Our recent Cross-Pollination Summer Gathering event was ”'buzzing with ideas!” Garden Coordinators from around Windham County met this summer at the Winston Prouty Early Learning Center’s (ELC) garden to connect and collaborate.
The event, led by Farm to School (FTS) Coach Sheila Humphreys and FTS Program coordinator Kris Nelson, began by modeling a fun, inclusive icebreaker that can be used with students using Vermont Harvest of the Month (HOM) cards where participants matched their cards with others and shared their favorite Vermont Harvest of the Month, responding to the following prompts:
Why do you like it? What is your favorite thing about this item?
Do you have a favorite recipe?
Does this item have any special significance to you?
This icebreaker activity and the HOM cards were created by Sheila and Jennifer Trapani, Food Science Coordinator for Burlington School District for a workshop titled, “The Roots of Inclusive Classroom Cooking: Making Harvest of the Month Accessible and Engaging to All,” which they led in June at the Northeast Farm to School Institute.
This was followed by a productive session where attendees addressed various “thorny” gardening questions, ranging from foraging wild edibles like rose hips and sorrel to challenges like pest control, particularly squash beetles and jumping worms.
Participants also spent hands-on time helping the ELC Garden Coordinator Nora Harrington weed the garden, managing errant mint, lemon balm, and sorrel. Weeding was followed by a group discussion on upcoming school year projects, including fundraisers, soil improvement, and craft projects with students.
The event concluded with Sheila distributing valuable resources from the Vermont Garden Network, Vermont Harvest of the Month, and Kid’s Gardening, while a brief summer downpour refreshed the garden and provided a beautiful rainbow across Mount Wantastiquet. It was the perfect end to a summer afternoon in the garden!
Our Farm to School team looks forward to making these gatherings a regular occurrence during the 2024-2025 school year! Stay tuned as we follow the garden coordinators through the upcoming year with stories of how they accomplish their many projects.