Edible Schoolyard Final Post

When I first head the name ‘Edible Schoolyard’ I immediately thought of a completely edible candy land with tea-cup flowers, rivers of chocolate, lollipop gardens, and bonbon trees – essentially I was imagining the world of Willie Wonka. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for the kids (and their parents and dentists), Edible Schoolyard is nothing like this. Instead it is a garden on an elementary or middles school’s campus. Edible Schoolyard has five locations at schools around the city. The organization aims to teach the students all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing food as well as responsibility for land and natural resources.

Arthur Ashe Charter School

I was working at Arthur Ashe Charter School, which is currently located in the Irish Channel, but will soon be moving to Gentilly. As you drive down Laurel St., which, like most of New Orleans streets, passes through wealthy, and lower class areas you can see a change in yard size, tidiness, and kinds of plants growing. Arthur Ashe can be found in a slightly more lower class area. The school is a big red brick building with brightly colored murals on the stairs and large windows. On either side of the building is a playground of some sort. One of them is completely paved over while the other side is half concrete and half wood shavings with a plastic jungle gym. The garden is located behind the jungle gym and is the only area with grass. The garden is made up of eight in ground beds and three raised beds (on top of concrete). An additional five, smaller raised beds are scattered around the yard as well as a butterfly garden towards the front of the school, so 17 beds total.

Some of our kitchen herbs

 My new friend Asia, a sociable second grader, told me that he third graders from the school got to work in the garden. As far as I know I was the only volunteer at this location. Maybe because this particular school didn’t have any volunteering opportunities to directly interact with the children on a regular basis. My job was to watering, pruning, and weeding. It was a very isolated activity except for when kids from the after school programs came into the garden. When the kids are at recess they aren’t allowed to play in the garden. At first the rule seemed harsh since the garden is actually for the children, but in reality they (or at least the ones I saw) haven’t learned the respect a garden needs. They were quick to step in the garden beds and when picking kumquats did it with the gentleness of a grizzly bear hacking its way through a dense forest.

Butterfly garden

 Asia would always come talk to me as I worked in the garden. At first she would just ask me to pick her an orange. I wouldn’t pick it for her until she could tell me what it was really called, a kumquat. One of the other girls kept calling them satsumas, which in my opinion was a great guess. The kids didn’t seem too knowledgeable about their garden, but the most shocking event came when I was watering the plants and a girl asked me why I wasn’t watering the top of the plant. I explained to her that plants get the water they need through their roots. Her question: what are roots? This was the moment I realized how vital these gardens are to the kids’ general life, well being, and common sense. As Soylent Green shows us, fresh food is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We have been conditioned to take everything provided in the stores for granted. Everyday of the year we can get bright red tomatoes, oranges, every kind of leafy green; frozen or fresh. These kids have probably lived in a city their entire lives. At what point would they question, or even care, where their food comes from? Of course I was shocked and disappointed when the girl didn’t know what roots are, but at least she’s questioning it.

            

The favorite among students

 Although Edible Schoolyard produces more than 3,000 lbs. of organic produce every year, it’s most important accomplishment is not that it feeds people. The ideas this organization promotes are far more life impacting. The kids at these schools are learning where their food comes from and how to grow it. They are able to see newly planted beds of seeds and watch as it grows into a matured plant and a true source of food. We need to remember that real people all around the world are growing the food that we eat every day. There isn’t some special land or machine that magically produces food. There are step and requirements necessary for any kind of growth.

Basil!

           

It is unhealthy for us to go through life not understanding how a meal gets to our plates. I can only hope that the knowledge the kids are getting from Edible Schoolyard will affect their entire lives. Maybe with this always in the backs of their minds they won’t be ask quick to buy overly processed foods. Maybe they can educate their families, who weren’t as fortunate as to have a garden at school, on healthy and organic foods, composting, and the importance of being aware of what we put into our bodies. Maybe other school will want to get onboard with this. Maybe they'll be inspired to start their own garden.