A Let’s Get Cookin’ Kind of Summer!

In the spirit of back to school and the popular question: “What did you do this summer?” We wanted to share some of our summer fun with you!

Summer is a busy time at Pike Place Market! Among the many great things we got to do this summer, we had the opportunity to work with wonderful youth groups on nutrition, health, and of course have some Pike Place Market fun! The following youth groups came to visit us this summer at the Market:

Each of these groups were recipients of a Let’s Get Cookin’ grant from School’s Out Washington. The grant provided 10 summer school-age children programs serving low-income communities with cooking and nutrition-enrichment activities. The goal of the grant is to increase access to healthy, local foods, increase cooking skills, create and support environments of well-being, and decrease health disparities. Each group arrived to Pike Place Market on different dates and times and got to experience different adventures. Check out some highlights of our summer fun at the Market!

Though each group got a different Pike Place Market experience, but we wanted to emphasize healthy choices and knowledge because awareness of what we eat can go a long way! One of the many activities the kids got to engage in included a fun sugar activity. Sugar may be sweet and tasty, but do you know how much sugar is hidden in popular beverages? Here is Pike Place Market’s very own Dana teaching about the sugar content in popular drinks!

Dana & Sugar Activity — Pike Place Market’s Dana quizzes YMCA kids from the Concord International School on their sugary beverage knowledge.

Sugar Activity — In order to most sugar content to least sugar content, here are the drinks with their sugary content levels!

All groups got to tour the Market, but some groups had time to participate in one of our favorite Market activities–the A-Z food scavenger hunt! (Yes, there are foods at the market for EVERY letter in the alphabet…including Q and X!) The tour introduces our young visitors to some yummy and very diverse food items at Pike Place Market. Check out some of our favorite finds below!

Fresh locally grown blueberries from Sidhu Farms in Puyallup, Washington! — Summer is berry season! Here are fresh locally grown blueberries from Sidhu Farms in Puyallup, Washington!

Doughnut Peaches from Martin Family Orchards — We’ve all heard of peaches, but have you heard of the Doughnut Peach? These flattish peaches are locally-grown and from Martin Family Orchards in Orondo, Washington. Doughnut Peaches are also known as Saturn or UFO Peaches! They are fun to look at and delicious to eat—a true summer favorite at Pike Place Market!

Meet the Romanesco! The kids learned how nature has math in it! The number of spirals on the head of Romanesco follows the “Fibonacci sequence.” It’s a cruciferous vegetable related to cauliflower and broccoli. $4.99/LB may seem costly in comparison to cauliflower and broccoli, but it actually requires more room to grow—you know, to look that beautiful and all!

What’s the fun in only seeing great food? The kids got to sample foods, talk to vendors, and listen to talented buskers in the Market.

Alaskan Crab Tasting from the Pike Place Fish Market Guys — The guys at the Pike Place Fish Market gave the YMCA kids from Bailey Gatzert Elementary a real Market treat—Alaskan crab!

Chat with Andrew at Britt's Pickles — The YMCA kids from Concord International School chatting with Andrew of Britt’s Pickles learning about vinegar vs. salt brine pickling processes and probiotics! The kids asked great questions like, “How do pickles get sour? Are pickles good for you?” One of our young visitor also reminded the group, “Yogurt has probiotics too!”

Greek yogurt tasting! — Boys and Girls Club kids from Rainier Vista tasting different Greek yogurt flavors at Ellenos!

Meeting Buskers! — Kids from the Horn of Africa Services meeting a human statue busker!

Listening to Buskers! — YMCA kids from Bailey Gatzert Elementary listening to buskers in front of the first Starbucks store!

Alm Hill Gardens with Max and Dana — YMCA kids from Concord International Schools meets Max of Alm Hill Gardens. Dana asks the kids, “Tomatoes, thumbs up or down?” Their answer, “Thumbs up!”

Not only did groups get to learn about new and interesting foods and meet vendors, but they got to see how you can easily transform food items into healthy meals and snacks. Some of the kids had the chance to select fresh fruits and vegetables from vendors to make their own healthy wrap for lunch, each group got to do something unique that involved preparing food.

Ellenos yogurt with Sidhu Berries — What a snack! Each group got to see how easy to put this snack together. Locally made Ellenos Greek Yogurt with locally grown blueberries and blackberries from Sidhu Farms!

Picking up Tomatoes from Alm Hill — YMCA kids from Concord International Schools selecting fresh tomatoes from Alm Hill Gardens to add to their lunchtime wraps!

The kids who had the opportunity to buy food for their lunch and snacks used Pike Place Market Bucks!

Build your own wrap assembly line! — Meals can be quick an easy! Some groups got to make their wrap or burrito for lunch during their visit here at Pike Place Market.

Making spring Rolls with Chef Diane — YMCA kids from Concord International School got a special lesson and learned how to make fresh spring rolls from Chef Diane LaVonne in the Atrium Kitchen! Pike Place Market’s Shiro assisted during the demonstration.

The students from Rainier Vista’s Boys and Girls Club got hands-on in the Pike Place Market’s Atrium Kitchen and made a Southwest Quinoa Salad!

Boys and Girls Club at Rainier Vista making Southawest Quinoa Salad! — From chopping garlic to boiling the quinoa, Boys and Girls Club at Rainier Vista had fun making Southwest Quinoa Salad!

Boys and Girls Club at Rainier Vista made Southwest Quinoa Salad — Presenting the Boys and Girls Club at Rainier Vista’s newly-famous Southwest Quinoa Salad! Ta-da!

Thank you to all the groups that visited us this summer! We hope you had as much fun as we did learning about food, nutrition, and the Pike Place Market community! Also, a special thanks to School’s Out Washington for helping us get cookin’! Before we sign off, here’s a view of how lovely our summer days were: