Tuesday, April 28th, 2020
Check out this week's video on  Seeding Tomatoes  below. Please share with us any of your spring garden adventures by posting  @islandgrownschools  or hashtagging  #IslandGrownAtHome . We'd love to repost you "Island Grown at Home-ing" on our page!
Happy Spring explorations to us all!
Seeding Tomatoes
Now is the time to start your seeds indoors! Come along with Suzie as she seeds Cherokee Purple tomatoes.
Starting Seeds Indoors:

1.      Gather your materials- seeds, labels, container, and potting soil
2.      Loosely fill your container with soil
3.      Poke holes at the right depth- check the directions on your seed packet to find out how deep
4.      Plant seeds- one seed per hole. If seeds are a few years old, you can do two
5.      Lightly cover seeds with soil
6.      Label with type of crop, variety, and date
7.      Water, place in sunlight, and wait!
Need Garden Materials?

ON-ISLAND

SBS The Grain Store
Monday-Friday 8-3, Saturday 9-4
Open in store: 8:00-10:00am
Curbside service strongly encouraged: 8:00-3:00pm
Check Facebook page for daily updates
(508) 696-7271

Middletown Nursery
Monday-Saturday 9-4
Curbside service available
Check Facebook page for updates
(508) 696-7600

Vineyard Gardens
Monday-Saturday 8-3, Sunday 9-3
Place an order online then pickup from the store
(508) 693-8511

Jardin Mahoney's
Monday-Saturday 8-5, Sunday 9-5
Delivery only
Visit their online store to browse and request products, then pick up
(508) 693-3511

Heather Gardens
Open daily 8:30-5:30
(508) 693-1467

ONLINE

Sow True Seeds

Eden Brothers
Activities

This week, try Planting Truffula Trees (AKA Marigolds)

Earth Day may have been last week, but it's still a good time to learn about taking care of our planet! Marigolds are great companion plants for tomatoes, and they also look just like the Truffula Trees from the story The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.



Kids Cooking Videos

Calling all young chefs! We want to see what recipes you've been making at home! Send us a recipe along with a short video of you walking us through the steps, and we'll share them on our website for others to try.

If you need inspiration, check out past Harvest of the Month recipes on our website!

Find more information, visit our website.
Plant of the Week
In spring, ferns of the forest send up their leaves in an interesting way, which produces a fiddlehead. This plant of the week is a fern leaf before it fully unfurls into its fully lacy ferny form. The edible ferns we look for on Martha's Vineyard are called ostrich ferns. Ostrich fern fiddleheads are edible whereas other species, for example, bracken fern fiddleheads are not edible, and can even be toxic.  Be sure to identify the plant correctly before consuming any fiddleheads.  We invite you to search for any species of fern, making its fiddleheads this spring, just do not eat any without certainty of the species.
Bug of the Week
This week we celebrate the magical honey bee. As temperatures warm up in the spring, the first pollen sources become available, and the honey bees are ready to go. All winter long, they have huddled closely together in their hive, sharing body heat and feeding on the food they stored up for the winter - much like us, in spring, these bees are itching to get out in the garden again! 
Recipe of the Week
Let's celebrate April with a Harvest of the Month Recipe by Chef Robin Forte! 
Ingredients: 
  • 1/2 cup Watercress
  • 1/2 cup Parsley
  • 3/4 cup Plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
  1. Blanch watercress and parsley in a small pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. 
  2. Drain, rinse in cold water, and squeeze out excess moisture. 
  3. Cool. Transfer cooled watercress, parsley mixture and all other ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth. 
  4. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. 
  5. Serve on your favorite salad greens. Enjoy!

Recipe by Robin Forte





Share your " Island Grown at Home " photos and videos with us on social media: Tag @islandgrowninitiative
Hashtag #IslandGrown