Littlebrook Elementary – School Garden Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall, 2011

This fall, Littlebrook welcomed Lesley Bush to its garden team as Garden Educator.  Lesley is a former science teacher and master gardener and will be teaching garden lessons to each class in the school five times over the course of the year.  In her lessons this fall, each grade started work on its Grade Garden Project for the year, and participated in the school-wide harvest of fall crops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another highlight this fall was preparing fresh-from-the-garden veggies right in the classroom using a new cooking cart, which was donated by PSGC through its Garden State on Your Plate grant.  First graders made a rubbed kale salad, with celery and nasturtiums, for the welcome back family picnic.  Kindergarteners made a pear sauce from our prolific pear tree.  Fourth graders cooked up butternut squash from the three sisters bed.  And fifth graders tasted roasted eggplant dip, made from our own eggplants by LB mom and chef, Jen Carson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids brought in the remaining crops just before this year’s fall freeze and they were displayed at a Harvest Table at the pancake breakfast on October 29.  Families and staff in attendance got to bring home a bag of fresh LB-grown veggies!

 

July, 2011

Littlebrook students wrapped up their gardening year with great enthusiasm:

  • Graduating fifth graders not only finished installation of a native shade perennial bed in the courtyard with gifts from D&R Greenway Trust and local botanist Aura Starr, but also they ventured out to the school's nature trail and labeled the natives they found in order to highlight and preserve them.
  • The fourth grade planted the traditional Native American planting mounds they had constructed and are looking forward to harvesting popcorn, cranbury beans and acorn squash in the fall.
  • Third graders harvested great quantities of lemon balm, which was made into ice cream by the bent spoon and served at Colonial Day.
  • The second grade observed the progress of their improvements to the pollinator beds and enjoyed a guest gardening class from Dorothy Mullen.
  • First graders reveled in the profusion of blooms on the annuals taking over from the bulbs in their gorgeous new bed and also raised over $300 for the garden through selling greeting cards featuring their garden-based art work.
  • Kindergarten students continued to tend and taste our vegetable garden and brought home a final harvest including garlic, lettuce, kale, spinach, peas, broccoli, parsley, basil, chives and more on the next to last day of school.

A team of 18 different families will be helping keep the garden growing over the summer and getting it ready for the students’ return in September! 

- Contributed by Amy Mayer