Foam

Foams can be delicious. 

Egg whites can be whipped into meringue. Cream can be whipped into whipped cream. And gelatine can be whipped into marshmallows.

The key to making a foam is to beat a protein. As it is beaten, the proteins are denatured (changed from their natural state) exposing the hydrophobic (water hating) and hydrophilic (water loving) ends of the protein. 

Beating the mixture also adds air. The denatured protein strands form circles around the air with the hydrophobic ends pointing in, and the hydrophilic ends pointing out towards the water. This makes lots of bubbles that we recognize as foam.

To observe the process, we made marshmallows. First we softened gelatine in some water. Then we slowly added in a simple sugar syrup and whipped it in the mixer for 15 minutes. After that, we added some vanilla, and spread it out in a pan. The pan had to sit overnight to dry out (torture not to be able to try them right away!)

The next day we cut them into squares and dusted them in icing sugar. Then we ate them ALL.
Just kidding. That would make us very sick. They are basically sugar, sugar, more sugar, and coated in sugar. Did I say sugar?

Eggs Benedict

We did some reading about emulsions, that's where two liquids that don't usually mix are combined so that one liquid is evenly distributed in the other. An example of an emulsion is Bernaise sauce, so we made Eggs Benedict.

The recipe we followed said to make the sauce first and then set it aside while you prepare everything else. I think it would have been better to do the sauce last. After preparing the sauce, it looked and tasted good, but by the time everything else was ready, the sauce had separated.

The sauce was basically made by wisking some lemon juice into egg yolks (this raises the temperature that the yolks cook at allowing you to heat them enough to kill harmful bacteria without getting scrambled eggs) and then slowly adding melted butter. Even though our sauce separated, it still tasted good and everyone enjoyed lunch.

We did some research after clean up, and apparently if the sauce separates it can be fixed by wisking another egg yolk in the double boiler and slowly pouring in the separated sauce. That's good to know if we try making this again!

Working at the co-op

The kids wanted to volunteer at the co-operative again this year, so we went up to ask what we could do. Next thing we know, we are harvesting food and running the farm stand.

It has been a great experience. We have learned to recognize different plants and how to properly harvest them. We then set out the food in pretty baskets and arrange them to make a pleasant presentation.

The kids are responsible for running the cash register, and start each day by counting their float. They have to weigh people's vegetable choices with a hanging scale and calculate prices. They are getting lots of practice at dealing with customers and making change.

When supply runs low, they have to run around and do more harvesting to restock. It is a busy time, but everyone is having fun. At the end of a shift we clear vegetables off the farmstand, count the money in the register, and make sure everything is well stocked for the next day.

And then, of course, we choose some delicious vegetables to bring home for dinner. Peas, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce are the favourites!