On June 21st, the first day of summer, 5 CHP families met Elaine and Jen at the CHP community garden to harvest herbs and lettuce to make “First Day of Summer Salad”. It was already very hot at 9 am!
Using scissors and their hands, the children picked dill, cilantro and mint and pulled white turnips. Using plastic knives, the children cut up the herbs and turnips and mixed them with oil and vinegar for our vinaigrette. Next we picked a variety of lettuces, using our fingers to pinch off the outer leaves of the lettuce heads. We washed and tore the lettuce leaves and mixed them in the bowl with the vinaigrette. The arugula and radishes had gone to flower, delicate white and pink flowers, so we picked the flowers to add some color and zing to our salad. We then sat on blankets among the garden beds and ate our salad! Delicious! The children then released worms into the beds to help keep the soil fertile and loose.
The lettuce was abundant, so families were able to bring home greens, radishes and turnips.
It was a wonderful time. A July garden meet up will be announced soon.
Recipes from the garden will be available spring/summer 2017 in our CHP Cookbook! Stay tuned!
Hope to see you in the garden soon!