The Edible Schoolyard

Somewhere in the email and blogposting universe, I tripped over a link to an Edutopia story about the Edible Schoolyard.

Martin Luther King Middle School, in Berkley, CA, has a one-acre garden where students grow food, raise chickens, learn about soil, pollination, water cycle, and all the other good stuff that is part of life. They also learn the value of physical labor and work ethic. I imagine they experience and learn about true team work, collaboration, planning, disappointments, successes, and that other stuff that is part of life.

In an era of shrinking natural resources and expanding midriffs, low nutritional values and high cholesterol, and as the rate of type 2 diabetes skyrockets among our youth, and especially among youth in poor communities, it is urgent that kids experience and learn about healthy eating.

Seems to me that the Edible Schoolyard could provide the framework for a rich, integrated curriculum with depth and substance (no pun intended). Also could open the door to the broader topic of sustainability, including green practices, stewardship, xeriscape, and energy conservation.

NB: This is cross-posted to MSP2

The first harvest

Yesterday Sarah and Grace (two of our younger gardeners) harvested the first of our veggies: a handful of radishes and one stowaway onion. A small and humble harvest. But it's our first offering. Jesus asks us to give what we have. Our responsibility is to do the work. God's responsibility is to bless and use it.

The loaves and fishes the little boy gave to Jesus were all that the child had (John 6:9). But Jesus took, blessed, and multiplied that small gift. Through a boy's lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fishes, several thousand people were fed (women, children, and 5000 men - John. 6:10).

I don't know what God will do with a handful of radishes. Maybe nothing that I will see. But it may be more than any one of us can imagine.


P.S. By the way, why does only John mention the boy?

So, in the midst of searching for a job, networking for career change, and seeking the place where my "deep gladness" meets "the world's deep hunger" (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Thelogical ABC), I've come to understand that I need to be present and responsive to whatever God puts in front of me. And for now, for this next, undefined period of time, I am to rest and do, rather than anguish and seek.

One of the things God has put in front of me is to help manage a garden to raise food to help feed local people in need. I wasn't looking to manage a garden or organize a group of parishoners. But I do care about--

• organic, local food production
• stewardship of resources
• social justice
• meeting the needs of people suffering from poverty and hunger
• engaging in conversation with other Christians about living out Matthew 25 and Micah 6:8

So...when the deacon of the church asked me if I'd join forces with another church member, Tim, and get a garden going, I said, "Sure."

At first the plan was to plow and plant. But attempts to dig into the plot to gather soil samples met with an interesting obstacle: wire mesh buried 3" below the surface of the ground, in the area where the garden was to be planted. This 200' x 50' bed of wire mesh is, apparently, an ill-devised and unncessary precaution to support emergency vehicles from getting stuck in the turf.
So...next option: square foot gardening (gardening in boxes on top of the turf). But this entry isn't about SFG. It's about taking hold of a opportunity and being open to learning.

First of all, I'm learning that there are plenty of folks who practice "reuse, reduce, and recycle." And it's fun to learn from each other. For ground cover over the turf, Tim and I used wool and cotton moving blankets that Tim's employer, Trader Joes, uses to wrap flowers and produce. The wood was "gleaned" from construction sites and a family farm. Seeds came from our respective home collections. When it came time to make markers for our Square Foot plots, Tim ripped up lumber from his collection. It's been fun to hear some of the crew wonder about using rain barrels to harvest rain water to water the garden and composting grass clippings and Sunday coffee hous contributions.

Second, people really do like to get out, get their hands dirty, and make something happen. About 10 adults and children helped plant our four boxes with onions, tomatoes, beets, carrots, and peppers. We're using an online calendar to sign up for watering and tending, and so far, everyone's following through.

Third, as I already knew, I'm not so good with "follow through, " and so it's wonderful to share this project with others!

But finally, the garden is reminding me about "walking humbly." I admit it. I tend to judgmentalism. I may not speak my criticisms, but I think them: "How could she even think..., Why would anyone want to..., Just imagine all the hungry people that so-and-so could feed if they didn't spend all that money on..." (A friend once pointed out that I'm not responsible for the initial thought, but I am responsible for the second. Mercy and a chance to make amends at work!).

The garden reminds me that what I see isn't all there is. The beets are sprouting in the garden. You can see the ruby and forest green leaves push through the dirt. You can't see the seed sprouting and splitting, sending its roots into the soil. The garden also reminds me that we're always planting seeds in our own actions and words (this is something my mother used to remind me). Whatever I desire to nurture in others, I must demonstrate in myself--kindness towards others, selflessness. sacrificial giving. The garden also reminds me that relationships take time and nuture. We can't just plant and walk away, assuming that all will be well. We have to tend, water, weed, protect from bugs and critters. So it is with the people and relationships in our lives.