Hello Friend,
What a whirlwind of a summer it's been! We were so excited to invite hundreds of families to the Gardens this past weekend for our annual Day of Play. Guests enjoyed Happy Quesadillas from the Olivewood Kitchenistas and fresh watermelon popsicles, planted seedlings and learned about climate science, practiced Reuse, Reduce, and Reuse to minimize and divert waste, and more. A huge shoutout to all of our amazing event partners, volunteers, Kitchenistas, and participants for making it such a special day. If you missed it, check out these fun recipes and activities to try out at home!
As we enter August, schools open doors and we are planning our lessons and schedule for our National School District partnership. All fourth grade students will visit Olivewood three times throughout the school year and we will provide multiple lessons for all classrooms grades TK - 6th grade at the 10 National School District schools. We are excited to hit the ground running in this new school year!
We're also getting ready to start our 24th Generation of Cooking for Salud this month and invite a new group of Kitchenistas to our growing and vibrant Kitchenista community! We are excited that our current Accounting Coordinator, Monica Lim, will be transitioning into a new position - Kitchenista Program Coordinator - to support this growing program!
Our high school leadership programs are also growing, we look forward to incorporating more leadership development activities, including youth stipends and a large scale project on Olivewoods new piece of land.
We will continue to grow food for our weekly donation-based produce stand, our programs, and corner store distribution in partnership with BrightSide Produce. We've partnered with Mundo Gardens to convene and facilitate a Healthy National City Coalition that is working to develop a National City food action plan, and we will collaborate again with the Environmental Health Coalition on a SALTA leadership program. Lots of gratifying evolution at the Gardens!
We sure hope you will visit us at an upcoming program!
With gratitude,
Jen Nation, Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center
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Last Call for Tickets! Sign Up Today! |
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Menu
Miso-glazed Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto & Pickled Jalapeños
Summer Panzanella with Corn, Tomatoes, Pickled Red Onion & Citrus Stone Fruit Pit Balsamic Glaze
Vegetable Stock Polenta topped with Local Mushrooms & Garden Kale
Stone Fruit Crisp
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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. With tips and tricks from our expert Adult Nutrition Educator, learn how to transform your kitchen to eliminate waste!
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Public Tour & Open Garden |
Saturday, August 13
10AM - 12:30PM
Join us for an Olivewood 'Open Garden'! We'll have public tours starting at 10:15AM & 11:15AM, and guests are free to enjoy the gardens and invited to learn more about our programs. No pre-registration required.
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Friday, September 9
12PM - 1:30PM
Bring your lunch and join Olivewood staff 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!
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Rice & Rolls Adult Cooking Class |
Saturday, September 17th
3:30PM - 5:30PM
We'll be making delicious Veggie-filled Fried Rice and Fresh Spring Rolls with a Homemade Peanut Sauce for dipping. Learn the same recipes as your Chefcitos to create healthy and delicious meals at home!
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Saturday, October 22nd
3:30PM - 5:30PM
Have you ever wondered how to make your own kombucha at home? It's really simple and we would love to show you! Kombucha is a tasty, fermented tea beverage that has some pretty cool gut health benefits. Join us to learn how to brew your own. You'll leave with your very own SCOBY, jar, swing-top bottle & supplies to make your first batch!
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Join us in celebrating the servitude of our wonderful Board Members: Dennis Doyle & Trish Watlington; while welcoming our newest Board Members: Ari Beer, Angela Elo-Rivera & Blanca Meléndrez! We are filled with gratitude to be supported by these champions for health equity and look forward to work towards an equitable community together!
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Now Streaming: 'The Kitchenistas' Documentary |
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We cannot describe the joy we find in knowing the beautiful story of the Kitchenistas is reaching more & more people. Now streaming on Apple TV, VUDU, and Google Play, we are excited to see how the amazing Kitchenistas will impact change in other communities. If you missed the original airings, now is your time to take a journey with the Kitchenistas of National City into the magical wonders of cooking, eating healthy & tasty food, and showing how healthy food traditions can lead to new beginnings, re-connections, and community vitality.
An article from Foodtank, Community, Tradition, and Food Bring Health in The Kitchenistas Documentary, says, "Community driven change is at the heart of the Kitchenistas' holistic food movement. And this film provides a window into the relationships that make their community strong."
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Job Opportunity: Accounting Coordinator |
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Are you or someone you know interested in working at Olivewood Gardens? Passionate about food justice and health equity? Have strong organizational and computer skills?
We are excited to announce that we are currently hiring for an Accounting Coordinator, with more opportunities to come!
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At Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, our natural environment is our teacher. Roots, are the lifeline of a plant, taking up air, water, and nutrients from the soil to support the livelihood of precious ecosystems.
Join our monthly giving program to become a root, inspiring healthy and active lives through organic gardening, environmental stewardship, and nutrition education!
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Ingredients
- 4 C bow tie pasta, cooked
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 oranges, segmented and cut in half
- 4 grapefruit segments, cut in thirds
- 1 TBSP minced garlic
- 2 TBSP grain mustard
- 1/2 C olive oil
- 3 lemons, juiced
- 2 oranges, juiced
- 1 TBSP parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 TBSP green onion, finely chopped
- Nutmeg, to taste
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
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Directions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl & toss until well mixed.
- Enjoy!
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Power Saver Rewards
There’s a new way to help our energy grid this summer! SDG&E’s Power Saver Rewards program is a program that helps relieve the grid when it’s especially stressed. It compensates participants who can lower their electricity use between the peak hours of 4 pm and 9 pm when a Power Saver Event is called. The more energy you conserve, the more you save!
This summer, participate in the program and take small steps to reduce your energy use. You can start by powering down your devices when not in use, such as monitors and computers. Additionally, you can:
- Set your PCs, monitor and copiers to use sleep mode when not in use to help cut energy costs
- Use power strips to make it easy to switch off equipment
- Unplug electronics even when turned off to prevent them from drawing power
We’d like to note that participation in the Power Saver Rewards program is entirely voluntary and there’s no penalty if you are unable to conserve energy. 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
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