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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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 Contact Us
Executive Director
Jen Nation
Gardens and Facilities Manager
Leonard Vargas
Director of Development
Claire Groebner
Director of Programs
Callie Brust
Volunteer Coordinator
Jacqueline Ante
Adult Nutrition Educator
Ellyse Briand
Cooking for Salud Coordinator
Patty Corona
Rebecca Hershberger-Howat
Community Outreach Assistant
Rocina Lizarraga
Garden Staff
Octavio 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: Trish Watlington
Vice Chair: Evelyn Wiggins
Treasurer: Stephanie Jensen
Secretary:
Daisy Gordon Crompton
Cathe Burnham
Dennis Doyle, Ph.D.
Sabrina Falquier Montgrain, MD
Esperanza Guerrero
Anne McEnany
Teresa Palzkill
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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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December 2019
It's hard to believe that 2019 is coming to an end. Olivewood guests thrived this year in our hands-on education programs due to generous support from our sponsors, community partners, and donors. We graduated our 250th Kitchenista, hosted an adapted Cooking for Salud program in partnership with the United Women of East Africa, grew our Children's Garden and Nutrition Education Program to serve more local elementary students, and expanded our high school internship program to help build leadership and job training skills in our students. We grew romaine lettuce for the local school district salad bars as a pilot program and advocated for health equity and environmental justice. Look for more details on all our programs in our annual impact report, to be released soon!
The year 2020 marks our
10th anniversary
of delivering programs. We plan to host special events and highlight our impact throughout the year. Whether you took a tour, attended a class or event, or contributed to our mission financially or through volunteering, we are extremely grateful!!
We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and new year.
The Rite Aid Foundation has generously gifted Olivewood Gardens with a $5,000 grant as part of its
Full of Thanks
holiday program. This grant will help support the important work we do in the community. We appreciate their generous gift.
Make a year end gift today and help us reach our goal of $15k this December! Thanks to a generous match from Sprouts of Chula Vista, we are only $3k away from our year-end goal!
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Upcoming Events and Programs
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Open House and Property Tour
Visit our beautiful gardens, historic Victorian home, take a tour of our nearly 7-acre property, and learn about our programs!
January 25th, 9:30AM
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A Mindful Food Journey
Bring in the New Year with Drs. Sabrina Falquier Montgrain and Ni-Cheng Liang. Prepare a mindful meal from organic plants you pick at Olivewood, eaten in community in the beautiful Gardens.
January 11, 2PM - 5PM
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Chefcitos: Cozy Comforts
This fun class will teach your kiddos how to make fun, healthy, age-appropriate recipes. We'll be making seasonal, cozy recipes to celebrate the winter
January 8th, 9:30AM - 11AM or 12:30PM - 2PM
Register HERE
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Talls and Smalls
Great for children ages 2-5 years and guardians! You'll explore our beautiful gardens, use their senses to smell, taste, see, and listen, and taste a garden snack.
January 23, 9AM - 10AM
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Program Spotlight
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Sustainable Urban Agriculture Internship 
We had nine high school students complete their Sustainable Urban Agriculture internship with us this month and how wonderful it has been to watch their journey this semester! These eager students came to Olivewood Gardens after school to learn topics such as irrigation, pest control, and crop planning, in addition to life skills like teamwork, budgeting, and accountability. At the end of an 8-week lesson series, the students are able to select a community location to put their skills to work. This semester, the students identified two locations at their high school, Sweetwater Union High School, to beautify, update irrigation (as pictured), grow seedlings for, and create a safe space for students to enjoy.
We are so proud of these girls for their dedication to learning, to each other, and to their community! We can't wait for your gardens to flourish!
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Amazon Wishlist
Looking for ways to give back this holiday season? Please take a look at Olivewood Gardens' Amazon wishlist. We love serving our community and are asking for your support to help our programs flourish! With the purchase of these items, kids can learn better in the garden, high school students can create culinary masterpieces, our teaching kitchen can stay organized, our staff will be equipped with the tools they need, and so much more! We thank you for thinking of Olivewood.
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Internships at Olivewood Gardens
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Are you looking for a volunteer or internship opportunity for 2020? Now's the time to get plugged in! Olivewood is seeking help with our Children's Field Trip programs to assist with our nutrition, science, and environmental lessons. Ever seen the joy on the face of a child harvesting carrots out of the ground?! Field trips usually take place during the day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity after school- check out our High School Internship program. We are always looking for dedicated helpers to invest in these awesome students. Whether that's helping high schoolers plant, tend, or design gardens, providing job skill workshops, or teaching them about how to use garden-grown produce in fun new recipes, there are many ways to get involved.
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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!
For more information on volunteering, click
here.
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SDG&E Tips for Using Energy Smartly this Summer
- Decorating for the holiday season? Use LED lights - they save energy and last longer.
- Check trees before stringing lights this year to make sure limbs haven't grown into power lines.
- Learn how you can save with a smart thermostat.
- Winter energy pricing is in effect between November 1 - May 31. Learn more here.
- Find out if your family qualifies for free energy-saving appliances, lighting, and more.
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It is officially wintertime! Here in San Diego, because of our temperate climate, we're able to grow lots of veggies year-round. Right now, we have greens like lettuce and chard in the ground, as well as other winter crops such as cauliflower, carrots, beets, cilantro, green onions, and more. Come check the gardens out during our Thursday 10AM tours (closed December 26th) or at our January 25th Open House.
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Created by Chef Diego Madueno
Ingredients
2 ancho chiles rinsed, stemmed and seeded
4 guajillo chiles rinsed, stemmed and seeded
6 tablespoons coarsely chopped white onion
½ a white onion - left intact
1 head garlic
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 pinch ground cumin
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or more to taste
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups diced cauliflower
3 cups cooked black or pinto beans
3 cups cooked hominy
Garnish: Lettuce, radishes, onion, limes, oregano
Directions
1. Boil chiles until soft.
2. Blend chiles with a little of the boiling water and 6 TB white onion until a smooth paste forms. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
3. In a large pot add the strained chile paste, vegetable broth, cloves, bay leaf, ½ onion, the head of garlic and a pinch of cumin. Cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes.
4. Add cauliflower and boil for 5 minutes.
5. Add hominy and beans and cook for 5 more minutes or until tender.
6. Remove the head of garlic, ½ of onion, bay leaf and cloves before serving.
7. Garnish with lime, lettuce, onion, oregano, and radish. Enjoy!
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