Food $ense KidsArtichokesWritten by Kelsey Rich RDBrought to you by the Utah Food $ense programPart 4 of the Preschool Obesity Prevention: Incorporating Fruits and Vegetables into Family Mealtime

ObjectivesParticipant will:

1. Participate in a cooking/food sensory experience and sample food.2. Participate in a physical activity or game that reinforces food concept.3. Identify food name through reading, writing or other activity.4. Participate in a food exposure experience by doing an art, craft or other activity.

Teacher Instructions:*Background facts and information for the teacher is included on page 6.

This curriculum is to be used in a variety of ways. If time is limited, pick one food experience and one activity to supplement. Each activity is to be approximately 10-15 minutes. Additional activities are included in the back of this lesson that can be substituted or included in the lesson.

Required Materials: Introduction materials (page 2). Ingredients for recipes and materials for food demonstration (page 4). Physical activity materials (page 2). Reading/writing activity materials (page 3). Art, craft and other activity materials (page 3). Take Home message (page 6). Utah Food $ense – required paperwork for program.

Optional Supplemental Materials: Extra artichoke picture included on page 10.

Preparation Required: Review lesson plan. Review teacher background information. Gather ingredients and materials needed to demonstrate the recipes (page 4).

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Prepare materials for objectives 2, 3, and 4. Make copies of recipes and take home messages handout you wish to distribute (page4) – enough

for all class participants to take home to families. Make copies of all required paperwork for lesson.

LESSON PLAN

Introduction Time: 5 minutes

Show the children an artichoke. Ask the class: Who knows what we are talking about today? Explain to the children that we are going to talk about artichokes.

Pass the artichoke around and ask them to describe how the artichoke looks and feels. Ask the children: Is an artichoke a fruit or a vegetable? Explain that it is a vegetable and that an

artichoke grows on a thistle plant (show them the picture on page 7). If the artichoke is not picked, it turns into a beautiful purple flower.

Have another artichoke to show the children that is cut in half. Explain to the children that in the middle of the artichoke there is a “choke” and a “heart”. Show them where the choke is (the choke is purple, white, and fury) and tell them that we don’t eat that part. Show the children the heart (below the choke) and explain that this is what most people eat on an artichoke. You can show them an artichoke heart from the store.

Has anyone tried an artichoke before? They can be eaten in salads, pasta, soup, dips, pizza, etc.

Objective 1: Participate in a cooking/ food sensory experience and sample food.Time: 15 minutes

Choose a recipe that will work for your lesson (page 4): o Artichoke Heart Pizzao Spinach and Artichoke dipo Artichoke bruschetta

Objective 2: Participate in a physical activity or game that reinforces food concept.Time: 5-10 minutes Pin the heart on the artichoke.

o Look at the picture found on page 8 and draw it or enlarge it to fit a poster. o Give each child a heart (see page 9 and have them write their names on it. Put a piece of tap on

the back of the hearts and then have each child close their eyes or put a blind fold on. Have each child stick their heart on the artichoke poster.

Objective 3: Identify food name through a reading, writing or other activity.Time: 10-15 minutes

Read Artichoke Boy by Scott Mickelson to the children. This book can be found at a local library or purchased online.

Objective 4: Participate in a food exposure experience by doing an art, craft, or other activity.Time 5 -10 minutes Build your own pizza. (Note: This correlates with the artichoke pizza found in Objective 1).

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Have each child make their own artichoke pizza. Recipe can be found on page 4. o Give each child a piece of pizza dough and toppings. Let the children put the toppings

on their pizza. Put all the pizzas on a cookie sheet. Bake the pizza as directed.o You may want to have the children put the first initial of their name on their pizza with

toppings to help keep track of which pizza belongs to which child. o As the pizza is cooking, you can do the other artichoke activities found in this

curriculum. _____________________________________________________________________________Conclusion:Time: 5 minutes

What is it? Where does it grow? What can you make with it? Discussion of food experience—What was your favorite part? Did you like the food?

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact 1-800-221-5689 or visit online at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/.  In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)795-3572.

RECIPES3

TOPIC: ARTICHOKEArtichoke Heart Pizza

*Pizza Dough Ingredients

1 C whole-wheat flour 1 C white flour1 ½ Tbsp Yeast 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp sugar ¾ C water 1 tsp olive oil (OPTIONAL)

*Consider a pre made pizza crust if time is limited.

Pizza Topping Ingredients

16 oz canned tomato sauce½ C mozzarella cheese3 Tbsp fresh basil (optional)½ tsp oregano (optional)1 C artichoke hearts, quartered½ C thinly sliced tomatoes 2 Tbsp black olives

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix all pizza dough ingredients in a bowl. Let rise for 10 minutes while covered with a towel. Roll out into pizza shape. Add pizza toppings. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of canned artichoke, liquid drained1 C thawed, chopped frozen spinach 6 oz reduced fat cream cheese ¼ C sour cream¼ C reduced fat mayonnaise

1/3 C grated parmesan cheese½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes¼ tsp garlic salt

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact 1-800-221-5689 or visit online at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/.  In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)795-3572.

Directions:

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Boil artichokes and spinach in water on the stove until tender. Drain the water. Microwave cream cheese until its soft and warm (1 minutes or so). Stir in all other ingredients. Microwave for another 30-60 seconds. Serve with sliced baguettes or French bread.

Artichoke BruschettaIngredients

1 can of artichoke hearts, drained½ C parmesan cheese¼ C finely chopped red onion¼ C mayonnaise1 load of French bread

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Rinse artichoke hearts in a strainer. Cut artichokes in half. In a medium bowl, mix artichoke hearts, cheese, onion, and mayo. Cut bread in 1/3 inch slices. Top bread with artichoke mixture. Place slices of bread on a baking sheet. Broil the bruschetta for 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact 1-800-221-5689 or visit online at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/.  In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)795-3572.

Preschool CurriculumArtichoke

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Background Teaching Information

Nutrition Facts: Artichokes are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, folate, and magnesium.

Uses: When selecting an artichoke, the criteria is different depending on the season:

o Spring: Choose heavy, compact, plump artichokes that have a nice green color and tightly packed leaves.

o Summer and Fall: Choose artichokes that are conical in shape and that are heavy for their size.

o Winter: Winter artichokes are often frost kissed (white or bronze in color). They should be plump and heavy.

Artichokes should be stored in the refrigerator and used quickly after purchase. Artichokes are not eaten raw. An artichoke has a fuzzy “choke” in the center that needs to be removed prior to consumption.

The choke can be easily removed after cooking. Artichokes can be steamed, baked, boiled, or grilled. They can be served as a stand-alone side dish or stuffed, used in appetizers, dips, stews, and

salads. Artichokes are popular in pasta dishes. They are also often paired with spinach in dips and other

dishes.

Growing/Harvesting: Artichokes grow in rows on a thistle plant. The plant has a long stem with branches that arc out. If artichokes are not picked, the turn into a purple flower. About 15 artichokes can grow on every plant. Artichoke plants prefer a colder environment. Parent plants can be started by seed or by planting a piece of a root in hole. Harvesting occurs 5 to 6 months after the crop has been planted Artichokes are available year-round, However they are at their peak season from February to May

and then again from September to October.

Resources:http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/artichoke/artichoke.htmlhttp://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/artichokes.html?pccid=11&tabid=70&kw=artichokes#top

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This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact 1-800-221-5689 or visit online at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/.  In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write

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USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)795-3572.

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