friends. And FUCK I feel guilty!!! I feel more guilt about exiting the tunnel and falling back into my “privileged” way, than happiness because I am going to see my friends and their kids.

Next week is the official “Below The Line” campaign. Debi, I and many other personalities from our industry have committed to participate a week before so we could share in advance our experience, raise awareness and hopefully bring in fans, family and friends to participate and help us in this incredible effort.

I am proud of my family, especially my daughters that never complained and managed to stick with the program for the whole 5 days run.

I am thankful for all the emails and messages of encouragement we have received in the past few days, I am happy to think that in a small way… a very small way, we have contributed a to the cause.

But still, today I will eat whatever I want. And just being able to say “What I want” gives me the chills!

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN AT: WWW.LIVEBELOWTHELINE.COM 

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN AT: WWW.LIVEBELOWTHELINE.COM 

Monday was the euphoria of the beginning. Tuesday was the “look, we are not doing so bad” day. This morning I kept active and committed. I had my lunch of one slice of bread and one slice of mortadella, one glass of leftover broth from last night with an egg scrambled in it. It helped until I started yawning around 3 pm. From that moment on it has been a slow downfall until now. I am now finally cooking 1lb of dry pasta with one can of peeled tomatoes, half onion, one carrot and two celery ribs. Even if I made my soffritto with vegetable oil it smelled good! The bread is almost out of the oven, I am listening to The Black Keys while the sauce is simmering. The dog is looking at me waiting for his dinner… it just hit me. My dog and I are on the same food budget this week. Crap.

Today’s Groceries: 1 can peeled tomatoes $0.99, 1 box generic dry pasta $1.29, 1 lb dry beans $0.99, 1 lb ground turkey $3.69, 1 lb of rice $2.59, 1 jar peanut butter $3.25.

WE HAVE LEFT $6.25 FOR FOOD THIS WEEK. I think I have all ingredients to make meatballs tomorrow. On Friday if everything goes well I will be able to buy some fresh basil for my Pappa al Pomodoro.

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN AT: WWW.LIVEBELOWTHELINE.COM 

Tonight I am cooking with ingredients I purchased yesterday, with the exception of the eggs, which I found today for $1.99; they are white, small, light… I hate it. But I’ll use it.

Dinner: Chicken breast bone broth with home made noodles. I stretched the dough with some water, so I was able to use 3 eggs instead of four. I am also baking a 1.5lb loaf of bread. I hope that when the broth is ready I will be able to scrape some meat off those bones.

Our family budget for the rest of the week is now $19.05. Tomorrow I will have to buy new stuff for the lunch boxes, maybe a couple of apples, and possibly some dirt cheap meat. I also need rice and beans.

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN AT: WWW.LIVEBELOWTHELINE.COM 

The day started off with one cup of thin coffee with no sugar. We decided to invest in milk and renounce the extra 2-3 morning cups of espresso. Just a half mug to get your day going. Kids had a slice of bread with jam (no butter) and a glass of 2/3 milk and 1/3 water.

For lunch we forced our kids to eat their public school hot lunch or ask for help from friends. If we were in fact living Below the Line our daughters would qualify for free lunch at school, so for this week I cut a check. Debi, Robert and I had one thin slice of bread with one slice of mortadella and drank water. It is about 4 in the afternoon and our stomachs are finally starting to growl.

It is almost dinner time. I will still be baking about 1.5 lbs of unsalted bread, but instead of 1 big loaf I will bake two smaller ones: they will last longer and slice smaller. I will cook a lentil soup, revised for the occasion. I will use less than half of the regular amount of soffritto, I will fry it in vegetable oil (no olive oil this week) I will dilute 1 lb of lentils in 10 cups of water, and only use a crust of cheese to flavor the soup. No shaved parmesan or fancy drizzles once the soup is ready and served. I will shrink the size of the plates, and serve dinner into cereal bowls instead of regular soup bowls… so it will feel great to get seconds.  Last but not least I hope (expect) to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

These are the groceries I have done so far today. I already have spent over $10 but many of the ingredients will last me for five days (coffee, sugar, oil, flour), some of them will end up in lunch boxes or in other meals (carrots, celery, mortadella)… the chicken bones are for a broth with noodles. If I manage to save for some eggs, or find them cheap I will make them myself, at least I have flour!!! Today I shopped in three different places, I had to walk a bit but I managed to find cheap items within a 20 block radius from my home. It took time but my improvised pantry for this week feels manageable for the moment.

Herbs: 1 celery, 1 red onion, 2 carrots, 1 bunch of parsley (wilted, I negotiated on this one) $3.79

Meat: 10 thin slices of mortadella, 1lb chicken bones $2.66

Various: 1 package coffee , 1 lb Lentils, 1 jar strawberry jam, 5 lb flour, 250 ml vegetable oil, 1/4 whole milk (probably hormone saturated)  $10.01

TOTAL EXPENSES APRIL 22nd – $16.46  REMAINING BUDGET $21.04

My husband,Gabriele changed the way I cooked food. The Tuscan Farm life simplicity in cooking was a revelation to me. It is lighter and they often reuse many of their ingredients to create other dishes the next day. Nothing is wasted. Old lettuce is turned into soup, stale bread is used for several incredible, Florentine signature dishes like Pappa al Pomodoro or Ribolita. Meats are grilled, and vegetables are prepared simply and dressed with EVO,salt and pepper. Our children have grown up eating incredibly healthy, have learned how to chop with a sharp knife by the age of 3 1/2. There is a sit down meal everyday at dinner time and we talk. We have been fortunate enough to plan their daily lunch bags, and pack them with healthy food and snacks for school. They go Public School and refuse to eat school lunch. They don’t think it looks appetizing but have sampled it. Even on pizza or spaghetti day, being Italian girls with us as parents, they still refuse. They don’t know what hunger is, or how fortunate they are.
That brings me to LIVING BELOW THE LINE. I thought it important to try to raise awareness to the Hunger Crisis in this country. I want to share with my children what it is like to live on $1.50 per person a day. That means no snacks, practically no green vegetables..nothing fresh.Many of their friends at school have little at lunch and our kids always bring extra to feed them. Now for the next week that will all change for us. I looked at the labels/price tags on my favorite things in my refrigerator today. My blood red orange juice from Sicily was $5.25 for a quart. My Cheese-Pamigiano $10.99, for 1lb.SottoCenere -$9.66, for 1/2 lb.Pomegranate Seeds-$10.26. This list could go on forever. My refrigerators contents are wonderful…but not for this week. This week we will challenge ourselves how to make ends meet on $30 dollars for the family for 5 days. It won’t be easy, but I’m hoping to try to create some good recipes with little, and more importantly, for myself, my husband and children to understand what others deal with on a daily basis .I want to raise awareness on the Hunger issue in America. I am about to go to Washington DC with a documentary called A PLACE AT THE TABLE. I most recently hosted a film about NY desert areas called THE APPLE PUSHERS. I just lent my story and image for the new SNAP program. Its time for change in this country. Everyone deserves to eat well.

Eventually I started traveling as a musician: Brazil, Cuba, Africa, the Middle East and most of Europe. It appeared clear to me very soon that in many of the countries I visited people perceived me as a privileged human being. That did not necessarily carried a bad connotation with it, it just altered slightly the way that ordinary people interacted with me; for many kids I have met while on the road, a single dollar out of my pocket always meant much more that I ever thought possible. And while I do agree that in a few instances (ex. Cuba) the politics of a country are solely responsible for its isolation and the scarcity of resources, I also have to say that to me it has always been more shocking encountering poverty in our “more” developed nations (ex. Brazil and U.S.) where modern society has layered social classes on top of each other in a way that an extremely wide spectrum of living-wages are represented in each and every city.

Our family does not fall in the 1% isle. We are hard middle class workers that for the most part are able to get by and can afford one short vacation every year. We were ready to move back to Tuscany in 2008 when it “Hit The Fan”; we sold our house in L.A. and started making a serious plan for a trans continental move. Incredibly Extra Virgin came to the rescue (talk about timing), and here we still are; over a decade in Los Angeles, and now in BrooklynTown NY. In our continuos pilgrimage of rental homes we have lived in different neighborhoods, we have met many people and observed how much more than ever these days poverty is literally in front of us. It might not be extreme poverty all the times, but the cost of life and the lack of resources for many in our society have shaped an unexpected landscape even in our modern cities.

Or maybe it is just a matter of perception. It all always existed! Now that I am getting older, now that I am married and feel incredibly responsible for the well being of the people I love, only now my eyes are finally wide open. My 7 yrs old daughter a few days ago was digging into the pantry while I was waiting by the front door with her jacket in my hands, late on our way to school. “Hurry up, don’t worry about your snack, I already put everything in your backpack!”. She came running with a pear and a small energy bar in her hands: “This is not for me, this is for a friend. She is always hungry and I want to share my food with her.” From that day on I started buying a bit more snacks to facilitate Giulia in her effort to enjoy lunch at school with her girlfriends.

Food has changed our lives forever. And while we grow in our endeavors, we embrace the opportunity to engage in a conversation about all those people that unfortunately are not able to share like us, on a daily basis, those things that we regard as a given in modern society: food, clean water, shelter, education, medical needs… everything!

When a few weeks ago Debi and I were asked if we were interested in knowing more about the Live Below The Line Project and possibly participating in their campaign we could not be more thrilled. We decided to participate as a family, as a necessary experience for the four of us and I have to say, our daughters are actually excited and a bit scared about the prospected menu of beans, rice, leftovers and whatever else our very small budget will allow for the whole week.

We will be posting on our blog daily, we will host live video chats is collaboration with HuffPostLive, and we will share our experience on all our social media channels.

Join us the week of April 29th to May 3rd if you can and help us raise awareness about this cause. Visit the Below The Line official website to know how to participate.

The challenge? Spend 5 days feeding yourself with $1.50 a day – the U.S. equivalent of the extreme poverty line. We are a family of 4, so our weekly budget will be $30 for 5 days of meals.

The reason? To give a glimpse into the lives of 1.4 billion people who have no choice but to live below the line every day – and who have to make $1.50 cover a lot more than food…

“Live Below the Line is an initiative of the Global Poverty Project, an education and campaigning organization whose mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action against extreme poverty. The Global Poverty Project educates and activates citizens to become effectively engaged in the movement to end extreme poverty, and is best known for its world-class multimedia presentation 1.4 Billion Reasons. This feature presentation has been seen by over 100,000 people since 2009 and is delivered in schools, businesses and communities around the globe.”

It turns out, not much.  Polenta and grits, both products of milled corn kernel, are just two of the many ways mankind delights in incorporating corn into everything.  After all, we drink it in our sodas.  We eat over 1500 pounds of it every year.  Heck, there are even corn products in our shampoos.  While the many modern uses of corn may seem excessive at times, corn, in one way or another, has been at the center of mankind for centuries.  And, as usual, its many uses begin in the kitchen.

Let’s start with polenta.  Essentially a simple corn product of dried kernels, ground until they have reached a desired consistency, polenta has been milled in Italy for centuries.  After the milling process, corn is left in two parts- the flour, and the grain.   Historically, once corn was milled and broken down, the flour was left to the owner of the mill, in exchange for the use of his grindstone.  The remaining grains of polenta were brought home to be cooked.  While the lineage of polenta is often argued (both Venice and Lombardy claim the invention of polenta as their own) one thing is certain- this rustic peasant dish is fiercely loved and adored, especially in Northern Italy.  Sometime around the end of the eighteenth century, a gastronomic society, Academie des Polentaphages, was created to celebrate the dish’s heritage and use.  About a century later another polenta-loving society cropped up, this time with the colorful and patriotic slogan, “First the homeland, then the polenta!”  Sounds like they’re keeping their priorities in order.

The other end of the milled corn spectrum is grits, that true symbol of the American South.  Grits are similar to polenta in that they start off as dried kernels of corn which are then ground to a desired consistency, but the main difference between the two is that grits typically start off as hominy before they reach the mill.  Hominy are dried corn kernels treated with alkali – a process called nixtamalization, which ups the vitamin and mineral value of the kernel, as well as the distinct corn flavor and aroma of the grain.  After the kernels have been treated, they are milled in a grindstone, separating the flour and the grain much like polenta.  The flour is used as cornmeal or extracted further into cornstarch.  The grain is cooked low and slow with lots of liquid and typically set on the breakfast table.  Grits are a staple food of the South and a beloved dish among blue-collar and working class alike.  To cook grits incorrectly is to be labeled as blasphemous.  Most commonly found in the low country areas of the South such as South Carolina and Georgia, grits have an American history that extends as far back as the Pilgrims.  Evidence of corn grits have been found in the writings from Plymouth Rock, as well as writings of John Smith, who described in 1629 being fed a dish by the Native Americans that sounds not unlike breakfast grits.

Yet through all the similarities and differences, the question still remains- which is tastier?  I hate to say it comes down to a matter of preference, but blood runs high when debating these two fanatically loved corn products.  Polenta, a purer grind of corn, has a smoother flavor, and holds up well against heartier dishes like meat ragu.  Grits,while never considered a delicate dish, are perfect as a side.  They hold their own no matter what, whether with a flavorful ladle of boiled shrimp and broth, or a few handfuls of melted cheese.  Telling a Southern man that polenta is tastier than grits is like, well, telling an Italian that polenta is the worst.  It’s just not worth fighting against generations of home-cooked meals.  It seems the only thing that unites these two are their deep ties to the working class; in other words, a strong back and a healthy appetite.

Having eaten there nearly a half a dozen times in the last year, and tried some exceptional wines while doing so, I was interested in getting a more detailed picture of Sardinian wine. With that intention, my girlfriend and I recently ate at La Ciccia and had the opportunity to sit down with its owners, husband and wife team Massimiliano (known to friends as Massimo) and Lorella, to taste some essential Sardinian wines (and, of course, eat some mind-blowingly delicious food).

The couple seems to epitomize the Italian sensibilities of family and food: that everyone is family and they need lots food. Lorella works the front of the house, welcoming you into the cozy dining room with open arms (often quite literally) and a gregarious affection that makes you feel like you’ve just come home. Back in the kitchen, Massimo prepares traditional Sardinian dishes with a mix of specially imported ingredients and local produce, as well as handmade pasta and charcuterie; the cuisine is undoubtedly Italian at its soul, while its Sardinian identity lies in its prominent fish and seafood offerings, as well as the accents on each plate that bely Sardinian tradition.

There are an array of dishes on the seasonally changing menu that are uniquely Sardinian themselves, like the Pani Guttiau, a traditional Sardinian flatbread, topped with rosemary and Sardinian Pecorino. The flatbread is wafer thin and ethereally crispy, a stark contrast to what most people conjure in their minds when they think of ‘Italian flatbread.’ This ain’t Naples, it’s Sardinia; and Pani Guttiau is as far from pizza as it gets. Nevertheless, it is savory and quite delicious, and we quickly finished the plate sent to our table. Accompanied by a glass of Moscato, it was the perfect way to start the meal, whetting our appetites for the hearty food and rich wine that were to come.

Our choice to start was the baby octopus, braised in a spicy tomato sauce. Sardinia’s culinary identity as an island is, quite expectedly, centered around fish and seafood. Octopus is abundant in the Mediterranean, and I would compare Sardinian cuisine’s treatment of it to that of Greece: prepared simply and rustically, with only a few additional ingredients. The plate set before us was just that: a rich, spicy, chunky tomato sauce that clung to the supple pieces of octopus and complemented its inherent sweetness. Chewing it was as enjoyable as tasting it, the meat tender but firm, moist, and somehow still tasting faintly of the sea

To cut the rich sauce and brighten the dish, Massimo selected two Sardinian white wines to send out, a 2010 Vermentino and a 2011 Vernaccia. The Vermentino varietal, said to have its origins in the Garnacha roots of Spain, is planted all over Sardinia and is a large part of its winemaking identiy; it was like crisp, cool air on the nose, with faint caramel notes and clean minerality on the finish.  The Vernaccia, though prominent in Sardinia, is also well known for its Tuscan wines; its aroma was floral, and it was dryer than the Vermentino but shared its minerality, with mild, tart citrus up front that gave way to stone and granite. Both were clean and bright, not unlike Pinot Grigio, but somewhat richer in fruit and depth. Even against the heat in the tomato sauce, the minerality in both wines came through, playing off the hearty plate of octopus and offering a truly regional taste of Sardinia, one that was balanced and exquisite.

With an outstanding start to our meal and our journey through the region’s vineyards underway, we ordered the housemade spaghetti with bottarga. Bottarga is cured tuna roe, but it’s nothing like caviar, aside from its saltiness; think of it as ‘seafood charcuterie.’ It’s aged and compressed into potent blocks that you shave into a dish like fresh Parmiggianno.

The buttery, salty bottarga clung to the al dente strands of perfectly cooked pasta, their umami bringing something indescribable to a plate that was dressed with little more than cracked pepper, chili flake, and a drizzle of exceptional olive oil. Beautifully Sardinian in its simplicity, the dish of spaghetti and cured roe was as rich in tradition as it was in flavor and texture. Much like the octopus, the very act of chewing was as pleasurable as the intense and delicious flavors of the bottarga and the green, spicy notes of olive oil, and even the fresh pasta itself. The dish was so intoxicating that we neglected to even look at our wines until after several slippery, succulent bites.

When our initial ravenousness for the plate of spaghetti was satiated, we turned out attention to the ruby glasses of austere Sardinian fruit sitting before us, both from 2009: the first glass was 100% Monica, a varietal grown almost exclusively in Sardinia and done so all over the region; the second was a blend of Monica, Bovale, and Cannonau. Bovale is another unique Sardinian varietal, though there has been debate as to whether its ancestry may be related to Spain’s Bobal grape; Cannonau is simply is what Sardinia calls Grenache.

I took a big whiff of the Monica and it was like being socked in the nose by a handful of booze-soaked fruit. The sharp aromas of alcohol mingled with those of must that hinted at complexity, while figs and prunes swam around your head, accented by earthy notes of clove; As I sipped, I noticed a little spice in the palate and dried strawberries on my tongue, with mild tannins on the back end. Overall I have to admit I may have enjoyed smelling it more than drinking it, but the pasta dish needed a sharp wine with some acidity to cut through its buttery richness, and this did the trick.

The blend was entirely different, though still managed to complement the spaghetti quite well. Its bouquet was incredibly complex and mildly smoky, with hints of peppercorn, rosemary, and huckleberry, and the scent of leather; it had the faint barnyard mustiness of a big Bordeaux, and the fruit and smoke came together harmoniously, conjuring barbecued meats. If you closed your eyes and breathed in deeply of your glass, you had little trouble imagining yourself in Sardinia, eating and drinking as the entire region does. Then you tasted the wine, and you didn’t care where you were. The barbecued meat harmony was there, amidst almost no tannin whatsoever, surprising for such a bold wine. Its texture was almost as velvety and rich as the spaghetti, and the result was the wine and the pasta competing for the award of “most luxurious.” It was clear that the 100% Monica was a better pairing with the dish, but the blend was luscious and delicious in its own right.

Massimo was serving tripe in tomato sauce as a special that evening, and on his recommendation, we ordered this as our next course. The bowl arrived to the table steaming and piled high, and we stared at it, grinning like the kids in the proverbial candy store, as it was placed before us.

I know that many people have a problem with tripe, or offals in general. Tripe is slow-cooked cow stomach, and for more squeamish eaters, insides are a deal breaker and their pleasures often go unenjoyed due to an inability to get past the picture in one’s head of what exactly it is or where it came from. Whatever the reason, many will pass on tripe; in a place like La Ciccia, I will not. In fact, I don’t think I can come up with a better example of what makes Sardinian food great. Here is a seemingly unattractive piece of meat, one many might lump in with disposable scraps, and yet with the knowledge and skill to cook it slowly, properly, and perfectly, it can be exquisite. Compliment it with a tomato sauce that was prepared with the same meticulousness and tantamount love, and you literally don’t need anything else.

Eating the tripe was a truly wonderful experience. We focused on the flavor of the sauce and the flavor of the tripe, harmonious in the richness they created together. The texture of the tripe was delicate, its flavor comforting; in the most beautiful way, it was like eating a big bowl of the best chicken skin ever in a sauce your grandmother spent all day cooking. Only it wasn’t chicken skin, so instead of feeling awful after eating a whole bowl of it, you felt amazing. Offals can nurture the very soul when prepared right, and this simple hearty, dish was like the biggest bowl of comfort I have ever eaten.

I didn’t think the wines could even come close to sharing the spotlight with the tripe dish, but I was pleasantly surprised. Both showcased richness with balance and finesse, not unlike the tripe, and they were excellent without being the least bit overbearing. The first was a 2010 Cannonau: huge on the nose, with hits of licorice, anise, spice, wood, leather, and cinnamon, it called to mind balsamic vinegar and fig reduction and my eyes closed dreamily as I inhaled. It was stringent on the palate, but low in tannin and alcohol, and it tasted of vanilla and strawberries. Right on target for what I’d expect from a Grenache, it stood up to the tripe but was just as delicious on its own, offering depth and complexity that lingered on your tongue for you to savor and faded away gently.

The second wine was also a Cannonau, this one a 2008. Age had mellowed it and drawn out its complexity: its bouquet was tight but ripe and contained notes of roses and a faint nuttiness, almost mushroom aroma. The palate was soft and round and held a little bit of spice that gave way to ripe blackberries and cherries with minimal tannin but a depth that lasted long after you swallowed. The best, it seemed had been saved for last, and this wine quickly became my favorite.

When we finished and playes were cleared, the waiter brought out a glass of dessert Moscato as well as a plate of cheeses and a different Sardinian honey to pair with each, a wonderful surprise and as quintessentially regional a finish as we could ask for. The Grana Padano was paired with a mild, floral orange blossom honey; the Sardinian Pecorino, with a minty, herbal eucalyptus honey; and the soft sheep cheese with a surprising saffron honey that playfully straddled the line between sweet and savory and subtly danced around your senses. As we tasted the unique flavor combinations, taste epiphanies bursting above our heads over and over again, we chatted with Massimo about Sardinia: its wines, its land, and its people; not surprisingly, all are closely tied to one another, all centered around pleasure and pride in the land. The food and wines coming from Sardinia are not being produced to ship globally or earn fortunes; they are being produced because the people love their land and its bounty, and they know how to create beauty from it.

La Ciccia is a shining example of this concept, as is its chef’s revelation of the Sardinians who make Vermentino , that white varietal so prominent in the tiny island region. “Vermentino,” he explains, motioning with his hands, ” must be grown in very low yields. Otherwise, there’s not enough body and structure.” We nod understanding, and he alludes to the fact that low yields mean low returns. In a nutshell, nobody is really making any money off these wines. “But that’s okay,” Massimo continues. “It’s okay because most are making these wines…” he trails off, searching for the words, then finds them: “making them for sport.”

Nothing is lost in translation: when you love what you do, and you do what you love, you can do it “for sport” because all that really matters are the fruits of your labors… or in the case of these exceptional wines from this bountiful, little corner of the Mediterranean, fruits of the fruits of your labors.

Wines

1. 2010 Vermentino di Sardegna “Lintori,” Azienda Agricola (AA) Capichera

1. 2011 Vernaccia Tirso “Karmis,” AA Attilio Contini

1. 2009 Monica di Sardegna IdN “Perdera,” AA Argiolas

1. 2009 Bovale, Cannonau, Monica Sardegna “Sinnos,” Cantina del Bovale

1. 2010 Cannonau di Sardegna Nepente di Oliena Cantina di Oliena

1. 2008 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva “Blasio” Cantina Sociale di Dolianova

In their own way, students at GSF are actively participating in the food movement sweeping the nation.  They are here to learn what food is on the most basic level.  This garden is a flourishing prototype for what GSF hopes will become a standard for Los Angeles schools.  They’ve set the example and 14 other schools are following in their plow forward.

Spanning more than an acre of land at 24^th Street Elementary, GSF has transformed the asphalt between the schoolyard and the parking lot into an entire ecosystem.  Alongside volunteers, students have cultivated a massive community garden with enough produce to host 6-10 cooking classes per week.  In addition to its own orchard, the garden is comprehensive with habitat plants near food, native and medicinal plants – all coexisting harmoniously together.  GSF plants through the whole year thanks to Los Angeles’ ideal weather.  Sorry to rub it in the rest of the country’s face, but there’s no need to plan through the frost at 24^th Street.

As someone so inspired by her deep appreciation for food, she’s traveled to Rome to study it; Executive Director Julia Cotts’ mission is as clear as it is basic. Fundamentally, she wants to bring kids back to the source of nature, food and community.  She intends to lend justice to food movement and make it something equitable for all.  While GSF does not use any GMO seeds, Julia makes it clear she’s not there to spout doctrine.   GSF is a place for team building where the school, community and parents can unite. The gardens are used for interdisciplinary garden lessons so kids also learn about cooking and nutrition.  Simply put, the hope is that this hands-on approach to learning will steer children toward encouraging their parents to buy them wholesome foods full of nutrients.  They’ll take the lessons they’ve learned at school and practice and share them at home.

Especially important, Julia hopes to give kids at 24^th Street Elementary School a taste of their own history.  It’s a Title 1 school where most of the children live at or below the poverty line.  Many of the students have parents from Central and South America who are migrant workers on farms, including strawberry farms similar to the gardens their children have planted at GSF.  Julia believes “this is a great way for them to harness and treasure their culture.”  And her plans for implementation with the kids are easy to follow and seem to be working:  “Planting seeds; dreaming about what will grow.  Just start there.”

At the end of my day at GSF, while standing with Garden Manager Laila Tamburini, a student approaches a kumquat tree.  Laila says, “okay, just one” from over her shoulder.  Kumquats are so popular they’ve limited each student to one kumquat each.  Coming from a Chinese family, this is quite a sight because I’d always known kumquats as medicine.  The Chinese often preserve kumquats for medicinal uses, not exactly a kid friendly treat.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve personally refused the kumquat preserve drink my aunt has made me to relieve my sore throat.  Yet at Garden School, there is such a demand, students have been relegated to one of these treats at a time. Imagine a world of kids loving fruits and vegetables so much the demand for healthy fruits and vegetables is greater than the supply.  In a country of processed fast food where obesity runs rampant, if this is the kind of candy kids are craving at GSF, then this is what I like to call a quality problem – one I hope persists.

In addition to the work at 24 Street Elementary, GSF is currently spearheading Widney High School’s horticulture program down the street.  They have plans to build a garden complete with a working greenhouse.  GSF is all about creating sustained programming, taking resources available and unlocking their potential. Next up on their to-do list is “Seed to Table”, their book publication coming out in June.  The book is a comprehensive K-5th grade garden-based curriculum that includes 60 science lessons and 60 kid-tested recipes made with ingredients easily grown in any school garden.  It’s likely going to be a book of deliciousness, considering how brutally honest kids are about what they eat.  Here’s to all the silent and vocal warriors of the food movement.

For more information about GSF, whether you want to get your hands dirty, teach a class or make a donation, please visit:

http://www.gardenschoolfoundation.org/