Enjoy Peace Cake!

Oakland's own Mariposa Baking let us know that we are one of the organizations they have chosen to receive support from sales of their Peace Cakes! Mariposa says:

Mariposa's apple spice peace cake was inspired by "war cakes" which were created during WWII when eggs and other commodities were rationed yet people still ways to bake cakes without standard cake ingredients.

We wanted to create a gluten-free vegan cake, which also meant developing a delicious recipe with non-traditional ingredients. We call it a peace cake because a portion of sales goes towards organizations that improve our communities.

Thank you for thinking of us! Yum!

The Next Generation

Since working with Urban Sprouts, I've had the opportunity to experience all types of projects, new garden design ideas & learning ways to involve community with our school gardens. I believe that these projects benefit greatly when youth are involved. Youth contribute fresh ideas and comic relief and add new dimensions to any project. Not only do projects benefit from having youth participate, but the kids themselves reap lasting rewards from the inclusion. These lasting rewards can include learning about plants, nature, and food, getting more exercise, and developing a stronger work ethic. I've witnessed some of my students feeling a sense of empowerment, when helping out with garden tasks.

Youth are often more open to a deep connection with nature than adults are, and I've found that my students often teach me more about the natural world than what I'm teaching them! Often youth who are included in community projects grow up to organize projects of their own, spreading ideas and resources into future generations. They can be the ambassadors of the plant world, helping us renew our conncetion with nautre and reminding us of the childlike mind we once enjoyed.

Eco-Holiday Gift: Adopt a Chicken!

Are you still looking for that perfect Holiday gift? Want something that is meaningful, comes with no packaging and won’t end up in the landfill? Here’s an idea . . . Adopt an Urban Sprouts chicken!

Make a gift to Urban Sprouts in honor of a friend or family member. For your gift of $50 or more, you can sponsor one of our chickens, and we’ll send a photo of the rooster or hen you choose to adopt.

Check out glamor shots of the four chickens you can choose from.

You can even become pen pals . . . er, if you live in the Bay Area you can come visit your chicken and even take home an egg!

First, make your gift here.
Then, be sure to email me with the name of your honoree and your rooster or hen of choice.

Want a smaller gift? For your gift of $35, adopt an Earthworm or a Banana Slug (you'll receive their photos, too)!

Happy Holidays! Enjoy the Season!

Read our Fall Newsletter Today!

Extra Extra! Hot off the presses! Our Fall/Winter 2008 Newsletter is ready for you. Follow this link to read about our school gardens, new board & staff, new recipes, how to make a worm bin, volunteers, donors, photos and more! It begins:

"What do School Gardens mean to you? Youth happily pulling carrots from rich, brown earth, smiling and laughing under the sun.
Instinctively, we know this is what youth need, this nourishment for their growing bodies, hearts and minds. At Urban Sprouts, we believe that school gardens can change the world. Really! School gardens can lead to big social change."

--> Read More!

The Dare Family Garden

Last Sunday was a clear warm November day. It could not have been a more enjoyable day to meet the Dare family at June Jordan to break ground for their first garden plot at the school site.

The Dare family has joined Urban Sprouts in the multicultural garden project and planted a winter garden of Pac Choi, Broccoli Raab and Snow Peas! It was a great experience to get to know JJSE student, Marcus, amidst the warmth of his family and to watch them work together to create this shared garden. We look forward to the family story about the chosen crops and the recipe to follow for the harvest!

Permaculture & Pears at ISA

I just got back from an inspiring morning at Mary Ann's Gardening Seminar at International Studies Academy (ISA). This class is 90 minutes all devoted to gardening! Today, students read an article on the importance of Compost, and wrote a short essay in response. Then, they went outside and worked on three projects in their magical garden site. This spot has so much potential!

Shaun guest-starred today and helped one group of students to dig a trench, part of the system of swales for the hillside. Guided by Permaculture principles, this technique will prevent erosion and conserve the water that runs down the hillside when it rains. Swales will divert the water via the natural curves of the hill, towards plants instead of straight into the storm drain. Diverting water from storm drains saves the city a lot of headaches, too (you're welcome, SF!).

Another group weeded this planter box of artichokes, while others pruned the squash patch and gathered fallen and trimmed branches. They began building a compost pile, with neat layers of green material (fresh, juicy and nitrogen-rich) alternating with layers of browns (dried, crunchy, carbon-rich). Once our friendly decomposers attack this pile, we'll be set with rich natural fertilizer for the spring.

After all that hard work, we enjoyed some tasty Barlett Pears from the Farmers' Market. Delicious!

Omelette, anyone?

I am VERY excited to report that our lovely chickens at June Jordan School for Equity have laid their first eggs! The students have collected almost a dozen eggs by now, since Ms. Sarah's class found the first one about a week and a half ago. We fried some of the eggs last week, chopped them into bite-sized pieces, and added them to a delicious salad, along with several varieties of lettuce, honey-mustard vinagrette, and Pippin apples from my tree at home.

Partially related to the egg-laying, recent activity in the chicken coop has sparked interesting discussions about puberty and reproduction. The rooster has started getting frisky with the hens (check out the beautiful combs he has developed!) That, combined with the appearance of eggs, has led to conversations about mating, the purpose of eggs, whether or not they might be fertilized or viable to hatch, and much more. I'll leave the rest to your imagination!

More JJSE Chicken Photos and
Read more about raising chickens!

JJSE Parent Garden

Urban Sprouts is excited to be working with parent groups at their schools. While our programming is effective with youth at school, it is strengthened when parents and families also grow their own food. This year we are looking forward to working with families to develop culturally specific gardens that reflect the rich food heritage and personal stories of the families at our schools!

The other day a June Jordan parent, Romana, came out to plant a winter garden. We talked about the preparation of the crops, Dia de Los Muertos, and Thanksgiving recipes. I look forward to learning more from her about food and cultivating!