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| volume 1, number 6 |
November 2008 |
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Welcome to the sixth issue of The Root of the Matter. Through our new monthly electronic communication, Collective Roots will keep you informed about recent successes, new initiatives, upcoming events, and ways you can get involved and support our work for food system change in East Palo Alto. |
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| RECENT SUCCESS |
Announcing Our New Greenhouse!
With funding support from Stockamp Corporation and other supporters to be announced later, the greenhouse is almost ready for use! Special thanks to local contractor John Sherlock for helping us finish this project. This valuable new structure will enable Collective Roots to start a wide variety of seedlings for use in our garden, to sell at the Farmers’ Market, and for the community. Additionally, we will be able to grow trees, and have an outdoor area to work in during the rainy season. At the next workday on November 22nd, volunteers will help assemble the greenhouse tables and other finishing touches! |
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| PROGRAMS |
| Garden Based Learning |
Kindergarten-5th Grade
The second, third and fifth graders in Collective Roots Garden Lessons have been busily studying topics that range from photosynthesis to insect parts. Third graders were thrilled to conduct hands-on insect exploration in the garden, complete with magnifying glasses. Second graders have readily embraced the process of mulching the garden while fifth graders had the joy of seeing their radish seeds grow into edible plants.
A new Garden Smarts Service Learning Project involving two fourth grade classes started this month. Students will participate weekly in a year-long program to investigate the effects on companion planting through online research, hands-on planting and regular data keeping. Their findings will be presented at the East Palo Alto Charter School Science Fair.
Middle and High School
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Taking bean vines to the compost at Hidden Villa |
The 8th graders finished up the trimester with a field trip to Hidden Villa to learn more about food systems, organics and sustainability. Hidden Villa is an environmental education center as well as a production farm, with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The farm also donates vegetables to food banks and other programs to feed the hungry. The students were especially interested to learn about raising animals for organic meat, dairy and eggs. They also got to work in the fields, helping to pull out the beanpoles and prepare the fields for the fall.
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| The 8th graders final garden elective day was November 6th. In celebration of the trimester, students took a blind taste test of the local Straus Organic Ice Cream and another leading, non-organic brand. Straus donated chocolate, vanilla and raspberry ice cream for the event. Straus’s vanilla won the taste test by a long shot--students chose it as the best tasting and richest ice cream over the other brand. One student wrote, “Dear Straus Ice Cream, I must say I love your ice cream. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted!” Thank you, Straus! |
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| College Track |
College Track students are continuing to take care of their garden plots in the Collective Roots garden. This month several new students joined as well. Three types of heirloom beets, rainbow carrots, belle radishes, and snap peas are currently sprouting. Onions and garlic continue to grow, with weeding and mulching help. Daffodil, ranunculus, and anemone bulbs were also planted this month! |
| 49ers Academy |
Starting in November, Collective Roots will begin two programs at the 49ers Academy. Once a week, with 6th grade teacher Harmony Hayes, we will present in-class garden-related science and social science curricula. Also, we will lead a weekly after-school garden program with mixed-aged middle school students in the community service club. Stay tuned for more news about this exciting new collaboration!
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| Food System Change |
As we first reported in July, work on the Food System Change Road Show is moving along. We are pleased to announce that Collective Roots was selected as a community partner with Stanford’s Population Health program once again. The Stanford School of Medicine Office of Community Health recently honored Collective Roots with the Outstanding Community Partner Award, an achievement based upon our three-year partnership with the Population Health program.
Eight first-year medical students will be working over the next five months to brainstorm activities for youth around healthy eating and local foods, and will then implement an interactive traveling exhibit (Road Show) for local schools and after school centers. This past weekend the medical students paid a visit to the garden, and to the farmers’ market, to begin learning about how to best implement their project in the East Palo Alto community. They’re an enthusiastic bunch, and full of fresh ideas that are sure to energize this component of our food system change work. Be sure to stay tuned for updates in the coming months.
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| PAST EVENTS |
| Brower Youth Awards |
On October 21st, four 8th graders from middle school elective attended the Brower Youth Awards, along with garden educator Eron Sandler, at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The students were interested to learn about the passion and work of the six youth leaders who won awards. To read more about the winners and their projects, click here.
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| CR Appreciation Day |
 Rain didn’t dampen our Volunteer Appreciation Day on November 1st! Because of the weather, the party was moved inside to the EPACS cafeteria where volunteers and other supporters enjoyed a BBQ, live music from Buxter Hoot’n, smoothies on the bike blender, herbal crafts, fresh fruit from the East Palo Alto Community Farmers Market, and lots of good company! |
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| MONTHLY WORK DAY |
The next garden workday will be held on Saturday, November 22nd, from 8AM to noon. If it is raining too hard to work outside that day, we will put together the tables inside the greenhouse starting at 8AM. Click here for more information and directions. To sign up to be a team leader, call 650.324.2769 or email volunteer@collectiveroots.org.
December Workday
Please make note: For the month of December, the Community Workday will not be on the 4th Saturday – it will be on December 13th from 8AM – Noon. We will resume the regular schedule in January.
October Workday
The October workday was a great success, with nearly 40 volunteers from the EPACS community, as well as volunteers who found out about the workday by word of mouth. Much was accomplished! We weeded and prepared beds for planting, mulched, planted bulbs for the spring, and shredded plant material for our compost pile.
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| FARMER'S MARKET |
Here’s the latest on the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market: we’re now in our winter hours, every Sunday from 2-5 PM. We are pleased to announce that we have two new growers—one who sells strawberries, and another who sells persimmons, apples, grapes, walnuts and pomegranates. Please come visit us any Sunday, rain or shine, to pick up the healthiest and freshest produce to be found in East Palo Alto, and beyond!
Market Info The East Palo Alto Community Farmers' Market is held each Sunday from 2-5 PM at the St. Francis of Assisi Church (1425 Bay Road, just 2 blocks from University Drive). Do you have ideas for how we can improve the market, or do you want to get involved or volunteer? Please contact David Kane at david@collectiveroots.org. |
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| WHAT'S GROWING: COVER CROP AND CABBAGES |
Our cover crop is an exciting bunch of plants that will actually add nutrients to the soil. Cover crops, also called green manure, are an organic fertilizing technique in sustainable agriculture. Areas that would otherwise lie fallow are planted with a cover crop to maintain fertility and suppress weed growth. Our cover crop mixture includes vetch, beans and oats. Prior to flowering, we will turn the crop into the soil, further adding organic matter and nutrients to prepare the beds for winter and spring planting.
Thanks to the generosity of Gamble Gardens, we have planted another beautiful crop: cabbages! Amazingly, cabbage is the same species of plant as kale, collard greens, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts and kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea)! Here is a favorite cabbage recipe of Bryden Johnston, lead Gardening Instructor of Collective Roots, courtesy of Hidden Villa Community Supported Agriculture program:
8 oz firm tofu cubed
olive oil
˝ large onion finely minced
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 t. salt
1 medium head of cabbage chopped into fine ribbons
5-6 medium carrots grated
4 T. finely minced fresh dill
1 t. tamari or soy sauce
In a medium skillet fry the tofu in a little olive oil over high heat 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. Prepare the onion and marinate in the vinegar and salt. Prepare the cabbage and carrots and combine in large bowl with onions, tofu, tamari and another 3 T. olive oil. Top with dill, lightly stir in, serve, and enjoy! |
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| FUNDRAISING |
As the 2008 holiday season approaches, we are all learning to live a bit leaner in response to the current economic downturn. But we hope that you will remember the important work that Collective Roots does with the youth and community of East Palo Alto as you consider making year-end donations to your favorite organizations and charities. Please look out for our year-end appeal letter in your mailbox in a few weeks.
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NOTE: This newsletter employs hyperlinks that act as shortcuts to related documents or web pages. Click on the green underlined words in the articles above to find out more information.
If someone forwarded you this newsletter, please click here to add your name to our mailing list.
To read past newsletters, go to http://collectiveroots.org/news/newsletters. |
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