featuring Olivewood at your Anniversary Celebrations!

 
OWG-logo

Volunteer Thania helps guests at the Happy Healthy Harvest to make Sprout Smoothies
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Enjoy Fresh, Seasonal Vegetables for Thanksgiving!
 
Olivewood Gardens offers Farmers' Market Boxes from Specialty Produce! The box ($20) includes a weekly selection of fresh California-grown fruits and vegetables.
Specialty Produce donates $2 of every purchase to the Olivewood Gardens program fund. To learn more or enroll, contact Kati Christensen.
 
Specialty Produce 
Farmers' Market Box contents

Volunteers from UCSD Medical School work together to build a scarecrow for our Halloween Haunted Garden
In the Community:
Grants for School Gardens!

San Diego Ag in the Classroom (SDAITC) is pleased to announce an opportunity for San Diego County Schools and youth organizations to apply for a grant that supports garden projects that enhance the teaching of agriculture. Grants range from $1,000 to $2,000 and can be awarded to individuals, groups or schools. Grants submitted must focus on San Diego County's agriculture as defined by: "The science, art and business of cultivating soil, producing nursery and food crops and raising livestock, eggs, milk or other commodities for sale or personal consumption."

To download the application go to http://sdfarmbureau.org/

For more information, contact 
Diana at 619-434-4281 or diana@olivewoodgardens.org

Trick-or-treaters pose for a photo in the Halloween Haunted Garden
contact
 
Executive Director

Healy Vigderson

healy@olivewoodgardens.org 

 

Program Director

Diana Bergman

diana@olivewoodgardens.org

 

Head Gardener

Martha Prusinskas

martha@olivewoodgardens.org

 

Chef Educator

Kati Christensen

kati@olivewoodgardens.org

 

Volunteer Coordinator

Ally Welborn

ally@olivewoodgardens.org

 

Development Assistant

Claire Groebner

claire@olivewoodgardens.org

 

Events Coordinator

Scott Medina-Brzezinski

events@olivewoodgardens.org

  

(619) 434-4281
2525 N Avenue
National City, CA 91950


Board of Directors
  • ChairMary L. Walshok, Ph.D
  • Vice ChairDennis Doyle, Ph.D.
  • TreasurerRichard L. Romney
  • SecretaryJacqueline Reynoso
  • Cathe Burnham
  • Irma Gigli, M.D.
  • Anne McEnany
  • Eleanor Navarra
  • Trish Watlington

Volunteers Sarah, Corey, and Rubie represent Olivewood at the Good Food Community Fair


Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our photos on flickr

 

ICF

Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center was created by the
to further it's vision of assuring healthy communities and healthy economies in the 
cross-border region.
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Harvesting Health:
Olivewood Designated an Official Partner of Live Well San Diego

On Saturday, October 25th, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center hosted the Happy Healthy Harvest to celebrate our designation as a Live Well San Diego partner and honor both International Food Day and Border Binational Health Week. Over 200 visitors attended the event, which included cooking, gardening, crafts, games, resources and more for local families.

The celebration culminated in a special ceremony hosted by Ms. National City, Aida Casta�eda. Guest speakers included Kitchenista and Star Volunteer Patty Corona-Morales, Olivewood Executive Director Healy Vigerson, National City Council Member Jerry Cano, Vice Mayor Luis Natividad, Mayor Ron Morrison, and County Supervisor Greg Cox. In addition to pronouncing Olivewood Gardens and Learning center an official Live Well San Diego Partner, Supervisor Cox presented Olivewood with a Proclamation declaring October, 25th, 2014 Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center Day throughout San Diego County.

We would like to thank all of the amazing guests, volunteers, partners, and sponsors who helped make this event a success! We are fortunate to be supported by our community in National City, San Diego County, and Tijiuana.

Happy Healthy Harvest Presented in Collaboration with:

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Teacher Training Academy:

Garden Enhanced Nutrition Education


How do you get kids to eat the fruit and veggies?
Need ideas for recipes, age appropriate cooking activities, or food related books? 

You can use your school garden or classroom gardening projects to enhance nutrition education for children and youth and promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Come to our GENE class to learn how. Activities are drawn from curricula for grades K-7, and are all available for free

Participants will learn tools and strategies for involving children and youth in safe food handling and preparation in a garden, kitchen, or classroom. We will also explore how to plan for an edible harvest and touch on Garden to Cafeteria programs. 

Date: Friday, November 14th
Time: 8:30am-4pm
Registration Fee: $40
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Tour and Talk
Saturday, November 15
Explore Olivewood and Learn New Home Gardening Strategies!


Guided Tours - 10:15 am and 12:15 pm

Learn about our historic roots, current gardening practices, and plans to impact the future of National City. Tours include two large garden areas and a peek inside the Noyes house.

 

Presentation: Practical Permaculture for Residential Settings - 11am-12pm

Join Ari Tenenbaum, co-founder and Lead Designer at Revolution Landscape, for a discussion about permaculture. Ari will explain how this gardening

movement that incorporates natural ecosystems and local environments can inspire home gardeners to create 

ecofriendly landscapes.

 

Location: Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
2525 N Ave, National City, CA 91950
RSVP: ally@olivewoodgardens.org, (619) 434-4281
Suggested Donation: $10

UpTo
What We're Up To
October and November
  
October:

Olivewood hosted field trips for over 300 adult and youth students from Olivewood Elementary School, Lincoln Acres Elementary School, San Ysidro Health Center, Granger Jr. High School, Chula Vista Promise Neighborhoods, Warren Walker Elementary School. We also welcomed volunteer groups from UCSD Medical School, Qualcomm Communications, Sweetwater Union High School, Western & Southern Life Insurance, and car2go.

In addition, Olivewood participated in at many community events including the Good Food Community Fair, the Gardening with Class Conference, the National City Bike Facilities Celebration, Starlite San Diego's 7th Anniversary Celebration, TOMS GiveShop's Grand Opening, and Jimbo's Anniversary Sale.

Our Halloween Haunted Garden this year was our biggest yet! Over 900 visitors came to Olivewood on 10/31 for a safe, fun, and healthy Halloween experience. 

Kitchenistas Maria, Carmen, Patty, and Victoria pose with Lincoln Acres Student Daisy and Ms. National City, 
Aida Caste�eda at the Happy Healthy Harvest 
tortilla-making station

November:
familydin 
Thursday, 12/4 3p-7p


Join us for an evening of gardening, cooking and fun for the whole family!
 

Take a tour of the property, harvest vegetables from the garden, work together to prepare a healthy, seasonal meal, and eat together and share conversation as a family in the historic Noyes House.
 

Date: Thursday, December 4th
Time: 3pm-7pm
Cost: $25/person
RSVP: (619) 434-4281 (space is limited)
Location: Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
2525 N Ave, National City, CA 91950
Ages 5 & up

gardclassGardening Class:
Prepping the Garden for Winter
Saturday, 12/6

Class includes site-based garden education and relevant volunteer work. Come ready to get your hands dirty and learn by doing!

 Topics:

  • Sheet mulch and cover crops
  • Cool season crops
  • Propagating from seed, with an introduction to the greenhouse
  • Pruning back for the winter
Date: Saturday, 12/6
Time: 9am to 12pm
Location: Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
2525 'N' Ave, National City, CA 91950
Contact: ally@olivewoodgardens.org, (619) 434-4281
Students must be at least 15 years old to attend.
Familyft
FOOD and FARM Family Fun Day
Saturday, November 22
Learn together, cook together, grow together!


Join us for a family field trip!
Take a family outing to beautiful Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center to explore the connections between food, health, and a healthy planet. Participate in hands-on cooking, gardening, and educational activities as a family.

 

Start the conversation- where does your food come from, and what makes a food healthy? See the whole "farm to table" process unfold before you. 

 

Space limited to 30 participants. Register now!

 

Who: Families with children ages 3+

When: Saturday, 11/22; 10am-12pm

Where: Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center

2525 N Avenue, National City, CA 91950

Registration Fee: $15/person

 

recipe

Featured Recipe:
Happy Quesadilla with Molcajete Salsa
By Patty Corona-Morales

Happy Quesadilla - Makes 10 servings

 

Ingredients 

10 homemade corn tortillas
3 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded 

variety of vegetables such as red cabbage, kale, onions, carrots, spinach, corn, etc., grated and/or chopped

Molcajete salsa (optional, see below) 

 

Directions
1. Warm up a corn tortilla in a hot comal or griddle. Add a handful of cheese and veggies and fold in half. Let the cheese melt and remove from heat. 

2. Top with Molcajete salsa. 

 

Molcajete Sala - Makes 2 cups

 

Ingredients  

4 red tomatoes, roasted

2 serrano chiles,roasted
1 clove garlic, roasted coarse salt, to taste

 

Directions

1. On a hot comal or grill, place tomatoes and garlic to roast. Poke chiles with a knife or fork first (so air can escape) and add to comal or grill. Once ingredients are roasted, remove from heat and let cool.
2. In the molcajete, add some coarse salt and the roasted garlic and grind. Once you have obtained a smooth paste, add the roasted chiles and continue with the same process. Finally, add the roasted tomatoes without peeling and continue grinding. Enjoy!

 

Note: Avoid touching eyes with bare hands after working with chilies!