Each tiffin is $15. For every tiffin we sell, we donate $5 to the Brooklyn New School. Public schools are dealing with major budget cuts, and need support from their communities more than ever.

Did you know? Celery can lower your blood pressure! Celery contains compounds called “phthalides”, which can help relax the muscles around the arteries and allow blood to flow at a lower pressure. So keep on munching for good health.

Visit our blog to learn more…

Did you know? Peas were one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetables?  He grew more than 30 different types of peas in his garden!

Garden peas were first found in Asia and the Middle East, and are thought to be one of the first crops ever cultivated.  In the Middle Ages, peas were dried and saved to be eaten when there was a lack of food, or when there was a drought. Today, Canada produces the largest amount of peas, and India is the largest buyer of peas as they are used in many of their traditional dishes.

Why they are  great:

Peas are legumes and a part of the “fabaceae” family along with lentils and chickpeas. They are filled with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, B, C, E, zinc, potassium, iron and they contain omega 3 fats, which helps strengthen and maintain the health of our brain. Peas have great protein and fiber, keeping us full and giving us energy.  They help our hearts run smoothly, strengthen our bones, help our skin glow, and better our night vision!

Peas grow:

best in full sun and in soil that drains well. After choosing the type of peas you want to grow, you can plant them in early spring when the soil is warm enough for you to dig 1-inch deep holes, 3-4 inches apart.  Peas like to climb! Place a few poles around your peas and they will grow up the poles. Water them with ½ inch of water every week, and once you see flowers, you know it will take three weeks for pea pods to start growing.

Eat them:

There are three types of peas that we commonly eat: garden, snow and snap. Garden peas are flat and need to be shelled from their pod in order to eat. Both snow and snap peas can be eaten raw, and are very crunchy! They taste great when sautéed in vegetable broth for 3 minutes, or mixed with a vinaigrette, added to a frittata, pureed into soup, or mixed with brown rice or pasta. At Butter Beans this month, we are serving them raw on the cold bar, steamed as a hot side, and mixed into our creamy alfredo sauce.

How to pick fresh peas?

Look for firm pods that are vibrant green and smooth. Place them into your refrigerator in a plastic bag, and they will last around a week.

We will be harvesting peas in abundance this summer at our Food + Garden camp. There are still spaces left for adventurous 7-12 year olds. Click here to learn more.

If you already know that you want to sign, here is the link.

If you want to read compelling research that sheds light on why sugar not only makes us fat, but can make us sick, click here to read an article published in the NY Times yesterday: Is Sugar Toxic?

Jamie’s letter:

Dear Food Revolutionaries,

Too much sugar is threatening the health of our kids and we’ve got to do something about it.¹

Flavored milk, the chocolate and strawberry milk which is served for breakfast and lunch at school, is sweetened with sugar that kids don’t need and just adds extra calories to an otherwise healthy drink.

The facts deserve to be taken seriously. According to the National Dairy Council, flavored milk contains about 4 teaspoons of added sugar; plain white milk² doesn’t have any added sugar. It also contains colors, flavors and artificial sweeteners that don’t add any nutritional value. Check out the label and you’ll be able to see for yourself.

Many parents don’t realize this, but chocolate milk has the same amount of sugar as a soft drink (that’s the added sugar plus the natural sugar contained in all milk). Just one additional soft drink per day increases a child’s obesity risk by 60% and is a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes³.

But there is something we can do. Join me in asking schools to promote plain, white milk instead. Help spread the message that wholesome, plain milk is best and that sugary, flavored milk should only be enjoyed as an occasional treat.

Support the Food Revolution campaign to bring back plain milk in schools:

www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com/SugaryMilk

Big Love,

Jamie and the Food Revolution team

Sources

1.The Harvard School of Public Health has shown that there’s strong evidence that sugar-sweetened drinks contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

2. The National Dairy Council says that on average, an 8 ounce serving of chocolate milk contains about 4 teaspoons of added sugar. You can read their Flavoured Milk in Perspective reporthere.

3. There’s been a 10-fold increase in childhood diabetes in the last 20 years; and one additional soft drink per day increases a child’s obesity risk by 60%, according to the Harvard Public Health Review.

There is an abundance of creative operations happening around us. This July, thanks to a wildly successful spring break trial run, we will host a month-long Food & Garden camp. We will travel around our city meeting and learning and eating from local gardens, farms and markets. If we are to congregate in urban centers, we must find a way to do so sustainably. If we include our children in the thinking and planning and creating process (and we feed them good food so they can fully participate in this thinking and planning and creating process), I am quite confident we will find that balance.

Wherever you live, get your green on this spring! Plant some seeds, buy a plant, eat some greens and go for a walk. This is the season of great potential – if a tiny plant can grow its way up through concrete.. imagine what you can do.