Spring Blossoms: News from Our School Garden

Spring Blossoms

News from Our School Garden

Between Winter and Spring Break, the garden has been waking up. It’s been a joy to watch it come alive with student hands and hearts helping every step of the way.

Lately, the peach tree has started budding – little promises of summer fruit. We’ve harvested Meyer lemons, gathered tangerines, and picked up the Kaffir limes that tumbled to the ground. The oranges are nearly ready, teasing us with their bright pops of color. Meanwhile, the comfrey is still sleeping, and our 2nd graders bravely clipped back the frost-kissed tomato bushes.

We’ve tucked violas, snapdragons, and calendulas into the chilly soil – our last chance to sprinkle some cold-weather beauty into the garden.

There’s more blooming beyond the plants. Our students dug bio swales – shallow cradles in the earth to catch rainwater and nourish our garden naturally. We’re dreaming of a garden library filled with books on growing and cooking, a cozy spot for everyone to dig into knowledge without screens. And something new: a seed bank! If you’ve got seeds to share, please let us know.

Our pilot compost program is humming along, with kitchen scraps finding their way to the garden to become rich soil – a full-circle lesson in sustainability. The 5th and 2nd graders have been preparing beds for sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos from the main house to our hillside food forest, which we’re planning to reimagine with a flower farm woven in.

Oh, and the animals – they’ve been nibbling away at our hard work! It’s a nudge to keep learning, adapting, and growing together. We’d love to plant more fruit trees on the south side – imagine the harvests to come.

Here is a recipe for candied tangelos:

Candied Tangelos

A sweet, citrusy treat!

Ingredients:

4-6 tangelos (washed and sliced into thin rounds)
2 cups water
2 cups sugar (or adjust to your sweetness preference)

Instructions:

Prepare the Tangelos: Wash and slice the tangelos into thin rounds. Make sure to remove any seeds.
Blanch the Slices: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully blanch the tangelo slices by dropping them into the boiling water for about 30 minutes. This helps soften them and removes some of the bitterness.
Make the Syrup: In another pot, combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil.
Cook the Tangelos: Once the syrup is boiling, add the blanched tangelo slices. Let them simmer in the syrup for about 30 minutes or until they become tender and slightly translucent.
Dry the Slices: After simmering, carefully remove the tangelo slices from the syrup and set them on a wire rack to dry. You can let them air-dry for several hours or place them in a warm, dry spot to speed up the process.
Store and Enjoy: Once dried, the candied tangelos are ready to enjoy! Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.