My son is starting preschool next month, and we’ll be required to send lunch with him. I’m a little daunted by this prospect because of a) the time involved and b) the challenge in finding easy-to-make fare that he will eat.

I’m considering picking up a copy of  ”The Vegetarian Lunchbasket: Over 225 Easy, Low-Fat, Nutritious Recipes for the Quality-Conscious Family on the Go” but I’m having a hard time envisioning myself making “stuff grape leaves” or “rice & lentil iddlis” at the end of a long day. Then again I hate the idea of sending PB&J day after day, though that’s probably what he would be most content with.

Suggestions?

In keeping with my recent fetish with making stuff at home, I recently purchased a yogurt maker. I bought the EuroCuisine Yogurt Maker online from Williams Sonoma (price $49.95) because it came with a good recommendation but since found a slightly stripped down model from the same company that goes for $29.95 on Amazon (and there are dozens of other models on the market).

We go through A LOT of yogurt in my household, and I think this gadget has been well worth the investment. There’s a little work involved but not much: boil 4 cups of milk, cool, add yogurt starter or a cup of plain yogurt, pour into the jars and turn on the machine. About 8 hours later, you have yogurt. You can add flavoring either before or after “cooking” it. I’m still experimenting with different starters, which definitely affect the finished product. The starter that came with the machine produced very tangy yogurt, which I liked but the rest of the fam less so. The second batch I used a cup of plain Greek yogurt and the result was creamy, less tangy and a hit in the household. Aside from being healthy and tasting good, it’s fun to make. For older kids, I’m sure there’s a science lesson to be had in the process. And Wikipedia has a lengthy entry on the history of yogurt, which apparently stretches back 4,500 years. The culture of culturing, it seems, goes way back.

On the heels of the obesity report, why not talk about food? Healthful food, of course (which, I firmly believe, should still taste good). Increasingly you hear about cooking to the season, and if you’ve been to the Farmers Market recently you’ll know that the herb of the season is cilantro. I love cilantro but always have trouble using the whole bunch before it goes bad. This morning, apropos of nothing, I had a thought: why not make pesto with it? I love homemade pesto because it’s so easy yet seems so gourmet.

A quick search on Google proved I was not the first to have this idea. Below is one of the recipes (from Simply Recipes) that struck my fancy, but there are many variations out there. And here are a few suggestions I found on how to use it: as a spread for sandwiches or wraps (with avocado and bell peppers, maybe); mixed with rice, quinoa or pasta (add black beans or chicken to bulk it up); mixed with cottage cheese or sour cream as a dip; scrambled with some eggs; added to season sauteed or steamed vegetables.  Whatever you don’t use in a couple of days, you can freeze in an ice cube tray (pop cubes out once frozen and store in a sealed bag). Sounds quick, easy, tasty and nutritious — the harried parent’s hallowed four.

Cilantro Pesto

- 2 cups packed cilantro, large stems removed

- 1/2 cup blanched almonds (or walnuts or pine nuts)

- 1/4 cup chopped red onion

- 1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano (or jalapeno) chile

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- (I would add lime juice, to taste)

The Animas Museum on Saturday is holding an event intended to have kid appeal.

Outside the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. a living-history demonstration will take place that will include churning butter and baking using a fire pit and a dutch oven.

Bobbie Hamilton, administrative assistant at the museum, said all the recipes are around 200 years old and the demonstration will include reproductions of what people traveling in wagons would have had with them.

The museum will hold similar events in upcoming months, every last Saturday. Themes will include candle-making, quilting and sewing. Hamilton said the goal of the demos is to get more kids interested in the museum.

I was especially intregued by the idea of churning butter. Maybe it’s the economic times or the push to eat local, but I find doing things the old-fashioned way appealling. I was surprised to learn that making butter is quite simple (OK, with a food processor — not exactly the old fashioned way). Here’s a video that shows how it can be made in less than 5 minutes. I tried it at home, and it came out perfect the first time. Though my preschooler was asleep, I’m sure the next time he’ll enjoy watching how the cream whips to a firm lather then suddenly separates into liquid (buttermilk) and a big clump of butter.

The chef in the video argues that homemade butter tastes better than the store stuff. Maybe it’s psychological, but I would have to agree.

Looking out on our yellow polka-dotted lawn recently, I was reminded of an interesting libation I had last year at the festivities to celebrate the designation of Brookside Park as the city’s first chemical free park. The drink was dandelion lemonade, and it was Turtle Lake Refuge founder Katrina Blair who proffered it to me. It was good, vaguely weedy, but not in a way that I would call unpleasant.

Today I called Blair to get the recipe and learned a lot has been going on over there. Last year, Blair, an organic grower, worked out with the city to do lawn care at Brookside with the assistance of volunteers. The city, in turn, suggested that Turtle Lake form an organic lawn care business so that in the future the city could contract with it and the workers could be compensated. Thus, Grassroots was formed. 

Blair said that Grassroots, with about six employees, will apply an organic compost tea to a standard-size lawn for $50.

“We’re less than what people would be paying already,” she said.

The service will also provide consulting on garden design and maintenance.

To celebrate the launch of Grassroots and help raise funds for it, Turtle Lake is holding a dandelion festival from 1-10 p.m. May 16 at Rotary Park. There will be workshops, music, games, food and — best of all — dandelion beer made special for the occasion by Durango’s three local breweries.

Blair said that employing organic lawn care prevents the accumulation of chemical fertilizers in our rivers and oceans, where they contribute to oxygen-depleted dead zones.

For more information on Grassroots, call 247-1773.

And for those wishing to make use at home of their dandelions (Blair eschews the word “weed”), here’s her lemonade recipe. 

- a cup of dandelion greens* (not the blossoms)

- juice of 2 lemons

- ½ cup honey

- about a quart of water

Blend these together then strain the pulp. Add ice and garnish with the flowers if desired.

 * Blair said that dandelions have many healthful properties, including supporting liver function, boosting the immune system and supplying a gamut of minerals. She recommends not harvesting for consumption greens from a lawn that has been sprayed with pesticides within the last three years.