Tag Archives: growing food

Class Concept Final Draft

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From Dirt to Dinner:

An Exploration of Food, Science and the Natural Rhythms of the Kitchen Garden

Join us for a garden-centered hands-on program learning about food, seasons, life cycles, cooking and nutrition.

Dirt to Dinner will encourage participants to explore full food systems (“seed-to-table”) through both individual and group learning such as compost chemistry and physics, bee gardening, nature journaling, botany trails, cooking service projects, entomology research, food preservation or projects of the participant’s own design.

The goals of the program are to allow participants to:

  • Increase understanding of ecological principles
  • Integrate math, science, language arts and cultural studies through hands-on experiences of their choice
  • Develop an appreciation for where food comes from and how it is grown
  • Experience growing, preparing, eating and sharing healthy, sustainably-raised food
  • Learn about people and communities through the lens of food, its history and world-wide distribution
  • Promote healthy, sustainable living

Learn to make smart choices about food and resources

Group Size  ~8 to 15 kids. Parent participation is welcome.  Registration is due on or before February 14th.

Meeting in Santa Clara near 280 and Lawrence Expressway.

10 meetings, February thru July, to allow us to participate in the Spring growing season.  (A Fall session is also being considered to follow.)

Tuition is $150 per child.  Sibling discount and work exchanges are also offered.

Tentative Schedule

Meetings on Saturday’s 10:00 to 1:00, including lunch

February 28th  March 14th  March 28th  April 11th  April 25th

May 9th  May 23rd  June 13th  June 20th  July 11th

Instructor Bio

Mackenzie Price was born and raised in Southern California.  She always sought out the wild places in her suburban home: building forts in the canyon, playing in the waves or feeding the chickens in her backyard. In high school the weekends would find her rock

Mackenzie Price

Mackenzie Price

climbing or catching some waves.  With a creative approach to education Mackenzie has been a student of the classics at St. Johns College, a student of nature with Sierra Institute (a 2 month long backpacking trip), an intern on an organic farm, a co-creator of a four month backpacking trip and a graduate of RDNA (studying nature awareness and permaculture).  Mackenzie is a part of the Riekes Nature Awareness staff where she works with preteens, teens and expeditions.  She has also worked as a garden instructor for Life Lab at the UCSC farm and garden.  In her free time she loves to cook, play music and get her hands dirty in the garden.  Mackenzie is first aid/CPR and Wilderness First Responder certified. 

Questions?  Email Juli idleman@gmail.com.

What Wintered Over from 2008 into 2009

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kaleRussian Red Kale did well in a not very sunny spot in the raised beds through rain, cold, hail, frost and crazy dogs running through the beds.  It stores well and is great in soups.

Utah something Celery did wonderfully well.  I picked it from the outside in and used it all winter long.  It wasn’t bothered by anything and has wonderful spring-like color in the garden in a low sun area.

White onions have been growing since Fall.  The tops aren’t pretty since the frost, but they are growing some new green stems that seem more sturdy.  Who knows?  Maybe the tops always die down when the weather gets severe?  We’ll have to see how they do next year.  It’s also time to get more onions in so they are well established as the day lengthens.

Beets would not come up for love or money this Fall.  I planted them several times and got nothing but weeds.  Will try these with the Spring crew and see how that goes.  Maybe in Jiffy pots so they can sprout inside and then go into the garden???

Several varieties of carrots did well all Fall and Winter long.  They are tough to get started.  I have small patches of them trying to get going so we have more for Spring.  I could have easily used twice what we planted, maybe more.  But they were fun to have. I especially liked the ball type variety but the seed packet is now lost.

Collards were not as hardy as the kale, but they made it through and we like the taste better than the kale.  Could have used more of these guys, espcially since the chard did not make it through the winter well.  It was bug riddled and yellowing by October.

The artichokes you couldn’t kill with a shovel.  They are already back and looking great.  I suspect they would grow in cement mix if you let them.

Peas had a very tough winter.  The second they sprouted something came and ate all their leaves off over and over.  We started some right after the new year and they seem to be doing better so far.  I’ll protect this batch as seedlings better and see how we do.  I might have to go back to buying starts for these guys.

Tossing Ideas in the Air to See What Lands

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What is going to work to share the garden space?  What are the goals of this project?

  • Raise healthy food that will be used for cooking, preserving, sharing and eating.
  • Learn and understand what the natural processes around growing food are.
  • Help urban bees by creating a small haven and possible nesting site.
  • Make use of the land resources around the house that are now essentially empty.
  • Bring people together around the space and the projects.
  • Provide welcoming outdoor space for independent projects kids want to do.

What are the current resources available?

  • Aprox. 100 square feet of raised beds under cultivation.
  • Lots of garden books and materials around the house.
  • A desire to grow more food and eat more seasonally and locally.
  • Smart bunch of homeschoolers with some energy.
  • Smart Nature instructor with great energy and experience with Life Lab, etc.
  • Life Lab
  • San Diego Master Gardeners
  • California School Garden Network