Hello Friend,
Happy Summer! This year sure seems to be flying by. These past couple of months, we closed out a jam-packed semester hosting all 4th grade National School District (NSD) students for their second and third field trips to the Gardens. We provided a 3-series, school garden-based program to all 4,700 TK-6th grade NSD students and re-vamped all 10 school gardens. We graduated the second of two cohorts of our Garden 2 Kitchen high school educational program and culminated our 20+ week internship with our Sustainable Urban Agriculture high school entrepreneurs at the May Plant Sale. We are currently mid-way through our 23rd Generation of Cooking for Salud and Kitchenistas have been diving into topics like mental health, nutrition, physical fitness, advocacy, and more.
June is Pride Month - celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising which catalyzed the emerging gay rights movement. We honor our LGBTQIA+ community members and encourage all to learn about and celebrate with upcoming Pride events.
June 19 marked Juneteenth - commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people following the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 by Union soldiers in Galveston, TX. In honor of this important day, we encourage our non-Black community members to reflect, learn, and re-commit to anti-racism; and honor our Black community's resilience and joy.
We look forward to continuing to grow and build together, and hope you'll join us at the Day of Play and other upcoming events!
With gratitude,
Jen Nation, Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center
|
|
Saturday, July 30th
10AM - 1PM
Day of Play has always been a FREE event about families learning, growing, and making healthy & nourishing decisions together. We will have a bushel of hands-on gardening and cooking activities from us and our local partner organizations to enjoy a jam-packed day of outdoor fun with the family! We are excited to share an engaging and inspiring day of outdoor activity with us! Registration available soon.
|
|
|
|
Friday, June 24
12PM - 1:30PM

Join us for an in-person walking tour of Olivewood Gardens and a sit-down Q & A for an opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of our programs!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, July 9th
10AM - 11:30AM
Join us for this month’s Chefcitos class where we will be creating some delicious tacos using seasonal ingredients from our very own gardens here at Olivewood.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, July 16
3:30PM - 5:30PM
San Diego has a rich fishing history & community and we want to honor that with Olivewood’s Grilled Fish Class. This class will focus on locally caught, seasonal fish and farm fresh recipes. We’ll give you tips on where to source local fish and how to cook it using a grill with great recipes for any summer BBQ!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, August 6th, 5PM - 7PM
Saturday, August 20th, 3:30PM - 5:30PM
What is Zero-Waste Cooking, and how do you do it? Join us in the gardens for our Zero-Waste Cooking Series for a delicious eco-friendly dinner (8/6) followed by a cooking demo (8/20) to learn the recipes and new techniques.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chefcitos: Pizza with Pizazz! |
Saturday, August 20th
10AM - 11:30AM

In this month’s Chefcitos class, we’ll be crafting up some delicious snacks using fresh ingredients from our very own garden including tomatoes, eggplant, basil and more! Thanks to our very special High Tech High interns, we’ll be making Pizza with Pizazz and Caprese Salad.
|
|
|
|
And that's a wrap! These last six months mark the official launch of Olivewood's National School District (NSD) School Garden Program. This program has evolved from over a decade of relationship-building with the school district and is a commitment from both Olivewood and the district to the holistic health and education of our community's youth, as well as to addressing the climate crisis.
During these several months, Olivewood's two new school-based Environmental Education Specialists, School Garden Specialist, and Schools Team have worked hard to revitalize all 10 NSD school gardens and provide three, hands-on environmental and nutrition science lessons to all 4,700 TK - 6th grade students. Students learned about Seeds & Living Things, Plant Parts, Biodiversity, Plant Life Cycles, Ecosystems, and the FBI - Fungus, Bacteria, and Invertebrates. They got to plant seeds, see plant life cycles in action, harvest and taste in the garden - the full circle of plant, grow, eat, return to the earth.
A huge shoutout to our Schools Team, to National School District, and to Healthy Day Partners for making this a successful program launch! We're excited to continue to grow and improve this program as we move forward together!
|
|
Olivewood Gardens Opportunities |
|
We are looking for passionate volunteers that want to extend their knowledge and skills in community education, group management, nutrition, environmental science, gardening, marketing and communications, and more!
For more information, please contact Olivewood's Coordinator of Volunteers & Outreach Jackie Ante at: jacqueline@olivewoodgardens.org. Check out the volunteer and internship opportunities below and sign up to join us!
|
|
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn (husk and silk removed; tip cut off)
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
- 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (or approx 1 can of black beans, rinsed)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
|
|
Directions
- Roast corn on the grill.
- Stand ear in a large wide bowl; with a sharp knife, carefully slice downward to release the kernels. Discard cob.
- Add black beans, tomatoes, avocado, scallions, lime juice, and oil to bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.
|
|
San Diego Food System Alliance Update |
|
Our partners at the San Diego Food System Alliance have launched their new Membership Program! Alliance membership is free and open to everyone including individuals from businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and the general public to join the movement to cultivate a healthy, sustainable, and just food system in San Diego County. The Alliance intends to build a network that centers justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
|
|
Get paid for conserving energy with the Power Saver Rewards Program
Help make the energy grid stronger and more reliable for all Californians this summer—and get paid for it too. SDG&E’s Power Saver Rewards program rewards you for lowering your electricity use when energy is most in demand. This summer, it pays to be flexible.
Here’s how it works: on hot summer days, increased demand for cooling strains the electrical grid, creating a higher risk of power outages. If you’re eligible and can reduce your energy use during a Power Saver Event between the peak hours of 4 pm and 9 pm, when the grid is especially stressed, as a reward, you may receive a bill credit. The more energy you conserve, the more you can save!

Participation is entirely voluntary. There’s no penalty if you are unable to conserve energy and you can unenroll anytime. Not only will you save on your monthly energy bill, but you will also be contributing to the environment.
To learn more about SDG&E’s Power Saver Rewards program visit sdge.com/powersaver or call the Power Saver Rewards program call center at (866) 291-9516.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
‌
‌
‌
