Fernbank Farm to School Plant Sale!

Fernbank Farm To School will be selling vegetable plants at the Book Fair on Friday.  Look for us in Mr. Marshall's parking place!  There will be various tomatoes, basil and peppers. It is a great time to plant your summer garden, so bring a few dollars and pick up some great organic plants.  

Thank you to Whole Foods Briarcliff for donating so many plants to our school garden.

What's Next in the Garden?

After the school-wide tasting, a basket of fresh strawberies, lettuce, collards, kale and herbs harvested from the garden were given to June Neal. Mr. O harvested some spinach to feed his classroom guinea pigs. 

This week, Second grade classes will clean out the garden beds and compost the winter plants to make room for summer plantings. As a part of their Greener Earth IB unit, they are studying composting.

The Spring planting will be done by many grades.  Kindergarden is 

planting bush beans and sunflowers, as they study plant life cycles.  

First and Third Grade will be planting a Pizza Garden.  Lastly, Fernbank Forth graders will plant a Colonial Garden as they study how our settlers grew their own food.

Thank you to Whole Foods Briarcliff, John Weirwille at Berea Mennonite Church, and Erica Glasener for donating our summer vegetables and herbs for the garden!

Healthy Fernbank in the News!

Ellie Woodcock and Mira Mohan, two Fernbank 2nd graders, and Dr. Kimberly Manning were featured on Fox 5's Good Day Atlanta.  They used their auction-won experience to talk about all the healthy programs at Fernbank.  Great job!  

Watch their interview:

Getting Kids Moving Fox 5

Earth Day Garden Tasting Event

Volunteer parents harvested, washed and prepared lettuce greens and strawberries from our very own Fernbank School Garden.  Then, over the course of two days, every student tasted the fruits of the garden during PE class.  The kids loved the strawberries and salad so much that many of them asked for seconds and thirds! 

Thank you to all of our garden volunteers who helped make this second school-wide tasting such a huge success.  And thank you to Whole Foods Briarcliff for supplying us with tasting cups, salad dressing ingredients and strawberries to supplement our own harvest.

Happy Earth Day!

Did your kids come home saying that they loved the dressing on the greens?  Well here it is, serve it yourself at home!

Old Fashioned Dressing

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (we used canola)

Put sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar in a clean pint jar. Screw the lid on tight, and shake well until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the oil, and shake vigorously to emulsify. Can be made ahead and left in a cool, dark place for two weeks.  Be sure to shake well before using.

From: The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

Celebrate Earth Day!

Friday, April 22, Fernbank will celebrate Earth Day by hosting a school-wide tasting from the school garden.  This will be our second garden tasting which will take place during PE class.  Students will sample fresh strawberries and lettuce grown in our very own school garden.  Come check out our bountiful harvest in the school courtyard. 

In the evening, you are invited to Whole Foods Briarcliff for a Local Farm Taste and Tour.  Enjoy free samples of local pork and grass fed beef while you see a live virtual tour of two farms.  Friday, April 22 from 6:00pm-8:00pm.

A special thanks to Whole Foods for providing supplies for both of our school-wide tastings this year.

Eat Your Carrots Day Success!

Eat Your Carrots Day was a tremendous success!  Just about all 700 students ate carrots that day.  The excitement among the kids was huge.  Similar to Eat Your Broccoli Day, a chant broke out in the cafeteria.  “Eat Your Carrots,” the students shouted!

Fernbank PE Coaches had the brilliant idea of asking the students to wear orange in support of Carrot Day.  The turnout was impressive.  Imagine a sea of orange kids eating carrots in the cafeteria.  Better yet, check out over 500 photos of students, staff and teachers who participated in the event on display on the monitor outside of the Fernbank library.

Produce of the Month: Carrots

Did you know that carrots are a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium?  Carrots are also a good source for Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Maganese.

Mom was right.  Carrots do make your eyes shiny!  Beta-Carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin (all found in carrots) are some of the finest nourishment that help the optic system in tip-top condition.               

EAT YOUR CARROTS DAY at Fernbank is set for April 14.  If you are buying lunch that day, choose steamed carrots as your side.  If you are bringing a lunchbox, either bring your own carrots (especially if you prefer them raw!) or purchase a side of steamed carrots from the lunch line.