Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Salad Day, Part 2 and Garden Party!

Congratulations to Burbank students for their successful end of the year Salad Day! Students from three classes of sixth and seventh graders harvested and prepared salad from the school garden and served it for the entire school at lunch. Youth and adults alike were grabbing salad bowls and eating up the tasty greens, with or without ranch dressing!

Several members of the press attended the event, interviewed students and took photo and video footage of the day's events for NBC's evening news, the SF Examiner (see above), KCBS radio news, and Sing Tao news. Students showed off their knowledge of gardening and the benefits of eating healthy food. The school was buzzing from all the excitement, and students were definitely recognized for their hard work in the garden throughout the year.

Then, on Saturday, we had a Garden Party Work Day at Burbank attended by teachers, students, families and volunteers. We got a LOT of work done: we weeded the entire garden, planted beans, corn, turnips and sunflowers, caught a gopher, and enjoyed stir fry and chips & salsa made from garden-grown ingredients. Thank you, Garden Party attendees!

As the year winds down, in class we're doing closing circles that involve strawberries and appreciations, along with some end of the year reflection. We are gathering students' and teachers' thoughts about the year's successes, challenges, and learning through recorded focus groups and individual interviews. Later in the summer when all the info is compiled, I'll be sure to share the results. Hopefully positive outcomes will help all of us to show how important school gardens are in helping young people grow and develop, and in building a supportive school community.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Video Profile: Urban Sprouts

Netsquared has created this great video profile about Urban Sprouts and our blog!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Frying Taters at Ida B

Cooking days can be so relaxing and refreshing. At Ida B this week we cooked up the potatoes we harvested two weeks ago and made colorful french fries in the wok. So hilarious to see the big, tough guys eating pink and purple fries. Many of the ladies as usual showed off their cooking skills. As the potatoes cooked and we had a chance to relax and reflect together, we talked about food, cooking, and other stuff, and the mood was funny, friendly, and pretty special.
As a bonus, we harvested that big artichoke that was waiting for us in the garden. We steamed it up for an entire period before giving up and trying the microwave. Many students had their first taste EVER of that strange, green, thistly vegetable. Others were experts and led the way. A student of Egyptian family background had some particular insights into the enjoyment of artichokes. Is that where artichokes are from? Let's look it up . . . definition and more.

Monday, May 01, 2006

First Sunny Day Photos - Ida B

After a bit of a delay in posting them, these pictures don't seem so miraculous any more. But that first day without rain was amazing and beautiful. Taken by students at Ida B Wells HS.

Watering our new spot:
Bed prep:
Planting baby leeks. Notice the famous yellow boot covers for delicate shoes!
The artichoke that survived neglect.