Fields of Greens and Flowers

7..24.13-GGF_IMG_1633Two lucky groups of youth from CommunityGrows partners, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, and the Village Project, got to take a bus out of the City to the fog shrouded hills and watershed of Green Gulch Farm last Tuesday, July 24, 2013.
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It was a day all about discovery and exploration, with great lessons in science and ecology. Five docents, under the direction of Sukey Parmelee, Green Gulch Farms Garden outreach coordinator, divided the youth into small groups and went on a tour of the farm. The youth got to uncover the secrets of compost and soil composition, learn about bees and visit a beehive, and taste lots of flowers! Walking through the rows of lettuce and kale that stretched into the distance, seeing how seeds become “starts” in a green-house, and feasting on summer flowers and fruit trees of all variety, was a riot for the senses.
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Situated on the coast of Marin, on an inholding (a tract of land under private ownership within a national park) of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Green Gulch includes seven acres of certified organic mixed vegetable fields, fruit trees, and flower gardens, and has been on the leading edge of organic farming and land stewardship since 1972, dedicated to cultivating future stewards of the earth. It is also a practice place of the San Francisco Zen Center where students come to learn about meditation and mindful living. There is also a farm apprentice program.