As camp season came to a close, the Discovery Program realized just how fast the summer is passing and how close we are to fall tour season! In between the hustle and bustle of camps and tours, we have had a couple weeks to take inventory, take a breath and take some much needed vacation time! We have also had a couple of fun groups on the farm and lots of fun in the garden!
At the very end of July, we had the pleasure of working with six upstanding young men from Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo. These boys dedicated part of their summer to an immersion program where they worked in local raspberry and blackberry fields and took some time to explore the surrounding agricultural area. We spent the morning making pizza dough and touring the farm. In the afternoon we baked our pizzas in the cob oven and worked in the Discovery Garden and fields. They helped us create a new compost pile, weed the onions, peppers and basil and harvest squash and berries! We had an ongoing dialogue about the differences between our diverse organic farm and the conventional berry farm where they were working. We discussed complex issues like water rights and labor laws in the Pajaro Valley and the importance of eating locally.
We also had a fun group from Gateway School join us for two days in the middle of August. We led a tour and worked in the garden the first day, and the second day we harvested and canned homemade chunky tomato sause, pizza dough, cheese from the goat we milked, and peach tartlets for dessert! This summer has flown by with camps and the Solstice event, summer tours and work in the garden. As much as we are sad to see the seasons change, we am looking forward to fall and all that comes along with it.
