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We are having so much fun at the Urban Sprouts and Garden for the Environment Summer Program, now in the middle of our second week. The 21 youth—16 middle school youth and 5 high school youth staff—are working in the garden, cooking lunch from garden-grown produce, and learning all about organic gardening, recycling & composting, nutrition, and where food comes from!
Yesterday we took a field trip to Slide Ranch in Muir Beach, across the Golden Gate Bridge. There, we milked goats, handled chickens, and explored the gardens.
Check out our photos to see everything we've been up to!
Yesterday the June Jordan Food class took a trip to Hidden Villa ranch, an educational organic farm and ranch. As we drove by the farm fields near the ranch's entrance, a student yelled out, "Look! It's just like the small farms we learned about!" As in, small farms versus industrial farms. I was happy.
Another student had attended summer camp at Hidden Villa recently, at the program for 11-14 year olds. Mr. Olsson (pictured with cow) and I were both counselors there back in the olden days.
It turned out our group had a lot of knowledge of this place to share! We visited the cows, pigs, goats, sheep and chickens. We laughed a lot at animal antics! We walked in the woods and a student pointed out a banana slug! The garden was full of food crops, and gave us many ideas for crops to grow back at school.
The baby animals were the CUTEST!! Most of all, we were excited to visit the chickens, to get ideas about our own chickens who will soon move in at June Jordan. First we have lots of work to do to get ready! The chicken coop at Hidden Villa, with its peek-a-boo nesting boxes, gave us some great ideas.
Click on the last photo to see more!
I am not easily ruffled by celebrity status. There are strata of celebrity and I am often challenged to distinguish who is who and from what they derive their importance. That said, I actually gawked the other day. I was officially star struck. Not so much by the mere fact of popular status but rather in what this gentleman was choosing to do.
It happened as I was enjoying a slice of heaven, also known as of Shaker Lemon Pie, at Mission Pie. Between mouthfuls (maybe even during), I was engaged in a lively conversation about sustainable food systems of course, when a lean fellow walked through the door. In the midst of conversation, one of my associates discreetly leaned forward and said, “notice the guy that just walked in…but don’t stare.” The man in question was at the counter so I was unable to notice him until he turned to leave. That was when it happened. Mid-sentence I stopped talking and took in the full glory of Mr. Benjamin Bratt.
While I do quite like Mr. Bratt’s acting and naturally, he is beautiful, what truly struck me was that Benjamin Bratt is customer of an establishment that melds the worlds of San Francisco food systems, environmental health, and sustainability with darn good pie. Apparently, he is an ongoing customer of Mission Pie.
Of all the places he could choose to go for a slice of pie in San Francisco, he chooses to support a community driven enterprise that “celebrate farmers, bakers, chefs, and all who work together toward a healthful food system.”* Wow. This is a man of distinguished taste who in one fell swoop is supporting community food systems, sustainable farming and youth leadership…and who, when all is said and done, likes a simple and honest slice of pie.
This is what really got me. A person famous for their action is acting in support of his local community…he cares. For that brief moment I witnessed a meaningful personal act, not a big screen one, that spoke of an inner beauty that matches, if not exceeds, the outer.
Thank you for supporting the cause Mr. Bratt!
