Regional
Farm to School Program at Mountain Bounty Farm
Author: Carlyle Miller, Mountain Bounty Farm
Published on May 15, 2009 - 7:17:39 AM

NEVADA CITY, Calif. May 15, 2009 - At Mountain Bounty Farm, the long rows of broccoli and tomatoes are loving the warm weather. But vegetables aren't the only thing sprouting up at Mountain Bounty. This spring, students at Grizzly Hill School will also be doing a lot of growing at Nevada County's oldest Community Supported Agriculture farm or "CSA."

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new model of growing and eating that creates a direct connection between community members and their farm. Each spring, farm members invest in the season's costs, and throughout the summer their farmers provide them with diverse, quality produce straight from the fields every week.

Joining a CSA like Mountain Bounty Farm lets people put their food dollar directly in the hand of a family farm that practices careful land stewardship and supports our local community. With every delicious bite of carrot, you invest in our local economy.

This spring, Mountain Bounty Farm is reinvesting its earnings in our community through a partnership with Grizzly Hill School (GHS). Over the past few years, Angie Tomey of Mountain Bounty Farm has been helping the school develop a garden program. With the help of parent and school board member, Mondy Kowal, GHS has retrofitted its existing kitchen facility to be able to make healthier lunches for the kids and now is participating in a farm to school program with Mountain Bounty. "It feels so good and so important to be connecting with a local farm to feed our kids," said Kowal. "We really appreciate Mountain Bounty Farm for their generosity in sharing their food and experience."

According to Shana Maziarz, Mountain Bounty Farm's Crew Leader, who has her Masters in Education, every class between kindergarten and 8th grade will visit the farm at least once this season, but most will come two or three times.

Some grades are studying the role of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil through experimental plantings, while others are learning soil science by building a compost pile. Yet other grades are working to grow starts that they will transplant in their school's garden.

"Studies have shown that kids learn so much better when they are actively involved in meaningful projects," said Tomey, who trained as a student and teacher at UC Santa Cruz's farm apprenticeship program

Maziarz and Tomey have been working with Grizzly Hill's teachers to ensure that the curriculum at the farm extends back into the classroom too. "We met with each teacher to see how we could best meet their needs," said Maziarz. "We really want this to evolve into a long term partnership because you can teach anything on a farm - science, math, writing - you name it, there's an opportunity to explore it all on the farm."

All that, and it tastes good too. This spring, Grizzly Hill School (where 73% of the students are on the free lunch program) will get some of their cafeteria's vegetables from their own garden and from Mountain Bounty Farm. They're even planning a fundraiser from the harvest of a pumpkin patch at the farm that will be planted, maintained and harvested by the school's students and Youth Corp through this spring, summer and fall.

"I'm really passionate about growing vegetables. It's truly a labor of love," said Mountain Bounty Farm's owner, John Tecklin. "The fact that I'm able to give back to my community at the same time - through programs like this partnership with Grizzly Hill and by donating veggies to the local Food Bank - well that's just icing on the cake." For more information about Mountain Bounty Farm's education program or to join the CSA, please visit www.MountainBountyFarm.com or call 530-292-3776.

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