Boys and Girls Club Update

Hello again,

As it's getting colder these days, Marie and I are going to temporarily say goodbye to our Boys and Girls Garden Club group. We have really had a fun year with these kids.

In August, we all introduced ourselves and played a game of 'Guess the Vegetable' when Marie showed the kids what we have been growing on the farm. We also pulled weeds and prepared our bed for planting. Then we began to plant our rows with peas, carrots, radishes, collards and kale and we all got a chance to water what was growing. Next, Marie and I taught about the importance of cover cropping and we all took turns throwing clover and rye seeds on the beds we hadn't planted anything in.

As that has grown, we have gotten to do some other fun activities. One day, we all walked down to the farm to see what was growing. Each of the kids took a turn to harvest some lettuce and try it straight from the ground. Everybody loved it! A few weeks later, it was the kids' turn to try what they've grown themselves--we ate salad from the collards and kale that was growing in their plot with some ranch dressing. The next week, we introduced the kids to some other salad toppings, like apple chunks, raisins, cheese and sunflower seeds. Needless to say, everyone had a great time. We all love salad!

Overall, it was very nice to hang out with the kids at our neighboring Boys and Girls Club. We share practically the same parking lot but hardly ever see each other, so it was nice to meet some kids that are genuinely excited about growing food. Their enthusiasm was truly heartwarming. I know that the kids are proud of what they've grown, and I can't wait to see what they do with their little plot next Spring.

Beth