Quote of the Week

"We come from the earth,
we return to the earth,
and in between we garden."
~Anonymous

Fall Harvest

Today we harvested about 30 pumpkins from our garden! We also had quite a few canteloupe, yellow squash, green onions, green beans and 2 watermelons.

The 11th grade boys class had a feast of the canteloupes.
Our kindergarten class also tasted some canteloupe last week. Today, they had a snack of fresh yellow squash. We even found a "twin squash" where 2 were conjoined. How fascinating!

Since we've cooked pumpkin every which way: pumpkin soup, pilaf with pumpkin, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cheesecake (with some local goat cheese), we let the 8th grade girls each take a pumpkin home to their families. We also sent them home with recipes to make their own pumpkin cheesecake with their parents for Thanksgiving dinner.

Quote of the Week

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."
Georgia O'Keeffe


Ms. Polly's drawing of a squash from our garden.

Dia de los Muertos

On Monday we had a festive celebration of the Mexican holiday "el Dia de los Muertos" (the Day of the Dead) where they pay homage to their relatives and friends who have passed on before them. The 5th grade and 1st grade were studying the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Incas of present-day Mexico, so we combined their studies with projects in art and cooking.


The 1st graders were very creative in their costume-making.


Sicily and Jenna debate which food to try next.


Mexican music and handmade tissue paper flags gave authenticity to the atmosphere.


Ms. Polly gets into the spirit!

Blue Moon Pumpkins

Our heirloom "Blue Moon Pumpkins" are almost ripe!


Have you ever eaten lettuce this color before?


This sunflower bud is about to burst open.

5th graders in the kitchen

William, Jack & Peter practice grinding coriander seeds. They loved the smell of fresh ground spices. We are getting excited about our "Dia de los Muertos" celebration coming up on Monday, for which they will have made costumes, decorations, and will prepare Mexican food.


Katie & Rachel are naturals with a mortar & pestle.

Quote of the Week

"A culture is preserved one generation at a time."
~ Dewey Balfa



Scarlett and Mariah (sporting their Fall Festival t-shirts) show off our bounty of pecans before the 4th graders dig in to crack, shell and eat a healthy snack!

Garden Treasures

Madasyn finds a beautiful yellow squash.


Ivy discovers a pumpkin hiding among the leaves.


The children were amazed by the bees hovering and pollinating all the pumpkin flowers. This one's covered in pollen before he takes flight again.


We planted shallots today and harvested some green onions. As she helped the other fifth graders weed and plant the shallots, Rejane remarked, "I've never been this close to a teacher before!" It's always the little quips that make me smile.

Ms. Billie Kay's Etiquette Class

Ms. Billie Kay is getting into the halloween spirit!


Ms. Bobbi Coco dressed in a specially made holiday apron.


The table was perfectly appointed.


The girls enjoyed Ms. Bobbi's gumbo, sweet potatoes and rolls. This was their chance to show their teachers how much they learned about dining etiquette these past few weeks.


All smiles and compliments to the chefs...
Bon Appetit!

Recipe of the Week

Leaf-peeper's Salad

1 head of Red Cabbage, shredded
8 Carrots, peeled & shredded
1/2 c. sunflower seeds or chopped nuts
1/2 c. golden raisins

Oil & Vinegar Dressing
*you can use a variety of oils or vinegars to change the taste of your salad.

This recipe also comes from Vermont's Cooks Garden.
It's named for all the people who travel to the Northeast to view the vibrant colors of fall leaves. This salad is bright, beautiful, nutritious and delicious!