Our own salsa!

Lots of tomatoes. 

The LINCS Growing and Learning garden continues to provide many with learning and yummy, healthy food.  

Monday we harvested lots of tomatoes, our first green pepper and the first of the onions. Just the right ingredients to make our own salsa! 

Everyone helped to cut, dice and chop. Everyone was also very eager to enjoy the salsa with corn chips. A great treat for all who have helped tend to the garden over the summer. Thank you! 

The main Garden crew with the produce. 

Cutting and chopping

LINCS Garden Salsa! 

Healthy appetite for this gardener. 

CNN Story about School Gardens

Here's a great example of what school gardens can accomplish: 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/14/health/healthy-school-gardens/index.html

Garden Update

Although the Japanese beetles are at full force, the garden is growing well. The marigolds and zinnias are keeping those nasty garden-eating bugs away from the more important plants, like the tomatoes. Tomatoes are starting to ripen and I'm fairly certain we are going to have a huge amount of tomatoes during the next few garden gatherings. 

Join us on Mondays anytime between 4-6 and take some tomatoes home with you! Pick some basil too and you can make a yummy bruschetta or caprese salad! 

Thank You Kiwanis!

We were shocked to arrive at the garden club last Monday to find a Kiwanis member and 5 new raspberry plants for our garden. He even brought raspberries to eat. They were delicious and we were able to share them with the students who participate in the Whitewater Parks and Rec. summer program.

Some old broccoli raab was pulled up and the new raspberry plants were planted. Some weeding was done and more lettuce was harvested. Peas were enjoyed on site and a few radishes were eaten. The tomatoes are coming along nicely and should start to show signs of ripening soon (especially with all of the heat). 

Don't forget to join us later today between 4-6 for our weekly garden club gathering. 

Picking carrots is so much fun!

Check out this video of some students picking carrots in the garden with their families. 

http://youtu.be/2VrDyx7UAUs

Carrots and Mud....it doesn't get much better than this.

The garden is flourishing. Along with the many varieties of lettuces still producing nicely, the carrots were finally ready for harvest and the majority of the 40+ carrots that were picked were eaten on site by very happy children and parents (and even a lucky dog). Peas were enjoyed along with some fresh herbs. Tomatoes are starting to appear on the plants and the chives are still a notable favorite. 

New families are showing up each week along with the "regulars". Painting the rain barrel is on the to do list as well as making wish lists for future plans including possible storage as well as seating. 

These pictures below are just a small sampling of the smiles, laughter, fun, and friendships that are growing alongside the wonderful food in our garden. 

And when offered buckets of mud to paint with, these kiddos had no hesitation to dive right in (literally, in some cases). 

And finally we can't forget the wonderful cooking abilities of Ms. Milena and she enjoyed the big kids helping her make "soup" (notice her stirring stick). 

First and Second Summer Garden Gathering

The first and second LINCS garden gathering of the summer were a definite success!  Multiple families and students gathered each of the past Mondays between 4-6 pm and will continue to meet throughout the summer.  Please join us!!! Bring a dinner, some containers for partaking in the harvest, and garden tools (if you have them). Stay a few minutes or the whole time. Pull weeds, water, or just chat with other families! We just want you there!!


 

Students are keeping record of the garden happenings for each gathering.

The garden was weeded, old plants were removed, and new plants were added. The garden is evolving. 

A group of 2nd grade girls work together to water the beds along with make mud water. 

Camden and Calvin (5th graders) plant rows of radishes that will be harvested in just a few weeks.

Students gather around Liesel to explore the materials collected for the LINCS Garden 

which included rulers, magnifying lenses, bug/insect viewers, paper, and writing utensils.

Students and their families measured, added new plants, weeded the garden, explored the creepy crawlies, and removed old plants which are finding new homes in the gardens of LINCS families.