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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2014)
Tribal Head Start provides a multitude of items for students and families By DeAnn Brown, Head Start Director, and Lori Jay-Linstrom, Parent Involve- ment Coordinator We would like to give our reading audience some interesting facts about our Siletz Tribal Head Start program; this information is just a fraction of the duties on which our Head Start staff focuses. This information was submitted by Head Start Director DeAnn Brown, who has been with our Head Start program for 19 years. • • • • • We currently serve 112 children – 47 in Siletz, 13 in Lincoln City, 17 in Portland and 35 in Salem. We offer a part-day/part-year Ameri- can Indian preschool for children ages 3 and 4. Children attend class four days per week for 3½ hours per day. All classrooms offer bus transporta- tion, two meals per day, health and developmental screening, and a bal- anced curriculum of directed learning activities and free play. All of our classrooms use the Creative Curriculum in combination with an Emergent Curriculum to address the developmental needs of students. • • To ensure our classrooms address School Readiness, our program cor- related the Head Start Early Learning Framework to the State of Oregon’s Common Core Standards for Kinder- garten and identified School Readi- ness Goals for each area. From this list, Head Start parents, kindergarten teachers, Policy Council and Tribal Council selected those goals most important for children as they enter public school and these are the goals on which we focus. Our program also tracks all child progress toward meeting School Readiness Goals using the Teaching Strategies Gold System. All class- rooms enter their data on a quarterly basis and reports are generated to show the progress of each classroom and for the program overall toward meeting School Readiness Goals. This information is shared with par- ents during conferences and with the Policy Council and Tribal Council, Bitter greens for spring detox? By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz Tribal Head Start Nutritionist As part of my role as a consultant nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I offer information for families. This segment focuses on bitter greens with dandelion greens as an example. Cascade Anderson Geller, my first herbal teacher, introduced me to the con- cept of eating bitters in the spring to clean up the body (or detox) after the winter to get ready for the summer. This was a new idea for me, yet she explained that it is a custom deeply rooted in cultures throughout the world. Bitters also are used to stimulate the appetite or at least to get the digestive juices flowing so digestion will occur more properly. When used traditionally, bitter herbs and vegetables support a relatively gentle detox when consumed with other nour- ishing foods. Many North American cookbooks fea- ture the classic way to eat “wilted greens” by taking a mess of wild greens and pour- ing liberal amounts of hot bacon grease over them (as a way to mask the bitterness). American Indians of the Pacific Northwest added eulachon grease (a fish oil) to greens and fruits with strong and/or unusual flavors. Mediterranean people added generous amounts of olive oil and lemon juice to their greens. Most of the bitter greens were cooked before dressings were added. Bitterness varies with season, so taste them before you commit them to recipes. One of the most studied bitter greens is dandelion. Some people have strong feelings about this weed. Herbalists celebrate plants for the benefits they bring to us – whether they are studied for the chemical constituents or the folklore (which is just another way to communicate the benefits). The whole plant can be used as a food and a medicine. 14 • Siletz News • The roots, leaves and entire plant can be harvested any time of year. The leaves serve as an extremely nutritious spring potherb and salad green. Dandelion leaves are bitter. They also are sources of important vitamins and min- erals, such as vitamins A & C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus iron, sodium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, boron and copper. They work as a diuretic without depleting potassium. The roots can be roasted and served as a rich, brown coffee substitute. The plant seems to be good for just about everyone and everything that ails. As a liver tonic, it increases bile flow and if used regularly, may reduce chronic liver problems like bile stones. Dandelion may reduce high blood cholesterol. The flowers are antiseptic and perhaps antinarcotic. Chinese and Japanese research indicates that dandelion tea helps various cancers (i.e. breast), to reduce plaque and to be anti-inflammatory for joint aches, etc. Dandelion is a Euro-Asian native plant, found worldwide as a common weed in dis- turbed ground. Always be careful not to har- vest close to roadsides and heavy industrial areas. Be careful of lawn poisons as well. The Latin name is taraxacum officinale. My teacher, Cascade, taught through the oral tradition. She wrote class materi- als and taught around the world, but never published a book because she was one of those humble healers who continued to evolve as she incorporated new learning. She entered the spirit world last year. I know her stories and teachings will live on. References Cascade Anderson Geller, 2000- 2004, class notes Edible Wild Plants, Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate, John Kallas, Ph.D. First Edition, 2010, published by Gibbs Smith, Layton, Utah April 2014 • • and a report is posted annually on the Tribal website. Our program works with parents and extended family members to help them understand the importance of supporting their child’s lifelong learn- ing and success. This includes the importance of family relationships, keeping children up to date on health and dental care, promoting early lit- eracy skills, regular on-time school attendance and staying involved in their child’s learning. New this year: We are developing a system to measure the progress of parents toward meeting Parent and Family Engagement goals. Our new Head Start applications will be available in April. If you have a child who will be 3 or 4 by Sept. 1, please call 800-922-1399 or 541-444-2532 and ask for Head Start so we can send one to you. Head Start Raffle Head Start parents have been busy collecting raffle items for our annual Head Start Raffle. This fundraiser helps Horta/Chorta (Greek dandelion greens) Not only do I harvest my own dan- delion greens, I’ve also purchased them at the farmers market. One of the ways Cascade suggested to eat them was steam several big handfuls of greens until tender. Use leaves whole or, if desired, chopped. Put on a plate and drizzle olive or other tasty oil (butter is good too), a splash of fresh lemon juice, a touch of salt. Serve warm or cool. Cascade liked them with a good flat or loaf bread to sop up the juice. Drink the steam juice. Dandelion Green Fritters 2 cups fresh dandelion greens, chopped 2 eggs 4 tablespoons almond meal/flour 2 tablespoons coconut flour To taste – garlic powder and salt (optional, I used ¼ teaspoon each) 2 tablespoons oil for frying Boil greens for 10 minutes and drain well (saving the pot liquor for drinking or reheating because of its high vitamin and mineral content). Make a batter with 2 eggs, almond and coconut flour, garlic and salt that is thick enough to stick to the greens. Heat oil in a frying pan. Dip each piece of dandelion in batter. Fry both sides and serve. support expenditures that are not covered by program dollars, such as scholarships for class pictures, entrance fees for class field trips, family fun night activities and swimming lessons. Our donated grand prizes include: 1. Gift certificate for one night’s stay for two in a suite at Chinook Winds Casino Resort Hotel (maximum value of $204.75), plus a gift certificate for dinner for two at the Rogue River Steakhouse ($75 value) and lastly, a gift certificate for two for a perfor- mance in the Showroom by the Sea. 2. Gift certificate for one 18-hole round of golf for two with a cart at Chinook Winds Golf Resort (maximum value $138). 3. A beautiful drum handcrafted and donated by Tribal Council member Bud Lane (see photo). Parents are selling tickets and they will have a full list of all the exciting raffle items. The drawing will be held by the Policy Council on May 17, 2014. Dandelion Pesto 2 cloves garlic, fresh peeled (amount needed varies with your taste) ½ cup hazelnuts or other nut or seed 2 cups cleaned fresh dandelion leaves (for interest, try a pinch of fresh rosemary) ½ cup olive oil, extra virgin (or other oil) 2 teaspoons lemon juice (this helps cut the bitterness as would dried tomatoes) ½ teaspoon salt Blanch bitter greens in water. Use blender or food processor. Start with garlic; blend until finely minced. Add nuts or seeds; grind with garlic. Add the blanched dandelion greens; continue to chop. As the mixture is chopping, pour in the oil. Stop when the consistency is appropriate. The oil protects the herbs from discoloring, as well as providing flavor and consistency. Remove from blender, enjoy. Adjust flavorings if needed, including herbs. Please let me know what you think of these recipes. Siletz Tribal Head Start offers my time at no cost to you to support family nutrition over the telephone. Please contact me (503-588-5446) if you have nutrition concerns about your Head Start child.
