October Garden Newsletter

October 2008 Newsletter Content:

1. Koshland Plans and Planting
2. BEET Rangers and Green Jobs Now!
3. Harvest Festival Celebration!
4. Zuchinni Bread Recipe

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1. KOSHLAND GARDEN: PLANS AND PLANTING

Fall is approaching, and although the days are warm, the nights are
getting longer and cooler. The BEET Rangers have helped us prepare our
beds and plant out a lot new fall crop that love this time of year:
kale, broccoli, chard, lettuce, cabbage and collard greens. The
lettuce is already getting pretty big, and we will soon be using it
for salads with our upcoming cooking class in collaboration with
Modern Tea and the Western Addition Beacon.

John Muir Elementary students are learning about seed cycles, and began their classes for the semester by harvesting carrots from this
summer’s crop- this week they are planting carrots which they will harvest when classes end in December, giving them the opportunity to
observe the entire cycle of the plants life. Red tail hawks have beenvisiting us again! The students were able to see them up close as they perched on the trees above us. We feel so lucky to have these special visitors!

Upcoming plans and changes in the garden will be constructing
terracing of the John Muir Elementary School beds on the North slope
of the garden. The terracing will make gardening easier and more
accessible for the students, and will help retain the water run-off
that occurs in the winter months. We are looking forward to the
change!

To get more info on the garden, contact Community Garden Coordinator:

Nora Brereton (415) 424-5770, noraborealis@juno.com

2. BEET RANGERS AND GREEN JOBS NOW!!!

The BEET Rangers participated in the Green Jobs Now national day of action. We attended the fabulous Breaking Ground Conference for youth hosted by San Francisco Parks Trust on September 27th. Two of the BEET Rangers, Jessica Farkas and Tanea Lunsford, talked on a panel of youth about Green Jobs and why they are important. All of the participants on the panel shared really important views on how Green Jobs improve their communities, help them feel self-sufficient and productive, and provide a way for them to connect to their environment and green space in the city. We are proud to be part of the Green Job movement, connecting youth with opportunities to match environmental stewardship with economic justice.

Learn more about Green Jobs Now: http://greenjobsnow.com/

For more info, contact BEET Ranger Program Coordinator:

Elokin gardenkids@gmail.com (415) 958-6937

3. HARVEST FESTIVAL!!!
11am-1pm Workday, 1pm-4pm Party
Location: 11am-1pm Koshland Park at the corner of Page and Buchanan
Location: 1pm-4pm Hayes Valley Playground at the corner of Buchanan and Hayes

On Saturday, October 18th, we will be celebrating our Harvest Festival
with the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association and the HV Playground
Fall Fest! It will be a big party for all of us.

From 10am-1pm, we will be working in Koshland Garden. The BEET Rangers
will be planning and leading all the activities in the garden, based
on their gained knowledge of gardening, and their observations on what
work the garden needs at this point in time. Guaranteed it will be a
fun day! We will provide tools, gloves, and snacks. Come out for your
last opportunity to work with this current group of BEET Rangers
before they graduate!

From 1pm-4pm, we will move the party down to Hayes Valley Playground
to have a food, entertainment, and celebration with the whole
community. There will be activities run by the BEET Ranger for all the
family to enjoy! Come on out and celebrate the graduation of the BEET
Rangers, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood, Fall and Harvest time, and the
Hayes Valley Playground with us!

4. ZUCHINNI BREAD RECIPE

We are thrilled to be working with Modern Tea and the Western Addition
Beacon to host another cooking class for John Muir Elementary School
youth this fall. We began classes on Monday, October 5th, by
harvesting beans at the Victory Garden in front of City Hall. We
admired the kale planted by the BEET Rangers earlier in July, and the
students got very excited about all the different colors of beans
inside the various stages of the painted lady runner beans. Definitely
a great start to a great program!

Here is a fun fall recipe, to use all those zuchinnis that are
flooding the farmers markets this time of year.

ZUCCHINI BREAD
Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground clove
2 eggs or equivalent
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2
cup grated zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees
*Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium sized bowl
and mix well
*In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with sugar until combined.
Batter will be thick and a little lumpy.
*Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a
toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!
* From Seed to Mouth Cooking Class, Summer 2008