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2525 N Avenue
National City, CA
619-434-4281
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Did you know you can make a gift of stock to support the garden and nutrition programs at Olivewood?
Email or call us to talk about the possibilities:
619-434-4281
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Help us meet our goal!
To celebrate National Salad Month, Olivewood is launching a 'Grow the Gardens" spring fundraising campaign. It's as easy as just 250 people contributing just $10 to help us to our goal of $2500. Thanks to your ongoing support we can continue the important work of teaching healthy eating habits and environmental stewardship! |
Contact Us
Executive Director
Jen Nation
Gardens and Facilities Manager
Leonard Vargas
Director of Development
Claire Groebner
Director of Programs
Callie Brust
Rebecca Hershberger-Howat
Cooking for Salud Coordinator
Patty Corona
Schools Coordinator
Angelica Gastelum
Volunteer Coordinator
Jacqueline Ante
Administrative Assistant
Angelica Bastida
Community Outreach Assistant
Rocina Lizarraga
Garden Educator
Ethan Cole
Garden Staff
Reyna Rodriguez
Adan Teposte
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Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center was created by the
International Community Foundation
to further its mission of ensuring healthy communities and healthy economies in the cross-border region.
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Board of Directors
Chair:
C
athe Burnham
Vice Chair: Trish Watlington
Treasurer: Jacqueline Reynoso
Secretary:
Evelyn Wiggins
Dennis Doyle, Ph.D.
Sabrina Falquier Montgrain, MD
Daisy Gordon Crompton
Stephanie Jensen
Anne McEnany
Susana Villegas
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E
Olivewood Gardens is a Humble Partner! Humble Bundle is a
leading retailer of digital games and eBooks. You can now support us with every purchase you make by using this link.
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May 2019
Last week, romaine lettuce grown at Olivewood Gardens appeared on the salad bar at all ten National School District elementary schools. As May is celebrated as National Salad Month, this couldn't come at a better time. Olivewood is striving to expand our partnership with the school district, working hand-in-hand with Child Nutrition Services and Healthy Day Partners. For the past month, 4th grade students from NSD have watched the lettuce grow during their trips to our garden, and have taste-tested the product while making creative and healthy salads during their nutrition rotation. One student from Las Palmas Elementary said "all I can think about is eating 100 more bowls" and another student said "this is the best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life." Thanks to YOUR support we are able to grow our programs and our impact. "Lettuce" start small, and soon we hope even more Olivewood grown veggies will appear in school lunches to create a healthier community.
A special thanks to
and the Pratt Memorial Foundation for their recent gifts to support our work!
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Upcoming Events and Programs
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Twilight Lounge Cocktails & Appetizers, 5PM - 7PM: $50
Chef's Culinary Feast (includes Twilight Lounge), 5PM - 9PM: $200
Tickets purchased by May 1st include 10% off a future Olivewood program
For underwriting and table sponsorship opportunities, please contact
Claire.
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Mother's Day Tea
Come to the gardens for a day of fun, tea party-related activities and crafts to show our love and appreciation for all things that moms do. Participants will learn ways to create scrumptious snacks to recreate your own tea party at home!
May 11, 11:30AM - 1:30PM
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Wine & Paint Night Please join us for an evening of creativity & fun! Step by step instructed painting (Midnight Poppies). The event will be guided by a professional master artist on-site at Olivewood Gardens.
May 16, 6:00PM - 8:30PM
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Garden Dinner at Dusk
Join us for an intimate outdoor dinner and guided tour of the beautiful gardens. Enjoy authentic farm-to-table cuisine from Chef Chris Osborne of Specialty Produce while connecting with your neighbors!
June 29, 5:00PM - 8:00PM
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Healthy Grilling Cooking Class Join us for a fun and tasty afternoon harvesting in the garden, firing up the grill, and enjoying a delicious feast. Take veggies home to recreate the recipes of the day!
July 13, 11:00AM - 1:30PM
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Open House & Produce Stand
Visit our beautiful gardens, historic Victorian home, and learn about our programs! Fresh produce will be available at our new produce stand.
May 25, 9:30AM - 11AM
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Gardening Workshop: Vegetative and Seed Propagation Our garden experts will lead you through the basics of vegetative and seed propagation.
June 22, 9:00am-11:00am
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Program Spotlight
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Healthy Families Meet the Aguiar Family! This family is dedicated to healthy eating. Mom, Guadalupe Perez Aguiar, graduated from Cooking for Salud in the 2nd generation back in 2013 and has been a very active Kitchenista over the years. In April, her son, Oscar, graduated from the 15th generation of Cooking for Salud! We know making healthy changes can be difficult without support and we just love to see this Mother-Son duo making health a priority together! And it doesn't stop there... daughter, Karla, will be graduating from our Garden 2 Kitchen High School Internship in May. Thank you, Aguiar Family, for being an inspiration to us and to our community! |
Garden 2 Kitchen High School Internship After eight weeks of garden and nutrition education, 16 students from Sweetwater High School graduated from our internship program, and they did so with a fierce 'Chopped' style cooking competition. Grouped in teams of 5, students harvested veggies from our garden then prepared three mouthwatering courses for our team of judges (including the Sweetwater High School principal, and representatives from Olivewood supporters Specialty Produce and Boys and Girls Foundation). They all brought their skills and new cooking techniques to make this an extra fun challenge to end their internship. Congrats to the students and a big thank you to our supporters and guest chefs! |
Internships at Olivewood Gardens
Interested in summer internships? We are looking for motivated helpers! Check out the intern descriptions and send us an email!
For more information, click
here.
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Volunteer at Olivewood
Looking for a fun way to help our community become healthier? Why not volunteer with Olivewood Gardens? We have a role for you!
Special opportunities:
- Seedling Soirée
- Day of Play
For more information on volunteering, click here.
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SDG&E Tips
- Important Info from SDG&E: Residential customers are being switched to Time-of-Use pricing plans. Prices are lower all day except between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m
- Drive an all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle? Find out if you qualify for SDG&E's bill credit.
- Find out if your family qualifies for free energy-saving appliances, lighting, weather-stripping and more!
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Spring is here! Our stone fruits are blossoming and preparing to start forming delicious peaches, apricots, and pluots. We've got summer vegetable seedlings in the ground like peppers and tomatoes, and we're growing goodies like chard, kumquats, cilantro, leeks, and fava beans. Come check the gardens out during our Thursday 10AM tours or at a Saturday open house.
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Hearty Salad with Vegan Ranch
- 2 cups salad greens, like romaine lettuce
- ½ cup cooked grains, like quinoa, faro, or brown rice
- 1 cup roasted vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, Romanesco, sweet potatoes or winter squash
- ½ cup thinly sliced raw vegetables and fruits, like bell peppers, celery, avocados, carrots, oranges, strawberries, fennel, mushrooms, green onions, onions, radishes, snap or snow peas, summer squash and tomatoes
- ¼ cup salad dressing
- 1 cup protein, like beans or hard-boiled eggs
- 1 tablespoon sliced or chopped nuts, like almonds, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts
Directions for Salad
1. Place grains in bottom of serving bowl. Add greens in an even layer over grains. Repeat with the roasted vegetables, then the raw vegetables and fruits. Add protein and nuts.
2. Just before eating top with dressing and toss gently.
Ingredients for Ranch
¾ cup raw cashews
½-3/4
cup water (add more for consistency)
1T + 1 tsp lemon juice/ apple cider vinegar
½ tsp onion powder
1 T nutritional yeast
1 small - medium clove of garlic, minced
¾ tsp (or to taste) salt
¼ tsp parsley flakes (¼ tsp - ½ tsp of fresh parsley if available)
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Directions for Ranch
1. Soak cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight, rinse, and add to blender. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor (do not use the water from the soaking cashews.)
2. Add parsley and pepper and blend very briefly - allowing enough time for ingredients to mix. Dressing should have the consistency of ranch dressing. If too thick, add more water 1 T at a time. Add additional salt, nutritional yeast, and/or lemon to taste.
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