Making tamales at Christmas time is a long running tradition for many Mexican American families and students at Oxnard High School have figured out a way to make them, without using so much water.
It is a way of life here in California of how people can find ways of saving water.
Students are adding their own twist to an age-old recipe and they are proud to do it.
Students at Oxnard High School are preparing their own tamales but these are a little different than the ones we may be used to.
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The masa is made with organic vegetables from the school's garden and the whole tamale is plant-based.
"It is different from what we usually eat," said Gael Rivera, a senior at Oxnard High School.
The reason the recipe is different is because it is the food and hospitality service class' mission to save water.
"We eat between 500 and 1,300 gallons of water everyday that is our water footprint for food in the U.S.," said Florencia Ramirez, the author of "Eat Less Water."
The message is about finding creative ways to conserve and they are learning from Ramirez.
"It gives me pride in my school and proud to do something for my community," Rivera said.
As for the final product the students say it was surprisingly delicious.
They got to serve the final product to their teachers as a way to give back and say thank you for the school year.
This is one of the many ways they are learning here at the school how to conserve water.
The culinary teacher says they often use the garden here at school as a way to conserve and of course, they plan to make tamales next year.
