Before, After, And Just A Start

We had a nice early spring snow storm pass through the area Sunday night and we woke up to a really beautiful scene of everything but the roads covered in white.  By the time lunch rolled around it was all pretty much gone.  The temperatures are still kind of low, and it has been really breezy, but that has not stopped Mrs. Priest and the kids from getting out to the gardens and getting seeds in the ground.  There is also a whole lot of new green in the classroom with seedlings coming up.

It won't be long before they are going in the ground and then things will really get to growing.  Be sure to stop by and check us out, or ask for a tour of the gardens and the seedlings.

Micro Greens, New Sprouts, Worms, and Lunch

New to the Culinary Arts program this spring are micro greens that can be used in anything from salads to soups, and sandwiches to garnishes, and have been growing fairly well under the new light racks.  Some studies have shown that these early sprouts of plants such as spinach, pea, beet, chard, and even sunflower can have four to six times the nutrients of the mature plants, though it varies from plant to plant.  NPR published an interesting article on them back in 2012.

With the warmer weather finally upon us Mrs. Priest has been bringing her third quarter Culinary Arts sixth graders out to the gardens to see what is happening and to pick up food for the worms.  In these photos she is introducing the students to some of the plants that were over-wintered, such as carrots, herbs, and potatoes.  Though very few are peeking up through the surface, soon there will be plenty.

As we posted earlier, the sixth graders are being responsible for a bin of composting worms that need daily feeding and care.  This is a new endeavor for the Farm School so stay tuned for updates.  Here are the kids taking care of their worms in the Culinary Arts room, which really has turned into more of a laboratory.

Though this salad did not come from the Farm School, it was really nice to get out there yesterday and have lunch while thinking about all the great things that are coming our way in the gardens.

Things should get going fairly quickly here at Middlebrook Farm School so be sure to stop by and see the progress in the next month or so, and if you want a tour just let us know.

First Signs

Among the maple sap running, increasing numbers of song birds in the morning, and spotting the first robin these early flowers by Nick's tree show us that spring is most definitely on the way.  March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, is a traditional milestone on the annual growing cycle.  If the ground can be worked it will be time to plant seeds for crops such as spinach, peas, lettuces, carrots, Swiss chard, radishes, and onions.