Days of Taste at The Dallas Farmers Market

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For the past 16 years, our 4th graders have participated in the Days of Taste program sponsored by The American Institute of Wine and Food. This wonderful program began in France in 1990 with the European "Days of Taste" (Journee de Gout) when chefs from 14 countries visited French children in elementary schools and taught them the basics of taste.

In the fall of 1995 over 50 chefs, local growers and producers worked together with 17 classes at eight public elementary schools (over 500 students) in New York to teach the basics of taste and share their knowledge of food, cooking and farming. "In this age of fast and frozen foods we want to help school children refine their taste buds and learn how and where food is grown and produced," explained Luc Pasquier, Chef at the French Consulate in New York. "We know the education of taste buds begins in infancy, but an awareness of the finer gastronomic points is not innate."

The Days of Taste program was brought to Dallas in 1996. It is a discovery-based program for 4th and 5th grade students to learn about food and how it weaves its way through daily life from the farm to the table. Fourth and fifth graders are "storehouses of information." They have the ability to compare and contrast as well as develop understandings that will remain with them into adulthood.

The objectives of the program are :

*To build a food and nutrition vocabulary

*To learn about locally grown foods

*To experience and compare tastes

*To develop "taste memories"

*To provide social food experiences around the table

*To provide a foundation for children to make healthy/nutritious food choices

*To introduce the basic concepts of food safety and sanitation

*To establish a connection between classroom lessons and careers related to the food industry

Weeks before our trip to The Dallas Farmers Market,  lessons in our garden class involved discussions about healthy diets, the 5 food groups and eating a balanced meal. This served as a review from prior lessons since health and nutrition is an important part of our curriculum every year.

Fruits and vegetables were discussed and students identified the different parts of plants that we eat. The different types of farms and what is grown or raised on them were also discussed. Food safety tips about cooking certain foods to a safe internal temperature to make sure harmful bacteria are killed were also discussed.

The days for our field trip finally got here. Two classes went on Oct. 1st and the other 2 classes went on Oct. 2. We took a bus to the demonstration kitchen at The Dallas Farmers Market. We were met by Chef Karel Ann Tiezen and volunteers. Chef Karel led the group in discovering their taste buds and the many flavors that awaken them. The students participated in trying many different flavors individually and mixed.  

After the experiment, each group of 5 students was given $5.00 to take to the farmers' stalls below to shop with their volunteer. They looked for fruits and vegetables that they wanted to add to a bowl of whole wheat pasta that would be their lunch. Colors, textures and flavors were considered in their choices. Many students tried some vegetables for the first time and found that they really like them.

After making their selections, the groups made their way back to the demonstration kitchen. The volunteers washed all the produce and they were ready for slicing and dicing.

Some groups had more than they needed for their dish so they traded for produce they didn't buy. A delicious buttermilk dressing was made to add to their pasta salad. When the preparations were completed, it was time to wash hands and set the table. Milk and a whole wheat roll were added to their meal and the chow down began. All of the students enjoyed their meal and were proud of what they did to prepare their own meal.