Spring is here!

Well, Spring is officially here!
top photo- The sweet williams (dianthus) and pansies
middle- The five new blueberry bushes are full of blooms!
bottom- The children can sing the old rhyme, "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush"

Thank goodness the rain has ceased temporarily. Here in Avoyelles Parish, March is definitely living up to it's cliche' as the windiest month. We are now shaping up the beds by weeding and adding organic compost. This week we planted some tomatoes, sunflowers, heirloom corn, and 5 new blueberry bushes. We're also still in the process of planting our new fruit trees.

"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Farm to School...what a cycle!

top photo- 7th grade boys spread organic goat manure on a hugelkultur.
middle- 4th grader Reed feeds a baby goat.
bottom- Students Zelia & Dylan with the owners of Wes-Mar Farms, West & Marguerite Constantine at their Thursday Dairy Market in Moreauville.

Wes-Mar Farms has been a wonderful partner to our Edible Schoolyard! Not only do they give us a free weekly supply of organic goat manure for out composting process, they recently donated 10 native pecan trees.
They participated in our spring garden festival a few weeks ago, and we set up a baby goat pen for the "kids to pet the kids".

If you love goat cheese, milk or even goat's milk soap like we do, visit their weekly market in Moreauville on Thursdays...and tell them you're a friend of the APCS Edible Schoolyard!

Herbs for Tea ~

As a schoolwide project this year, we are reading the book "3 Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. We also commited to raise money for this organization to build a new school in Afghanistan by collecting "Pennies for Peace".

Fourth graders Lindsey, Sicily, Mary & Brooke show off their "Pennies for Peace" t-shirts, which can be purchased at the front office...while planting a few herbs.
In our school garden, we are growing a number of herbs that can be brewed for fresh tea.

~ lemon balm
~ pineapple mint
~ lemon thyme
~ sage
~ spearmint
~ rosemary
~ basil

Teachers...feel free to come collect a handful of herbs to brew yourself a cup of hot tea during your lunchbreak!

Terra Madre Day - Dec. 10

top photo~ 7th grade girls built a compost container to enrich the soil
middle photo~ Ms. Paige with Carlo Petrini, the founder and International President of Slow Food & Terra Madre
bottom photo~ the 1st graders planted a persimmon tree on Terra Madre Day

"1,000 communities are celebrating Terra Madre Day this December 10, in one of the largest global occasions to promote sustainable food and ‘eating locally’.

Held on the occasion of Slow Food’s 20th birthday, Terra Madre Day is being celebrated by more than 100,000 farmers, producers, cooks, students, and consumers across the association’s network of 150 countries.

A global revolution can only grow from local roots..."

Carlo Petrini ~
Slow Food President

Hugelkulturs....what are they???

Our 5th grade boys classes have taken pride in constructing 5 large hugelkulturs around our circular garden. A hugelkulter is German for "mound culture". This is a great way to grow potatoes, melons, or squash.
You start with a pile of dead branches or rotten logs, fill in with dead leaves, manure, grass clippings, dirt, and mulch. After a few weeks of rain (or watering) the pile should be decomposing. You can start walking on the pile to crush it down.
(they really loved this part!)
As the wood rots, it slowly releases nutrients. The first two mounds that we started in September have been planted with potatoes- and we're so excited the potatoes are sprouted and flourishing!
We'll keep you updated on the progress of our potato crop...

Earthworms are our Friends!

Our kindergarten classes are learning about earthworms. Here are some of the things we've learned:
They can live up to 10 years
They have no eyes, arms, legs or ears
They never sleep
They never catch diseases
They are able to eat their own body weight every day
They have strong mouth muscles but no teeth
They eat leaves and turn them into nutrients
They breathe through their skin
They can live underwater for a while
They are cold blooded
There are 2,700 different types in the world
They are perfect recyclers
They aerate and mix up our soil
They are extremely sensitive to environmental pollutants
They are very important for our soil!

After we watch them eat leaves & burrow into the sand in these jars for a few weeks, we will release them into the garden. We are experiencing more and more earthworms in the garden...a sign of healthy soil!

Donations + Volunteers

Here's a BIG thank you to State Representative Robert Johnson!!!
He bought us a much needed mulching mower. This will help us shred dried leaves for mulch, and also harvest grass clippings to add nitrogen to our compost.
Mr. Johnson was here at the garden to kick-off our
"Time for Lunch" campaign on Labor Day when we spoke about the importance of healthy food options for kids at school.
This is also a great time to say THANK YOU to our parents, family, friends and community for donating materials and time to build this precious potting shed/ outdoor classroom! Now we have a locked shed to store all our tools and a shady place to gather and chat before class. With gratitude!

For anyone wanting to volunteer in the garden, Tuesday are volunteer work days for Ms. Paige. Please consider coming to work in our garden and lunch with me under the trees. Service organizations are welcome. If you want to confirm a time, email me- paige@marksvillefarmersmarket.com
See you in the garden!

Spring seedlings

Some heirloom varieties we have started in our windowsill ~ thanks to Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange!

 sweet Dakota rose watermelon
 Louisiana long green eggplant
 Stowell’s sweet corn
 Earliana tomato
 Burbank red slicing tomato
 Eel River muskmelon (cantaloupe)
 Blenheim orange muskmelon
 Red Rubin basil
 white Lisbon bunching onion
 Forellenschuss lettuce
 Greek oregano
 Roma tomato
 Simpson black-seeded lettuce
 Champion radishes
 French breakfast radishes
 mesclun salad mix
 endurance sunflowers
 scarlet emporer runner bean

If they grow it... they will taste it!

Studies show that if a child participates in the growing and/or preparing of a food, he/she will be more likely to taste it.
I'm happy to report that is definitely the case here at APCS Edible Schoolyard! Everything here is organic, of course, which is so important when you are growing food for children.
Last week, our kindergarten class tasted broccoli, lemon balm, & lettuce. The 4th grade class tasted radish greens. Our 7th graders tasted lemon thyme & carrots- and remarked how fresh they tasted. Of course, we had just pulled them out of the ground minutes earlier!
Our first "crop" of shallots was harvested last week and some were prepared by Chef Joe Truex on Tuesday at the festival. He was surprised and inspired by the children coming back for more sauteed greens...bon appetit!

Heirloom Seeds + Cookware Grants

We recently received two phenomenal heirloom seed grants by way of two generous companies ~ Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange. We also received a tremendous cookware grant from Anolon, by way of Slow Food, to start our kitchen this coming fall! The kids are anxious to start learning how to cook what we are growing in our garden- many of them have made their own personalized aprons in Ms. Billy Kay's sewing class.
We desperately need funding for our garden/ future kitchen and would appreciate any donations, whether they be monetary, tools, plants or by giving of your time!
Grant-writing is an excellent way to help- if you have experience in this arena, or would like to learn...please contact Ms. Paige or Ms. Polly.

for more info. on these companies on the web:
www.seedsofchange.com
www.seedsaversexchange.com
www.anolon.com

10th Anniversary Poster

This gorgeous art nouveau poster was designed by local artist Season Bivens to celebrate the school's 10th anniversary in conjunction with Alice Waters & Joe Truex's visit to the Edible Schoolyard.
They are available for only $10- proceeds benefit the Edible Schoolyard.
Contact Ms. Paige Rabalais at the school 318.264.1470~
Make checks payable to "Slow Food Avoyelles", or by email~
paige@marksvillefarmersmarket.com

Thank you for your support!!!

Alice Waters + Joe Truex visit

(above) Alice Waters presenting senior girls with 20 various fruit trees for our new orchard

The Avoyelles Public Charter School celebrated its 10th anniversary on a fun filled spring day that started formally with speeches and dignitaries and ended with a garden food festival filled with music and dancing.
Internationally famous chef & Slow Food Vice-President, Alice Waters, and Mansura native, nationally award winning Atlanta chef Joe Truex gave speeches and commended the school for starting an Edible Schoolyard, pioneered by Waters almost 20 years ago in Berkeley, California.
In true Avoyelles Parish style, the students, officials and guests moved from the formal courtyard to the APCS Edible Schoolyard for a feast of local foods prepared by volunteers from Avoyelles and surrounding Parishes, and Cajun music compliments of Gerard Dupuy and student fiddlers, washboard and guitar players.
Local foods served were Panaroma Foods' crawfish bread, Chef Trent Bonnette's spinach salad, cracklins & boudin by Gerald Wayne Lemoine, crawfish etoufee' by Bernard's Seafood, cochon-de-lait by Kelone's, squirrel fricasse by Nathan Gaspard, Maison Louisiane's bbq shrimp & grits, Wes-Mar farms' goat cheese & milk, sweet potato ice cream by Chef Emily Kay Lemoine, seafood gumbo by Glenn Goudeau, homemade ice cream by Amy Thevis & Keith Dupuy of the Rural Life Museum, Camelot Honey gave away samples, & fried catfish by Rodney Rabalais.
Mansura native, Chef Joe Truex put on a cooking demonstration teaching interested students how to prepare and eat greens picked fresh directly from their new organic garden. Chef Alice Waters, visited with the students, autographed books, and commented that her experience with the staff and children was truly magical. But the best comment of the day from a young girl who, after tasting the crab & corn bisque prepared by Jonathon Knoll of Fresh Catch Bistreaux, looked up, smiled and said
“Boy, I really like my school!”

(top photo) Award-winning Atlanta chef & Mansura native, Joe Truex, cooks organic greens from the APCS Edible Schoolyard for teachers Melanee Trimble, Dana Nichols and students.
(above) The International Vice-President of Slow Food, chef Alice Waters, with Paige Rabalais & Polly Boersig, garden coordinators and officers of Slow Food Avoyelles.

on the web:
Alice Waters ~ http://www.chezpanisse.com/
Joe Truex ~ http://www.repastrestaurant.com/
Slow Food ~ http://www.slowfoodusa.com/
Slow Food Avoyelles ~ www.marksvillefarmersmarket.com

festival participants:
local goat farm ~ http://www.wesmarfarms.com/
http://www.maisonlouisianecatering.com/
LSU Rural Life Museum ~ http://appl027.lsu.edu/rlm/rurallifeweb.nsf/index