November 3rd- The Life Skills class made it out to Austin Family Farm near Paonia.

November 10th- The trip to Fresh and Wyld was cancelled... classroom behavior issues!

The students started their winter growing project (paper whites for the holidays) and it looks great. They are working on how to grow, sell and market their plants.

Last Wednesday we had a fabulous tour of Big B's cider mill. The students were prepared with questions for the business owner about materials, cost, and production. We spent about an hour walking through the facility and taking in a lot of information about the fresh cider business. We got to see the press and the bottling line.

The kids really liked Jeff's enthusiasm for his business... and the juice that they got to take home!

Thanks Big B's!

Round Earth

Today eight students from the Life Skills program visited Round Earth Farm. Sunny and about 45 degrees, it was a beautiful day to be on farm. Adam gave us a tour of his operation amongst the 80 year old apple trees. The students were able to observe the frost damage from the night before (temps dropped into the teens!), check out the farm's 1949 Allis Chalmers, and the new small fruit grant project.

Before we left, we helped out with a quick mulch project. Round Earth will keep their costumers in beets well into the winter. We learned (and practiced) the why, what, how of mulching.

A Visit From the Kindergartners

Last Wednesday 26 kindergartners from the North Fork Community Montessori School came out to Zephyros. The weather could not have better. In years past we've been forced into the greenhouses for shelter or into the house for warm coco... but not this year! It was a brisk 60 (ha) that morning and by the afternoon we were in tee-shirts. The winter crops looked brilliant in the low autumn light, children walking up the rows. The days activities included: bean picking and tasting, giant carrot pulling, goat feeding and milking, and potato digging. After snack we had another chance to run around with a fun farm scavenger hunt in the north field.

It was great to see all of the parent involvement, and cooperation with carpooling.

Goodbye Tomatoes of 2010

On October 20, seven brave 7th and 8th graders (and their chaperones) demolished 100s of tomato plants. We thanked the plants for their unwavering (although so-to-start) production that lasted late into the year. The students learned about "putting the garden to rest" and the importance of field maintenance. And we dug some more potatoes...

Time for a taste!

On October 6th Mark and I went to the K8 for another round of seed saving with the 1st graders (our 4th generation) and brought some tomatoes for tasting for the 2nd graders.

The 1st graders got a quick and dirty lesson on saving tomato seed. They all had tomato-y hands, and were looking forward to watching (and smelling) the seeds rot in mixture of water and seed in the gallon jars that we brought. We came back after fall break, about 10 days later, to wash and dry the seeds. We will be back in April with soil, pots and water for the next turn in the cycle.

The 2nd graders enjoyed a colorful treat on the lawn (It's been a fabulous Indian Summer in western Colorado). The students were encouraged to observe the differences between the tomatoes that came right off of the farm, and the ones that they see in the store. They noticed, size, shape, color, and aroma. One tomato was the size and color of a small pumpkin, and it was suggested that we carve it. We did, and enjoyed every bite!

Potatoes at Zephyros!

Nearly 150 pounds of them-- in three different varieties!

The Hotchkiss K8 Life Skills class made it out to Zephyros Farm and Garden for a visit this fall. We learned about potatoes, sampled some late season nectarines right off of the tree and made friends with some lambs in the orchard.

We also harvested some tomatoes before the students had to jump back in the van to catch the bus home! The diverse variety of heirloom tomatoes were a hit!

A picture

The Sauce Plot

This idea was hatched last May-- To partner with Thistle Whistle Farm and the Kids' Pasta Project to create a learning garden and grow 100s of pounds of tomatoes for the Kids' Pasta Project dinners. It was a win-win-win situation.

Thistle Whistle fulfilled a goal to bring more of the community to the farm.

KPP would be able to use local, organic foods for their dinners.

I would achieve the goal of hosting a summer program gardening with kids!

We did a lot in our 14 sessions: we designed, seeded, transplanted, trellised, weeded, composted, collected eggs, harvested honey, studied basic plant biology, laughed, got sunburns, irrigated, and a lot more. I will post a series of photo from throughout the season.

Now it's time reflect and plan for next season!

Summer 2010 Update

It's hard to believe that its been 4 months since my last post. Not that there has been a lack of things happening... the blog just took a back seat. Here's a quick update of season highlights!

We hosted a 14 session summer garden 'camp' at Thistle Whistle Farm.

Placed in the 4th of July Parade in Paonia.

Grew several hundred pounds of tomatoes... among other things.

Partnered with WCFAC to bring the North Fork elementary schools local food (and lessons) to their cafeterias.

Then there was Harvest Festival...

Montessori biodome salad party 2010

May 18 was the last day we'll see the Montessori kids in the Biodome this spring.

We celebrated by eating all of the experiments!

The students selected and harvested herbs for dressing, and leaves and radishes for the main course. The snap peas were still a little too small to harvest. But everything was delicious!

Hotchkiss K8 1st graders finished up the school year with a trip to Thistle Whistle Farm. They got to plant the tomatoes that they saved seed for last fall, visit with the goats and chickens and paint some decorative rocks for their gardens at home. We had a beautiful day! Thank you Mark, Katie, Kelly and Lizzy for lending a hand!

Paonia High School- May 13

Ms. Molitar's Class visited Thistle Whistle Farm two weeks ago. Highlights included egg hunting, a lesson in goat milking and what looks like some kind of ceremony with hooded participants. The photo is of the students gathered around Mark as he reveals the mysteries of organic bee keeping. The kids are trying to discourage bees from getting tangled in their hair. It worked. No one was stung or even remotely harassed, and now we all have a deeper appreciation for honey and the work that goes into it.

Garnet Mesa Spring 2010

'Garnet Mesa Days' are the biggest field trip days of the season. There are about 100 kindergartners, 2 farms, 10 different education stations, 20 chaperones and 10-15 lovely community volunteers. This spring we returned to Lamborn and Zephyros Farms to take part in some spring-time activities.

We:

Brushed wool

Visited with mini-goats

Transplanted broccoli

Acted like honey bees

Held earth worms

Tried green smoothies

Harvested wild edibles

Planted beans

Played 'roots-stems-leaves'

Made personal germination chambers

Pet lambs

I do not know how teachers do it, day in and out. Those kid are wild! Or am I getting old?

THANK YOU TO THE FARMERS AND VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUR TIME & ENTHUSIASM!

Updates!

This is rather embarrassing, it's been a month since my last post (I know ya'll have been waiting at the edge of your seats for these posts!)! Anyway, The Kids on Farms Project has been whirring along through the month of May with a total of 238 student visits on three different farms just this month. That is a record for us.

In the wind at Zephyros

Despite the wind yesterday, the Hotchkiss K-8 Life Skills class had a great field trip at Zephyros Farm and Garden. There was a consistent wind of 25-30mph, with gusts up to 45 mph. After the students arrived, we found a small pocket out of the wind to enjoy lunch and introduce the farm. While Daphne gathered project material, I led the students around the farm to further introduce the sheep, goats, irrigation pond and aaaaalllll of the flower and vegetable crops, greenhouses, high tunnels, orchard, nursery, and new small fruit operation. These folks are BUSY!

While we were at the farm we helped out a little in the propagation greenhouse. There's an unwritten rule- while you're at the farm, you've got to lend a hand! So we stopped at the prop house for a while. We mixed soil, filled pots, seeded out some cucurbits, transplanted some eggplants, and dispersed lacewing eggs as a part of Zephyros IPM (Integrated Pest Management) regime. The students (and teachers) enjoyed getting their hands dirty and learning a little about life on a farm.

We hope to have this group of kids out again, as they seemed to really enjoy the afternoon- despite the wind.

Harvest in the Biodome

Last Tuesday was our first harvest day in the Biodome. Several montessori students harvested their greens for the Hotchkiss High School National Honor Society induction ceremony. The ceremony was last night, and I think I noticed a few people going back for seconds on salad! The HH NHS is a great group of young people that display remarkable character, leadership, scholarship and service. The NFCMS students were happy to share the harvest, but I also think that they are really looking forward to their own big salad party. We'll have to wait until our experiments have run their course. But in the meantime...

In class on Tuesday, the Ground to Table gang brought in all of the fixings for green smoothies. The kids left with recipes, samples and green smoothie mustaches!

I am so pleased that we're able to partner with the knowledgeable, dedicated and enthusiastic folks at the Lamborn Farm/Foundation.

Lunch Box Ecology

Last Friday was Ecology Day for Hotchkiss K-8 3rd graders.

Instead of focusing on ecology through wilderness, and natural systems- we took another route- through our lunch boxes. We discussed our lunches as they relate to food chains, took a look and handled some red wrigglers (the trusty annelids that keep our compost piles churning), and introduced the concept of food miles.

Everything we put into our lunch boxes has an ecological impact.

checking in

The NFCMS have been busy with their growing experiments in the Biodome.

They have several projects growing in the 'dome. We are starting tomatoes for the Kids Pasta Project, we transplanted those yesterday into larger containers until the are "field-ready".

An experiment called "Room to Live", where students discover the effects of crowding on plant growth. They used radishes as the plant of choice.

In another experiment, we are growing different varieties of the same crop to learn about plant species diversity. Also to test variety tolerance to fluctuations in temperature, disease/pest resistance and soils. The students have been checking in on them weekly, thinning, measuring and making other observations. Mark Waltermire of Thistle Whistle Farm donated 15 different varieties of his mustard seeds for this experiment. Thank you Mark!

And this is just the biodome!

In school the Ground to Table crew has been leading lessons and sharing locally produced foods with the classes. Last week they focused on wheat; bringing in bread, wheat grass, flour, and they made old fashioned chewing gum. The kids loved it.

Thank you Chys & Danielle!

spring break 2010

last week, no- actually - two weeks ago was spring break for students in delta county.

we kept busy here at the kampe foundation world headquarters by coordinating with with lynn ruoff to create an intern education program. here is a synopsis of our program:

Farmers and interns (apprentices) have been working together for mutual benefit for years. This is a popular model used around the world. Our community is unique, as it holds many diverse agriculture-based operations within a small area. This is a valuable asset. Working collaboratively, farmers in the North Fork Valley can offer a broad experience to their interns, and a deeper understanding of farming as a business and way of life. In time, this program can be called upon to attract and retain quality interns to build a stronger sustainable farming community.

The Programs highlighted in red are offered to farm interns and workers only, black text indicates events that are open to the public. Programs will run the first Wednesday of each month, Tuesdays in May, through the growing season. Location of the program will vary through the season, so check the schedule for location & directions. All programs are free. A potluck style meal will start at 6:30pm, the educational program will begin at 7:00pm and run until 8:00pm, 8-8:30pm will be a discussion and question answer period.

The Kampe Foundation is offering a $50 instructor fee to cover costs of educational material and time.

If anyone is interested, i'd be happy to post the schedule. just email me...

3rd generation seeds

It was a blustery day at the Hotchkiss K-8 today, snowed even. Mark and I brought in soil, cells, watering cans and name tags for the tomato project. The 1st graders had the opportunity to plant a 3rd generation of seeds that have been student-saved and farm-grown. In August, when the fruit matures, it will be donated to area food banks, senior center, and Kids Pasta Project- www.kidspastaproject.org

We left the newly-seeded trays in the K-8 greenhouse. In May the seedlings will be planted on the farm.

soils, squash & seeding tomatoes

This Tuesday we focused on soils, seeding tomatoes and sampling some squash.

Tongue twister.

Last Sunday morning, Adam and I were building beds in the biodome. On Monday, some of Mr. Horton's high school students filled the beds, then I topped them off with some more quality soil for planting on Tuesday. Mark and Webb led lessons on soils and seeding.

While this was happening, the ladies from the Lamborn Foundation were revealing some of the tasty qualities of winter squash to the NFCMS students with bread, seeds, and pie.

Then the wind came up...

a study in pears...

A lot has happened since my last update. We have partnered with the Lamborn Foundation to bring "Ground to Table" lessons to the NFCMS. The focus of this program is to bring into the lives of children a hands-on and "mouth full" experience of foods produced in our region. Also to raise awareness and appreciation of fresh tasting, nutrient-rich choices that are available in our community. Chrys and Danielle from the Lamborn Foundation have developed an eight week program, each week they will bring an in-depth focus to the versatility of a locally produced food item.

Last week we focused on pears!

The students were introduced to basic pear production and got to sample pear juice, pear sauce, pear cake and pear leather. All served by Danielle, self-proclaimed pear-shaped woman (she's 7 months pregnant)! It was a wonderful afternoon and we were all well fed.

Too bad I forgot the camera...

The students have arrived!

Last Tuesday afternoon the NFCMS students arrived in the biodome for the first time in 2010. Also, we had a new guest instructor, Webb Eavenson. Mark and I rounded out the team. Between the three of us and 50 students we touched on seasonal changes, climate, greenhouse design, the calculation of area using pi, we focused on our "customers", and came up with a brief planting list.

Now we just need to build to build the beds.

For the past couple of weeks I have been meeting with some people at a local co-op to discuss collaboration. Through this collaboration, we are bringing local food into the classroom next week!!! We will focus on regionalism, nutrition, and diversity.

I am honored to be working with such dedicated citizens.

2010 Projects

There are several projects for 2010, but we are going to put the Biodome at Hotchkiss High School at the top this spring.

Mark and I have been hosting garden-based science lessons out of the 'dome for the past 2 years (see earlier posts). Last fall HHS students removed a lot of out-dated and damaged material (an old deck, and two 500 gallon water tanks) thereby increasing the usable space. Way to go students!

Unfortunately the raised beds we were using for lessons with the NFCMS got tossed out with the "bath water", too. Looking at the bright side, I see this as opportunity to redesign the raised bed layout and be more inclusive. We will hold a meeting with the HHS science teachers to insure their interest, future use and get more students and teachers out of their classrooms! We have a lot work to do, earth leveling, bed design and construction, planting, and general maintenance.

This is a tremendous opportunity for learning and growing!