Saturdays are for Stealing

Bearded Iris beauties in front of the abandoned building.

I had to be quick. There was no telling who could drive by and see me. The thrill and reward were worth the risk. Some could call it stealing, but I like to look at it as a type of volunteer gardening service. These irises had been calling me to take them home since I first laid eyes on them. 

It was during one of my walks or one of our drives that they caught my eye. Prettily being themselves, they stand in front of the old abandoned building up the road by our house, not needing any admiration by anyone of their unique beauty, but being their beautiful selves anyway, all day, everyday. If only we could all be more like that, I think humanity might be in a better place. 

There are many beautiful flowers in bloom now. Spring is finally here. These flowers however, stand out to me the most. Perhaps it’s the unique combination of their colors, yellow and maroon, which allure me. Somehow, this combination of colors reminds me of a fashion runway. Maybe my brother could design a dress inspired by these colors and the delicate texture yet slight poofiness of the petals! I could wear that dress for his wedding next year. There are many irises around, mostly purple, but none I have seen like these. 

Bearded Iris Califlora Blatant Reblooming

Iris rhizome 

My friend Marie agrees. She sweetly came to visit me this week with her 3 kiddos, despite having car troubles. She borrowed her neighbor's car just to get here! That is a real friend. We had lunch and went for a walk with the kids. When we passed the irises, she too marvelled at their beauty. She even suggested I could take them, since no one lived in the abandoned building. She even gave me the idea of harvesting some of the rhizomes to take and plant in my own garden at home. And I did that today! It was exciting because I had to explore a bit the ground and had actually thought I would have to come back with a garden fork to dig them out, but they came out so easily! I took a few. Even though no one lives there, I still want to be respectful to nature and in general never take all of anything, and always I ask permission of the flower or what I am harvesting and give gratitude before I leave. 

For the person who does own the building, I’m actually helping keep their irises healthy because you don’t want the rhizomes to overgrow upon each other and crowd each other. So, I made space for future beautiful and healthy blooms. I help the mystery owner, while gaining some rhizomes for my own garden, as well as pretty flowers to decorate our home. A win win if you ask me. 

Baby bump & basket of irises and elderflowers.

Who needs to go to a farmers market when you can take a walk, getting exercise, while finding some treasures to beautify your home? I miss going to farmers’ markets of course! But, with life as it is at this moment, I am so grateful to at least still grab my basket and go out to gather something. The bonus is it’s free!

Also in bloom are beautiful elderflowers. Around the same area of the irises is a giant elder tree. The blooms of elder trees are always notoriously difficult to reach. They grow in places surrounded by nettles, other thorny plants or water, and according to Jorris, are usually hard to harvest without a ladder. I was able to harvest a handful of umbels. They smell so sweet and delicate! 

Tiny little sweet smelling elderflowers. 

Elderflowers are hard to reach. 

Happy elderflower harvest. 

The irises smell amazing too, sort of peachy. See how I really love these flowers! It’s not always the case that a flower is both beautiful and smells good. The elderflowers are also beautiful, tiny little white flowers in an umbel shape. I love elderflower sodas/champagnes which are naturally fermented and which I have tasted from a local artisanal producer. I can’t have alcohol at the moment, so with this harvest I plan to make an elderflower cordial, which is alcohol free. Or maybe a syrup?! Baby can enjoy a taste too from the amniotic fluid! It’s so gratifying to engage with nature and create things that nourish our bodies and spirits from her offerings. 

Elderflower cordial in the making.

I bowed to the elder trees which I encountered, asking permission to harvest and then once more at the end in thanks. Reaching as high as I could, gently pulling branches towards me and harvesting the fluffy white clouds of sweetness. I lost track of time and place, just going for the next branch and searching for the next possible umbels to gather, while watching my footing to avoid a tumble. I saw another tree so crossed the field of tall grasses nearly reaching my chest, the soft seed heads tickling my skin as they brushed against my arms. To walk on the earth and through the grass was so grounding, rather than my usual pavement walks up the road lately. 

Tall grassy walks towards the elderflowers.

Can’t wait for the elderberries to arrive. I will have to look into when that will be. There is so much to investigate and learn. I love it. I’ve heard one can make a syrup from them which helps with colds. I want to make things from nature for my family that will keep us healthy during the cold months when colds and sickness can arise. Always present, while looking ahead, right? But for now, I am so looking forward to summer and in the moment enjoying spring's offerings. 

In stunning admiration of the flowers which I have crossed paths with today who share their uplifting energy with me, I wish you a beautiful Saturday stealing flowers of your own, or whatever you maybe up to...

See the fuzzy yellow beard? 

*photos by me. 

Home Sweet Home

Our new village of Saint-Léger, Southern France

I once read that "old doors won't open new ways". And since I read it some years ago, I have found it more true with each new year that passes, with each new life experience I encounter. About 3 weeks ago, Jorris and I closed one door and open another. We moved from our tiny studio apartment in the village of Puget-Theniérs to the tiny village (30 inhabitants year-round) of Saint-Léger.

Together we closed the door of village and apartment life. And now we have opened new doors to a house of 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, spacious kitchen and living room and, get this, a honey room/atelier (workshop) below!! Our new home acts as a home and work place. It is owned by the municipality and one must be a farmer to rent it. The mayor, as well as the villagers whom we have met so far have been very welcoming and kind.

Home Sweet Home; I'm envisioning flower pots.

The honeyroom and atelier below; I love the blue shutters, very Provençal.

While the road is windy and 30 minutes to Puget, it is a beautiful drive. Fatiguing yes, since we have to honk at all the blind-turns, which there are many. It takes me about 30 mintues to get to work at the fields below, but the days I have to go to the ferme en haute (farm above, the farm house), it takes about 45 minutes. After a long and hot day of work under the merciless sun, I sigh at the drive back ahead. But, no distance is too long when you know you will arrive to a place you can call home.

We'll probably eventually miss from time to time being able to just run down stairs and step out on Sunday mornings to get some freshly baked croissants, pain au chocolate, eclaires cafés et baguettes from the boulangerie as we did when we lived in Puget (no boulangerie in our tiny village). But for now, it is such a luxury to have so much space! Our tiny studio was a lovely start and a charming experience, but with running a business and building a life together we are in need of space to store all of our creations, honey and natural cosmetics, alike. There are also disadvantages of village apartment life that we won't miss like hearing music from your neighbors perhaps you're not so fond of and village chatter and motor bike engines in the night when you're trying to sleep.

St. Léger Village Center

We live a little outside of our new village. It's smaller than Puget-Theniérs and there is no grocery store. We have one neighbor whom we haven't formally introduced ourselves to yet, but they live below us and have goats and sheep. They produce soap from their goats' milk. Their home is also owned by the municipality. I think they are also a young couple, and we are looking forward to get to know them soon.

It's amazing what a difference physical space can have on one's sense of well-being. The other day, I wanted to play music but Jorris wanted some quiet time, so I was able to go into our guest room and play my heart out! It was so liberating! Like, we could fully express ourselves and share one space together, in different rooms. Both of us were content. Also, a physical distance from work and the village of Puget is so refreshing. Being surrounded by all this beautiful nature is so calming and nourishing to my soul. When I get home from work I can just let it all go, turn the noise down and just be in peace to cook, read, write, play music, snuggle with Bodhi etc.

Bodhi and Frida. 

Bodhi has been enjoying our new home as well. Now he can go outside and also explore nature. He is loving it so far. As an animal, I think it is much healthier for him to be in touch with nature, as it is for us. I love when he comes back home from one of his adventures outside and his fury head smells like wild flowers and herbs.

Bodhi baby exploring the garden with toy. 

Having more space in our home also means being able to invite family and friends over, which is what Jorris and I love to do. Right now, Pap, mon beau pere (my father-in-law) has been here visiting us since we just moved in. His name is Marcel, but in Dutch, pap means dad so I call him pap. It has been such a pleasure to have his presence grace our home. He is such an incredible human being, with a gentle heart and golden hands, as ma belle mere (my mother-in-law) put it so well. He can make anything! He makes guitars, furniture, the best mayonnaise in like 30 seconds (yes it was a life-hack he taught me) and so much more. He also plays the guitars which he builds beautifully, classical pieces and bassa nova, which I am listening to now as I write this blog post.

He has helped Jorris and I with so much: assembling shelves for honey room, labelling jars of honey, cleaning the house, doing laundry, cooking, playing guitar while I cook, playing guitar with me, and today as I write, building us a kitchen which he so generously gifted to Jorris and I. We are so grateful and honored to have Pap bless our home. All the laughs together have been so meaningful. I've always appreciated Pap and now spending so much time with him and getting to know him more, I appreciate him even more.

Meet Pap, our Head Handyman/Contractor/Chef/Guitarist...

Ta-DA!!! I love the touch of the sparkling lights Pap added & so does Jorris.

Also last weekend, Jorris’ cousin Emille and his family of 5 kiddos and wife Yvonne arrived! They are doing a trip throughout europe by train and public transportation. We had a wonderful dinner that Friday night, Jorris’ famous cous cous and ratatouille-sytle veggies. They too are a brave family, having opened a new door themselves 5 years ago when they moved to Sweden from Holland. It was spontaneous and perfect timing that we moved to a bigger house so we could host them. We were excited to receive a whatsapp message from Emille saying how they would love to stop by. They are such a kind and well-rounded family. Pap and Emille and his family inspire me in so many ways. It's such an honor to call them family. 

Pap (Dad in Dutch), about to enjoy a veggie spring roll. 

We had a wonderful time together taking them through Provence to la plage de St. Julien and Lac de St. Croix, through the Gorges de Verdun and up to the most charming village of Moustiers St. Marie where Jorris and I had our first gelato together many summers ago. It was so joyful to re-visit the places where we first got to know each other and to share that with family. We finished our long day of adventure driving through the Lavender fields of Valensole where some fields of Lavender hadn't been cut yet and we could still smell the magic. Jorris stopped by to check on his bees, naturally. I am so happy he had some time to enjoy summer and family since he is working so much. He would never take time off for himself and rarely for us during this busy time of the season, but he was delighted to take time off for family. 

Afternoons are for picnics; Emille, Yvonne and the kiddos. Photo: Pap

Evenings are for guitar concerts. 

Life happens in rhythms big and small. These cycles are constantly shifting and changing within ourselves, within our society, community, Mother Nature. Not to long ago I wrote about the Buddhist concept of Dukkha and reflected upon my own struggles in that moment. And, at now in this moment, we've shifted into a new cycle, moved through a new door, of such joy and abundance in good organic food and a household of love.  

Veggie Spring Rolls for dinner with some veggies from the farm. 

How about those views out those windows!

Fresh organic tomatoes from the farm where I work.

Emille and his family added their touch of love to our home, lending a hand with building the kitchen as well as adding a little surprise of art to the some of the beehives in the atelier. We were told by the kiddos that we were not allowed to enter the atelier. A few hours later they invited us in and the sweet sight nearly brought tears to my eyes. Jorris had a bright smile on his face. Their gift really warmed our hearts and home and our bees' homes. 

A little surprise the kiddos and their mom created. 

Handfuls of magic. 

An artful gift to the bees. 

Jorris and I have walked through many doors together now. We walked through a door of wwoofing and organic farming, the sliding door of the j9 camping car where we lived in while in Villetale Haute, then the wooden doors of the yurt, the door of marriage, and up until recently the grand apartment door of Puget-Théniers, and now the home-y one of Saint-Léger.

Our future garden space! How many butterflies can you spot?

I'm so excited for what the land here will teach me, what plants I will discover, insects, trees and animals. The air is so fresh and the spring water so clean (we saw the report from the Mayor's office!). We also get our water heated by the sun with 2 solar panels on the roof. To top it off, the week before was a full moon and lunar eclipse where, the Moon in all her glory greeted me through my bedroom window, full and bright with the silhouette of a tree in the left and mountains in the foreground of the window frame, a perfect picture. I soaked it all in. 

If you are going through a rhythm of life that is unpleasant, dark or uncomfortable, fear not, for a new door awaits you, sooner than you know. Hang in there. Just be compassionate and patient with yourself. Trust that you'll know which door to open when you see it, and when you see it, though it'll be new and unfamiliar, don't be afraid to step through.

Our old & beautiful door to our apartment in Puget.

*photos by me unless noted otherwise.

This inspiring book and flowers Lucie picked for me today.

"You are so young, so much before all beginning...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and...try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

                                    Rainer Maria Rilke, from Letters to a Young Poet, 1929

This week was rough. A success, but hard, to put it simply. Often times, I wonder why I chose this way of life or why it chose me. I had all the comforts and freedom of a good car, all the attention of a close family, and all the city conveniences back in LA. Here in France, in a new country, in the beginning of a new life and business from the ground up, it's not the case. I forge on, though, breathe deeply and work in the present moment through all the uncertainties and challenges. From time to time, I pick up this book to remind me of why I am farming, why I choose to live close to nature etc. I discovered it last summer when I worked at Garden School Foundation and one of the kind interns mentioned this book. It's an anthology of different voices: farmers, chefs, writers, change-makers, in the field of agriculture, ecology and food. The essays inside continue to inspire me and I want to share some with you sometime.

I picked it up from the row of books on our desk held upright against the wall untidily by a little statue of Ganesh on one end and more stuff on the other end.  It was a Wednesday night before bed when I needed a pick-me-up myself. And, upon opening the first few pages of the book, I read that quote again which spoke to me so much last summer, and still now. It was a reminder that it's ok not to know all the answers. Most of the time I don't know the answers and wonder when they will show up. But we can't put life on pause just because we don't have all the answers. We just put one foot in front of the other...live everything...and maybe the answers will come one day, or maybe not, and either way, it's all good.

*photo by Tiffanie Ma.

Sprouts, the Magic of Gardening

Sometimes, a garden needs a little magic. Last week in Mom's garden I played witch and sprinkled coffee grounds and smoked paprika along the garden borders to keep the cats away. And, either it worked, or the cats had found another garden to call their toilet anyway. Either way, the cats have stayed away!

I think every gardener believes in magic. Whether consciously or subconsciously. You really can't help but be mystified still when you see sprouts and wonder how life begins from the tiniest of seeds.  Even with the scientific understanding of it all, there is something so magical and exciting. I, now 27 years old, still jump with excitement when I see sprouts!!! I did so on this past Tuesday October 18th, when I saw lettuce and radish sprouts, which I had seeded on Thursday October 13th. It took 6 days!

Seeds are magical!! Lettuce sprouts under burlap sack cover.

Only a week ago there was dried dirt and poop here, now heirloom lettuces!

Will thin these. These micro-greens will be great on a sandwich! 

That's incredible! I've known lettuce and radish seeds to germinate quickly, but I suppose maybe I never carefully counted the days, since there was always lots of other seeds and tasks to keep track of in the garden. Seed sprouts never cease to inspire me. I'm rather enjoying this piece-by-piece gardening, starting small, whether it's just a small plot or a few different seeds, or both. It's a great way to learn and observe. I've learned that the burlap sack worked very well as a cover to keep seeds moist for germination. Not only can you test out different gardening practices such as I did with burlap here, but I find that you have high chances of success too if you have say one bed of veggies to care for, rather than a lot of different ones.

It's all part of Slow Gardening. Like the Slow Food Movement, which began in Italy by Carlo Petrini in 1986, who promoted slow eating, saving and savoring traditional foods and cuisines through saving heirloom seeds and sustainable cultivating practices. Slow Gardening is about taking pleasure in gardening, savoring the experience, such as watching seeds sprout, smelling the earthy fragrance of compost, feeling the water splash on your toes as it drips out of the watering can; it's a sensual experience.

Happy Lavender producing new flowers!

Gardenia producing new leaves!

The pots of Lavender and Gardenia are doing really well, too! There are new Lavender flowers popping up and the Gardenia looks bushier with new leaves. I did move the Gardenia pot a little since I had noticed some burnt leaves, so it may have been getting a little too much sun. As a gardener, you learn to be a little more observant of the space around you. Next I will be pruning the butterfly and sage bushes, sewing wildflower seeds, and planting tulip bulbs. I'll keep you updated, slowly, Slow Blogging, we'll call it ;)






*photos by Tiffanie Ma

Certainty

“The only two certainties in life are death and taxes,” wrote politicians and authors of the 18th century, though who exactly coined this saying is debated. I'd like to add a few more things to that list of life certainties: stubbing your toe and bee stings will always hurt; and sometimes those who love you most or who you love most will hurt you the most, though probably not intentionally. In any case, pain is pain, but I believe it is how we deal with the pain that makes all the difference. And, learning how to deal takes a deep level of patience, compassion, and introspection.

Your Garden Gallivanter has been away from the glorious bee farm in the French Alps since December, back in her sunny Los Angeles hometown, visiting family, catching up with friends, and taking time to reflect on these 'life certainties' and countryside dreams. Do pardon her for not posting in a while. 

Mon joie de vivre, Jet, et moi à la plage. 

I've discovered, sometimes it helps to work backwards. Perhaps the question is not, "what we want to do now?" but rather, "where do we want to end up?". And, a question most important to me, "what will become of my heart through this process?". Will working to get to where I wish to be in the end uplift me, expanding my heart, making it bigger to hold even more beauties and experiences of life?And, even if I don't get to that particular 'end' I envision, will the process still expand my heart, making it not only bigger to hold those beautiful experiences, but also stronger, to deal with those ugly ones, those unpleasant certainties of real life? 

Perhaps the only certainty in life is what we make of the moment we are in. There is no guarantee of the next second. It's either written in the stars for us, or it is not. Maybe life is about cultivating a certain belief in the beauty of our dreams. And, while those dreams may change, may prove to be totally not what we thought, at least we cultivate a better understanding of ourselves through the process, even if it hurts. 

In French there is the phrase, joie de vivre, which we have adopted into our English Language. It can be translated as: a joy of living; a delight in being alive, keen, carefree. Recently, I saw a documentary about this woman in her 90s named Iris Apfel. She is a New Yorker, a world icon in fashion, art, and design. Though not a gardener or bee keeper, Iris is the epitome of joie de vivre, and anyone as creative, joyful and dares to be herself at any age, is worth mentioning, and being inspired by. Iris is known for her big glasses, big bangles and colorful ensembles which she has collected from all over the world and showcased in world renown art galleries. But, a part from all that, she continues to live so actively, genuinely, curiously, and creatively, with such a sentimentality for things and a respect for the creative process. And that is why I think so many people love her. 

While my dreams of a countryside life in southern France are still in the making, with many uncertainties and surely wonderful surprises ahead; there is one thing for certain, and that is that these dreams imbue me with a joie de vivre worth chasing. The chase begins next Friday as I fly back to Le Rucher Des Gorges de Daluis for another season of beekeeping! A bientôt! 




*photo by Tiffanie Ma

Smell-Potion Tea

You all know by now how irresistibly inspiring my Garden students are to me. This particular short anecdote is about some 3rd Grade garden girls' simple play which inspired me to make some garden tea.

Meet the infamous Smell Potion. You'll have to imagine this one because they usually disintegrate into "stink" potions before I make it over for a picture. The garden girls love prancing around the garden, picking flowers and herbs, and collecting them into empty glass jars I had collected for projects and have around the garden, not necessarily these projects, but this is what they collect them in.

Rosemary, Lavender flowers, Lavender foliage, Mint, Orange blossoms, Lemon blossoms, Nasturtiums, and Borage, all mixed and proportioned based on the creator's smell preference of creation, in a glass jar with a stick found on the garden ground. With each sniff they decide, a little more mint there, less rosemary here and voila! They share their smells with each other and I. Then they run off to recess and the potions are left in the jars, forgotten and left to decompose (it happens).

We made some for the Garden Stand like a potpourri mixture with cute mesh on top last year. But, move over Potpourri Smell Potion, because I think I have just discovered something better. Smell-Potion Tea. I figured all these flowers and herbs they were harvesting are edible. Some even have health benefits, such as the calming effects of citrus blossoms and lavender, so I decided to dump out the mixtures to dry in the sun on a plate and bundle together in cheesecloth as tea bags. It worked and tasted like the sweet garden in my mouth.  Cheers to my garden girls for the inspiration!

Here's how you can make Smell-Potion Tea yourself:

1. Harvest a variety of edible herbs and flowers such as: Calendulas, Citrus Blossoms (we used orange and lemon), Mint, Lavender (flowers and foliage), Rosemary, Borage, Nasturtiums. Let dry under the sun for at least a day on a plate or any dry surface. If the temperature is warm, one day is all you'll need. You will see everything dry and shrivel up. Don't worry, this is good!

2. If you use a mini-ball and chain tea holder to hold your tea leaves when you steep in water, then you can just put this mixture of dried goodies into a clean, airtight jar. Anytime you want tea, you can add a tablespoon or two into the mini-ball. If you don't have one, but have cheesecloth lying around like I did, you can cut up the cheesecloth and bundle up a few tablespoons of herbs onto piece you cut and tie together. There's really no specific method of tying, just as long as everything stays together. Or, you can buy specific tea bags at the store for this. 




3. Lastly, store your tea bags into a pretty jar. I saved this one for the right occasion. A parent had donated this to the garden when I was looking for jars. I knew I had to save it for something special. It was worth the wait. Coincidentally, her daughter is one of the Smell Potion Makers! 

Now when you are looking for a taste of the garden or just something soothing to curl up and read a book with before bed, take one of these Smell-Potion tea bags and steep in a warm cup of water for at least 3 minutes, or longer if you prefer a stronger cup. 

This is caffeine free and herbal. Always consult with a doctor if you are pregnant or have medical concerns. I didn't add anything extra. I love honey, but this tea had such a soft, subtle sweetness to it, it didn't need anything extra. Try out different combinations of herbs and flowers. 
It's a surprise every time. 






*photos by Tiffanie Ma

the Garden Stand that Could...

A calm garden morning stirs BIG Garden ideas...

It all started with Ms. Jessica's 2nd Graders one morning during garden class. I forget exactly what project we were working on, but I remember it being a calm morning of work and chat. While I love all my students, I am deeply fond of and irresistibly inspired by these particular students. I'm not sure if it was my connection with Ms. Jessica, their homeroom teacher, when I first began LCS last year; we were both on the same page about Edible Education and had similar dreams to fiercely begin something breathtaking and real. Or, maybe I was so touched by the unbounded support and encouragement I received from their parents.

Maybe it was all of that. Maybe it was because they felt the same way about the garden as I did. Or, maybe it was the Garden who chose this class to leap with.

However we got there, it was during this fateful Garden class last May that it had crossed my mind to discuss with my students very casually somehow showcasing all our hard work to our school community. Ok, that's a lie. I actually had been thinking for a while before that day in Garden about how to present the work we do in Garden to our community in an interactive and meaningful way. I remember having a few meetings with our Dean at the time where we discussed possibly throwing a big celebration in honor of the Garden. Perhaps a Spring Festival, with crafts and food and planting? But then, our Dean suggested tying this idea into so many other ideas: Grandparents Day, Science Fair with 4th Grade...that the essence of what I had envisioned disintegrated into the ethers of space, along with any further meetings with our Dean who probably was overwhelmed at the time, as most Deans are. I began to feel unimportant, but I did not lose hope.

So, I had been pondering in my mind for a few months on how we could present our work, but more than just present, how to really share it with our school. During Garden that day when we had time to chat, and I brought up the idea of sharing our Garden, maybe having a little Stand with some veggies to show what we are growing? They took it further.

This picture was just once upon a dream...

No, Ms. Tiffanie, let's have a Garden Stand, like a Farm Stand, where we sell what we grow and educate people with what we are currently learning in the Garden. Let's have it on Fridays during Morning Sing when our whole community gets together to sing songs and parents stay to watch their kids sing. We can teach what we know, offer fresh, local, organic veggies and herbs while at the same time raising money for our Edible Schoolyard Program. 

Sharing what we have from our garden and raising $$ for it.

In a nutshell. That was what we came up with as a class, a real brainstorm of ideas, a real collaboration, a real discussion, definitely constructivist learning in the flesh.

With our hearts full of excitement, we were pumped, ready to make this happen. Now, I had to carve a path to make it a reality. I had the buy in from students, the motivation, the momentum, and luckily my garden partner-in-crime, Ms. Jessica. So I caught up with her and discussed what we sketched during Garden; her eyes lit up, she was in. Now, time to strategize.

Without Ms. Jessica, Garden Stand would still be just a dream.

Having been at school for a solid 9 months, I began to quickly learn the culture of getting things done. The Me, being a stickler for rules and not wanting to get in "trouble," had to go. So I dropped that part of me like a bad habit. Cold Turkey.

Jessica and I adopted the model "Ask for Forgiveness, not Permission".  Having worked at LCS for a year before I had, I believe she had adopted this model a while ago. And now, so had I. I never got a chance to put together a Spring Festival with admin support, but we started something way better.

Students made tags labeling bundles of kale we sold for $1.

So, one Friday morning, we executed "Operation: Pop-Up Garden Stand". Before any students or many staff arrived, we moved a table we found in the hallway which was used for lunch to the front entrance of school, put a table cloth on it and harvested some kale and made some herb bundles in the garden with students who started to trickle into school. They made cute tags.

And of course we can't forget our sign we made during the week with our students. Students decorated a hinged-sign board which was painted with black chalk paint for our students to decorate with chalk. This was a donation from awesome parents in our class, now a handmade relic we still use every Garden Stand. Jessica and I moved it near our Stand table, which staked like a flag.

Our "Flag," parent donated board sign. 

Students from all grade levels unite to harvest and bundle. 

It was a HIT. It felt like an outdoor market in some foreign land. There was no line, a little chaos in the air, just dollar bills and hands pointing to various veggies on the table. Our Dean came over to see what the excitement was about and looked a bit stunned, maybe nervous. We raised about $60 or so. I turned it into school the proper way and it never got into our budget....another lesson learned. So we had to take care of the funds ourselves and with each Garden Stand we provided for our classes: potting soil, bird feeder project kits, compost, wind chime project kits, seeds, supplement veggies for cooking lessons, food for our citrus trees, paint, and for our ULTIMATE wish, a new toolshed.

Busy, busy morning rush...

Figs, homemade fig preserves and Pomegranates from our trees Fall 2014.

We've had to add on another table.

Our old toolshed is being eaten away by termites. It had been deteriorating since last year, probably even before my time began at LCS; the left door hangs on by one hinge, and I hit my head everyday on the low frame. So, before last Summer began, our students set a goal to raise $1,000 through Garden Stand for the new toolshed.

10 Garden Stands and dozens of projects later, we have reached our goal and our new toolshed is on its way as I write these words. This is a real experience. These are our school ESLRs (Expected School-wide Learning Results): Demonstrating Respect, Taking Responsibility, Persevering, Seeking to Understand and Communicating Effectively, all coming to life. This is the epitome of constructivist learning.

How is it the epitome of constructivist learning? Well, the picture above says it all. Students took ownership of a project, something they wanted to be a part of and dedicate themselves to. Not only do we harvest what we have from our garden and sometimes glean from neighborhood trees to sell, we also have an Educational Table where we teach. That's right, students teaching grown-ups. They collaborated with one another to educate our community of parents and students about: Monarch butterflies, germination, not wasting utensils for school hot lunch, to name a few. They even collaborated with the Kindergarteners in October who presented their studies of pumpkins, one example of cross-grade-level collaboration. Not only were they educating our community with the Kindergarteners about the stages of life, shape and properties of pumpkins; on a deeper level, our 2nd/3rd graders were being role models and leading them. It was an exciting Halloween Garden Stand, as you can imagine.

Fall 2014 @ the Ed. Table we were all about pumpkins. 

Ms. Sarah's kinders made predictions about pumpkins.

Handmade paper flowers by parent. 

Persimmons and Kale @ the Garden Stand.

The Garden Stand has become everything I hoped it would be and so much more I could never have imagined. It has brought so many students from different classes together and also so many people of our rich community together. Parents are reconnecting after a busy week over some garden tea at the Garden Stand, or buying Rosemary herb bundles and using it for their roasted parsnips for dinner (true story). It has inspired so many students and families; I could probably write many more postings about how, but I'll just save that for a future book, perhaps?

It's an endless circle of inspiration. The garden inspires what we showcase at the Garden Stand and the Garden Stand inspires what we learn in garden. The momentum is high and our customers love our displays and products. This year we have made: fig preserves, lemon preserves (from our trees in the garden and made by amazing parent-volunteer-extraordinare Cassey J.), homemade laundry soap with 3rd graders, compost from our composting lunch and snack waste, persimmon cookies (made by yours truly from my Grandma's Hachiya Persimmons), paper which we turned into bookmarks and seed paper with 2nd graders, flower presses, succulents in a shell (when we studied propagating succulents), granola bars and fidgets (made by amazing Cassey J. and which sell out every time), snack sacks (made by amazing Victoria A.), utensil sets wrapped with cloth napkins made by our 3rd graders for their B.Y.O.U (Bring Your Own Utensil campaign for hot lunch).

Paper we made and turned into bookmarks.

Fig preserves made from our figs.

Laundry Soap by our 3rd Graders. 

Flower Presses, made last May; one of our first novelty items.

Succulents in a Shell by our 3rd Graders.

This project and what it has sparked within other people continues to inspire and rekindle my joy and pure passion for gardening and teaching. Every day I get to work with our Earth and some truly wonderful kids. It has reaffirmed so many of my life choices, especially when times were turbulent and confusing trying to find my way here. With every Garden Stand, my soul ignites and anything is possible.





*Photos by Tiffanie Ma