We are excited to be involved in an Action Research project in some of our courses this year. This project is a collaboration between the classes of Mr. Ben Gross and Mr. Dan Kunanec. It is also a collaboration between the TDSB Action Research Network, of which Mr Dan Kunanec is a member, and the University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Action Research is a type of research that is used by teachers to closely examine and improve aspects of teaching and learning in their own classroom. As part of this, we aim to explore how our experiential educational farming practices influence how students engage with concepts related to Historical Food Preservation and Preparation, Cultural Food History, Land Based Learning, Food Sovereignty, and Environmental and Sustainability Education.
Key Questions:
How can secondary students’ cross-curricular, experiential investigations (explorations) lead to valuable learning about history, food literacy, experiential learning and cultural identity?
Sub Questions:
How can students learn about their family history and cultural identity through traditional approaches to food?
How can students in a University preparation history course benefit from learning multiple ways to approach "doing" history?
Educator Reflection:
The process of Action Research has improved my pedagogical approach to experiential practice. I am more intentional in creating open ended, cross curricular, student guided opportunities. The collection of deeply connected reflections, informs my practice and expands the creation of future projects with collaborative colleagues and partners. Action research is a rich and fulsome teaching and learning journey. - Dan Kunanec
Photos of the pickling day and process: All photos on the day of pickling and the process of pickling were taken by a range of Don Mills CI staff and students.
Photos of produce for context: All photos of produce not obviously part of the day of pickling were taken by Dan Kunanec and are of vegetables that were grown on site at the DMCI Urban Farm as part of the Emerging Green Technologies and Environmental Stewardship program.
Corn Relish: Joan Kunanec (Mr K’s Mom!) This recipe was created by Joan Kunanec over many years. It was adapted by our classes to include corn.
Spicy Dills, Dills, Spicy Beans, Beets: This recipe was adapted by Ben Gross from various recipes from his mom, Jennifer Thompson, over years of trial and error.
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*We adjusted the Do Chua recipe's brine a little bit.
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Prabhu, Ruth Dsouza. “India’s Pickle People: Decades-Old Culinary Heirlooms, Nostalgia.” Al Jazeera, September 29, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/29/indias-pickle-people-decades-old-culinary-heirlooms-nostalgia.
Rawal, Sucheta. “Here’s How We Pickle around the World.” Go Eat Give. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://goeatgive.com/how-pickling-is-done-around-the-world/.
Schmutz, Pamela, and E. H. Hoyle. “Canning Foods at Home.” Home & Garden Information Center, January 30, 2020. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/canning-foods-at-home/.
Vega, Muriel. “What’s the Dill? The History of the Pickle.” HowStuffWorks, June 29, 2023. https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-science/pickle-history.htm.