Students explore a variety of greens to identify their structure and function in plant growth and prepare, cook, differentiate, and enjoy the health benefits leafy greens have to offer. Grades K-2

leaf: the flat or needlelike part of a plant where photosynthesis happens

leafy greens: broad term for plant leaves eaten as a vegetable

sauté: to fry lightly in a small amount of fat (oil, ghee, or butter) in a shallow open pan

A leaf is a part of a plant that is responsible for photosynthesis, a process in which plants convert sunlight into energy. Plants can make their own food! Humans cannot do this of course. We absorb our energy and nutrients primarily from the foods we eat. We can eat the leaves of many plants, many of which are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers.

Leafy greens are any kind of leaf that are edible to humans. However, not all leaves are edible! For example, potatoes are delicious but their leaves can make people very sick. As you would imagine, most of the time leafy greens are green, but there are varieties that can be other colors, like purple or red. For example, bok choy, red lettuce, or red kale.

Leafy greens can be eaten in salads, sandwiches or wraps, cooked or sautéed, added to soups, smoothies, juices, hummus, guacamole, or sauces, used as garnishes, or made into pesto or kimchi.

1. Use the Leafy Greens Slideshow to show a variety of leafy greens to give the students a glimpse of their abundance and diversity (see the list below for examples). Tell the class that they will look at three leafy greens in more depth. Leafy Green Examples:
   • arugula, bok choy, cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens (cruciferous greens)
   • radish greens, beet greens, carrot tops, celeriac greens, turnip greens (taproot greens)
   • many varieties other than iceberg and romaine, including butterhead, red leaf, green leaf, Bibb, Boston, and oak (lettuce greens)
   • dandelion, endives, frisee (chicory)
   • amaranth greens, spinach, chard (amaranth)
   • parsley, cilantro, basil (herb greens)
2. Explain to the students that there are many different types of leafy greens and they contain important vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy. 
3. Choose three different greens to observe closely. Select one that can be sautéed for Activity 2. Spinach, collards, and red lettuce or kale are good choices, as well as rainbow chard, arugula, and mustard.

Activity 1: Observing Leaves

1. Pass out or display the three leafy greens students will observe closely. If the greens come in a package, like spinach, there should be enough to hand out to each student. If the green comes bundled with several leaves such as kale, pass one leaf out to each table to share.
2. Provide paper or have students use their science notebooks to write and draw pictures of their observations in these areas:
   • Visual 
     • Observe the stem color, shape, and size (some are thick, some are thin)
     • Observe the leaf color, shape, and size (some are big with jagged edges)
   • Touch/Texture
     • Observe and feel the texture of the leaf (some are rough, some are smooth, some are thick, some are thin)
   • Smell
     • Smell the leaves and record observations
   • Taste
     • If appropriate/allowable students may choose to take a small bite from each leaf and observe the taste
   • Compare and Contrast
     • Complete a 3-Circle Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the different leaves
3. Ask the students to think about why plants have leaves. List their ideas on the whiteboard and ask the students to record these functions on their paper or in their science notebook. Examples include:
   • Leaves collect sunlight for photosynthesis (leaves help plants make food)
   • Leaves can be food for humans and animals (not all leaves are edible)
   • Leaves provide habitat for animals and insects
   • Leaves can make a plant look attractive

Activity 2: Cooking Leaves

1. Ask the sudents if they have ever tried leafy greens. Have them share ways that the greens have been prepared. Examples include:
   • Spinach can be used in smoothies, fresh in salads, on sandwiches, with pasta, baked in quiche or pastries, stored in the refrigerator, blanched, or frozen for later use.
   • Kale can be used in stews, dips, hashes, in a salad, or baked into chips.
   • Chard can be used in soups, omelets, sautéed on the stove, or the leaf can be used as a wrap.
2. Ask the students to give ideas about where and how they can get leafy greens to eat. Examples include:
   • Grow in a garden
   • Farmers market
   • Coop
   • Grocery store
   • Restaurant
3. Explain to the students that once you have leafy greens, you need to eat, cook, or store them before they spoil. 
   • Storing Leafy Greens
     • Refrigerate: If you're not going to eat your greens right away, you can store them in the refrigerator. This will keep your greens fresher longer. Store greens in the refrigerator unwashed and rinse and dry them just before use. 
     • Freeze: It's possible to keep some of your greens even longer by freezing them. They should stay good for several months, up to a year. Some leaves can be frozen whole while other leaves should be blanched before freezing.
     • Blanch: A process of cooking where you boil a fruit or vegetable in hot water for a very short time and then place it in icy water very briefly to quickly cool the vegetable down. Blanching helps further keep the color, flavor, and texture of the food. Blanched foods usually last longer than unblanched foods.
   • Ways to Cook and Eat Leafy Greens
     • Raw: A whole food that has not been processed, cooked, or significantly changed from its original form. A carrot picked from a garden is raw. A carrot cake is not.
     • Bake: To cook food with dry heat, typically in the oven.
     • Sauté: To fry lightly in a small amount of fat (oil, ghee, or butter) in a shallow open pan.
     • Steam: To use boiling or simmering water, typically on the stove, in a way that allows the steam from the hot water to rise and cook the food. The food does not touch the boiling water in the pan, rather it is heated by the very hot steam rising from the water below.
     • Grill: Cooked on the rack or grate of a grill or over a fire. Cabbage and kale can be cooked this way.
     • Ferment: One way to make your greens last longer. Fermented foods are produced through the controlled environment and growth of "good" bacteria.
     • Juice: This requires a special machine to break down, grind, and press the leafy greens into a juice. Many different types of leafy greens can be juiced!
4. Explain to the students that they will be putting a new vocabulary word (sauté) into action by cooking and eating sautéed spinach. (Spinach can be replaced with another green such as chard or kale.)
5. Show the students the ingredients and supplies that will be used to make the Sautéed Spinach recipe.
   • Ingredients
     • 2 lbs spinach
     • 2 tbsp olive oil
     • 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 cloves minced (optional)
     • 2 tsp salt, to taste
     • Pepper to taste
   • Supplies
     • Knife and cutting board if mincing garlic (optional)
     • Electric skillet, and perhaps an extension cord. (If you do not have access to a skillet, you could enjoy the greens fresh and make a salad with your class instead of cooking them. Choose 3-4 fruits and vegetables to add in.)
     • Spoon for mixing
     • Bowl to place the cooked spinach in
     • Sample cups to serve and students can use their hands to taste
6. Have the students wash their hands.
7. Turn on the electric skillet.
8. Once the pan has warmed, add olive oil.
9. If you are using fresh garlic, cook first for a minute. Otherwise, add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
10. Once the spinach begins to cook and shrink down, add any seasoning or spices (salt, pepper, garlic).
11. Continue to cook and stir until fragrant, another 2-3 minutes. Turn the skillet off.
12. Using small sample cups, create a serving for each student.
13. Pass the cups out and taste together.

After conducting these activities, review and summarize the following key concepts:

• A leaf is a part of a plant that is responsible for photosynthesis, a process in which plants convert sunlight into energy.
• Leafy greens are any kind of leaf that are edible to humans.
• There are many different types of leafy greens and they contain important vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy.
• Leafy greens can be eaten in salads, sandwiches or wraps, cooked or sautéed, added to soups, smoothies, juices, hummus, guacamole, or sauces, used as garnishes, or made into pesto or kimchi.

• A Green, Green Garden
• Eating the Alphabet
• Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition
• Growing Microgreens
• Harvesting for a Healthy Community Farm to School Resources
• Katie's Cabbage
• Las espinacas de Sylvia (Spanish Edition)
• MyPlate
• MyPlate Activity Poster
• Plant Part Chart
• Plants Feed Me
• Sylvia's Spinach
• Vegetables Flowchart