Meet Tianna Washington
Do you know the impact of growing a garden? Today it’s easy to feel lost, because the connection between us and nature is being left behind. When we were children, we wanted to be outside, but as adults we forget the importance of tranquility. There is strength in simplicity, as technology evolves our society has forgotten simplicity and our instincts. Although we are more evolved, we are still animals and we have been taken out of our habitat, stress and anxiety is sure to come with that. We are so busy these days we may not even notice that the feelings of being high strung are coming...
Read MoreMeet Zyanya and Andy
INTERVIEW WITH ANDY BLUNK 1) Tell us about an early experience with gardens and nature. My mom is a wetland biologist, and is somewhat evangelical in her approach to her passions, at least with her children. I grew up looking under rocks to find all the different microinvertebrates present and hearing my mom comment on the indicated stream health. It became second nature to ask, “what is underneath there?” and “what does that indicate about the larger system present?”. This wonder and recognition of the small things...
Read MoreNovember Harvest of the Month–Kale
Yesterday was our November Harvest of the Month and if there was a single take-away from the day, it is this: Charlottesville students love Kale. Yesterday cafeteria tasting tables across the district were packed of kids filled with interest and excitement over the kale served. Many students have already tasted Kale. Many of the City Schoolyard Gardens have Kale growing as spring and fall staples. Students regularly enjoy the kale sautéed up with the mobile kitchen, made into a Kale pesto and other delicious recipes. Kale is also how the students learn about the dreaded Harlequin Beetle...
Read MoreCelebrating the Harvest Festival 2018!
written by Shannon Gaffey, Garden Educator for Teens Fall is one of my favorite seasons: it’s a season of bounty in the gardens, high energy in our schools, and a collective sigh of relief when the heat of summer finally breaks. It’s a season that lends itself towards celebration, and the Fall Harvest Festival at Buford exemplifies all these things in one evening of community fun, food and relaxation. While the Festival takes place all in one evening, it is actually a month-long program that includes the Family and Consumer Science (FACS) Veggie Cook-Off Competition, PE, ESOL and Garden...
Read MoreCharlottesville Farm to School & Healthy Schools Week is Here!
We have a jam-packed week next week FULL of farmer visits, healthy school lunch options, tastings, farm animals, harvest of the month, and our 9th Annual Harvest Festival on October 5th from 5:30-7:30 at Buford Middle School. We are excited to be joined by many many community partners next week. Here is all that is happening this week: Farmer/Farm Animal Visits Tuesday October 2nd Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville (UACC) farmers Visit Clark Elementary to make Scarecrows. Piedmont Master Gardeners bring an activity highlighting...
Read MoreA Rainy Fall at Buford
Fall in the garden is a beautiful, bountiful experience—in warm climates like central Virginia, it feels like a second Spring. Thanks to the tremendous work of our Summer Youth Interns, the Buford Garden began the school year as lush and verdant as ever. Garden Aides working on their Garden Journals. What a beautiful space to welcome another round of Garden Aide classes! This year, Buford students are able to partake in either semester or year-long gardening classes, hosted by CSG’s Garden Educator for Teens, Shannon Gaffey. A hot and rainy September has meant lots...
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