Welcome back everyone! I hope you had a great summer- our garden sure did. If you haven't snuck a peek through the fence yet, you should because our garden is looking quite beautiful right now. We have sunflowers, native flowers, flowers in pots, vines with flowers, as well as tomatoes, beans, ground cherries (a new Madera favorite), cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and a bunch of herbs. For all of this bounty, we have to thank all of the families who have taken care of the garden this summer. Twenty families took on the Herculean task of making sure that all of our baby seedlings and seeds had a chance to meet their juicy, delicious destinies. Thank you, thank you,thank you.
So, where did all of this deliciousness go you might ask? Well, to a variety of places. Two weeks after school got out, much of it went into a few deer bellies! Yep, that is right. After a three year hiatus on deer munching in the garden, the neon buffet sign must have been turned back on because they came through and cleaned out much of our greens, lettuce, herbs, etc. Since that bacchanalia, things have been quiet (keep your fingers crossed, folks.) On a happier note, many of our lovely veggies, herbs, apricots, strawberries and blueberries have gone home with folks who attended our UPicks. In addition, we supplied a local catering business with a couple big boxes of herbs, and we provided a Madera family with 5 weekly boxes of produce.
I am really looking forward to this year with all of you. I learn so much every year I spend in our garden. The garden itself is a great teacher, as are the children with whom I get to work. I find it so rewarding to be involved in something that feels so RIGHT, in a time when often things feel sorta wrong. Sometimes when I listen to the news, I wind up feeling a bit sad and powerless, but then I come to school and I see children caring for the earth and each other and I have renewed faith. On that note, I'd like to leave you with a bit of really good gardening advice, taken directly from the mouth of a student farmer, "If you treat your plants with respect, they will be delicious."
Hope to see you in the garden!
So, where did all of this deliciousness go you might ask? Well, to a variety of places. Two weeks after school got out, much of it went into a few deer bellies! Yep, that is right. After a three year hiatus on deer munching in the garden, the neon buffet sign must have been turned back on because they came through and cleaned out much of our greens, lettuce, herbs, etc. Since that bacchanalia, things have been quiet (keep your fingers crossed, folks.) On a happier note, many of our lovely veggies, herbs, apricots, strawberries and blueberries have gone home with folks who attended our UPicks. In addition, we supplied a local catering business with a couple big boxes of herbs, and we provided a Madera family with 5 weekly boxes of produce.
I am really looking forward to this year with all of you. I learn so much every year I spend in our garden. The garden itself is a great teacher, as are the children with whom I get to work. I find it so rewarding to be involved in something that feels so RIGHT, in a time when often things feel sorta wrong. Sometimes when I listen to the news, I wind up feeling a bit sad and powerless, but then I come to school and I see children caring for the earth and each other and I have renewed faith. On that note, I'd like to leave you with a bit of really good gardening advice, taken directly from the mouth of a student farmer, "If you treat your plants with respect, they will be delicious."
Hope to see you in the garden!
RSS Feed