The Edible Schoolyard

Friday, June 25, 2010

As our time in Berkeley draws to a close, I'm going through the sad process of saying goodbye to all the people, places and things I've grown to love here.

One of those places is the Edible Schoolyard, a one-acre garden/kitchen/classroom located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School just a few blocks from our house.

The Edible Schoolyard Sign by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

The Edible Schoolyard or "Edible" for short, was created by Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation in 1995 to "give urban public school students a chance to participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce with the goal of fostering a deeper appreciation of how the natural world sustains us and promoting the environmental and social well-being of the school and community."

No Dogs Please - Chickens at Play sign on gate to the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

In addition to those extremely worthwhile goals, it also offers a beautiful place to stroll, meet some chickens, admire fruit-laden kiwi vines, drool over the outdoor wood-fired brick oven, watch kale seedlings sprout, inspect a serious composting system, and more. Here's a little photo tour of some of its many charms. I'll miss you, Edible!

Fuzzy little kiwis growing on the vine.
Baby kiwis growing on the vine in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

A riotous arch of kiwi vines shades a path in the garden.
Kiwi vines in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating

Gardening gloves hanging outside the shed.
Gloves hanging outside the Edible Schoolyard shed by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

A student-made sign marks a row of kale.
Kale sign in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Chickens in their coop, accompanied by a metal chicken sculpture made of found objects.
Inside the Edible Schoolyard chicken coop by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Nesting boxes in the coop. Look closely at the box on the left, there's a hen hard at work laying in there and you can just make out her face.
Inside the Edible Schoolyard chicken coop by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Baby figs on a tree in the garden.
Fig tree growing in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

1 comment:

DSF said...

We will miss you, Rahm and Will. Sorry that Jackson could not have accompanied you on a walk through the Garden. He was a toddler when we moved to Josephine Street and that was one of our favorite walks. This year, as a 6th grader at King, he got to work in the Garden AND has the OK to eat as he strolls.

Today is a sad day was we say goodbye but our saddness pales compared to the excitement of the next stage in your lives.

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Edible Schoolyard

As our time in Berkeley draws to a close, I'm going through the sad process of saying goodbye to all the people, places and things I've grown to love here.

One of those places is the Edible Schoolyard, a one-acre garden/kitchen/classroom located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School just a few blocks from our house.

The Edible Schoolyard Sign by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

The Edible Schoolyard or "Edible" for short, was created by Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation in 1995 to "give urban public school students a chance to participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce with the goal of fostering a deeper appreciation of how the natural world sustains us and promoting the environmental and social well-being of the school and community."

No Dogs Please - Chickens at Play sign on gate to the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

In addition to those extremely worthwhile goals, it also offers a beautiful place to stroll, meet some chickens, admire fruit-laden kiwi vines, drool over the outdoor wood-fired brick oven, watch kale seedlings sprout, inspect a serious composting system, and more. Here's a little photo tour of some of its many charms. I'll miss you, Edible!

Fuzzy little kiwis growing on the vine.
Baby kiwis growing on the vine in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

A riotous arch of kiwi vines shades a path in the garden.
Kiwi vines in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating

Gardening gloves hanging outside the shed.
Gloves hanging outside the Edible Schoolyard shed by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

A student-made sign marks a row of kale.
Kale sign in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Chickens in their coop, accompanied by a metal chicken sculpture made of found objects.
Inside the Edible Schoolyard chicken coop by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Nesting boxes in the coop. Look closely at the box on the left, there's a hen hard at work laying in there and you can just make out her face.
Inside the Edible Schoolyard chicken coop by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

Baby figs on a tree in the garden.
Fig tree growing in the Edible Schoolyard by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

1 comment:

DSF said...

We will miss you, Rahm and Will. Sorry that Jackson could not have accompanied you on a walk through the Garden. He was a toddler when we moved to Josephine Street and that was one of our favorite walks. This year, as a 6th grader at King, he got to work in the Garden AND has the OK to eat as he strolls.

Today is a sad day was we say goodbye but our saddness pales compared to the excitement of the next stage in your lives.