The fascinating world of the Orca K-8 school garden!

Our 3 day Harvest Festival came to an end today- the blustery weather held off enough that we were able to have an absolute blast. The goats, chickens, food, and activities were all a hit. The fresh apple cider was flowing, the smiles were beaming, the mint tea was steaming, and everyone agreed that this was the best one yet. The volunteers and parents who helped out, gave so much time and effort- THANK YOU! Orca is a true community that comes together to celebrate, in such a great way. Our abundant harvest this year is truly something to be thankful for. Soon we will be a putting the garden to bed for the Winter and awaiting spring.

The return of the GLORIOUS GLORIOUS sunny October day. And the return of Harvest Fest- our annual celebration of the harvest and all it’s abundant goodness. Following the gale winds and tsunami-esque NW weather of the day before, today was a real blessing. Goats, chickens, great food, fresh pressed apple cider, waffles from scratch, scarecrows, lavender sachets, leaf art- WOW. Harvest foods were in abundance- no junk food allowed! It was time for squash, root vegetables, pumpkin breads, and more. We drank mint tea in the sunshine and had an absolute blast. Food brings people together to share, conversate, and SLOW down.

AND thank you to all the amazing volunteers who really made this happen! Hanna, Kate, Deb, and more- we love you!

What a gloriously blustery fall day. With rain coming in sideways, the middle school came out to celebrate that very sacred time of year- the harvest time! With piping hot Orca mint tea, stew, and various other hearty harvest spirited foods- the mood was celebratory and communal. We gathered, ate, and shared a good time making lavender sachets, scarecrows, pickling vegetables, and even waffles from scratch (w/ wheat berries ground up by students?!?!!). Our expanded 3 day harvest festival schedule this year allows students more time w/ less crowds- a perfect balance. Local organic foods and food systems were never explored so deliciously.

We got a chance to visit the p-patch on surely one of the final sunny days that will grace us for sometime. What an October!? We harvested mint, green tomatoes, and some tomatillos- the last of our fruitful Hillman City p-patch plot.

Yes! One of my favorite books discusses the magical ingredient of stone soup- SHARING! Together we harvested fresh collard greens, chard, and cabbage from the garden. We threw them in a pot and cooked up delicious soup, together as a community. Then these amazing artists retold the story on paper as we waited for the goodies. We ate outside and had a delicious experience. Fresh, local, organic food at such a young age. These experiences are building an amazing foundation and connection with food for these students.

Fun fun fun in the garden today! The sunniest October ever has blessed us with more outdoor garden time than we could have imagined. Jeff’s 6th grade science classes came out and chopped up old tomato plants for compost, gathered mint for mint tea, harvested tomatillos for tomatillo salsa, and got grapes on a drying rack to be raisins! A plethora of activities that ensures no boredom and a treasure trove of delicious snacks.

Kindergarten and 1st grade got down on some Stone Soup today. After reading the book, “Stone Soup”, we harvested some collards, chard, and cabbage, and leeks and got to cooking. We made a giant pot and got it cooking in the greenhouse. It’s a great story about starting w/ an empty pot and filling it with vegetables from a community of people sharing. The soup was tasty and served up in Marletta’s room piping hot!

4 classes today munched away on the delicious fresh goodness of Orca french fries. We had fingerlings, purple, and Yukon potatoes freshly dug up out of the ground and served up for the students. Can McDonald’s beat the 10 minute-from the garden ground to the Orca student belly- equation? I think not! While we do not condone the frying of all foods- this lesson takes a food that everyone loves and spins it in an organic, local, fresh, and community oriented spin.

Phi Ho’s class came down to the garden on another glorious sunny day. We prepared our old tomato bed for radish seeds, collected more and more green tomatoes, and prepared a delicious salad from Full Circle Farm’s produce box. The 3rd grade is studying seeds for their science unit and we are super lucky to have the garden as a resource to reinforce learning in the classroom. Plus, it will be delicious!

Today w/ Kent’s class, we harvested green tomatoes, tomatillos, mint (wow- what an amazing aroma in our greenhouse right now) AND we chopped the old tomatoes down and started getting them in the compost bin. We were lucky too to dive into our Full Circle Farm produce box and chop up a delicious fruit salad. It was a gloriously sunny day and felt like spring, while looking like fall.