Embracing the Garden


By Shannon Carey


a witches brew. This concoction will soon be paint used in an art classroom. Taking cues from Renaissance painters there is a group of educators using the garden for more than visual inspiration. In a com- munity that is learning to shun single use plastic, speak out on the dangers of chemi- cal based fertilizers, and look for energy al- ternatives, why have we not yet embraced an ecological change in the classroom.


M A survey of seven Metro Nashville Pub-


lic School art classrooms found that each classroom had an average of 346 crayons. There are over 70 elementary schools in Nashville, if you take 346, and multiple it by 70 that means over 24,000 crayons are in Nashville alone. Now, let’s look nation- ally, the United states has about 90,000 registered elementary schools. Multiply 346 by 90,000 we are looking at 31,140,000 crayons in elementary schools, alone! Thirty-one million crayons, that is a stag- gering number. Thirty-one million crayons made with questionable materials, through less than ecological processes.


Let’s get back to the witches brew


from earlier. All three materials listed (egg whites, seaweed powder, and vegetable pigment) came from gardens. The eggs were purchased at Double L Market in Westport, and came from someone’s backyard in Easton. The seaweed powder was grown in San Francisco on a seaweed farm, and the pigment came from spinach grown in an art garden in Ridgefield. Our gardens are pow- erful resources for more than just food, why do we often not see them in this way?


Crieve Hall Elementary School in Nashville, TN has taken that question head Botanical Therapy + Naturopathic Wellness Center


ixing together egg whites, sea- weed powder, and vegetable pig- ment sounds like the beginning of


on and begun to change their school for the better. Their garden wasn’t put up by volunteers and forgotten, but it has become an essential part of many of the school’s curricular threads. Science classes wander outside for bird and bug watching. Math classes use the plants in the garden to learn about symmetry, and art class was brought outside to learn about observational draw- ing and botany. This idea that gardens can be multi-faceted and used beyond a single purpose is one we should be embracing and seeking out.


Like the elementary school in Nash- ville, we in Connecticut need to look to our gardens for more than their expected use. Below is a list of four creative ways to el- evate your garden beyond its expected use:


1. Look for Scraps Sometimes when we are growing food


we will have produce knocked off the vine too early, or we will lose bits and pieces to our animal friends. Whenever you see a scrap of food from your garden you won’t use put it in your compost! Rather than letting it wallow


on the garden floor and rot, double the envi- ronmental value by allowing it to help create fertilizer for the following season.


2. Preserve What You Can


Sometimes we grow more than we need, and a surplus of food can mean a surplus of food waste. Instead, get creative and ferment what you can. Is there extra kohlrabi looking back at you right now? Treat it like a radish & ferment for a fun sour treat.


Here’s a great recipe: • 3 c. Washed & Sliced Kholrabi • 2 -3 Peeled Garlic Cloves • 3 tbs. Salt • 4 c. Filtered Water


Mix your water and salt together to cre-


ate a brine. Add your kholrabi & garlic to a sterilized mason jar. Pour brine solution over kohlrabi. Leave to ferment 4 - 7 days in a cool room away from sunlight. (Ferment 4 days for less sour kholrabi, 7 days for extra sour khol- rabi). Once fully fermented place in refrigera- tor and enjoy.


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