Alta Sierra Elementary School Garden

I guess we should thank Miss Marilyn for the much needed rain! As soon as she started setting up the Mud Kitchen the temperatures dropped and the sky opened 🤣
Looking forward to finishing setting it all up. If you have any spare wood or metal kitchen items that you would like to donate, let us know!
Also looking for long sleeve button up shirts to use as aprons.

Did you know this about tomatoes? 🍅
Last year we had a random unexpected frost in the garden that damaged most of our tomato plants. The kids were able to pick an insane amount of green tomatoes and let them ripen off the vine.
Or, you could whip up a huge batch of fried green tomatoes 😉

Here is a before and after photo after 7 days of the tomatoes that were ripening indoors. I covered them with a couple of sheets of newspaper and placed them in a dry cool place. The ripe tomatoes release ethylene gas that speed up the process. You can also put a ripe banana or apple with them. As long as they’ve reached their mature size, they should ripen within a week or two depending on the temperature.
🍅🍅

So excited that our school has such an amazing new food service program, Community Roots School Food Services Agency! Miss Stephanie is wishing she could sneak in and enjoy a tasty meal with the kids 🤣

Mr. Hunter Reed, the fruit tree whisperer, dropped by today and gave our mini orchard a clean bill of health, but also broke the news that it needs a facelift come fall. Not only did Hunter school us on the ancient art of pruning our tree limbs without killing them, but he also dished out priceless wisdom on holistic maintenance. We're super stoked for his return visit around Thanksgiving!
He is one smart apple 🍎
Thanks Hunter!

More uses for tomatoes! Using some cherry and pear tomatoes as manipulatives for 1st grade math 🥰

So, what's everyone doing with their crops now that the season's winding down? Getting a little brown around the edges? A super speedy caprese salad is just the thing to brighten up a hot gardening day.

Did you know that Rotary Club of Grass Valley has been our Garden's BFF for ages? They've hooked us up with some seriously cool stuff, like shade sails, a gorgeous greenhouse, and most recently, 2 brand new raised beds! Get ready for a stinky good time, because we're prepping these babies for their first garlic and onion crops!

We need superheroes! Calling for 5 or so strong individuals to come save the day tomorrow, September 13th at 8 am. Bring gloves unless you want to rock the tiny kiddo ones and a heavy duty rake if you’ve got one. We need to rake up some dirt and load some rocks.

How did our garden get so lucky to have Sam from Marsico Custom Homes, here to work his magic?! His Bobcat is the ultimate kid-wower and day-saver! Big things are happening in the garden this year, and we can’t wait to share them all with you. Stay tuned!