In the classroom this week, we discussed the significance of the year 1776 for the land that is now known as San Francisco. We read excerpts from Matt Weber’s book California’s Missions from A to Z about the arrival of Spanish missionaries and the major impacts this had on both the Indigenous people and the land. The second and third graders recognized local landmarks such as Mission Dolores; crops such as olives, oranges, and grapes; California sports team names such as the Padres and the Angels; and the Spanish name for the territory, Yerba Buena, after the native mint they found growing everywhere.
In the kitchen, we made a salad highlighting many of the plants and products the Spanish brought: wheat, oranges, grapes, olives, lemon, sherry, mustard, and olive oil. We usually consume wheat after it’s already been ground into flour, so getting the opportunity to try the chewy wheatberries in their unprocessed form was a special treat.
