10.6.2021 What Makes a Pickle?
| What Makes a Pickle? This week our garden educators started lesson two at area schools, “What makes a pickle?” Students were introduced to the five types of food preservation: dry, salt, freeze, heat/can & fermentation. They also looked at why humans have needed to use those different types of preservation through history. Discussions were had about how climate and technology have influenced how people save food. Then each student got to pick one item out of the garden to add to a classroom mix of garden vegetables that were washed then placed into a large canning jar. As a team the class used a pickling recipe to add flavor and preservatives to make their own jar of garden fresh pickles. One or two days after the class leaves their garden lesson they get to enjoy the pickles they made as a classroom snack. A second grader in a lesson at La Crescent-Hokah Elementary cheered, “You mean those are going to turn into pickles overnight?!” |
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| GROW Team Highlight With the expansion of our team we would like to help you get to know GROW a little more by highlighting one of our staff members or interns in each newsletter. Meet Sam Petersen. Sam first joined our team as an intern over the summer. He quickly became an asset sharing his past garden knowledge. This fall he became our new Operations Manager. In his position he is charged with all of the garden upkeep, planting, tending, troubleshooting as well as leading our team of volunteers to carry out the many daily tasks that ensure our growing spaces are safe and fruitful places for students to learn and experience nature. Sam will also be managing the greenhouse space and all of the functions of growing within the greenhouse. Sam is a nature lover who came to gardening through time working on an organic farm and a market garden. He has also worked at an organic orchard in his hometown. He lives in La Crescent with his wife Hanna and their dog Cheech. Sam loves to run, bicycle, listen to music, and learn about the natural world. He is super excited to be part of the GROW team and to help make the gardens and greenhouse awesome places to learn and be! |
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| Grant Award Gratitude |
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| Recently the La Crosse Community foundation awarded GROW a $20,000 grant. This Emergency Survival Grant was funded by the Roland Beranek, Myrick Hixton EcoPark, and Community Giving Funds of the La Crosse Community Foundation. These funds will be instrumental in allowing our organization to continue to offer regionally recognized seed to table, garden based learning programs. We are grateful for community organizations that recognize the important work that happens in the gardens, on the farm and in the greenhouse and the critical connections youth make to healthy food and nature through GROW programs. Many thanks to the La Crosse Community Foundation for the support! |
| Thank you for supporting GROW! |