Where Leadership Grows
At Hawthorne, we’ve had some great fun planning and preparing for summer program and it has finally arrived!
Here’s some great shots from staff training and the first day…
We bonded.
We milked a cow!
We hosted a Puppet Show from Open Eye Theatre.
We made some breakfasts.
And our work paid off! Every Youth Farmer left today with a freshly picked pint of strawberries! YES!!
Last weekend over forty of us Project LEAD, Farm Stewards, and Program Directors gathered from across Youth Farm for intensive training and togetherness. Here are a few snapshots of our winter wonderland!
Over the course of the fall Lyndale’s Farm Stewards have picked up some new skills learning how to preserve our harvest. This fall we’ve preserved tomatoes, beans, kale, and peppers coming from our CHT and Pillsbury farms and also from Hawthorne. We’ve been using this youth-grown food back in cooking classes to make veggie soups, chilis, spaghetti sauces, and more. We’ve also begun planning our next growing season to grow and preserve even more next fall!
Farm Stewards Jesus, Alice, and Teng and I are attending the 14th Annual Rooted in Community Conference. This year the conference is held in Ames, Iowa. Currently we are touring Table Top Farm, a 26-acre CSA and Market Farm and will be checking out a restored Prairie this afternoon.
YFMP staff are collaborating with Gardening Matters, Community Design Center of MN, U of M Landscape Arboretum, and Midwest Food Connection to present about elements of Building Successful Youth Gardens. This 4 hour training will be held on Friday April 1st at Urban Ventures in S. Minneapolis. Please click here to find out more information and how to register.