Ancestral Foods Lessons
Edible Education’s Ancestral Foods Lessons explore common and often forgotten plant relatives that have provided healthy food and medicine to the people of Mesoamerica and our region for generations. This series of Ancestral Foods Lessons was created by Rubi Orozco, Director of Organizational Storytelling & Development, to be used for remote learning or in-class with students. Learn more about Rubi below!
Throughout Spring 2022, a new lesson and accompanying video will be released here during the first week of each month. Keep an eye on our social media, and check back here for updates!
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Classrooms at schools participating in La Semilla’s Edible Education Program can sign up here to receive printed student booklets and tasting supplies to complete each activity. If you have any questions, please email EdibleEducation@lasemillafoodcenter.org.
Lesson plans for teachers are available to download as PDFs, as well as student workbooks in English, Spanish, or Bilingual format.
Chia
In this lesson, students will engage with the story of chia, which began as a sacred, nutrient-dense food of Indigenous peoples in Mexico and was forbidden by the Spanish during colonization. Students will then learn about similes and metaphors in food sayings and create their own chia butterfly. Finally, students will taste chia seeds as part of a Chia Seed Limeade.
Amaranth
Students will learn the story and nutritional benefits of a staple of the Mesoamerican diet–amaranth. Amaranth was an important food to Indigenous people of what we now call Mexico, who continued to grow it in hiding after it was violently outlawed during colonization. Students will taste amaranth in the form of dulce de alegria, a sweet that is created by popping amaranth and mixing it with honey, cinnamon, and seeds or nuts.
Corn
In this lesson, students will learn why corn is good for our bodies and how Indigenous people adapted corn from wild grasses and developed the important nixtamalization process. Students will also explore and create ephemeral art using pre-columbian designs and popcorn kernels. To complete a tasting, students can partner with an adult to pop their popcorn on a stovetop or in the microwave.
Mint Tea
In this lesson, students will deepen their relationship with a beloved herb: mint. Students can partner with an adult to prepare a cup of mint tea. As they taste their tea, students will learn about tannins and how they can affect the flavor of tea.
About Rubi Orozco
Rubi is a lifelong student of elders, poets, and writers in both the U.S. and Mexico, and she holds a graduate degree in Community Health from UC Berkeley. She serves as Director of Storytelling and Development at La Semilla Food Center in Anthony, NM. Through that role, she spearheads efforts to uplift the foodways wisdom of people of the Paso del Norte region and increase connection with the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.
She worked with La Semilla’s Policy Director V Quevedo and illustrator/editor Zeke Peña to create the zine Food, Land, and Us: A Look at the Farm Bill from the Paso del Norte Region. Her documentary poetry book, Inventos Míos, is inspired by the history of nixtamalization and its current practice in the El Paso region. It received the 2019 Tejas Poetry Book Award from the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. Her work has been featured in podcasts such Proof (from America’s Test Kitchen), Toasted Sister, and Words on a Wire.
