The seeds are in!

The seeds are in! The orders will be sent home with the students on Friday, March 26th. Please double-check your order for accuracy (some orders may have notes attached regarding discrepancies). Due to availability, Vanilla Ice Sunflower seeds were substituted for the Autumn Mix Sunflower seeds. If you have any questions regarding your order, please contact Kate Strassel at k.m.strassel@gmail.com or (508) 378-6005. Thank you to everyone who supported our first fundraiser – we raised over $400 for the school garden! Happy planting!

The CSG would also like to send a special thank-you to Connie and Ron Maribett of Colchester Neighborhood Farm in Plympton, Massachusetts. The Maribetts purchased a large number of seeds to plant at their organic farm, the harvest from which will become a part of their CSA this summer! Contact Connie at (781) 588-4255 or email her at colchesterfarm@mac.com for more information about the CSA or a farm membership, and be sure to visit their website for pictures and event listings.

Lastly, the winner of the mystery header contest is the Annacone family! They correctly guessed that the picture was a close-up of a maple tap. Great job, and enjoy the book!

Read Full Post »

New CSG Pictures!

As promised, here are some pictures from our last meeting on March 3rd as well as our field trip to Matfield Maple Farm in West Bridgewater on March 6th. If you have any photos from either event that you’d like to share, please emal them to Kate at k.m.strassel@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

Central School Gardeners meeting – March 3rd, 2010

Coloring!

Mr. Forbes from Matfield Maple Farm giving his presentation.

Lisa Rue talks to the kids about their drink - maple sap!

CSG members listen intently to a story about maple sugaring.

Mrs. Kneipfer shows kids the potato plant that has sprouted in her worm bin!

CSG Field Trip to Matfield Maple Farm – March 6th, 2010

CSG Members...and llamas!

Check out those teeth!

Boardwalk through the maple trees.

Mr. Forbes explains to the kids about how the sap flows from the trees to this tank.

Really cool photo of the inside of the tank - thanks, Korin!

Tapped maple tree.

Sampling the sap - tasted like faintly sweet water.

Mr. Forbes talks about boiling the sap to make syrup.

Read Full Post »

Good Food for All Kids: A Garden at Every School

I usually try to stay away from promoting causes and groups on this blog, but I came across a tweet from Slow Food USA this morning which prompted me to make an exception. Until March 12th (that’s this Friday), Change.org is running a national competition called Ideas for Change in America, a contest designed to “empowers citizens to identify and build momentum around a diverse range of ideas for addressing the challenges our country faces.” The ten ideas with the most votes by March 12th will be presented to the Obama administration, and Change.org will work towards turning those ten ideas into reality. One of the many ideas submitted is Good Food for All Kids: A Garden at Every School. As the founder of the Central School Gardeners, I think my reasons for voting for this idea are obvious. Every child should have access to fresh, healthy food at all meals, and school gardens provide kids (and their parents) with the opportunity to learn about growing and eating whole, healthy, local foods. The idea is currently in 11th place and, as of this morning, needs 148 more votes to make it into the top ten. Whether your child is a member of the Central School Gardeners or you simply follow our blog, chances are that you feel school garden programs are important and necessary. Please take a moment to vote for the Good Food for All Kids: A Garden at Every School by March 12th, and to encourage your family and friends who also support school gardens to vote. Your small effort can make a big difference to children everywhere.

Read Full Post »

First CSG Seed Sale Fundraiser a Success!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our first fundraiser! We sold over $800 worth of seed packets–which means that the Central School Gardeners earned over $400 for our school garden! There are going to be some beautiful vegetable and flower gardens in East Bridgewater (and other towns) this spring and summer, and lots of fresh, healthy and tasty vegetables and herbs on many tables. This is truly a situation where everyone wins!

Seed orders will be distributed in late March. At this time, we plan to send the orders home from school with the students; the exact dates and procedure will be listed here and in the Central Times soon.

Thanks again for your support!

The Central School Gardeners Committee

Read Full Post »

CSG Meeting March 3rd, Matfield Maple Farm tour & a contest!

The next meeting of the Central School Gardeners is Wednesday, March 3rd right after school. Members need a permission slip from their parents in order to remain after school for the meeting. Dick Forbes from Matfield Maple Farm in West Bridgewater will be joining us to talk about local maple syrup (and we’ll be tasting some, too!). There was a great article about Matfield Maple Farm in the Winter 2010 issue of edible South Shore magazine. We are very lucky to have a source for local, 100% maple syrup so close to East Bridgewater!

In keeping with the maple syrup theme for the month, Matfield Maple Farm is having a special tour of their property for CSG members, their families and, if space allows, interested Central Elementary School students on Saturday, March 6th at 11am (rain date is March 13th). The cost is $5 per person. Pre-registration is required; if you would like to join us for the tour, please email CSG committee member Korin Zigler at mskzigler@aol.com to sign up. Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so please let Korin know soon if you would like to attend!

March 3rd is also the due date for all Fedco Seed Sale fundraiser order forms and payments. Because the fundraiser and club dues are currently our only sources for funding, we truly appreciate your support. The seeds will be distributed in late March; check back here and keep your eye on the Central Times for the exact date and time of distribution. If you have any questions about the fundraiser, please contact Petra Reitz at petra_r_@hotmail.com.

Lastly, take a look at the header image above. Can you guess what it is? Email your guess to Kate Strassel at k.m.strassel@gmail.com by Sunday, March 7th at 5pm. All correct guesses will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea by Alice Waters!

Read Full Post »