Posts Tagged ‘Education’

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Sustainable Nantucket is Grateful Recipient of Grant Support

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Sustainable Nantucket would like to thank the following organizations for their recent, generous grant awards:

ReMain Nantucket has awarded SN a $7,500 grant, designed to aid SN in remaining in our downtown offices in 2012. Clif Bar Family Foundation has awarded SN a $5,000 grant to be used for operating expenses. The Agua Fund has awarded SN a $3,000 grant to be used for operating expenses. The Community Foundation of Nantucket has awarded SN a $1,000 grant to assist with our Farm to School Program.

Sustainable Nantucket would like to express our sincere gratitude to these organizations for their generous support of our mission, vision and programs.

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Posted in Farm to School, News

Progress in our Farm to School Garden

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Update: Farm to School in Action! Fall 2011

Sunflowers: This fall, SN Program Manager Morgan Beryl and Francie Baskett of ISLE (Interest-based Student Learning & Enrichment) Program worked on a project with 6 Nantucket students who had, as second graders in 2010, planted sunflowers in the Farm to School garden.

As part of the project, the students drew pictures of sunflowers, complete with labels indicating each part of the sunflower; they wrote an illustrated book about sunflowers; and demonstrated what they had learned by naming the flowers’ parts as they harvested the seeds. The seeds were put into packets and will be given as gifts – a wonderful way to share the Farm to School experience with friends and family! View the photo album for this project on our Flickr page HERE.

Pumpkins: This fall, first grade ISLE (Interest-based Student Learning & Enrichment) students embarked on a pumpkin-themed project as part of our Farm to School Program. The students learned about the anatomy of a pumpkin, how to harvest seeds, and carved jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.

The harvested pumpkin seeds were saved in Ball jars adorned with student-made labels and recipes for roasting.

Many thanks to Frances Baskett of the ISLE Program, participating WPI students, F2S Coordinator Kathleen Minihan, & Program Manager Morgan Beryl for making this fun and informative project happen! View the photo album for this project on our Flickr page HERE.

Update: October 10th, 2011… Building Raised Beds

Students from the Boys & Girls Club help with the raised beds.

During the first week of October, Sustainable Nantucket started construction of the raised beds in the Farm-to-School Garden. Volunteer Mitch Blake lead the Youth Council, members of the Boys & Girls Club, and other generous volunteers, and together they leveled the land and transformed the space into the new home of three rows of raised beds, including a wheelchair accessible bed. The newly constructed raised beds were filled with loam and were unveiled at the Discover Your Garden event hosted by Sustainable Nantucket on Monday, October 10th. To view more photos click here.

Our First Season of Gleaning

This was the inaugural summer for the Sustainable Nantucket Gleaners, who have been very busy harvesting surplus produce from Moors End Farm and assisting NPS Food Services Director Linda Peterson in preparing the produce for use in NPS school lunches. Check out all the updates HERE.

Update: September 23, 2011…Lasagna in the Garden?

Students building layers of lasagna compost

On Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 the Youth Council and Farm to School volunteers got together for Student Harvest Week for some lasagna composting! The group met at the NES garden and worked for 2 hours laying down multiple levels of organic and soil materials. This “lasagna bed” of compost will “cook” over the winter to provide nutrient rich soil for the spring when it’s time to replant our seeds. Our “lasagna” layers included cardboard, lime, peat moss, chopped leaves, barn litter, coffee grounds, and compost. Many of these materials were donated by individuals and businesses including: The Bean, The Pearl, Jesse Dutra Landscaping, Suzanne Gardener, and Bartlett’s Farm among others. Many thanks to our donors!

Wednesday’s participants included: Morgan Beryl, SN Program Manager; Beth Davies, SN Board Member; Sophie Davies and Sean Allen, Youth Council Members; and Denise, Phil & Conor Allen; John Benjamin and Nora Harrington.

Update: September 4th – Dads & Kids – Sowing Seeds for a Sustainable Future

Sowing seeds - Dads & Kids

On September 4th Sustainable Nantucket and the Community Network for Children welcomed dads and kids ages 2 1/2 years and up to spend an afternoon with us in the Farm to School Garden. We cleared out the garden for Fall crops and prepared the soil for the 2012 growing season. This was a great opportunity for the little ones to get their hands in the soil, and an exercise in building good foundations for future gardeners. We think the dads enjoyed themselves too! We hope this will be the first of many activities involving pre-schoolers in the Farm to School Garden.

Update Spring 2011

Students in the Garden, Spring 2011

Student members of the SN Youth Council, Sustainable Nantucket staff and SN volunteers are hard at work preparing for the installation and first growing season of the Farm to School Garden at Nantucket Public Schools. Donations we have received thus far have made this project possible, however more funding is needed to see it to completion. For information on how your contribution can help our garden grow, click here.

For a list of the businesses and individuals who have contributed to this project, click here.

The Garden So Far…

May 21 & 22: The SN Youth Council, SN staff, and a group of volunteers from the community gathered at the site of the Farm to School Garden to assist with the construction of the greenhouse, shed and fencing.

Construction of the Greenhouse, Shed & Fence. Spring 2011

May 4, 2011: We have a final design for the garden layout! (see below). The design is a combination of ideas from our Youth Council and their Garden Mentors. Click here to see the designs our student members submitted.

The NHS shop class students, with teacher Chuck Colley, participated in the design of the Garden tool shed, which will be constructed in mid-May along with the greenhouse and fencing.

The NPS Food Services Department will be working with SN, the Youth Council, and after school garden clubs to decide whichvegetables and herbs are the most beneficial to plant for use in the school system.

Some of the food grown in the garden will be preserved by Food Services, students and community volunteers. Program Manager Morgan Beryl is optimistic that the garden will eventually produce enough food to share with local seniors groups, food pantries, and to sell at the Farmers & Artisans Market.

We will continue to post our progress here as the season continues!

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Posted in Farm to School, Garden

Moving Planet Action Day – How We Participated

Friday, November 11th, 2011

On September 24th, Sustainable Nantucket and Far Away Farms intern Justine Paradise; Sustainable Nantucket’s Farm-to-School intern Elizabeth Murphy; and community volunteer Zack Dusseau lead a team of volunteers in tending Sustainable Nantucket’s Small Friends Garden as part of 350.org’s Moving Planet Action Day.

The group harvested the last of the season’s tomatoes and peppers and the spent plants were removed (chard, mustard greens kale, eggplant, and peppers still remain). The team of volunteers then used the “Do-Nothing Farming” strategy credited to Masanobu Fukuoka as a method of sowing the cover crop seeds.  This involved throwing clay seed balls filled with winter rye, New Zealand white clover and fetch and letting the seeds plant themselves through the clay.  Beets and turnips were also planted to grow behind some of the cover crop.

This hard work from our volunteers will help ensure the longevity of the Small Friends’ Garden, and will help to brace it for the cold winter to come. Our great thanks to all who came out to help!

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Posted in Farm to School, News, What's New

Fun for All at Discover Your Garden/Family Picnic Day at the Joyce N. Furman FARM TO SCHOOL Youth Garden

Friday, October 14th, 2011
Monday, October 10th marked Sustainable Nantucket’s first Discover Your Garden and Family Picnic Day at the Joyce N. Furman FARM TO SCHOOL Youth Garden. Over 75 people were in attendance, with Fire Chief Bill Pittman, Town Manager Libby Gibson, Nantucket Garden Club President Paulette Boling, and NPS Food Services Director Linda Peterson among them. Attendees came to participate in SN’s annual meeting; a ribbon cutting for the Joyce N. Furman FARM TO SCHOOL Youth Garden; and Family Picnic Day.

The day opened under sunny skies with the Annual Meeting and was followed by the ribbon cutting, which was performed by School Superintendent Michael Cozort; SN Board Members Victoria McManus and Beth Davies; and 5 SN Youth Council members – Sophie Davies, Sean Allen, Norah Harrington, Orion Malfatto-Daily, and Caillean Daily. The day proceeded with garden-related activities including tours, the planting of cover crops, scarecrow making, pumpkin decorating and more. The day culminated with a Family Picnic set against a backdrop of live music performed by Nantucket band Four Easy Payments. In addition, several SN Farmers & Artisans Market vendors were on hand to sell their wares.

Executive Director Michelle Whelan noted, “It was a wonderful way to celebrate our programs and inaugurate the garden – the garden looked beautiful and we were so happy to share our progress with the community on Monday. This is a celebration that we’ll consider repeating next year.”

The Joyce N. Furman FARM TO SCHOOL Youth Garden is a project that has come to fruition thanks to the hard work and dedication of Sustainable Nantucket staff, board members, and volunteers and Nantucket Public Schools administration and students. The garden has been funded in large part by donations from individuals and businesses, all of whom will be recognized on the garden’s “Giving Wall” or on plaques throughout the garden. While reaching a milestone this Monday, the garden’s progress remains ongoing, bringing about more opportunities for community involvement through volunteering and sponsors.

Special thanks to our event sponsors: The Toy Boat and Create

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Posted in Farm to School, Garden Team, News, What's New, Youth Council

Nantucket Garden Club Grant Benefits SN Farm to School Garden

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Sustainable Nantucket is thrilled to announce that its Farm to School Program has received a generous $5,000 grant from the Nantucket Garden Club. The funds received will be used for garden infrastructure, including loam and compost, a slow-drip irrigation system, supplies for preserving food grown in the garden, and more.

Sustainable Nantucket’s Farm To School (F2S) program launched in 2010 and has been steadily gaining momentum. Facilitated by Sustainable Nantucket in partnership with the Nantucket Public School System, F2S serves to educate our students by engaging them in hands-on learning experiences that connect them to the land and the natural world. The program is designed to integrate curriculum activities with the process of building and cultivating school gardens, to improve student nutrition by raising awareness around the benefits of consuming fresh, sustainably grown produce while supplementing school food supply, and to connect our island’s schools’ with our farms and growers.

This generous support from the Nantucket Garden Club will help to ensure that progress in the construction of the Farm to School Garden will continue, and that essential elements of the garden’s infrastructure will be installed according to schedule.

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Posted in Farm to School, News

SN Launches Community Farm Institute Program with Pilot Grazing Project

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Sustainable Nantucket has launched our new COMMUNITY FARM INSTITUTE program (CFI) with a Pilot Grazing Project in partnership with the Nantucket Island Land Bank and Faraway Farms.  A Sustainable Nantucket intern is working with Island livestock farmers Caleb Cressman, Dylan Wallace, Nicole DuPont and Andy Harris –all of Faraway Farms– and learning how to maintain a small flock of sheep and chickens on the Land Bank’s Craig Property.

Using low-impact rotational grazing, the team is moving the sheep and chickens around the property using portable fencing to contain the animals. Their grazing area is changed frequently on a schedule that is designed to assure the best health and nutrition for the animals, and minimal impact for the surrounding ecosystem. As the sheep graze the property, they eliminate the need for mowing, and as the chickens follow behind they act as “parasite control” as they forage for food.

The end result of this project is education for SN’s agricultural interns and Nantucket’s future farmers, access to land for Far Away Farms, and property maintenance for the Land Bank, which is also fulfilling a part of  its charter to support the traditional industry of agriculture. We hope this will be the first of many cooperative farming arrangements for SN and the Land Bank.

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Posted in Community Agriculture, Community Farm Institute, News

About SN’s Community Farm Institute

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Photo by Dylan Wallace

It’s hard to imagine now, but according to this map on the Nantucket Historical Association’s web site, there were over 100 farms on Nantucket in the 1850’s. In 2007, when SN started our Farmers & Artisans Market, Nantucket had 3  farms (one of which was NCF’s Cranberry B0gs) and a handful of small scale growers operating commercially. Today, in 2011, there are  7  farms plus several small-scale growers that are commercially growing and harvesting food (produce, eggs, meat, honey, shellfish) for sale to Nantucket consumers.

It’s no surprise to anyone that the cost of land on the Island makes commercial farming prohibitive for most. Nantucket farmers are additionally burdened with higher operational costs than most off-island farmers – fuel, equipment, supplies and materials, not to mention labor and overhead, are generally more expensive on Nantucket. Yet as a community we understand the positive health, environmental and economic impact that supporting local agriculture can have. Sustainable Nantucket has begun to examine ways that it can help support and increase agricultural industry on the island, and give consumers greater access to the foods produced by local farmers.

Sustainable Nantucket has worked closely with Island growers to identify the role we can play in supporting and helping to grow the Island’s agricultural industry, and, in response, we have launched the Sustainable Nantucket Community Farm Institute (CFI) .

(CFI) is an early-stage Program designed to increase agricultural acreage through partnerships with land-owning organizations and individuals, and to establish a skilled agricultural workforce on Nantucket through collaboration with experienced island growers.

Through the efforts of CFI, we aim to establish an educated and trained agricultural workforce while increasing the amount of land farmed on the island. Elements of this Program include:

  • Making more farm land available through a land-use partnership with the Nantucket Islands Land Bank and other land-owning entities
  • Expansion of our already-existing Agricultural Internship Initiative —where we pair interns interested in becoming farmers with experienced island growers.
  • Expanding agricultural production and “growing new growers & farmers” through education

Current CFI Projects

  • Our Pilot Grazing Project pairs an SN intern with local livestock farmers from FarAway Farms to graze the Craig property owned by the Nantucket Islands Land Bank. Read more – CLICK HERE.

The Future of CFI

Once we have a main location for the CFI, our produce growers will be allotted acreage at that location and the interns will work that land, as well as a smaller plot of their own, under the guidance of an experienced grower. Livestock and dairy farmers who participate in the CFI will have grazing acreage in various other locations around the island.

Laying the groundwork for potential use of additional Land Bank land is in process and we continue to explore expanding acreage through partnerships with other organizations and private land-owners – eventually creating a network of grazed and cultivated land all over the island.

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Posted in Community Agriculture, Community Farm Institute

Nantucket Golf Club Grant Assures Growth of Farm to School Program

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Sustainable Nantucket’s Farm to School Program has been awarded a generous $15,000 grant from the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation. Funds from this grant will be used to hire and pay a stipend for two garden managers and curriculum resource aides for 2012 for the gardens at Nantucket High School and at Nantucket Elementary School/Small Friends.

Nantucket’s Farm to School Program (F2S) launched in 2010 and is quickly gaining momentum. Coordinated by Sustainable Nantucket in partnership with the Nantucket Public School System, the F2S serves to educate our students by engaging them in hands-on learning. The program is designed to integrate curriculum activities with the process of building and cultivating school gardens, to improve student nutrition by raising awareness around the benefits of consuming fresh, sustainably grown produce while supplementing school food supply, and to connect our island’s schools’ with our farms and growers.

The garden manager and the curriculum resource aides (CRA) will give teachers tools to teach with, as opposed to an additional subject that they must teach; they will support the teachers and students as they engage in the hands-on learning opportunities afforded by this program, and will provide resources and garden activities that will enhance existing school curriculum. They will also participate in the ongoing building, planning, planting, maintenance and upkeep of the Farm to School gardens.

The garden manager and curriculum resource aides will be integral to the Farm to School Program, and essential for its day-to-day functioning and long-term success. Sustainable Nantucket is extremely grateful to the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation for its contribution to this Program.

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Posted in Farm to School, News

Updates from the Sustainable Nantucket Gleaners

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

On October 6th the Sustainable Nantucket Gleaners picked over 100 lbs. of organic produce generously donated by Pumpkin Pond Farm. This produce was used in meals prepared at the NPS cafeteria, including organic lettuce for sandwiches, and a delicious salad bar featuring beets and carrots!

—————————————————————————————————–On August 24th the gleaners assembled at Moor’s End Farm where we spent an hour picking 500 lbs of tomatoes of all varieties. From there, we headed to the NPS kitchen, where Linda Peterson instructed us on how to best preserve the bounty! Natty and Nora cleaned tomatoes while Samantha kept busy peeling and cutting onions for use in tomato sauce. Vanessa, Sarah, and Beth carefully prepared the delicate tomatoes for cooking by coring, cutting an “x” on the bottom of the tomatoes, and in the case where tomatoes were roasted, halving the tomatoes. Linda then steamed many of the tomatoes, placed them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process, peeled the tomatoes (with volunteer help) and then made them into a tasty tomato sauce. Linda also passed out tomato sauce recipes for the volunteers to try at home.

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On August 18th Moors End Farm donated a large quantity of onions to Farm to School. NPS Food Services Director Linda Peterson will prepare and freeze the onions for use in French Onion Soup, which will be served to students this October. Linda plans to serve the soup with a garden salad, veggie tray and milk. Yum! This sure changes our perception of cafeteria food!

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On August 11, 2011 the Sustainable Nantucket Farm to School Program made history!  With corn donated by Moors End Farm, the Sustainable Nantucket Gleaners – made up of 15 community volunteers, ranging in age from 3 – 50 years – husked over 700 ears of corn in under 1 hour!

FSD Director Linda Peterson taught volunteers about food safety, demonstrated how to correctly husk the corn, explained how she will preserve it for the students of the Nantucket Public School System to eat in the Fall when corn is no longer locally available.  Linda also explained that 700 ears of corn is just the right amount to feed every public school student for one lunch day!! (500 ears for the middle school & high school, and 200 ears for the elementary school).

Linda demonstrated her methods for preserving the corn, which involves steaming and then freezing. She also demonstrated her method of removing the kernels from the cob. Students at NPS typically eat crushed corn or similar preparations of cut corn, and Linda wanted to give students the opportunity to enjoy corn on the cob at school. To that end, some of the cobs will be preserved whole, while the remainder will be stripped and used in a variety of preparations, such as creamed corn and corn muffins.

Participants Included: Linda Peterson, Food Services Director; Morgan Beryl, SN Program Manager; Pauline Cronin; James Cronin; Anna Cronin; Jessica Ryder; Stephanie Ryder; Roy Ryder; Beth Davies; Sophie Davies; Nora Harrington; Caillean Daily; Orion Malfatto – Daily; Cameron Hewes; Sophia Basile; Zoe Bazos & Yasmine Bazos. Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Posted in Farm to School, Gleaning

Agricultural Business Planning Courses Scheduled for Early ‘12

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is offering workshops January – March of 2012 for those in varying stages of agricultural business.

Explorers – For those who are thinking about getting into farming or expanding a hobby to an income-generating scale, “Exploring the Small Farm Dream” delivers experienced Instructor guidance and timely peer group feedback for making informed decisions about whether and how to proceed in farming. Five sessions over 6 weeks on weekday evenings in Amherst and Marlborough. Cost per enterprise: $125.

Planners – for those a step or two beyond Explorer who have access to land and a stronger sense of what they want and are capable of doing, “Planning for Start-up” provides a gut check before making more significant investments of time and money. Requires completion of Explorer, or prior self-guided completion of the Explorer workbook. Applicants must have already reached the decision to farm on a revenue generating scale. Six session over 8 weeks on Saturday mornings in Amherst and possibly also in Marlborogh based on regions demand. Cost per enterprise: $175.

Established Farmers – For those already operating and agricultural enterprise with at leaset two years of production and sales records, and who need to develop a comprehensive business plan on paper, “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” offers a chance to assess, regroup, assemble documentions for decision making, consider redirection, plan expansion, or approach ownership transer. This course draws on extensive peer experience, instructor knowledge and guest speakers with the addition of substantial indivuidual technical assistance at course condclusion. 10 sessions over 11 weeks on weekday eveninings in Amherst and Marlborough. Cost per enterprise: $225.

Explorer and Tilling the Soil courses are limited to 12 farms/potential agricultural businesses, with an option to bring a key partner at no extra cost. Planner is limited to 10. Full attendance is require to get expected results. Fees are kept low through MDAR support.

Please request additional details and an application for the course that fits you best. Courses will fill quickly in the Fall. Email requests to Rick.Chandler@state.ma.us, or CLICK HERE

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Posted in Classes & Workshops, Community Agriculture, Farmer Resources

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