When Life Gives You Too Much Basil? Make Pesto!

In our Grade 6/7 class, we've been exploring nutrition by combining hydroponics and cooking. Our hydroponic adventures always seem to teach us valuable lessons about plant growth and resilience!

During the holidays, we discovered that not all hydroponic systems are created equal. Our tomato plants didn't survive when the timer malfunctioned, but our basil showed remarkable adaptability and it somehow survived. The simplest system—basil growing in rockwool with a nutrient-rich water tray—actually thrived!

Students learned the essential skills of pinching basil leaves to encourage side growth. Then came the fun part: making pesto! Ms. McGowan demonstrated how to create both traditional and dairy-free pesto recipes. We even sampled Barilla gluten-free noodles to complement our creation.

Our learning didn't stop in the kitchen. We watched an Insider Business video about pine nuts, which sparked discussions about global economic inequalities from our social studies unit. Who knew a cooking lesson could connect so many academic subjects?

This mini-unit showed us that learning can be delicious, hands-on, and full of surprising connections!

Barilla Gluten-free noodles, and homemade, dairy-free pesto

*This post was written with help from Claude Ai