BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Students here at Buena Vista Edible Schoolyard have the chance to get their hands dirty and learn how to grow their own food.
This olive harvest has become a yearly tradition at the Buena Vista Edible Schoolyard, connecting students to the food growing right outside their classroom.
The Edible Schoolyard carefully hand-picks olives from the 350-plus tree orchard surrounding the school, a process that demonstrates how food is grown and harvested in Kern County.
Dylan Wilson, is the Executive Director of programs for the Grimm Family Education Foundation and he says “Getting students involved in the seed-to-table cycle means we’re connecting students to food every single day. It’s not just in the garden, it’s not just in the kitchen — it’s combined, and when we do this, the students are having a hands-on experience with the food that they eat.”
Edible Schoolyard says it’s important to get students in the garden at a young age, giving them hands-on experiences that encourage them to be more adventurous eaters and open to trying new foods.
Chelsea Martinez, is in the 5th Grade and she tells me,
“In gardening, you can learn different types of food and walk around and see everything and what each plant does… and in the kitchen too.”
Chelsea and her classmates get the chance to explore the garden, learning about new plants, how they grow, and how to use them in cooking — connecting lessons in the garden to what ends up on their plates.
Chelsea adds that learning this now is important because you never know what the future may bring. “Maybe in other years the price is going to go up, and maybe they’re going to add more chemicals into your fruits and vegetables, so you may want to grow your own natural food at home.”
The proceeds from the olive oil go back to Edible Schoolyard Kern County.
It’s used in their kitchen classrooms at Buena Vista, Grow Academy Arvin, and Grow Academy Shafter — helping students learn about cooking, nutrition, and food origins.
The olive oil is also sold at Lassen’s Natural Foods, Archer the Storefront, Wood-Dale Meat Market, and Campo Bar and Bottle.
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