PreSchool Garden Training

They love to play and explore. They have a very short attention span. They have tons of energy. They are preschoolers! Working with this age group in the garden comes with a unique set of challenges. On January 9th, The Gardens Project organized a workshop to help educators of young children from around Mendocino County succeed in meeting these challenges and connecting the garden with the classroom.

The workshop was held at Talmage State Preschool, was co-sponsored by First 5, Head Start, and The Gardens Project, and was presented by Life Lab Science Program, a nonprofit organization that has been working in the field of science and environmental education since 1979. With their award winning curricula and programs, LifeLab helps schools develop gardens where children can create "living laboratories" for the study of the natural world. The workshop focused on designing a garden for young children (ages 3-6), lesson ideas for introducing children to soil, seeds, plants and animals, and songs and books that are designed to connect to garden lessons. We spent time in the garden and in the classroom and left the workshop with a booklet full of garden lesson plans.

One of the best aspects of the day was connecting with 25 other staff working in gardens with preschoolers at Fort Bragg Head Start, Willits Head Start, South Ukiah Head Start, Orchard Head Start, Nokomis Head Start, Talmage State PreSchool, and Caspar. We shared our experiences and ideas of what works and what doesn’t work with young children in the garden. It was an inspirational day of learning, sharing, and networking, complete with a yummy lunch and lots of laughs.

Thank You, Gardens Project!

Kim Morgan
Noyo Food Forester
& FB Head Start Family Garden Coordinator

January Garden Tips

It's January - time to get out in the garden! It may be raining, sometimes freezing, or maybe if we are lucky... sunny! Our opinion at the Gardens Project is that whatever the weather is like, its perfect for gardening.

The Nokomis garden coordinator, Jill Peacock, thinks that January is the perfect time to be thinking about cover crops. Fava beans, wheat, rye, and pole beans are all used as cover crops at the Nokomis garden. Jill can't stand bare soil in the winter - so she uses cover crops to protect the soil during the rainy months.

Late January is also the perfect time to start seeds - both inside and outside. Indoors its a great time to start your lettuce, peas, and leaks . Radishes, spinach, carrots, and beets can all be started outdoors. For more information on what to do in January, check out our "How to" section for the local planting guide developed by our very own Kate Frey and Pete Huff.

Keep up the good work!

Healthy lifestyle choices among students and adults

Nutrition education at a school near you! The Gardens Project has officially unveiled its new nutrition education program, the BEANS Project! The BEANS Project brings great lessons promoting health, nutrition, and gardening to Mendocino County after school programs. Thanks to grant funding from the USDA, NCO’s Better Eating, Activity, and Nutrition for Students (BEANS) Project will use teen peer educators to bring interactive food demonstrations and nutrition education to after school programs throughout the county for the next three years. As an added bonus, the BEANS peer educators will also conduct healthy food demonstrations at summertime farmers markets, family resource centers, and for the after school staff who are responsible for snack planning and preparation. BEANS will focus its activities in Mendocino County’s three largest communities: Fort Bragg, Ukiah, and Willits. The BEANS Project has already conducted its first three lessons with K-2^nd graders and it was declared a hit! Between samples of mango banana smoothies and hot veggie soup we are winning over students and parents and reshaping the way Mendocino families think of healthy eating. Here’s to our health!

Butternut Squash Recipe

It's still the season for winter squash! Yeup, those funny looking squash with weird colors and hard outer skins are edible - and amazingly nutritious! Winter squash have high amounts of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. Some studies suggest that winter squash can help combat lung inflammation and cancer, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Maybe you avoid them in the store and at the market, or maybe you have a plethora of them at home but you're searching for new ways to cook them. Whatever your winter squash status is - you'll be sure to love this vegan butternut squash soup recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash; peeled and chopped into cubes
  
• 1 onion; diced
  
• 1 carrot; chopped
  
• 1 celery stalk; chopped
  
• 3 medium to small potatoes
  
• 1 apple ( or more to taste)
  
• Enough veggie broth to cover vegetables in pot

Directions:

• Combine all vegetables in large pot
  
• Cover vegetables with vegetable broth
  
• Bring to boil and simmer covered for about 20-30 minuets or until the vegetables become tender.
  
• Blend and return to pot. Serve hot and enjoy!
  

Some variations: I have made this soup by adding black pepper and red pepper flakes to make it a bit spicy. You can also add more apples to make it sweeter, or more potatoes to make it hardier.

Do you have seasonal recipes? Send them in to us!

Store Wars!

The struggle continues between local, organic and corporate conventional agriculture. Join CukeSkywalker and ObieOneCanoli in this great production of the Free Range Studios for The Organic Trade Association - Store Wars! See the video here!
May the Farm be with you!

Winter gardens get the fame they need!

Here at the Gardens Project we LOVE winter gardening and feel that it just does not get as much love and attention as summer gardening does. Summer gardening bears the fruits that we all love and enjoy: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Melons, and other juicy and sweet fruits that we so love. Who doesn't love spending a hot summer day with chilled watermelon slices?! Winter gardening is the time for Chards, Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower; vegetables that just aren't as sweet and juicy as their summer counterparts. But, still enjoyable! Winter vegetables make great soups for rainy and chilly days.

But, this winter, winter gardens are getting the publicity they need. While Obama is occupied in Copenhagen with Climate Change talks, the White House staff and USDA are busy preparing the White House garden for the winter. The USDA is promoting their "know your farmer, know your food" campaign where "every family needs a farmer". Part of that campaign is providing funding for farmers to extend their seasons by hoop houses and other winter infrastructure. The volunteers at the White House are also planting rye, a resilient cover crop that will add nutrients back into the soil. The USDA is stating that the White House garden is a more sustainable garden - helping water quality, improving the soil quality, and reducing the impact of climate change. Isn't that nifty? Lets hope USDA passes that message on to Obama ..

You can check out the White House youtube video here. Hopefully this will help give winter gardening the boost it needs to reach the fame and status of summer gardening.

P.S. If you haven't heard yet, Kale is a superfood!

Thanksgiving in the Plowshares Garden

Thanksgiving in the Plowshares garden proved to be one of the happiest days for all involved.

The weather was gorgeous. People were rejoicing. Clients coming to eat, Mexican families from the neighborhood, and my partner Ed and I planted nearly 150 plants. Among those were: garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage and chard. Many of those plants came from Lovin' Blooms in Philo. Kevin from Navarro donated the pink hollyhocks which went along the north fence.

It was really a group effort. The wheelbarrow was flat and was needed to haul compost. Somebody offered to take it in their truck to the gas station. Meanwhile, the kids helped plant garlic learning alongside the adults as the next bed was double dug and filled in with amendments. Fresh hay was laid all around the baby plants to make sure they were warm and fed.

We all worked steadily for 3 days and by the last day nobody seemed to want to leave. Stories of gardens and childhood farms blew out with the west wind. There was a sense of accomplishment and a job well done. I think we could've planted a small farm there was so much enthusiasm! Who knows? Maybe we will.


Julie Drucker