April 7, 2021
@OlivewoodGardens
Standing Up for
and Standing by Our Community
Since our inception, Olivewood has been working in and with the community. Our values of equity, integrity, community, health and transformation are rooted in the work we do every day. Olivewood denounces the acts of violence and hate and stands in partnership with our friends in the AAPI community. Olivewood will continue to fight against hate, racism, and xenophobia as our ongoing pledge to live up to our values and support our entire community.

To learn more about how you can support local AAPI businesses, organizations, and more, see our resources below.
⬇️ Olivewood Updates ⬇️

April is National Volunteer Month and Earth Month 💚. We couldn’t be more thankful to the hundreds of volunteers who support Olivewood annually. During the past year, we weren’t able to host as many volunteers on our property, but had dedicated volunteers working behind the scenes on English/Spanish translations, nutrition education, recipe development, evaluation tools, social media and more. And, the volunteers who were able to come to the garden helped ensure we could grow and harvest food for our weekly donation-based produce stand, where we have served hundreds of families since the pandemic began.

We are extremely grateful for recent funding from The Conrad Prebys Foundation, The Payne Family Foundation, and the Cushman Foundation for investing in health equity and environmental stewardship. Olivewood will steward these funds to provide the highest quality programs for kids, adults and families.
🌿 April Events at the Garden 🌿
Virtual Chefcitos Cooking Class: Dutch Baby Pancakes

When: Saturday, April 10 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Cooking Class: Seasonal Soup and Homemade Crackers // Sopa de Temporada y Galletas Caseras

When: Thursday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

This class will be in English and simultaneous Spanish translation will be available.
Learning with Leonard on Facebook Live: The Journey of a Seed

When: Friday, April 16 at 10 a.m.
Garden Explorers: Petal Power

When: Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Olivewood Plant Sale 🌱

When: Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Olivewood Gardens

Shop Olivewood-grown succulents, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, peppers and more! Proceeds will support Olivewood programs and our garden expert, Leonard, will be there to answer any questions and talk about the various plants.
Join us for the 2021 Seedling Soirée
Join us for a special celebration of Olivewood’s impact and future growth! Enjoy extended access to view “The Kitchenistas” full-length documentary, meet the Filmmakers & Filmcast, celebrate with curated food & drink created by Olivewood Kitchenistas & some of San Diego’s finest chefs & mixologists, and more….all from the comfort of your home!

When: Saturday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m.
Community Spotlight: Callie Brust
Callie Brust, Olivewood's Director of Programs, has spent the last three years helping facilitate all of Olivewood’s programs and seek out partnerships for growth and collaboration. She exemplifies Olivewood's core values in her pursuit of community, integrity, and equity through her passion for "building spaces for programs to happen and for our educators to do what they do, cultivating partnerships and doing the background work to help put team in positions so they can engage and teach programs thoughtfully."

Callie will be leaving Olivewood in the next few months. While we are so sad to see her go, we are so excited for her next adventure. Once Olivewood, always Olivewood!
Supporting the Asian American Pacific Islander Community
In light of recent acts of racially motivated hatred, racial solidarity is so duly needed and we encourage you to support these AAPI women-owned businesses across San Diego. Additionally, the following organizations are doing incredible work on advocacy and education fronts: San Diego API Coalition, Asian Business Association, Asian Pacific American Coalition, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, Stop AAPI Hate.
Try This Month's Featured Recipe:
Veggie Pesto Pizza
Created by Kati Christensen
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Cilantro-cotija pesto
  • 1 cup of pepitas
  • 1 cup basil
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Pizza
  • 1 large beet, shredded
  • 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 leek, diced
  • 1-2 leaves of swiss chard, torn
  • 1-2 leaves of kale, torn
  • 1 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 1 package of whole wheat pizza dough (can be found in the refrigerator section at the grocery store)
  • Cilantro-cotija pesto (see recipe left)
Instructions
Pesto
  1. Toast pepitas until lightly browned
  2. Pulse cilantro, basil, jalapeno, cheese, toasted pepitas and garlic in food processor until roughly chopped
  3. On low speed, slowly add olive oil until immersed. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy on vegetables, whole wheat pizza, tacos or whole wheat pasta!
Pizza
  1. Preheat oven to 400˚
  2. Roll out pizza dough to 6 to 8 inches. Use flour if the dough begins to stick. Add about 3 tablespoons of the pesto to the dough and spread it out to cover whole pie
  3. Spread beets, kale, swiss chard, leeks and fennel over dough. Then sprinkle with cheese (you might not need all the cheese)
  4. Bake at 400˚ until the cheese is bubbling and dough is cooked through. Enjoy!
Cox Wifi Tips
As we all continue to social distance keep in mind these pointers to help improve your home internet experience and get the most out of your wifi.
  • Cut the Cameras! If video conferencing is the preferred way to meet for your job, try service-saving hacks like only turning on your camera when speaking and lowering your video resolution, or using audio-only.
  • Mind Your Network Health Computer viruses and malware can slow down your home internet. Click here to learn more about using your Cox Security Suite Plus powered by McAfee.
  • Microwaves Matter Did you know your internet could be slowed down if your wifi router is near a microwave, a fish tank, or mirror? Learn more wifi pro tips here.
SDG&E Tips
Have you heard about SDG&E's new AMP Plan yet? This plan offers qualified, current SDG&E customers financial assistance to help reduce past due account balances. Find out if you qualify at sdge.com/AMP or call an SDG&E AMP Service Specialist at 1-888-204-3576.

Building Strong, Diverse Communities