It was in the South Bay...
at Wild Willow Farms, which is a small farm near the larger Suzie's Farm. We were interested in this particular opportunity because it involved cooking...
or rather learning how to make liquid nitrogen ice cream, pizza dough and creating mini pizzas using garden fresh ingredients. The farm itself is down Saturn Blvd. You actually have to pass Suzie's Farms. Unbeknownst to us, there is a small athletic field near by. We found the farm without any issues. It was a gray and overcast day which made for nice photos. Unfortunately, I got sick that weekend because it was also chilly.
There is a large covered area in the backwith an outdoor kitchen complete with a pizza oven. The area was set up for making the various dishes that morning but first, the participants (high school students and a few adults) learned about local co-ops versus large scale/for profit farming. It was quite educational.
Th colored cloths you see were actually aprons which the participants were encouraged to wear during their cooking sessions. There was a guest chef who explained the ingredients, procedures and asked for audience participation. We just hung out in the back. We weren't sure if we would just drop off TC but felt a bit wary. We were glad we stayed because not only did we learn about ethical farming practices, we got to sample the volunteers' efforts that day.
This table was set up with the various cooking implements:
Another had beakers full of fresh fruit purees (mango, passionfruit, coconut, banana mango):
Fresh vegetables and fruits:
The chef had the kids made liquid nitrogen ice cream by pouring some of the pureer into a metal bowl which he blasted with icy cold nitrogen. Within seconds, they had ice cream. He also had them make "dippin' dot" (that ice cream confection made of little balls; I personally don't like it but TC still likes that stuff). Here, a student is squeezing drops of the fruit puree into the bowl that was sprayed with nitrogen. Upon contact, the puree balls up and becomes frozen almost instantly.
The pizza oven was in heavy use as well...
The kids learned how to make dough and sauce. In fact, they had to chop onions and peel and chop garlic. I was proud to say that TC's knife skills were quite evident because she knew how to bash and chop the garlic (and remove the skins too) as well as slicing the onion. The other two boys were clueless. The dough had to proof before they could decorate it. The chef and his assistant had some pre-proofed dough set aside so the kids could get started on those.
Here, the chef is torching the tops of the finished pizzas. The folks in the back table were some of the farm volunteers (they welcome volunteers every Saturday morning) who were the main recipients of today's cooking lesson.
One of the pizzas made by the student volunteers, complete with basil chiffonade topping.
One of these had heirloom tomatoes and provolone cheese as well.
The participants also got a short tour of the farm and learned about the many plants and vegetables that grow there.
We learned that this was black sage - an aromatic shrub native to California and common in the Baja region of Mexico. The farm educator said that the Chumash peoples used black sage as medicine (tea or salve) and that the flowers also produce nectar that can be made into honey.
Some of the vegetables we saw that day were so incredibly healthy due to the rich soil and the lack of pesticides. This was chard. My parents would love that!
More chard and mature verdolaga...
Squash and more leafy vegetables (chard):
We even got to taste Goji berries off the vine. They are also known as "wolfberries" and are used commonly in China. I've seen dried goji berries at Sprouts and also in pre-packaged salads at Trader Joe's.
More verdolaga (that was the chef picking up a sprig)...This grows in our backyard. It's hard to get rid of. I know it can be eaten but I consider it a weed. I've had verdolaga as one of the ingredients in a Verde es Vida salad at Bracero. It kind of tastes like ice plants (crunchy and watery and very...green).
Dandelion greens plus more chard (or is that Romaine lettuce).
On a pathway near the kitchen area was this map of the area. The farm itself lies in the Tijuana Rivera Valley. We were pretty close to the border here.
Mural on the side of the bathroom facility:
Here are are few videos of Wild Willow Farm. The first was from 2011 after the farm was flooded.
I liked seeing how much the farm has changed and grown as well as benefited from the flooding. I don't think they have the same activities advertised in the video as they do now though (the difference five years makes, eh).
This segment highlighted how the farm educates the local youth:
It was also cool seeing the young ones get "hands on" with the worms and taking pride in growing their own vegetable garden at school.
Wild Willow Farm and Education Center
2225 Hollister St.
San Diego, CA 92154
www.sandiegoroots.org + the 2 measly reviews from you know where. Consider this post a major supplement to that except I don't do yelp.
Anyhow, we're considering helping to volunteer during the summer weekends. I think it's important to learn and appreciate how food is grown and harvested. TC really enjoyed her experience here and is interested in coming back to help...
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