Artickokes!

The longer I grow food with kids at Montclair, the more excited I become by the amazing lessons that can be learned through such a beautifully simple program. It is all about seed to table, or, to put it another way, having children reap the rewards and taste the bounty that comes from our earth. This healthy and amazing food tastes so much better when you know that you've grown it yourself! Often the kids will enjoy foods (veggies) that presented most anywhere else they would turn their noses up at.
This being said I will admit that I am very proud of the amazing artichoke plant that has come up so nicely in Ms. McClain's veggie bed! I planted it as I plant most things - not knowing how it would do, weather we would get a crop before the end of the school year, and wondering how an entire classroom could possibly share a few artichokes if they did...
Well here we are. Seed to table. The three artichokes were devoured by our 30 students - four leaves apiece. They planted them, they harvested them, and then they ate them up. How fun this is. And what large lessons lie within.

Wine Barrels

The wine barrels are looking great! Thanks so much to Larry Magid, Lara Jealous, Eric Veldhuizen, & many from the dad's club - this beautification project has been a true team effort. Now that spring is here, the mums are getting ready to bloom and the drip irrigation will ensure their survival! 

Thanks to all of you who showed up to our "cleanup day" to help with this great project. We couldn't do any of this without you. 

Cheese Making? In Oakland?!?

I used to work on an educational farm in slightly-upstate New York. Goats, Cows, Sheep, Ducks, Chickens, Veggies, and lots of fun. Of the many activities that we taught to children, this Cheese making recipe is surprisingly simple and delicious. I just tried it with my daughter's fourth-grade classroom at and they loved it!

This is a "farmer cheese"; similar to a ricotta or a cottage cheese. The taste is a little plain - most kids love it!
ingredients:
1 gallon of milk
1/4 cup of white vinegar or lemon juice
tools:
pot to heat up the milk (non-aluminum)
colander
cheese cloth or fine cotton (optional)
thermometer
big (slotted) spoon

Simply put, you heat up the milk to 180-190 degrees (just before boiling if you forget your thermometer) stirring as it heats. I have the kids form a line so that they can take turns stirring.
[Things to talk about as this happens: what does a cow eat? (a: grass, hey which is dried grass) How big does a dairy cow get? (a: depends on the breed, between 800-1600 pounds) Why does a cow make milk? (a: for her baby, just like all mammals) How much milk can a cow make per day? (a: depends on the breed, between 4-12 gallons)]
Once hot, remove from heat and slowly add the vinegar while stirring. (again, the kids take turns stirring and pouring little bits of vinegar)
The milk should separate into Curds and Whey (just like little Miss Muffet). At this point all you need to do is separate the curds. It's nice if each kid can scoop some up and put it into the colander which ideally is lined with the cloth.
Put it into small cups for the kids to try (still warm)- I like to give them a taste and let them know that they can come back for seconds. 

For more fun and simple "cow facts" (to discuss with the kids) click here to check out moo-milk.com

Gardening in the fake-but-true NY Post

Yesterday my friends the Yes Men distributed thousands of copies of a fake-but-true NY Post, a completely realistic "special edition" all about global warming. Included in their articles is a short about Rooftop Farms in Brooklyn (NY's Oaktown). Urban farms such as these seem to be sprouting up all over right now. It's an exciting movement that helps limit our carbon-output while also letting people know where their food comes from. Count us in.

Fall Cleanup a Rousing Success

A great big Thank You to all of the wonderful people who came out and helped us get the garden prepped for a new school year, you guys are what keeps this program going. Our hard working volunteer crew meant business, and thanks to them we completed all of our lofty goals. We pulled all of the weeds (& mint) from the existing veggie beds, then added a good amount of soil to bring them up to within a child's reach. We also sanded, oiled and filled twenty 1/2 wine barrel that extend the garden and beautify our campus! A big thanks to the dad's club as they joined in the wine-barrel prepping - together we got it all done.

A special thanks as well to to Noah's Bagels, Nellie's Coffee, Thornhill Cafe & Lucky's Market for making food donations to our cleanup event.

If you missed out on the fun, don't worry- we're scheming up another one in a few months when we are hoping to revive (once again) our native garden. These are fun community-building events. Just check out the fine photos below!

The highlight of your weekend...

WORK DAY IN THE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN!

THIS SATURDAY THE 12TH; 9 AM - 1 PM

Come to get a little dirty and lend a hand as we beautify, modify and prepare the friendship garden best for the school year.

On our agenda:

* Clear debris & add fresh organic soil to the raised garden beds.

* Prepare, fill & place new soil in 1/2 wine barrels as additions to the garden beds

* Setup compost bins

* General improvements so the garden will be ready for the new year!

- Bagels, Coffee & Light Snacks generously donated by local merchants - available while they last.

- Recommended to bring: Gloves, a refillalbe water bottle, sun-block & tools (wheel barrow & shovel are especially helpful)

- QUESTIONS? Just ask Johnna Arnold or Lara Jealous

or send an email to montclair.compost@gmail.com

SEE YOU THERE!

Introductory Letter about our Program

Hello prospective volunteer! We at Montclair Elementary are lucky enough to have an organic raised bed vegetable garden as well as a beautiful California native garden for our students to use! When paired with some excellent volunteers and our wonderful long growing season, there is much fun and learning to be had. The COMPOST program has been established for many years but we are always looking for some new energy and ideas to make this one of the best garden years ever.

How can you get involved? There are many ways, but the most common is to work in your child’s classroom as their garden teacher. This works especially well in pairs, so you will hopefully find a garden buddy to share the job. The program is incredibly versatile (and fun!). You will need to meet with your partner and your child’s teacher to discuss what lessons in the garden are most appealing to you, as well as what works well with the established curriculum. You can then lead your child’s classroom activities as little as once a month or as often as once a week. The more time and energy you put into it, the more the students will get out of it.

We will have an introductory meeting a week or two after school begins. We also have many different books and web sites that can help you to come up with ideas for your class. We have folders that provide you with information on what some of classes before you have done. Ultimately the curriculum is up to you. The garden can be used to teach lessons in math, science, language arts & art, as well as just how to work as a group and where their food comes from… There are many options available and I firmly believe all are important and educational.

If you are not interested in teaching in a classroom, there are many other ways to help! We have big garden cleanup days twice (or three times) a year, on a Saturday morning. On these days we work to maintain the gardens, as well as beautify the campus with trees, bulbs, mulch, paint, etc. We would also love some secretarial help, as well as help with fundraising and grant writing. Meanwhile, if you see a spot on campus that needs some attention and you’ve got a great idea – run it past us, chances are we’ll think it’s great.

Below is a quote from Alice Waters, who explains the importance and strength of gardening in the schools beautifully. Ms. Waters has pioneered an integration of gardening and cooking into the Berkeley public schools with amazing success. At MLK Jr. High, all school lunches include ingredients grown by the students, on the campus. We would love to have the program gain momentum and influence within our community, but to do this we’ll need all the helping hands we can get.

“The aim of education is to provide children with a sense of purpose and a sense of possibility, and with skills and habits of thinking that will help them live in the world. A key way to learn these skills and habits is to learn how to eat well and how to eat right. A curriculum designed to educate both the senses and the conscience–a curriculum based on sustainable agriculture–will teach children their moral obligation to be caretakers and stewards of the finite resources of our planet. And it will teach them the joy of the table, the pleasures of real work, and the meaning of community.” -Alice Waters

Thanks! We’re looking forward to a great year.

- The Composters 2009: Johnna Arnold, Lara Jealous & Eric Veldhuizen