by Shayna M.
Fresh herbs add flavor and nutrition to meals, they are beautiful when added to dishes, and many of them have unique fragrances. They are like tiny greens!
Maybe fresh herbs will inspire poems, cooking, or preserving like they do for Sunshine, Tonii, and Erik! Or perhaps the idea of fresh herbs invites container gardening, making observations at the grocery store, or creating art! What fresh herbs are your favorites, or are ones that you are most curious to learn more about?
Learn more about Erik's tip for drying fresh herbs and if interested in growing more fresh herbs from the ones you have, discover how to grow herbs from scraps!
Big thank you to all of the Nourishing Literacy team members who participated in making this video, with extra gratitude to Erik Ildefonzo and Frank Alston Abbott for sharing their skills in editing our Keep it Fresh with Fresh Herbs! video! Our accompanying glossary can be referenced to support creative cooking, writing, and learning extensions.
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Shayna M.
Fresh, frozen, sun-dried, freeze-dried, jelly, jam, milk, ice cream, fruit leather, syrup... strawberries are sweet, a treat, and fun to eat!
A great source of vitamin C, strawberries are a special food with some surprises hidden under their green tops.
The small freckles on the outside of the fruit are commonly referred to as the seeds, yet an individual strawberry is botanically called an aggregate accessory fruit or a collection of small fruits. Each of those small dimples is called an achene, or an individual fruit containing a single seed. This 2-minute video provides a little more information about what this means, and this additional short video gives details of how strawberries grow.
Nourishing Literacy's video, Strawberries Are Our Jam!, shares book, cooking, and craft ideas. What fruit-themed books, recipes, and crafts do you enjoy?
A special thank you to Leslie Walker for joining us in celebrating one of her favorite foods.
Gabby's Quick Jam Recipe
Ingredients
Kitchen Utensils and Tools
Instructions
Handmade Greeting Cards
Shayna's method for making strawberry-inspired cards can be applied to any fruit, vegetable, or shape.
Materials
What materials do you have available? The following list can be used or you can use substitutions that reflect what you have on hand!
Instructions
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Lane
Philadelphia’s Food Service History is Black History
From the Historical Marker Database, photographed by Carolyn Martienssen, June 2015
You might have noticed on South 8th Street a historical marker that reads: “A noted Black caterer, [Robert] Bogle opened a posh eatery at this location in 1813. Recognized for his popular meat pies, he was well known as a master of ceremonies at elaborate weddings, funerals, and banquets for his wealthy clients.” This sign marks not only the location of his food establishment, but the birthplace of the catering industry as we know it today.
Prior to Bogle, catering (as it came to be called only in the 1860s) was organized and executed by private cooks and servants to the wealthy. But there also existed the public butler or waiter—usually a free person of color employed by several households. Sidestepping competition with Irish-Americans in other hospitality service sectors, Bogle appropriated this role of the public butler to corner the market for food service at large social gatherings. When he added his culinary talent, social capital, and entrepreneurial skills, Bogle could only stand to revolutionize the way Philadelphia hosted weddings, banquets, christenings, and funerals.
Though initially known for his terrapin preparations and his funeral direction, Bogle became a leader of the African American community and was praised for his social fluidity and business acumen. He accessed influence too through his establishment, the Blue Bell Tavern, which became the regular meeting place for politicians and Philadelphia’s social elite. A prominent white Philadelphia banker, Robert Biddle, even commemorates how Bogle’s
…reign
Extends o’er nature’s wide domain
Begins before our earliest breath,
Nor ceases with the hour of death…
…
Before his stride the town gives way—
Beggars and belles confess his sway;
Drays, prudes, and sweeps, a startled mass,
Rein up to let his cortege pass;
And Death himself, that ceaseless dun
Who waits on all, yet waits for none,
How hears a greater waiter’s tone,
And scarcely deems his life his own.
…
The smile as bright, as soft the ogle,
But never—never such a Bogle!””
(excerpts from “An Ode to Bogle” by Nicholas Biddle [1837?])
Image from the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Bogle’s new industry gave the African American community entry into higher social and economic echelons as chefs, servers, and entrepreneurs, and paved an avenue for the empire of Black-owned-and-operated catering companies that succeeded his. French West Indian immigrants displaced by the Haitian Revolution came to Philadelphia and made a notable impact on the nascent industry, contributing their training in French culinary arts and service and establishing their own businesses. These companies dominated the sphere by sharing resources and facilities to serve a mostly white, elite clientele with sophisticated and diverse menus—a collaborative organism that would orchestrate Philadelphia events for over a century.
Bogle is credited not only with the birth of an entire industry, but the creation of the Guild of Caterers and training some of the heads of subsequent great Black catering companies: the Prossers, Thomas Dorsey (Jones, Dorsey, and Minton), Jeffery Chew, St. John Appo, and Peter Augustin(e), who inherited Bogle’s throne as Philadelphia’s catering king . Augustine’s venture and high-society restaurant made Philadelphia catering famous nationwide and his kin intermarried other Haitian catering families to make a true dynasty that ended in the 1960s with the Dutrieulle family.
As W.E.B. DuBois notes, the collapse of Black catering empires was due to the shift in clientele from elites to the middle class (causing a drop in prices and decadence in personal relationships with caterers) as well as competition from small, white-led catering companies (84). This should not shade, however, the hand that Black caterers had in changing the way we celebrate with food and the legacy of their forefather, “stern, multiferious” Robert Bogle.
Sources: (available at the Free Library)
Biddle, Nicholas. An Ode to Bogle. (Philadelphia, Priv. print. for F.J. Dreer, 1865)
AF811 B47
DuBois, W. E. B. “The Guild of the Caterers, 1840–1870” in The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study (New York: Oxford UP, 2016). 18-23.
974.811 D8525P3
Harris, Jessica B. “City Food, South and North” in High on the Hog. 118-121
641.5929 H242H
Weaver, William Woys. 35 Receipts from “The Larder Invaded” (Philadelphia: LCP, 1986).
016.6415 W379T
Hines, Mary Anne, Gordon Marshall, and William Woys Weaver. The Larder Invaded: Reflections on Three Centuries of Philadelphia Food and Drink. (Philadelphia: LCP, 1987)
641.013 H589L
by Shayna M.
The Nourishing Literacy team has been creating a short series of audio shares with a focus on children and youth, highlighting skills and qualities that we practice and encourage in the kitchen. These shares include extended reflections and ideas beyond the kitchen context as well.
Our first topic explored is... confidence!
In this video, Shayna offers a journal prompt (0:39), Chrissy provides a kitchen idea (3:07), and Sunshine speaks about some of his experience (4:54).
The reflections shared in this piece feature our individual interpretations of this concept, during a moment in time. These ideas are just a few among the many, many ways that exist to experience and express confidence. We hope that these offerings will spark ideas for listeners, whether directly or indirectly. Maybe something will resonate, or maybe it will bring forward different, unique ideas around the topic of confidence.
If you have prompts, suggestions, and/or reflections related to the topic of confidence—either in or out of the kitchen—please consider sharing these with us: kitchen @ freelibrary.org. If open to it, we invite you to join us in a future audio piece. Additionally, if you have a recipe or cooking skill that inspires confidence, please let us know!
Thank you Sunshine for editing the audio element of this piece, and thank you Erik Ildefonzo and Leanna Marks for helping to edit the video!
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Linda Y.
Did you know that there are important dates in February beyond Groundhog Day (Sorry, Punxsutawney Phil!), Presidents' Day, and Valentine’s Day, where specific foods are celebrated?
Here's just a few to mark on your calendar to celebrate this month!
Drink Wine Day – February 18
Wine was an important drink of the mythical Greek and Roman gods. Drink Wine Day is a time when adults can responsibly enjoy aged fermented grapes, take the opportunity to indulge in a wine tasting, go on a wine tour, or go to a wine bar to order a glass of their favorite wine.
The 24-Hour Wine Expert by Jancis Robinson
From explaining to choosing, tasting, matching food, tips for purchasing and pricing, storing, known wine regions, and more, this book helps anyone learn all that is really important about wine. The contents of this book are presented in a conversational manner from the experiences of Jancis Robinson, an expert wine critic living in London. Robinson is also is a journalist, writes a column for the London Financial Times, and is known to have provided advice for Queen Elizabeth’s wine cellar.
Pennsylvania Wine: A History by Hudson Cattell and Linda Jones McKee
Pennsylvania's local wine history initially began in the 1600s and 1700s. Benjamin Franklin also had a part in the wine history of Pennsylvania, as he praised wine and shared a recipe for making it in Poor Richard’s Almanack. Throughout the history of Pennsylvania, there is the existence of wine produced locally spanning from the shores of the Delaware River to the side of Lake Erie. It is not surprising to know that the Keystone state has a lengthy history of cultivating wine, having been the first distributary in the United States. It is also important to note that there are strict laws concerning the consumption, purchase, and distribution of wines. The book shows a snapshot of the history of the Pennsylvania wine industry as an optimistic one. Cattell and McKee are both wine journalists with different experiences of travel and judging, all to further the industry of wine consumption in the United States.
National Pancake Day – February 25
Repeat after me: "Pancakes are not waffles! Pancakes are not crepes! Pancakes have different names and they're all delicious!" The distinct difference between waffles and crepes is the ingredients and the way the dish is prepared, but people do sometimes mistake them because of their shape or taste.
Pancakes: A Global History by Ken Albala
This is part of an edible food series that also includes an entry for pizza. What makes this a good book is its unwavering homage to pancakes, including its global reach, history, popularity, and influence. What type of interesting toppings are there? Which television shows have featured memorable pancake commercials and restaurants? There are recipes since this is a “cookbook”, but this is primarily a culinary examination of a thin cake that can be flipped in a pan. Recently there was a rather momentous change for a pancake brand in the United States, when Aunt Jemima changed its name and branding (As of 2021, they are now known as Pearl Milling Company.) Author Ken Albala is a history professor but also a prolific writer of food books and a cultural ambassador, especially on his blog Ken Albala’s Food Rant.
Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
Pancakes, Pancakes! is a delightful story of an old-fashioned breakfast. Modern-day pancake mix holds little charm compared to starting from scratch, and young readers will find their mouths watering, and will wish that they, too, could have real pancakes, pancakes!
National Chili Day – February 26
Chili cannot be considered as a soup, regardless of whether or not you may see chili listed on the soup section of a menu. Anyone who makes chili swears up and down that their recipe has a secret ingredient that may or may not include beans, meat, tomatoes, or special spices. On this day, you can add chili as a topping, as a stuffing, an accompanying side dish, or enjoy it all by itself. The idea is to just consume and enjoy chili!
Chili Madness by Jane Butel
Beloved chili. Passionate chili. Hot chili... and not just because of the chiles. Chili, the star of cook-offs, the obsession of societies, and the subject of endless debate over its proper preparation. This book contains over 160 chili recipes, including Reno Red, Buzzard’s Breath Chili, Moroccan Chili, and White Lobster Chili. Take a bite and savor the heat!
Over 100 delicious ways to prepare chili, including celebrity recipes and the championship selections of the International Chili Society. Also, over 150 recipes for what to serve with it, from breads and salads to desserts and drinks.
Celebrating these days can be easy or elaborate, by yourself, with family, or virtually with others. You could either cook something or order something. Foods are basic, life-sustaining, and are a subject that inspires and connects.
Check out #DrinkWineDay (responsibly!), #NationalPancakeDay, and #NationalChiliDay hashtags online for ideas and recipes, and browse our catalog for more books and ebooks on these topics as well!
by Shayna M.
It might be ridichio'lous but puns can be a way to use brain mussels. In the Culinary Literacy Center, food is our muse when we put pen'salt to pepper (pencil to paper!). Do you think that you could create a poem, short story, or other egg'spression using food words in unique ways?
As we already know, Sunshine is a'maize'ing at mixing and matching food puns. This thyme he has created the Fun Pun Kitchen, illustrated by Frank Alston Abbott, with video editing by Leanna Marks.
If interested in receiving a mystery list of food words to try to use in unusual ways, please reach out by emailing kitchen @ freelibrary.org. Please be in touch if you have some fun puns that you would like to share! The more fun puns in the kitchen, the rosemary'ier!
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Monica C.
Can you guess what one of the world’s favorite foods is?
It’s pizza!
Whether you bake it your own, eat it in a restaurant by the slice (or the whole pie!), or buy it frozen from a supermarket—pizza is a popular choice worldwide. There are all kinds of pizzas, and that’s one of its charms: thin or thick crust, with all kinds of toppings, traditional or not. It’s just hard to resist a hot slice of pizza coming out of the oven!
Let's celebrate National Pizza Day with these picture books that may just inspire you to grab a slice!
Rosa’s Big Pizza Experiment by Jessica Spanyol
Follow Rosa and her friends as they prepare pizzas! Each step involves using a skill, from measuring to observation. The activity involves lots of sensory experiences and can inspire readers to make their own pizza!
Every Night Is Pizza Night written by J. Kenji López-Alt; illustrated by Gianna Ruggiero
ebook available from Overdrive
Convinced that pizza is the best food, Pipo will eat nothing else until her fed-up parents send her on a quest to try other dishes in their multicultural neighborhood. She may just discover that "best" might not mean what she thought it meant!
Mitzvah Pizza written by Sarah Lynn Scheeerger; illustrated by Deborah Melmon
Missy is trying to decide what to buy during her weekly Daddy Day. She meets a new friend and learns she can buy pizza for people who cannot afford a slice.
A father and son spend a hot summer day together gathering vegetables and herbs, making pizza dough and sauce, and playing while their pizza bakes in the oven. Includes a recipe for Garden Pizza.
Secret Pizza Party written by Adam Rubin; illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
While Raccoon is eating pizza at his secret pizza party, he sees a masquerade party going on in the house next door to him and joins the fun. Also available as a DVD.
Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig
What do you do when Pete's in a bad mood? When it's raining and he can't go out and play? Turn him into a pizza, of course! Also available as a DVD.
How to Eat Pizza by Jon Burgeman
When a slice of pizza realizes it is about to get gobbled up, it quickly offers a few suggestions on what you can eat instead.
Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party written by Kim Dean; illustrated by James Dean
ebook available from Overdrive
After inviting his friends over for a pizza party, Pete piles his favorite pepperoni topping on the pie he is making. When his guests arrive and add their own toppings to the pizza, Pete begins to wonder if his perfect pizza will be ruined.
Be sure to check our catalog and Overdrive Kids eReading Room for these titles and many more being added.
by Shayna M.
Nourish your literacy by creating stories from scratch—with a seed starter!
Chrissy loves to read, write, and tell stories. Her suggested steps for creating folklore were offered back when she was Talking About Tomatoes!
The story Chrissy started during that time was inspired by tomato seeds. Now this story is a fully grown tale, with twists and turns that might keep you on your toma'toes!
The Nourishing Literacy team has turned Chrissy's story, Madame Marie and Her Magic Garden, into a visual and audio piece to share and It has been so awesome to watch this seed grow!
Huge gratitude to the following amazing people for bringing this seed to harvest:
What story might you be able to create?
Here's an idea to try: listen to Chrissy's story starter in our Talking About Tomatoes! video and design a unique middle and end! What happens to Madame Marie's tomato and garden in your version of the story?
If you would like a customized seed starter for a story and / or if you have a story that you would like to share with us, please reach out to kitchen @ freelibrary.org.
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Shayna M.
What art projects can you think of that involve layers? What recipes have you tasted that include layers of ingredients?
Leanna and Tonii share two ideas for layering, while creating art and recipes in the following video. These ideas might be ones that you want to try or they might inspire different ideas of your own!
Tonii's Layered Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Kitchen Utensils and Tools
Instructions
To prepare the ricotta mixture, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley (if using) until everything is evenly combined. Cover and place in refrigerator until all ingredients are ready for layering.
If using tomato sauce with no additional ingredients added, there is no additional prep needed for the sauce. If adding onion, garlic, and/or meat to the sauce, heat a saute pan over a medium-low temperature and add 1 teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and diced onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the meat, spices, and tomato sauce and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring a few times. Cover and cook for 5 additional minutes.
3. Cook the noodles (skip this step if using no-boil noodles) once the water is boiling.
Tonii’s Tips:
4. Layer!
Depending on the number of noodles that you have and the width of your baking dish, you will create 3 or 4 repeated layers. Be sure to save enough of each layer for 3 to 4 rounds! First, add a layer of sauce to the bottom of the dish.
Tonii’s Pattern:
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving.
For more recipes that highlight layers, check out Mason Jar Salads and More: 50 Layered Lunches to Grab and Go by Julia Mirabella and Casseroles: 60 Fabulous One-Dish Recipes by the Good Housekeeping Institute. What layers of flavors, textures, and colors do you enjoy cooking with or eating?
For inspiration on layering when creating art, Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists: Experimental Techniques for Composition, Layering, Texture, Imagery, and Encaustic by Ann Baldwin is a guidebook that can be referenced by beginners through experts.
Special thank you to Leanna Marks for adding her beautiful, original music to our video and for editing the video for us as well, in addition to teaching us how to layer with poured paint!
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
by Shayna M.
If you like sweet beets, nourish your literacy with extra flavor and spice!
Brocc out with the Veggie Rap! It's a jam, and it might even make you feel butter. Lime for lime you can farro along. Phyllo ears with some grape rhymes!
We are so lucky that Sunshine created the amazing "Veggie Rap!" for us to enjoy. Additional thank you's to Alex Ringgold for designing the beautiful artwork, and to Kait Privitera for the egg'cellent editing.
Nourishing Literacy loves to cook up creative projects together. We hope that the "Veggie Rap!" brings you joy. Please contact us at kitchen @ freelibrary.org if you design a food pun piece that you would like to share. It's possible that the Nourishing Literacy team can help bring it to life for you!
Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.
To learn more about the Culinary Literacy Center, please visit our website or connect with us through Instagram and Facebook.
Pizza Day