While we weren’t gone long for summer break at the Edible Schoolyard, we were gone just long enough to come back and be welcomed by a bounty of mature summer crops – cucumbers, lush ears of corn, squash, peppers, as well as multiple varieties of the sweetest cherry tomatoes. So much so, that in the ESY kitchen, we were faced with the fun and inviting question of, “What should we do with all these tomatoes!?” eager to participate. From a “Taste of Summer” elbow macaroni to corn-cucumber salsa, these are just two ways we decided to dedicate our summer crops to our anticipating bellies. 
As we make our way into the school year, we are excited to announce that one of the many activities we’ll be resuming this Fall is a drop-in “Teatime” – this year with a bigger focus. Teatime will allow groups of 6-8 students to come into the dining room and enjoy a cup of tea with their peers, hosted by Seed to Mouth instructor and ESY cooking program coordinator, Crystal Jones. 
During teatime, members are allowed to enjoy a contemplative space where they use their senses to try and guess their tea flavor of the day and we exercise attentive listening by employing the practice of “one mic”. In the first 10 minutes of the 20 minute tea time session, members get to check in and have a brief reset, while they answer the simple but very important question of “How are you?” Within the last 10 minutes of teatime, members will get to respond to a Q.O.T.D (question of the day) such as, “If you had the opportunity to learn something that is not taught in schools, what would it be?” or “Who is someone in your life who has made your life better? If you had the chance, what would you say to them?” The latter is an exercise in which they are given the option to write a small thank you note to hand deliver to their person of choice.
This school year, we’ll continue to find ways to practice mindfulness, both in and out of the kitchen. We welcome you to join us! Keep well.