Feeding the Future recap, kohlrabi salad and more!
If you're having trouble viewing this email, you cansee it online.
Watermelon Wednesday
March 2026 Issue #18
As temperatures rise and flowers bloom, there are two important ways you can support BWP this spring:
APRIL 7th:Arizona Gives Day is a 24-hour giving movement that inspires people to build a thriving and stronger Arizona by supporting nonprofit work. Using this online platform, BWP has set a goal to raise $10,000 to support more campuses to participate in our programs.
APRIL 19th: Join our annual Spring Fundraiser dinner as an evening of storytelling unfolds. Hear from students, educators and school food professionals who are key partners in this community-driven work.*
*Only 10 tickets left! If you are unable to grab a spot this year, please consider donating the ticket amount to the Arizona Gives Day fund by clicking below.
Join us for the next installation in our School Food Workshop series, “Plant Now, Plate Later: Planning Local Menus in Advance with Cool Weather Produce,” coming up on Tuesday, March 31st from 1:00-3:30pm.
We invite anyone to log on using Google Meets, but in-person registration is limited to 25 attendees. (Maximum of 5 attendees per school district.) Sign up below or on our website under Programs/ School Food Workshop. We hope you’ll join us!
Students participating in our February Chef in the Garden lesson enjoyed Chef Erick's Rajas con Crema recipe, a delicious spin on a comforting Mexican classic highlighting Arizona’s sweet onion. Students had the opportunity to practice their knife skills cutting sweet onions and roasted poblano peppers into thin strips, in Spanish this is referred to as “rajas”. Gardener Melissa shared all the tips and tricks to successfully plant onions in school gardens.
Click the button below to watch Chef Erick walk us through his recipe, Gardener Melissa show us how to plant sweet onion and see more information about February's featured chef and farm!
Chef Erick Pineda was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His family immigrated to the United States in the mid 80s from Guerrero, Mexico.
A lifelong musician and artist, he developed a newfound interest in cooking over a decade ago and began to learn the food from his culture.
His restaurant, Requinto, is a way for him to share his love and passion for food with everyone.
Bio provided by Chef Erick Pineda
Melissa Peeples, owner of The Desert Smells Like Veggies is a Sonoran Desert gardener, food enthusiast, educator, and life-long learner growing tasty food in Zone 9b (Phoenix, Arizona). She has been trained as a Master Gardener and worked as a Community Garden Coordinator and Seed Bank Manager. She wrote a book on Seed Saving and numerous articles and blogs for local and national garden organizations. Her passion is helping people learn about foraging, gardening, and seed saving. She offers heirloom or open-pollinated seeds for sale, periodically sells Phoenix-grown vegetable plants, and puts on educational classes to learn more about sonoran desert gardening.
Adapted from The Desert Smells Like Veggies
Quote Corner
Check out what our students had to say about Chef Erick's recipe!
"This was my favorite thing we've made this year!"
- 2nd grader, Edison School of Innovation
"I want my family to try this!"
- Upper elementary student, Tully Magnet
"This feels like cooking in a real kitchen. I feel at home here."
- Middle school student, Catalina Ventura
Volunteer with us!
We have all kinds of opportunities coming up this month! Consider joining us for one of several chef demos taking place throughout March all over the valley. Our work depends on our volunteers, and we appreciate all of you!
Get started today
Ready to join us? New volunteers can click the button below to sign up for a Volgistics account to see all of the upcoming shifts on our calendar.
.png)
.png)
.png)
