Looking Forward

Summer day camp at Farm Discovery is right around the corner! Beginning June 13^th campers will enjoy exploring the vast beauty of Live Earth Farm with all their wonder and senses. Art on the Farm, Farm to Table and Sprouts Camp is a wonderful way to get kids outside, down in the dirt, and connect with food and nature. Activities will include nature hikes to the pond and redwood grove where campers will build forts out of old branches, collect objects for terrariums, and make dream catchers. We will also be hiking around the production fields, tasting and harvest.

At Art on the Farm, campers can look forward to a mix of arts and crafts, such as wildflower bombs, felting, jam making, flower mandalas, animal masks, wind chimes and more.

At Farm to Table Camp, we will be planting, harvesting, and cooking our way through the week. Highlights include: making ricotta and mozzarella from Bella’s fresh milk; harvesting beans, carrots, and cucumbers to make pickles; snacking on fresh berries and apricots; threshing wheat and making pizza dough for our Thursday night pizza party!

Head over to http://liveearthfarm.net/discovery-program/programs/farm-camps/ to enroll now!

On March 19^st, newly renamed, Farm Discovery at will host the 7^th annual Sheep to Shawl Fair at Live Earth Farm. Local organizations, businesses and experts will provide hands-on demonstrations of every part of the process of making wool into clothing and art. Spin, Dye, Card, Felt, Knit, Crochet and Weave your way to a good time learning on the farm for the entire family!

Watsonville, CA, February 10, 2016 – On March 19^th, 2016, 10 am to 2pm at 1275 Green Valley Road in Watsonville, Farm Discovery’s Sheep to Shawl Fair, will feature hands-on stations where guests can practice the entire progression of processing wool. The event will take place in and around the renovated turn of the century redwood barn rain or shine. Local artisans will display and sell hand made goods from gloves to rugs. The Banana Slug String Band will play a set to delight the youngest and oldest nature lovers alike.

The Sheep to Shawl Fair is one of three annual, on farm events open to the public; all of which aim to further their mission of growing healthy relationships through food, farming and nature. At the Sheep to Shawl Fair children and adults will delight in interacting with our sheep and shearer, dying yarn, making drop spindles, trying knitting and crocheting, and washing and combing yarn, all with expert help and child friendly tools. This year for the first time other businesses and organizations like the Agricultural History project, 4-H, Food for Change, and Santa Cruz Montessori will host the hands-on activity stations. Happy Girl Kitchen Company will provide a delicious lunch from their VW bus, and Live Earth Farm will debut their new weekly Farm Stand. The help of both skilled and unskilled volunteers is welcome.

Farm Discovery is a farm-based education non-profit organization at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, California. Farm Discovery makes seed to mouth, farm to fork, and child to community connections through a variety of hands-on educational programs serving the youth of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey counties and beyond. A special emphasis is placed on reaching low-income community members to bolster individual, community and environmental health. We welcome volunteers in a number of different capacities. Please get in touch!

Jessica Ridgeway, Director
831-728-2032
LEFDPDirector@gmail.com
On instagram: FarmDiscovery
On facebook: LEFDP
On Twitter: @LEFDP
On Pinterest: LEFDP
http://liveearthfarm.net/celebrations-events/events/

Menu

Appetizers

Roasted Dry Farm Tomato Caprese Crostini
Pepper Gazpacho Shooter
Herbed Zucchini Squares

Bread

Sunflour Bakehouse Artisan Bread Assortment with Belle Farms Olive Oil

Salad

Apple Fennel Salad with Hazelnuts & Crispy Prosciutto

Third Course

Wheatberry, Kale & Butternut Squash Salad

Entree

Braised Morris Grass-fed Beef with Herbed Chimichurri and Horseradish Crème
&
Herbed Yellow Potato & Carrot Medley

Dessert

Penny Ice Creamery Live Earth Farm Zucchini Cake Ice Cream Sundaes with Waffle Cone Triangles, Marinis’ Candies Caramel Sauce & Strauss Family Creamery Whipped Cream

Beverages

Discretion Brewing Shimmer Pils
Testarossa 2013 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Big Basin Vineyards TBD
Zayante Vineyards 2010 Syrah
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery 2013 Estate Chardonnay
Santa Cruz Mountain 2014 Grenache Blanc – Clay Station – Borden Ranch
Roudon Smith Winery 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Storrs Winery & Vineyards 2010
Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

On September 26^th, the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program will host “A to Zucchini,” the 7^th annual organic dinner on the farm supporting the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program. Chef Andrea Mollenauer of Lifestyle Culinary Arts will delight guests with a sumptuous, multi-course meal, highlighting fresh, local flavors from “A to Zucchini” in a picturesque setting – the very fields where the produce is grown. Paired with fine local wines, live music and an auction, this dinner will delight.

Watsonville, CA, July 28, 2015 – On September 26^th, 2015 “A to Zucchini,” the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program’s 7^th annual farm dinner, will feature local chefs, farmers, artisans and winemakers celebrating the dazzling abundance of fruit and vegetable crops grown in the Pajaro Valley. The afternoon will begin with live music accompanying freshly prepared appetizers, a salsa dancing performance and silent auction. After the multi-course wine pairing dinner, the event will culminate with a campfire and dessert overlooking the Pajaro Valley.

This farm feast is the major annual fundraiser for Live Earth Farm Discovery Program’s on-farm education programs and field trips for local youth. Each year, over 2,000 students visit Live Earth Farm to learn about food, farming, and the environment. The programs are multi-sensory and hands-on, allowing youth to harvest and taste farm fresh foods – from apple to zucchini – while learning about organic agriculture, nutrition, ecology, and grade-level science concepts.

Local teacher Deborah Wine of Calabasas Elementary reflected on her 1^st grade students’ recent field trip to Live Earth Farm as “an amazing and beautiful opportunity for kids to connect with where their food comes from, each other, their farmers, and have fun too – at a place where they would never normally go.” Through LEFDP’s programs local, underserved youth are engaged and inspired to be informed stewards of their own health, their community and their environment. Live Earth Farm Discovery Program aims to raise $40,000 through “A to Zucchini,” the September 26^th fall fundraising event, to support farm visits, transportation costs and garden supplies for the over 2,000 students who will visit Live Earth Farm during the 2015-16 school year.

To purchase tickets or for sponsorship and volunteer opportunities please visit:

http://liveearthfarm.net/atozucchini/

Conquering nature deficit disorder and knowing where their food comes from are just two of the accomplishments this summer’s cohort of Live Earth Farm Discovery campers will be bragging about when they head back to school this fall. The farm-based day camps offer local kids the opportunity to play and work in the fields and animal pens of a working organic farm that is also host to diverse native habitats.

Watsonville, CA, April 14, 2015 – In the summer of 2015 the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program will host five weeks of summer day camps at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville. Thanks to a host of generous contributors LEFDP is offering 30 scholarships this summer making their nutrition, environmental, and community education experience available to a greater diversity of local kids.

The break down of camp offerings is as follows:

• June 15-19, Art on the Farm Camp – 9am-3pm – optional overnight on Thursday
• June 22-26, Farm to Table Camp – 9am-3pm – optional overnight on Thursday
• July 6-10, Sprouts Camp – 9am-noon – with OR without parent
• July 13-17, Art on the Farm Camp – 9am-3pm – optional overnight on Thursday
• July 27-31, Sprouts Camp – 9am-noon – with OR without parent

Sprouts Camp is for 3-6 year olds. All other camps are for 6-12 year olds. A Leaders in Training program for teens, ages 13+ runs for each of the 5 weeks of camp.

The LEFDP summer camps offer a unique opportunity to engage with the food that Live Earth Farm grows in an in-depth field to fork experience that lasts a whole week. LEFDP’s summer camps are limited to 25 kids in order to create an intimate experience for campers. During the week staff and LIT’s strive to develop a compassionate community of young farmers, artists, foodies, naturalists, and environmentalists. Early Bird prices last until April 17, 2015.

On March 21^st, the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program will host the 6^th annual Sheep to Shawl event at Live Earth Farm. Professional shearer, Bruce Wool, will demonstrate his trade throughout the day, while his wife spins yarn alongside him. We are looking for volunteers to guide guests through hands on demonstrations of every part of the process of making wool into clothing and art. Come get involved in the community and facilitate the artistic experience of processing wool. All skill levels are welcome!

Watsonville, CA, February 10, 2015 – On March 21^st, 2015, 10 am to 2pm at 1275 Green Valley Road in Watsonville, the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program’s 6^th annual Sheep to Shawl event, will feature hands-on stations demonstrating the entire progression of processing wool, local artisans sharing their wares, and vendors dishing up delicious, locally sourced food. We are looking for skilled and unskilled individual alike to volunteer and help create a fun and memorable event. We will be exhibiting shearing, carding, spinning, dyeing, knitting/crocheting, felting, and weaving. If you have any experience, we would love your help demonstrating these talents. And even if you don’t, we would be thrilled to have your support!

The Discovery Program counts on community volunteers to help us thrive. Thank you so much for the continued support and we hope you take advantage of this opportunity to serve the community while having fun on the farm! We welcome volunteers in a number of different capacities, so please get in touch! Contact Peter Nelson, LEFDP Education Coordinator at lepdpeducation@gmail.com or by calling 831-728-2032.

If you are unable to volunteer but would still like to support the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program, you can make a donation to our Spring Fund Drive that provides summer camp scholarships to low income and under served community members. These scholarships give young individuals the chance to explore, and discover how to be stewards of our land and community while learning to plant, harvest, and build a plate of real, mostly plant based food. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please visit http://liveearthfarm.net/springfunddrive/.

This summer Live Earth Farm Discovery is offering three unique camps. Since 2009 LEFDP has hosted small groups of children for a week of Art on the Farm Camp along with a Leader in Training Program for teens. This year in addition to two weeks of Art on the Farm Camp for 6-12 year olds, LEFDP also invites children 6-12 years old to Farm to Table Camp and kiddos 3-6 years old to Sprouts Camp. Campers in all three camps will learn and play in our garden, fields and kitchen classroom. They will work with our milking cow, dairy goats and laying hens and snack each day right out of the organic farm fields.

Watsonville, CA, February 20, 2015 – In the summer of 2015 LEFDP will host five weeks of summer camp in the organic fields of Live Earth Farm, as well as a Leader in Training program for teens throughout the summer. The Discovery Program limits camps to 25 kids in order to create an intimate experience for campers and cultivates a compassionate community of young farmers, artists, foodies, naturalists, and environmentalists. The summer will begin and end with a week of Art on the Farm Camp June 15-19, and July 27-31. June 22-26 and July 13-17 will feature Farm to Table Camp for kiddos interested in planting, harvesting, preserving and cooking with the 50 different fruits and vegetables grown at Live Earth Farm. For the third summer 3-6 year old Sprouts campers will explore the farm July 6-10.

“Our mission is to inspire kids to make better choices around food based on a deep understanding of where it comes from. We really feel that the choices they make not only impact their own personal health, but also the health of the community and the environment.” These three different camp offerings provide unique ways to engage with Live Earth Farm. Farm to Table Camp focuses on the processes of growing and preparing food, providing campers with in depth experience in the fields and kitchen, sprinkled with a whole bunch of fun. Sprouts Camp engages really young kids and their families in the garden and animal pens for a 5 senses experience of growing, eating, and playing with food. As ever, Art on the Farm Camp weaves nature-based art activities with fruit, vegetable and farm animal fun.

Due to significant fundraising efforts and foundation support several scholarships are available. If you would still like to support the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program, you can make a donation to the Spring Fund Drive that provides summer camp scholarships to low income and under served community members. These scholarships give young individuals the chance to explore, and discover how to be stewards of our land and community while learning to plant, harvest, and build a plate of real, mostly plant based food. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity please visit http://liveearthfarm.net/springfunddrive/.

A special promotion for 2015, #flatclint (a photo cut-out of Clint Eastwood) will be circulating on various social media platforms to generate buzz and highlight the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am’s charitable purpose.

From January 5 – February 15, Monterey Peninsula Foundation will donate $10 to charity for each #flatclint posted on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (up to $100,000). Six randomly selected charities will split the proceeds. To be eligible for the random selection, charities must be one of 20 charities with the most individual donors by December 31, 2014. The six selected charities will be notified on January 5. Proceeds from this promotion will be distributed at the close of program in April 2015.

Here is where LEFDP stands now:

• 20 individual donors have supported LEF Discovery through Charity Match since the beginning of November
• We have raised $2526 during our Giving Tuesday and Year End Campaigns
• We have raised $12,816 through our joint Fall Fund Drive and Charity Match Campaign
• We hope to raise $5500 more before the end of 2014!

Donate before December 31, to help us qualify to split the proceeds from the #flatclint promotion. Every donation counts, and no amount is too small. Give what you can.

If we are selected we will give notice in the first week in January and ask you to post #flatclint all over your social media accounts, to raise $10 for each post.

We have big plans for 2015 and you can help us make it all happen. We hope to offer more 2-4 night overnight programs for schools and organizations, interested in living and working on the farm. We plan on hosting about 1000 kids on field trips in the spring and fall. We will offer five summer camps for up to 25 kids each week, with a variety of themes throughout June, July and August. In addition, we will continue to host the Santa Cruz Montessori Wavecrest Middle School program every Thursday and our monthly Homeschool, Wee Ones, and Small Farmers programs, not to mention the Sheep to Shawl Fair in March and the Harvest Festival in October.

We have some behind the scenes projects in mind for 2015 as well. We will be making a final transition to a Constituent Relationship Management database, which on the back end is as complicated as it sounds. Also, LEFDP is building its very own website, in order to efficiently provide teachers, students and community members all the information they need to participate in our programs AND we will launch our own blog including a farming tips, tricks and techniques section to expand the information we provide at the farm to a much wider community.

Reaching this variety of students of all ages would be so much harder for our small staff of three without your help. Here is what you can do.

• Consider making a gift on #GivingTuesday: https://events.r2it.com/birdies/r.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&charity=LEFDP
• Join us as a volunteer for our Calling Party tonight on the farm, at the Sheep to Shawl Fair in March or anytime in the garden and fields.
• Join our lean mean Board of Directors. Contact Jessica if you are interested: LEFDPDirector@gmail.com
• Help us get the word out on social media, using @LEFDP and the hashtag #GivingTuesday
• Take photos to post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
• Do something kind for another person.

Today is the day and we need your help to grow our impact on the children and families of the Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

Sincerely,
Jessica Ridgeway
Executive Director