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Farm to School Champion Award Nominations

The Clarke County School District has received statewide and national recognition for its farm-to-school programs, which have positively impacted our students and district as a whole. We would like to recognize our schools, staff, and teachers that contribute to this achievement. The CCSD F2S Champions Awards recognizes the educators, staff, and community members who go above and beyond to make garden-based learning a success at the school level.  

We will be taking nominations until March 1, 2018. Selected leaders will be honored at the CCSD F2S Champions Awards, a catered ceremony, at the Athens Community Career Academy on March 21st.

School Produce Markets- 
On hiatus! Check back for next open dates!

The School Garden Network can be accessed by calling KACCB at 706-613-3501 x309 or emailing stacy.smith@athensclarkecounty.com.

See all menus and events for this month online.
PLANT!

Start indoors: Cucumbers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Peppers Watermelon; Seeds: Arugula, Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Collards, English Peas, Radishes, Spinach, Turnips; Starts: Broccoli, Lettuce.

February Tasks from the ACC Extension Office: 

*    Start seeds. Peppers and eggplants will take eight weeks to grow from seed to transplant size,while tomatoes will take six weeks. When the seed-lings form their third set of true leaves, transplant them to individual containers.
*    Prepare land for planting – winter and early spring plantings belong on a ridge (raised bed) for better drainage and earlier soil warm-up.
*    Make early plantings of your choice from the following: carrots, collards, lettuce, mustard, English peas, Irish potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips.
*    Seed herbs for April planting. Make a list of the ones that are best to buy rather than seed, such as rosemary.


 
Find more information on garden care on the UGA Extension Publications Page.
TEACH!

BBC World Hack featured hydroponics around the world in this 23 minute report, The Hydroponic Revolution. This is a great overview of global issues around the environment and feeding an ever-growing population. It is chock full of interesting information and a nice look at how environmental issues, technology, and social justice come together to shape our future.

SUMMARY: Providing food for seven billion people is fraught with difficulty. Fertilising vast tracts of land and flying fresh vegetables across the globe comes at a huge environmental cost. But more and more people are turning to hydroponics - growing plants in water, without any soil. The idea itself is hundreds of years old, but new twists on the old technique are now shaping the future of food. We investigate some of the most innovative hydroponics projects, from the refugees growing barley for their goats in the Algerian desert to the underground farm built in an abandoned London bomb shelter. But how efficient can the process become? Can hydroponics begin to offer a serious alternative to conventional farming?

See this short video tidbit: Nigeria's Soil Free Salad Farm

Find more lessons (searchable by grade level and subject) at the UGA School Garden Resources Website

For this month's recipe-- Start by growing your own lettuce!
EAT!
 
Eating from the garden this month: Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Collards, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach

 Lettuce Wraps
Contributed by Growing Minds

INGREDIENTS
14 whole wheat tortillas
1-2 heads local lettuce (or if you've harvested spinach, use that!)
1 head broccoli
4-5 local carrots (grated)
4 cucumbers
1 bunch celery
5-6 apples
8 oz. cheddar or monteray jack
cheese (cut into slices)
Optional: Salad dressing 

PREPARATION
Go over each of the steps of making the recipe, from washing the vegetables to
trying the lettuce wraps. Write the steps on the board.
Step 1. Wash all vegetables.
Step 2. Using a plastic knife, cut the broccoli, cucumbers, apples, and celery into small
pieces or slices. Put the vegetables into the small paper bowls.
Step 3. Get one large piece of lettuce and place it on the paper plate.
Step 4. Put the vegetable pieces, apple, and cheese pieces on top of the tortilla.
Step 5. Roll the tortilla around the vegetables like a burrito.
Step 6. Hold the lettuce wrap tight and try it!
Step 7. Dip the lettuce wrap into different salad dressings and try it again.
Step 8. Clean up

Need materials to cook with in your classroom? Borrow the mobile cooking cart from the Office of Service Learning and/or contact a local chef to come cook with your class! Contact stacy.smith@athensclarkecounty.com to learn more!
EVENTS!

Shades of Green Athens Extension Gardening Newsletter, January
Orchard Fruit Production/Pruning, February 19, State Botanical Garden
Sustainable Agriculture Conference, February 9-10, Oconee County Civic Center
Meals in the Middle, February 13, and April 10.
Georgia Organics Conference, February 16-17, Augusta, GA
Free Garden Class, Beekeeping, February 21, ACC Library
Garden Champion Team Session 1, February 27 4:30 to 6 at UGArden 
Learning Gardens and Learning Landscapes: Connecting Young People to Nature, Free Webinar, NAAEE
Environmental Education in Georgia Annual Conference,  March 2-4, Unicoi State Park
Garden Champion Awards, March 21, Career Academy
School Lunch Challenge, March 24, Whitehead Road Elementary
Advanced Training in Environmental Education (ATEEG)
Core Course 2 (Fostering Learning)- March 23-25, 2018. Register by March 12, 2018.
Core Course 3 (Assessment and Evaluation)-  June 8-10, 2018. Register by May 25, 2018.
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