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Seed to Plate

Seasonal and Preserved Foods: Processing Food throughout History

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Review: Local Food Lesson�

What does local mean?

What are some examples of local food to NYC?

What are some benefits of eating local food?

Are avocados local to NYC?

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Eating Seasonally

Another aspect of local eating is eating according to the seasons, or eating seasonally�

How many seasons are there? How do you think that changes what food is grown locally?

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Eating Seasonally

In NYC, we are a four-season climate�
Farms in the Northeast produce different food in each season

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Seasonal Harvest Calendar

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What season are the most fruits and vegetables harvested?

What season are the least fruits and vegetables harvested?

Summer!

Winter!

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Seasonal Harvest Calendar

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The cold!

It’s too cold in winter for certain crops that grow in the summer, and too cold all the time for citrus, tropical fruits like pineapples and mangoes, bananas, etc.

Why are few fruits and vegetables harvested in the winter?

Are there common types of produce that aren’t listed?

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Food Preservation

Of the food in this picture, what do we see? Does it grow year round or during a specific season?�

How can we change our food to make it last longer?

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Food Preservation

Food Preservation: Methods used to keep food from going bad or being spoiled! �
Changed the world by letting humans settle in one place instead of moving around to find food

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Food Preservation Over Time: Yakhchal

Yakhchal: Ancient refrigerators in Persia (modern day Iran) in 400 BC!
Had storage space underground, shade walls, and ice pools. Made of insulating material similar to clay.

Inside of Yakhchal

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Food Preservation Over Time

Different cultures have preserved food over time�
Ketchup: Comes from a fermented fish sauce from southern China, as early as 300 B.C. Then travelled to Europe along silk road, eventually in 1812 tomato ketchup was invented�
Honey: Ancient Egyptians discovered that honey doesn’t go bad (due to lack of moisture, bacteria, and natural acidity) → in 1922 they discovered honey from 3,000 years ago in King Tut’s tomb!

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Food Preservation

Can you think of preserved foods you have tried?

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Food Preservation: Drying

Oldest way to preserve food: Dry it in the sun
Middle East: dried fruit as early as 12,000 B.C.
Other dried food: meat, fish, vegetables�
Jerky is dried meat – invented by indigenous Quechua people in Peru, called it “Ch’arki” meaning dried meat

Prepared by drying meat in the sun and then freezing it on cold nights

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Food Preservation

Heating: Heating keeps food safe by killing bad bacteria�

Freezing: The low temperatures keep food safe by stopping the growth of bad bacteria

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Food Preservation

Fermenting: A chemical process used to make specific food like bread, vinegar, cheese, yogurt�

Pickling: Preserving foods in vinegar or other acid. Any vegetable can be pickled, but cucumbers are the standard “pickle”!

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Food Preservation

Canning: Foods are put in jars or cans and heated up to a temperature that kills bad bacteria�

Jams and Jellies: Preserved by heating fruit and adding sugar

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How It’s Made: Cherry Jam

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Food Preservation & Seasonal Food

How does preserving food make it easier to eat “in season” all year long?�

By preserving seasonal food from local farms, you can continue to eat local food all year round in a climate like the Northeast that doesn’t grow very much in the winter

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Preserved Food Tasting!

What methods of preservation were used?�

What are the ingredients of these foods? �

Do you like the way they taste? �

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Next Class: Eat a Rainbow

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Questions?

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Seed to Plate is brought to you by . . .

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We are GrowNYC

We protect the environment, create green spaces, help people stay healthy, and give them opportunity to make a positive impact.

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We make it easy for you to have a positive impact.

We are providing outreach and education to increase participation in the city’s zero waste programs and help conserve natural resources.

We are transforming our regional food system and ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, healthiest local food.

We are fostering future environmental stewards by providing thousands of children and adults with opportunities for meaningful interactions with the natural environment.

We are bringing more green space to our city by building and rejuvenating community and school gardens.

Conservation

Education

Green Spaces

Food Access and Agriculture

Our Work

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Sophia Leon�sleon@grownyc.org

GROWNYC PRESENTATION TITLE HERE

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www.grownyc.org

@GrowNYC