‘Garlic for Good’ Program Begins Fall Planting
October 24th, 2011University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H volunteers, Master Gardener volunteers, FoodCorps and AmeriCorps service members, in conjunction with some 40 Maine schools and community volunteers, are moving ahead with Extension’s
“Garlic for Good” project and will plant garlic in school gardens throughout Maine Oct. 22 and Oct. 24-28.
The planting is in recognition of two important days, both occurring during National Farm to School Month. Saturday, Oct. 22 is annual “Make a Difference Day,” and Monday, Oct 24 is the first Food Day in Maine, proclaimed by Gov. LePage. Food Day is being celebrated across the country on Oct. 24.
Children and volunteers will plant garlic at the Youthlinks garden on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Rockland, during a “Make a Difference Day” project coordinated by Youthlinks, a nonprofit, and Oceanside East High School. In Wiscasset, young people will be planting at the Morris Farm there in conjunction with the Wiscasset Primary School.
On Monday, plantings will occur with students at 8 Corners Primary School’s garden in Scarborough and additional schools throughout Maine. Ellen Libby, Extension educator in the Knox-Lincoln counties office, can be contacted at (207) 832-0343 for the complete schedule during the week.
Garlic for Good participants have been provided with enough garlic cloves to plant 15 square feet, the size of a 3-foot-by-5-foot “Kids Can Grow” raised bed. Three different varieties of stiff-neck garlic grown at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast (www.schoolgardenproject.com) have been provided for comparisons of taste and growth habits.
“This project is not only a meaningful food and service-learning project, but also a great science project for kids as they will be learning, planting, feeding, observing and interacting with their garlic from October 2011 through August 2012,” says
Libby.
Spring Garlic scapes will be used for taste-testing and healthy snacks for kids. Half of the summer’s garlic harvest will be used by the students to create tasty dishes with other produce from their gardens, Libby says. The other half of the harvest
will be donated to help feed Maine’s hungry through Maine Harvest for Hunger program.
Garlic is planted in the fall and is a perfect activity to do as gardeners clean up their beds in preparation for winter.
The 40 schools and youth groups signed up to participate in the program are located throughout Maine. A map of their locations can be found at the Extension’s Maine FoodCorps web page.
Instructions for planting garlic can be found in an online Extension video.
“Together we can help kids learn how to alleviate hunger in their communities while also engaging them in healthy food choices, physical activity and experiential learning for the health of it,” Libby says.
Tags: FoodCorps
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