Urban Ag workshop

A few days ago I posted about my experience at The Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy, that was the highlight of the week for this workshop.  I went to this workshop with two of my friends and I had certain expectations of this workshop.  We all did.  I was expecting many great ideas on how to use Urban Ag in the classroom and to help our current gardens we have at our school.  On the third day of the workshop we did have an afternoon visit to a community farm in North Tulsa.  We received a tour around their farm of chickens, goats, bees, rabbits, gardens, and orchard.  It was good to see. 

 This lady is the Co-owner with her husband Newsome Farm.

 We had to wear booties on our feet to keep the chemicals and germs we were carrying off their farm.

 Mini orchard.

 Tons of peaches on this tree.  I wish I had a peach tree.

 This is a hoop house where growing can go on during winter months.  I am going to try to figure out how to make mini hoop houses over each one of our beds at school so we can grow during the winter.

 This is bascially an outhouse.  They mix the waste with coffee to put with their gardens

 Here is the coffee mixture.

 Mr. Newsome was out tour guide and he is showing us his potatoes and then their composting areas.

 Interesting sign,  yes there were bees there.

 Sheep.

 Goats

 Rabbits

 Chicks

 Chickens

 The beehives

 This is so cool.

 We went to the farm in the afternoon.  But before that we had two speakers and food demonstrations.  The first speakers were head chefs with TPS.  They talked about the changes that the USDA and others are requiring for school cafeterias to follow.  Then we had a demonstration of using Kale, sweet potatoes, and onions.  All of it was sauteed.

 Finished Product from the TPS chefs.

 Next speaker was from the Ag in the Classroom of Oklahoma.  She also talked about healthy eating and had some of us helping her cut and cook.  We had grilled asparagus, grilled potatoes with summer squash, then made a watermelon salsa which was soooo good and I will be making that soon.

 All the foods came from Farms Markets and local farmers from Oklahoma.  She showed us how asparagus grows which was cool.

 Showing us the different kind of squashes.

 Watermelon knife and a cutting lesson.

 The inside of a beet.

 Grilling potatoes and squash.

 Very cool way of cutting your next watermelon

 Watermelon salsa is done

The final product of our sample taste testing plate.  All was very good and nutritious.

 On day four we got to plant some trees and other plants around the Langston campus with James Spicer.  He helped us learn about permaculture, which is agriculture that is sustainable. Several us helped him plant fruit trees.  I am excited that he will get to work with our schools each month.  I talked with him about a drip irrigation system for our school gardens and he will be helping us with that along with planting fruit trees that will be there for years to come.

 This is the coolest plant  I want one of these to grow in my garden,  I loved the parts where I got to get my hands dirty and plant things.

 I am working on digging the hole for a tree right next to the tomato plant I just planted as well.

 My friend Jackie loosen up the roots that we learned how to from another speaker just this morning.

 My new friend Lulu is looking on as Jackie and I planted another plant.

 One of the guys had to come help us dig it deeper.

Overall the workshop had some good points, like free stuff for our school and ourselves plus getting a $1000 stipend but there were some bad points as well, one was there was lot of times we were wondering why are they talking about some of the things they had set up for us, what does getting a massage have to do with agriculture,  there were nursing students among us who talked all the time during presentations where you couldn't hear the speaker, and then we felt the whole week was a big ploy to join their college and to sell their products that the speakers were a part of.