Here, take one!

My business card for my new Gardening Enterprise. 

I'm really happy to share my business card with you all!! Need gardening consultation? Want to plant a Fall Garden? Now is the time to get that kale, chard, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and those other Fall/Winter crops in! I can help! Want to eat better? I can show you how to cook these fresh homegrown veggies. Invest in your health, beautify your home, create a healthy habitat for your corner of the world, try something new or learn more about gardening. I haven't seen it all, but I've seen a lot of it, so let me help you see your way to something spectacular!!

Want to start small? Let's start with an herb box by your window sill. Live in an apartment and all you've got is a balcony? No problem. Want to tear out your whole lawn and start from scratch? Let's talk. Have a café or restaurant? Want to grow what you cook at your business? Let's talk. I can teach you, we can do it together so you learn from me and won't need me anymore in the future, or I can just do it for you if you don't have the time to learn now. Live in Southern California/the Los Angeles area? Email me at tiffaniema@gmail.com about your project and how I can be of service. I look forward to meeting you. If you live in another part of the world and have a gardening question, email me. I look forward to writing to you. My garden hands are yours.


Always Your
Garden Gallivanter,

Tiffanie




*photo by Tiffanie Ma

Happy Birthday!!!

Celebrating Thanksgiving with Bouquet Garni by 3rd Graders.

Today I turned a-quarter-of-a-century-years-old!! And, five days ago (Nov. 21st), my blog, Garden Gallivanter turned one. How fast time really does drift by. As my birthday has always been a few days from, or sometimes even on Thanksgiving Day, I have always been a little more thankful. Maybe it's all the warm thoughts and thanks during this time of year, but I do believe being around this positive energy makes me evermore grateful.

Most birthdays, I never really feel that age until the year has gone by and I turn the next age, but this year, I really do feel twenty-five. In fact, twenty-five feels just like the perfect place to be. I feel it in my bones, my body, my spirit, and my soul, that I have indeed lived a quarter of a century. In the spirit of thanks, I am so grateful for all the most fortunate experiences, both light and dark, I have lived, survived, and those yet to come.

Cheers to all my family, friends, students and teachers for allowing me to give my heart to those I love and the work I love!



*photo by Tiffanie Ma

Soaring to New Heights

 

Lemon on rooftop of L.A.

Today was one of those picture perfect class days, one that, until today, I didn't know existed in real life. Sometimes, most of the time actually, we never feel like we have enough time in the garden. Thirty minutes is pretty short to get 11 students oriented and orchestrated to our garden goal of the day. We always manage, but today, we soared. I am so proud of my 2nd and 1st graders!

While I took the photo on the left on a rooftop in downtown L.A. a few summers ago and our Meyer Lemons from the garden we actually used today are just as beautiful, I feel like this photo represents accurately the bursting brightness and soaring heights we reached with our garden classes today.

It was our 1st and 2nd graders first cooking lesson in our Edible Garden, of this year, and with me. Our chard, though still young, was ready to be harvested and devoured by our 2nd grade gardeners who planted them there.


On Thursdays, our 2nd graders come into the garden in the morning, and after lunch, our 1st graders come in. This morning we made a simple chard salad with carrot shavings and raisins paired with a simple Meyer lemon honey dressing. We made the salad and dressing from scratch, except for the olive oil, salt, pepper, raisins, and carrots (we have them in the garden, but they aren't ready yet). Almost everything came right from our little garden. I did purchase some fully-matured Red Ruby Chard leaves to show students what our chard will look like, and also to compensate for the amount of our young chard leaves we have feeding 33 hungry students.

And, to my surprise, since I have not received the list of parent volunteers yet, I had a parent volunteer today! His name was Josh, and he is the father of 2 of my students. He was very easy going and helped our students wash the chard, lettuce, kale, and mustard green (we mixed things up in the last class with more greens from our garden). During another one of our 3 classes, he helped instruct and lead our students to make the dressing. And before he washed up for the day and said goodbye, he chopped up our chard and carrot stems for the worms.

Everyone loved the salad and some even asked for seconds. It made me so happy to see some students peeling carrots, using the salad spinner, tossing in raisins, whisking the dressing, all contributing to a meal together. And what's even greater, were their smiles and enthusiasm to taste good food that we made together. My favorite part was when we got to just eat and talk, just enjoying each other's company over a simple salad. A big Thank You goes out to Josh who was an awesome parent volunteer. I think his help allowed us to finish each back-to-back class on time and with finesse.

Although Josh wasn't there to make Basil and Mint Meyer Lemonade with us in 1st grade, we still finished each class on time and with sipping leisure. While it would have been helpful to have another pair of hands to fetch ice from the big kitchen and pour hot water into the sugar for the simple syrup, we made it work quite well and my little 1st graders enjoyed the tour around different parts of school perhaps they hadn't really seen before. I will always appreciate a cup of homemade lemonade a little more after today. Just watching all my students squeeze those lemons with the lemon press in their tiny hands, really demonstrated how much each drop is worth.

*photo by Tiffanie Ma

Signs of a Gardener Gallivanter

You know you are a Garden Gallivanter when:

1. You have dirt under your nails 85% of the time.(Ladies, manicures can go a long way).

2. When you do laundry and shake your pants to straighten them out for the wash, dirt magically appears and snows onto your floor. 

3. You're always trying to identify plants, yes, even the weeds of your school neighborhood sidewalk as you waltz your way to work. 

4. You tuck yourself in at night along with a gardening or agriculturally-related book to read before going to bed..and dream of getting those wildflowers from your book into your garden. 

5. You spend so much of your time in the garden, working, researching, planning for the garden and your students that you neglect to spend time writing on your blog...


My sincerest apologies for not checking-in in a while. Enjoy this photo montage to speed you up on garden happenings!

2nd graders shredding papers for our worms' new home. 

Wormy action!

Measuring worms.

Worm Lecture

1st graders sort seeds, practicing counting and adding.

Fall Foliage in our Garden. 

4th/5th grade Square Foot Gardening

Sprouting Chard! and Dino Kale.

Beans sprouting from 1st grade paper pots!

Borage 

Lots more sprouting pots!

Fava Beans looking healthy in the bed!

1st graders water their reusable  planter pots. 
 

1st grade team work!

2nd grade reading groups use the garden classroom for poetry.

They focused on Kale.

3rd grade Haiku about Rainbow Chard. 

We feed our worms scraps from lunch. 

BUG Hunt.

Seed strips stored for later planting. 

2nd grade seed strips. 

We <3 our pumpkin pancakes.

5th graders harvest Meyer Lemons.

Meyer Lemon Mint Lemonade!
Photo by: Jocelyn

Persimmon Cookies!

Photos By: Tiffanie Ma

Going the Extra Mile

My Hollywood Commute on the 101N

When it comes to gardening and especially with my students, I always go the extra mile. I can't help it. I think it's a mixture of my personality and high-energy level to always go that extra distance, with everything in life. Yes, I was the over-achiever throughout grade school, high school, and college. Believe me, I'm not trying to brag, in fact, I think this need to always "go the extra mile" can be a curse as much as it is a gift. But I love it.

I love my Jetta; it can do anything, like carry 2 alfalfa bales.

 

                                                                         

At the feed store in Glendale, the woman who sold me the alfalfa bales gave me a worrying look as I explained to her I wanted 4 bales of alfalfa and no, I don't have a truck.

"You don't know anyone who has a truck?" she asked baffled. 

"No." I replied, remaining calm despite feeling a little judged for not having a truck or a friend with a truck. 

My Jetta can do anything, I thought in my head. And she did. Although we didn't fit 4 bales, we miraculously fit 2, which turned out to be plenty of alfalfa. From Glendale, to Arcadia, and back to Hollywood the next morning, she got the bales safely to school, and Ramon, our groundskeeper, helped me haul them into the garden. 

So, why did I go through all the trouble for alfalfa? Well, alfalfa is a great nitrogen source for soil and excellent mulch, since it releases nitrogen and other rich nutrients like potassium and phosphorous slowly. Mulch, in general, keeps soil at a stable temperature, retaining more moisture in the soil, while suppressing weeds. My students had a blast mulching. And our veggie seedlings will be all the more happy and healthy. Now my car smells like a barn, but it was worth it.                                                                                                                                                                  

New life spouting!

A most beloved veggie comes to life. 

On other garden fronts, new life is sprouting! The Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Chard and Spinach we started a few weeks ago are growing nicely. It's so exciting to see the garden transform from an abandoned space, to one nurtured and growing, with excited students who are always willing to lend a hand, to water, transplant, or even carry heavy bags of compost. It makes my job so satisfying to see them love coming into the garden. 

Christmas came early! Red Wigglers have arrived!

Paper pots are biodegradable. 

We also experimented with starting seeds in paper pots which we made by hand. These pots can be planted directly into the ground when the sprout is strong enough. This is a lesson on seed starting and environmental mindfulness. Making the pots is also a practice in dexterity, using hand and finger muscles in different ways then students may be used to. It was a challenge for most, but we got through it successfully. 

In other exciting news, our Red Wiggler worms for our Vermicompost bin arrived! Students were so excited to hold and study the worms under a magnifying glass. I can't wait for the black gold they will provide us. 

In cooking with 4th and 5th graders, we made Butternut Squash Soup topped with crunchy toasted Pumpkin seeds. Squash and Pumpkins are the harvests of the month for this month of October. So, to celebrate these fine vegetables, we made a creamy soup. Part of learning to cook food is learning to enjoy it with a beautifully set table and the company of friends. 

Slurping Butternut Squash in the company of friends. 

A close-up of simplistic beauty. 

Another visitor to the garden!

Life is fantastic in our little garden, and I am happy as can be. 

*photos by Tiffanie Ma

Making Connections

While my job title is Edible Schoolyard teacher, I feel like the job comes with so much more than just what the title implies. The garden, while not centrally located on campus, is a central element of our school and community. These first few weeks of school, I've had the chance to make constant connections beyond the garden.                                                                                                                                      

Happy Composters!

I've connected with Robertino, our chef who cooks simple, yet wholesome and delicious lunches everyday, based on seasonal and local ingredients. In cooking class, we reiterate these seasonal "Harvests of the Month," so far being apples, pomegranates and this month, squash and pumpkin. My connection with Robertino stems from adding his nitrogen-rich kitchen scraps into our compost bins. As the season progresses, I will work with him to discuss what herbs and veggies he'd like to cook with, so that I may plan to cultivate them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               I've connected with Chuy, our schoolyard maintenance provider, who keeps our school looking dapper and trimmed. He's saving carbon-rich browns such as leaves for our compost bin. Without Chuy and Robertino's support, we wouldn't have the necessary balance we need for healthy compost, and in turn, healthy humus.

A part from teaching and maintaining our garden space, I also check students in for hot lunch and sometimes, when we are short on our fantastic parent volunteers, I help serve. Which brings me to another connection. I have had the chance to meet many parents while serving milk side-by-side with them. It's so important to have supportive parents for the flowering of our garden, and students, in and beyond the garden. 

My role as a garden teacher is unique in the sense that I get to see a broad spectrum of students from grades K-5th! It's wonderful. So many different ages, talents, and curiosities, all meeting together in one place, for a unifying experience of growing and cooking food. It challenges me as a teacher, and I love that. With one concept, I am challenged to learn many different ways of teaching it, tailoring my lesson to my students based on what they are learning in the Core Curriculum of their home rooms, and on their levels of comprehension. With a mix of students, I also get the chance to work with a wonderful group of talented and dedicated teachers from all grade levels. 

At the core of our garden lessons, is making connections to everyday skills. In 4th and 5th grade, we dug our hands in some dirt and minds in some number crunching while exploring Square Foot Gardening. While a simple task of twine and nails, students had the opportunity to stretch their basic math skills with this tangible task. Square Foot Gardening, in essence, is maximizing space by planting in 1-foot by 1-foot squares. Depending on how far a part plants need to be, students can determine how many plants to plant in each square. I think we did a swell job. 

 Throughout all grades this week, we focused on the foundation of healthy soil, looking at compost and amending our beds with it. Students had fun cultivating compost into our beds, and even more so, enjoyed transplanting seedlings of: Dinosaur Kale, Red Russian Kale, Broccoli, Dill, Red Cabbage, Cheddar Cabbage, and Tri-Color Sage, to name a few.

*Photos by Tiffanie Ma

Week 2 In Review

Boys will be Boys.

Flower pots in front of entry. 

The days and weeks fly by at Larchmont Charter! Week 2 was fantastic! We did a lot of clean-up, amending of beds with compost, started seeds and beautified our garden space. Fall time is all about preparation for the growing season and clean-up. With the last of our cherry tomatoes, figs, apples and pomegranates harvested, comes space for bright beginnings.

We started new fall crops of: Spinach, carrots, radish, lettuce, red cabbage, chard and I will get some Kale today. I will also get some Fava Beans to plant where the tomatoes were; this will fix some depleted nitrogen into that area. While all of these mentioned crops were started by seed, some in the beds directly and some in planters, I am planning on buy some baby lettuce crops to introduce transplanting to students and get our season rolling.

Seed Saving: Making seed packets. 

A part from starting new life, we have also been saving the old. 2nd and 3rd grade students harvested dried basil seed heads, sunflowers, beans and pea seeds for saving. We made seed packets which will store our seeds until we are ready for sowing in Spring. Saving seeds is crucial to the preservation of biodiversity. By teaching this important skill, students are cultivating the strongest variety of these plants within this particular space. That is empowerment.

Compost Bin!

1st graders dove into the world of composting as we resuscitated our 3 bin compost system, using kitchen scrapes from our lunch chef Robertino's kitchen and Fall's offerings of leaves for a balanced amount of "greens" and "browns" in our bins. We can't wait for 6 months to pass when we will have rich humus!!

Kindergarten kids love Salad.

In cooking, the Kindergarten class loved their apple and pomegranate salads with a drizzle of pomegranate juice, honey and balsamic dressing. The 4th and 5th graders delighted in a warm bowl of Three Sisters Stew, learning about the traditional Native American companion planting of: Beans, Corn and Squash.

Fresh herbs from garden for stew.

    

4th and 5th graders 3 Sisters Stew.

Only the Best ingredients will do. 

*photos by Tiffanie Ma