 |
2525 N Avenue
National City, CA
619-434-4281
|
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
|
OLIVEWOOD'S PRODUCE STAND
EVERY TUESDAY AT 10AM
Looking to add fresher veggies to your meals? How about organic fruits and veggies straight out of our garden? During this high production season, we will be having a produce stand with freshly harvested produce from the garden every Tuesday from 10am to 12pm. For a donation, you get to take what you need. Come in early as the produce
goes quickly.
|
 Contact Us
Interim Assistant Director
Claire Groebner
Interim Assistant Director
Cherianne Kestner
Gardens and Facilities Manager
Leonard Vargas
Coordinator of Volunteers and Outreach
Cristina Juarez
Nutrition
Educator
Robin King Novara
Schools Coordinator
Corrie Madueño
Administrative Assistant
Angelica Bastida
Garden Educator
Ethan Cole
Garden Support Staff
Michael Ramirez
Reyna Rodriguez
Adan Teposte
|
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.
|
|
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
Anne McEnany
Susana Villegas
|
Visit
De Passion Fruit,
a
family-owned healthy eatery in National City. Support this delicious, Kitchenista-owned business and help us strengthen our community.
We highly recommend the portobello wrap, the chicken torta, the rainforest smoothie and the chia seed pudding.
|
|
|
|
Day of Play 2017
|
|
|
Our annual Day of Play has come and gone, and we want to thank all of our sponsors, community partners, and volunteers for their participation and support! Over 500 children and adults joined us for the Day of Play and participated in interactive gardening, cooking, and nature activities. Cheers to another successful celebration of health, and we look forward to next year's Day of Play!
Thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsor
|
Thank you to our sponsors!
|
|
|
 for support of our Improving Health by Changing Eating Behaviors program with local National School District schools
Samuel I. & John Henry Fox Foundation for support of our Children's Field Trip Program
|
Hitting the Garden Running...
|
|
|
It has been a busy summer at the gardens, and we are looking forward to our upcoming programs!
- The 10th generation of Cooking for Salud began on August 9th.
- Olivewood Gardens will be partnering with the County of San Diego to provide a meeting space for the upcoming "Tomando Control de su Salud" workshop.
- The Sustainable Urban Ag High School Internship program will begin session early September, giving students from Sweetwater High the opportunity to learn about urban agriculture and to use their skills in a community improvement project.
- As Sweetwater High begins a new school year, we will continue to support the maintenance of the Sweet Crops School Garden that gifts students, parents and teachers fresh produce to add to their diets.
- In partnership with National School District's Child Nutrition Services, the Olivewood Kitchenistas will be proving parent presentations on health and wellness in all National School District schools beginning in October.
- On September 28th, Olivewood Gardens and Operation Samahan will launch the 11th generation of Cooking for Salud, with a focus on the Filipino population of National City.
|
|
| Students and parents painting raised bed boxes at SUHI Garden |
|
Bon Voyage Healy!
|
|
|
It is with great honor that we thank
Healy Vigderson for her years of service as the Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. During the past five years, Healy has overseen the expansion of Olivewood's programs and gardens. She has given her passion, energy, time, vision, and love to Olivewood and the community.
We celebrate all of her work and to wish her the best in her next adventures!
To see the Executive Position Job Announcement,
click here.
|
What We're Up To...July and August
|
|
 |
|
- The Kitchenistas of National City documentary was nominated for the Imagen Awards in Hollywood.
- We hosted teachers from Olivewood Elementary and Lincoln Acres for a teacher training about our field trip program, science standards, and school wellness.
- The Kitchenistas took a self-defense class at the gardens.
- We visited Hospital Infantil de las Californias in Tijuana in order to learn about ways we can work together to educate families and schools about nutrition.
- We hosted students from O'Farrell Charter School, Horizon Youth Programs, and Sweetwater High School for our field trip program.
- We hosted our Salsa and Salsa cooking class, featuring delicious salsas and spicy dance moves!
- We hosted our Salsita family field trips in partnership with the San Ysidro Health Center. Participating families reinforced what they learned about the importance of diet and improving health through hands-on cooking and gardening activities at Olivewood.
- Olivewood participated as a vendor at the Living Coast Turns 20 event, the National City Automobile Heritage Day, and HarborFest. At each event we shared about our programs and engaged kids and families with hands on-activities, such as planting hundreds of Jacaranda tree and basil seeds with the participants of the Chula Vista HarborFest.
|
|
INTERNSHIPS
We are n
ow accepting applications for the fall internships!
A
re you looking to
get more experience working in a professional but alternative environment with children and youth? Do
you want to learn different teaching styles? Do you want to learn new skills?
Do you want to build up your resume?
Please help us spread the word about these great opportunities!
Open Positions:
For more information click on each position or click
here to go our website.
|
|
Upcoming Events and Programs
|
Cultivating Conversation: A Dine and Learn Series
Saturday, October 28th, 5PM - 8PM
Visit Olivewood Gardens for an intimate outdoor dinner, guided tour, and thought-provoking discussion in our beautiful garden setting.
|
Healthy Tapas Cooking Class
Join us for a hands-on cooking class as we prepare delicious and healthy tapas using produce from the gardens!
Sat, October 14th, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
|
Mommy and Me
This program is designed for children 2 - 5 with an accompanying adult. Activities include harvesting, a garden walk, and a tasting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
August 26th, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Sept. 23rd, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Tours start at 10:15AM and 12:00PM.
|
|
|
|
Gardening Workshop:
Growing Beautiful Bouquets
Learn to grow flowers to create breathtaking bouquets to adorn your home, decorate for parties, or gift to a friend or family member! Believe us when we say you can always use them!
August 26th, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Garden Planning/Container Gardening
September 23rd, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
|
|
|
FREE Pilates classes at the gardens
Looking to incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine? Check out the Pilates classes and strengthen your body inside out.
Every Thursday, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
No registration required
|
|
|
|
FREE CardioFIT classes at the gardens
Coordinate your moves and dance to different rhythms while raising your heart beat in these cardio dance classes.
Wednesdays and Fridays
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
No registration required
|
|
Volunteer
Looking for a fun way to help our community become healthier? Why not volunteer with Olivewood Gardens? We have a role for you!
Find Out More Here
|
|
|
|
SDG&E Tips
- Use less electricity during peak hours and save!
- Energy alerts can help you manage energy use and costs. Choose your alerts here.
- You may qualify for a discount on your energy bill. Find out here!
|
|
|
|
|
Olivewood Gardens is a Voting Member of the San Diego Food System Alliance, a collaborative focused on creating a sustainable and equitable food system in San Diego County. Find out more about the Alliance by reading the latest newsletter! You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
|
|
|
|
We are excited to announce that we are now a partner of Cygnet Theatre!
Cygnet Theatre is a leading regional company and one of San Diego's cultural icons. They will donate $10 to Olivewood for any full-priced ticket purchased using the special Olivewood code for their new play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-on-the-Moon Marigolds. Check out their upcoming plays, and other events here!
|
|
|
|
|
| Growing in the Garden...
We have had a blooming summer at the gardens, filled with tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, squash, and more! This is also our first season growing some Asian vegetables, including
upo and hairy melon.
Our garden team has been working hard to keep the gardens beautiful and thriving!
|
Featured Recipe
|
|
|
Three Sisters Vegetarian Red Pozole
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 ancho chilies rinsed, stemmed and seeded
2 guajillo chilies rinsed, stemmed and seeded
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or more to taste
3 tablespoons oil (vegetable, olive, etc.)
3 cups vegetable broth (or bouillon cubes and water)
¼ cup green onion, sliced
1 cup winter squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup swiss chard, stem removed and leaves torn
1 cup diced cauliflower
1 ½ cups cooked pinto beans
1 ½ cups cooked hominy
1 lime
Green cabbage, radishes, onion, oregano and avocado to garnish, if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Toss winter squash with a little oil, salt, and
pepper. Place on an oiled baking pan and bake for 10 minutes until al
dente.
2. Put chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for10 minutes
or until the chilies have softened and rehydrated. Place the chilies,
along with 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid, the onion, garlic, cloves, and
salt in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in the saucepan over medium heat
until hot, but not smoking. Add the chili puree, bring to a boil and
simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing it to
thicken.
4. Add vegetable broth and cauliflower to the pot. Cook 10-15 minutes or
until they are tender. Add beans, hominy, and swiss chard leaves
during the last 5 minutes.
5. Garnish with lime, cilantro, radishes, and avocado. Enjoy
Fun Facts
One of the main ingredients in pozole is hominy, a type of corn that has been processed with an alkaline solution. Corn was a sacred plant to Aztecs and the other indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Historically, indigenous peoples would cook pozole only on special occasions. Today, pozole is a traditional food that is served at weddings and other fiestas.
|
|
|
|
|
