Edible Soil Cups

Forming just one inch of soil can take 500-1,000 years, but this recipe for edible soil takes just minutes to assemble and enjoy! This recipe has been a big hit at summer library visits, camps, after school programs, and other youth outreach events, and is sure to be popular at home too! Follow the instructions below or click HERE for a free downloadable PDF.

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Ingredients

Candy-Coated Chocolates
Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed
Multicolored Sprinkles
Gummy Worms
Yellow Sprinkles



Prep Work

  1. Prepare pudding according to the package directions.
  2. Place cookies into sealed plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin or your hands. Alternatively, use a food processor to crush the cookies.



Edible Soil Directions

1. Place a layer of candy-coated chocolates in the bottom of the cup to simulate the parent material which serves as a starting point for healthy soil.

        01 Parent Material

2. Next add a serving of chocolate pudding to show the subsoil. This layer typically contains sand, silt, clay and even some nutrients that have dripped through the upper layers.

        02 Subsoil

3. The next layer is topsoil simulated by the crushed cookies. Topsoil is where most plant roots grow and the majority of the nutrients are found. Good Iowa farmland has a layer of topsoil 3 feet thick!

        03 Topsoil

4. Living organisms, including insects, microorganisms and bacteria, are very important for good soil health. Add a spoonful of the multicolored sprinkles to the surface to simulate these helpful organisms.

        04 Sprinkles

5. Add a couple gummy worms to simulate the earthworms that help create healthy soil. The presence of earthworms is a good indicator of healthy soil.

        05 Earthworms

6. The final step is to add a layer of yellow sprinkles to act as residue and protect the soil from erosion.

        06 Yellow Sprinkles

Now you can enjoy your edible soil without having to wait 500-1,000 years. Enjoy!

Source: http://gen.uga.edu/documents/soil/activity/Edible_Soil.pdf