| Garden Griot December 2015 Vol. 3 Issue 3 | |
Meet Tammy Tomato and Carlos Corn, DSGC's New Mascots Students at Mackenzie Elementary learning the importance of healthy eating and plant parts from Tammy Tomato and Carlos Corn! We are excited to announce the newest members of our Detroit School Garden Collaborative team... Tammy Tomato and Carlos Corn! Their mission is travelling to schools throughout the city to teach Detroit students how to make healthy food choices, why nutrition is important, and where healthy foods like fruits and vegetables come from. Would you like Tammy Tomato and Carlos Corn to visit your school? Contact garden.program@detroitk12.org | Farm to School: | | | OSN Staff Lead, Katina Laird, works with students on prepping freshly harvested and washed greens at Drew Transition Center. Nice work Ms. Laird and students! | Drew Farms Delivers Produces to 11 Schools Drew Farms staff is excited to announce over 2,700 pounds of mixed salad greens were harvested between October-December and distributed to 11 Detroit schools. The mixed greens are prepared in salad cups with tomatoes or as loose lettuce on the tray. A new small scale washing station installed at Douglass Academy for Young Men now allows DSGC run a full-fledged farm to school operation. Fresh produce is grown at Drew Farms, washed and prepped at Douglass, and then distributed to schools across the city. Office of School Nutrition Head Chef, Kevin Frank ,and his food service team have done an excellent job leading the washing procedures at Douglass. Additionally, food service staff across the district have been preparing the fresh produce being dropped off to schools and serving it to students. Thank you to all OSN Food Service staff!
| | Garden Attendants Colleen Walker, 'Mr. O.' Elvin Owensby, Roxanne Brown, and Sarita Walker. | Thank You Garden Attendants! You may have seen them at your school gardens, but these 4 outstanding Garden Attendants have shifted gears this season to assist in the Drew Farms high tunnel food production. Despite being a mild winter, these individuals have braved some chilly early mornings to keep the Drew Farms high tunnels up and running to produce high quality fresh produce for Detroit schools. From preparing the soil to seeding, harvesting by hand, and packaging, these four individuals (led by High Tunnel Manger, Michelle Lutz, and Farm Manager, Matt Hargis) are a true inspiration for what it means to serve our city's children with healthy food.
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Worms to the Rescue! Vermicomposting Introduced at Professional Development Dr. Rhodes-O'Neil, West Side Academy teacher, DSGC Director, Zaundra Wimberley, FoodCorps member Brooke Juday, and Drew Farms Manager Matt Hargis pose with Dr. Rhodes-O'Neil and her winning worm bin.
| West Side Academy teachers Ms. Butler and Mr. Gauthier with student Casandra Brown, after recording vermicomposting observations. Nice work!
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| Last month's professional development, a partnership with the DPS Office of Science and Michigan State University Extension, was led by school garden educator, Kristine Hahn, who introduced the how-to's of composting and vermicomposting, the benefits it offers school gardens, and how it can be integrated as a learning tool in classroom curriculum.
Teachers participated in hands on activities, including working together to build vermicomposting (worm) bins from scratch! Known as "black gold," worm castings from red worms provide excellent nutrients for soil. This is the perfect indoor experiential learning project to do with students during the colder months and an opportunity to prepare for your school garden. Did you miss the training but are interested in learning how to make a worm bin for your classroom? See instructions below, if you have any questions please email garden.program@detroitk12.org | How to Make a Vermicomposting Bin
| Materials - 8-10 gallon plastic storage container
- Drill (1/4" or 1/16" bits)
- Shredded paper
- Compostable food scraps
- Handful of soil
- Loose leaves
- 1/2 to 1 pound of red worms
- Water spray bottle
- Sheet of cardboard
Best Worm Food - Fruits (avoid citrus)
- Vegetables
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Tea bags
- Leaves
Want more vermicomposting tips?Check out MSU's Extension Vermicomposting Guide.
| Instructions 1.) Drill about 20 holes near the top of the bin and on the lid to allow for ventilation.
2.) Layer the bottom of the bin with shredded newspaper, dampen paper with spray bottle of water.
3.) Toss in handful or two of soil.
4.) Add loose leaves, compostable food scraps, and another layer of shredded newspaper.
5.) Add red worms to the bin.
6.) Add another layer of newspaper and dampen with spray bottle.
7.) Place sheet of cardboard on top of the newspaper.
8.) Feed worms slowly (a couple times a week) and gradually increase as worms begin multiplying. Bury the food scraps in different spots to encourage worm movement.
Once your bin has transformed into "black gold," spread throughout you garden beds! Worms can be used again to continue vermicomposting or go strait into your garden.
| | Mark Your Calendars for the Next Teacher Training!
Plant Parts, Photosynthesis, & Cellular Respiration Thursday, January 21st @ Drew Transition Center (9600 Wyoming) 4:30-8:00pm Want to integrate your school garden into your curriculum but not sure how? Looking for tips on how to strengthen preexisting lessons? Then this training is for you! Kristine Hahn from Michigan State University Extension will be leading the workshop. A light meal will be provided, courtesy of the DPS Office of School Nutrition.
*All DSGC Teacher Trainings are approved Detroit Public School Professional Development and are a collaboration with the DPS Office of Science. Thank you, we hope to see you there! | | Taste the Rainbow! Nutrition Education Making an Impact
| | | Students enjoying a fresh "rainbow wrap" made in class after learning about the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. |
Our FoodCorps staff members have been visiting schools across the city teaching nutrition education lessons to students in kindergarten thru 8th grade. Lessons are also part of the federal Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program. There are 87 Detroit schools that receive a fruit or vegetable snack Monday thru Thursday every week and these lessons help students learn in fun and interactive ways what they are eating, why it is nutritious, how it grows, and different ways they can eat it! This month FoodCorps member Brooke visited schools to teach students about the importance of eating a variety of vegetables such as peppers, cabbage, and spinach. After the lesson, students made their own rainbow wraps! (see recipe below) | | | | Grant Writing Season! | | | Outdoor classroom space at Cody High School with benches, blackboard, and bark chip surface, all made possible through external grant funding awards. | Do you have ideas of how to expand your school garden? Need more materials for a project or looking for ways to build your garden as an outdoor learning space? Check out the grants below. We are happy to assist in the grant writing process, please reach out to Monica at garden.program@detroitk12.org
Amount: up to $5,000 Deadline: February, 12 2016 (cycle closes once 1500 proposals are received)
Amount: up to $5,000 Deadline: not listed, applications available February 1, 2016
Amount: varies Deadline: March 6, 2016 (presentation), proposals must be received at least 2 weeks prior
| | Recipe of the Month | Rainbow Wraps Ingredients: 2 Whole Wheat Tortillas 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 large carrot 1 purple cabbage 2 cups spinach Directions: - Wash and rinse all produce.
- Slice red and yellow peppers into long strips.
- Shred cabbage.
- Thinly slice carrot into long strips.
- Optional: spread hummus or dressing onto tortillas.
- Place peppers, cabbage, and carrots into rows on tortilla like a rainbow.
- Roll up tortillas and enjoy!
Note: You can add sliced meat to your wraps. We recommend turkey breast, low in sodium and high in protein! Nutritional benefits: These wraps are loaded with nutrients! The peppers in particular are a great source of Vitamin C and the leafy greens are an excellent source of Vitamin K, an important nutrient helping bones grow healthy and strong! | | | | | Interested in Volunteering? Join Friends of the Detroit School Garden Collaborative!
It may be the winter season, but we are growing our volunteer data base and we would love to have you has part of our team! Our Friends of DSGC members help at school gardens, Drew Farms, spring clean up days, and a variety of other volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering, please email garden.program@detroitk12.org Thank you!
| | | | Happy Holidays from DSGC Staff! The DSGC Staff wishes all of our teachers, principals, students, community partners, and volunteers a very blessed holiday. Thank you for being a part of our program and our mission to provide fresh, local, and nutritious food to Detroit students and their school communities. Happy Holidays!
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