Cultivating community at the Farmer’s Market
By Katherine Waters
Sun Staff Intern
NORWICH – A Chenango County native has been spending her summer at The Place, teaching school-aged children about the importance of eating locally grown food.
As a senior project, Julie Almeter created “Cultivating Community.” This new program is designed to “provide a simple and effective model of agriculture that engages youth in hands on activities of food production and environmental awareness,” she said.
For children, the program translates into a fun, summertime activity where they can learn where the food they eat was grown.
The children began their exploration of food production in April by planting seeds and seedlings in the community’s gardens. All seeds and seedlings were donated by Kelly’s Flowers off state Rt. 23 and High Mowing Seeds of Vermont.
“They learned, ‘If I plant the seed, I know where it came from and it is healthier for me,’” said Almeter.
On Wednesday, the group took a field trip to the Farmer’s Market in Norwich. The children acted as reporters to discover what growers had to do in order to produce vegetables. Some questions included: “How do you make pie?” and “How long does it take to grow a tomato?”
“We are looking for things to learn about farming,” said Jakob Franklin (age 9).
“It is really good for kids to know about food,” said Charlotte Walbrecht. Charlotte and her husband Ken own Misty Meadow Farm in Norwich.
While the children asked questions of the local farmers, volunteers helped buy foods for a ‘local lunch’ back at The Place. “They are going to compare canned green beans and green beans we buy at the market,” said Almeter.
Karen Hoffman, mother of two children, said she wants children to learn food doesn’t just come from the supermarket.
“If you consider two percent of the population grows food and 100 percent of the population eats it, not many people understand where food comes from,” said Hoffman.
Through Chenango Bounty, Hoffman donated the locally-produced hamburger and hot dogs for Almeter’s program.
For the kids, Cultivating Community has been a new adventure. “They have tried new foods that they never thought they liked,” said Almeter. The children have made pesto out of basil, squash art projects and, on rainy days, have learned about nutrition and agriculture.
The group also visited the Misty Meadow farm Thusday to see how a farm operates and to learn how to dig potatoes.
This summer could just be the beginning for Almeter. “It is part of a broader effort to get local foods into the schools,” she said.
For now though, the children will continue to grow their vegetables and learn that vegetables aren’t so bad.
Sun Staff Intern
NORWICH – A Chenango County native has been spending her summer at The Place, teaching school-aged children about the importance of eating locally grown food.
As a senior project, Julie Almeter created “Cultivating Community.” This new program is designed to “provide a simple and effective model of agriculture that engages youth in hands on activities of food production and environmental awareness,” she said.
For children, the program translates into a fun, summertime activity where they can learn where the food they eat was grown.
The children began their exploration of food production in April by planting seeds and seedlings in the community’s gardens. All seeds and seedlings were donated by Kelly’s Flowers off state Rt. 23 and High Mowing Seeds of Vermont.
“They learned, ‘If I plant the seed, I know where it came from and it is healthier for me,’” said Almeter.
On Wednesday, the group took a field trip to the Farmer’s Market in Norwich. The children acted as reporters to discover what growers had to do in order to produce vegetables. Some questions included: “How do you make pie?” and “How long does it take to grow a tomato?”
“We are looking for things to learn about farming,” said Jakob Franklin (age 9).
“It is really good for kids to know about food,” said Charlotte Walbrecht. Charlotte and her husband Ken own Misty Meadow Farm in Norwich.
While the children asked questions of the local farmers, volunteers helped buy foods for a ‘local lunch’ back at The Place. “They are going to compare canned green beans and green beans we buy at the market,” said Almeter.
Karen Hoffman, mother of two children, said she wants children to learn food doesn’t just come from the supermarket.
“If you consider two percent of the population grows food and 100 percent of the population eats it, not many people understand where food comes from,” said Hoffman.
Through Chenango Bounty, Hoffman donated the locally-produced hamburger and hot dogs for Almeter’s program.
For the kids, Cultivating Community has been a new adventure. “They have tried new foods that they never thought they liked,” said Almeter. The children have made pesto out of basil, squash art projects and, on rainy days, have learned about nutrition and agriculture.
The group also visited the Misty Meadow farm Thusday to see how a farm operates and to learn how to dig potatoes.
This summer could just be the beginning for Almeter. “It is part of a broader effort to get local foods into the schools,” she said.
For now though, the children will continue to grow their vegetables and learn that vegetables aren’t so bad.
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