Hundreds of eager elementary school students are back at our partner farms this spring. For Wilkes Elementary students, the visits mean an easy walk from school to Historic Suyematsu & Bentryn Family Farms on Day Road.

A 3rd grade class from Wilkes Elementary transplants sugar snap peas.

Over 250 Wilkes students from 1st through 4th grades are visiting the farms to study both strawberries and greens.

Check out Mrs. Spickard’s website blog about her 2nd graders at the farm!

Laurie Spickard’s 2nd Graders plant pumpkins

EduCulture is excited to announce the launching of the Island Heritage Strawberry Project at Suyematsu, where students are repatriating the historic Marshall Strawberry and planting other varieties that through the decades have been popular production strawberries on Bainbridge Island.

William Covert’s 4th graders were the first class to plant Marshalls at Historic Suyematsu Farm this spring on land leased by Butler Green Farms.

The strawberry that once defined Bainbridge Island is now an endangered species. The Marshall strawberry was the “finest eating strawberry in America,” and was grown extensively on Bainbridge Island, where it thrived. During harvest, 500 fifty-gallon barrels of Marshall strawberries were shipped off the island daily. After WWII, if was ravaged by viruses introduced from abroad and was cut from commercial production, almost vanishing completely. Today, small pockets around the country are working to save the strawberry, an original in an industry that has bred the flavor and juiciness out of the berries we see in our stores.

On their recent visits, Wilkes students and their teachers helped to plant the Marshalls, along with other berry varieties such as Shuksans, Rainiers, and the Marshall and Ever Bearing Mix. Part of the Heritage Project will include Island elders assisting in the cultivation and harvest of the Marshalls, which many helped their families grow on local farms prior to WWII.

Check out Island Coop Preschool’s own blog post about a visit to the farm!

http://islandcooperativepreschool.blogspot.com/

Students from Island Coop Preschool begin their spring visits during the last week of April, and make several visits through the season, into June.

Teacher Heidi talks to ICP students about spring crops.

Their first lesson begins with a scavenger hunt at Suyematsu and Bentryn Family Farm. They stop to observe pea plants and talk with a farm intern, asking questions and drawing their observations in journals.

ICP students check their scavenger hunt list.

The group enjoys observing and talking about the details of the plants: the leaves, tendrils (and their purpose), size, and color. As the group walks to Morales Farm, they learn more about the history of area farms and the work the farmers do. Once there, the preschoolers discuss the purpose of a greenhouse and prepare to plant pea seeds, by measuring the distance between rows and marking where the seeds will go.

“Leaving Our Island Day” held on March 5 gave 6th graders at Sakai Intermediary School  on Bainbridge Island the opportunity to hear firsthand from those who experienced the events surrounding World War II and the internment of Japanese citizens then living on Bainbridge Island. EduCulture’s Jon Garfunkel and our Only What We Can Carry Project has been assisting the school in facilitating this unique school tradition.

Students prepared for the day by studying the history of WWII and reading novels based on related events. They prepared questions that they were then able to pose directly to panel members, who included Japanese citizens whose families were sent to Internment camps, and other Bainbridge citizens who were friends of those families. Guests included Kay Sakai Nakao; Superintendent of Schools Faith Chapel, whose parents met in an Internment Camp; and Mary Woodward, former Editor of the Bainbridge Review and author of In Defense of Our Neighbors.

Many other honored guests were present and kept students engaged with their stories of both the dramatic and mundane aspects of life at the camps. Many students were interested in knowing what children did at the camps in their free time, and learned that pastimes included playing baseball, marbles, jacks, jump roping, and hide-and-go-seek; although as Lilly Kitamoto Kodama pointed out, “we had to be careful of snakes and scorpions.” Joe Abo shared memories of a cold winter at Tully Lake, and how the children went skating when the lake froze over. Memories such as these, interspersed with tales of FBI visits to their family homes and the difficulty of packing just one suitcase to carry with them, made a strong impression upon the students and brought the stories of the past to life. Victor Takemoto described what the experience was like for his family. The oldest of six children, Victor was a freshman at Bainbridge High School and his family had a farm at Lovgren and Highway 305. Born and raised on Bainbridge Island, he served as translator for his parents through these events, both of whom were from Japan.

Reid Hansen described how, as a 7th grader, his friends suddenly “went missing” on March 30. He was a junior in high school when they came back. He explained to the students how little anyone his age knew at the time about world events. Students were able to learn more about how Bainbridge Island residents came together to support their Japanese neighbors during this difficult time.

The recent One Call for All fundraising campaign was the most successful ever for EduCulture as a result of tremendous support from a Bainbridge Island community partnership with One Call for All (OCFA) and The Harbour Public House.

As a result, EduCulture doubled the number of contributors and tripled the number of contributions, an incredible example of the difference community partnership can make! The campaign brought in a record $11,500; $8,000 through One Call for All, and $3,500 in direct contributions to EduCulture.

EduCulture was honored to be featured in two local fundraising campaigns that became one community partnership.

Building a Tradition of Giving with One Call for All
This fall, EduCulture was one of five featured partner agencies in the OCFA campaign. It is clear that having our work highlighted helped educate the community about our locally grown work, and created a greater identity for EduCulture.

As with previous years, contributions raised through this Bainbridge Island tradition of giving will go to support our locally grown Edible Education and Heritage Education programs serving Bainbridge Island.  We would not be able to accomplish we what we set out to do this year without OCFA.  Some of the projects that One Call for All funds will help underwrite include:

• The development of school garden programs at partner elementary schools: Wilkes, Ordway and Blakely.
• The Edible Democracy Project; an intercultural edible education exchange program between Island students and students from neighboring tribal and urban schools, to celebrate the unity and diversity of our regional foodshed.
• Further development of our Heritage Education program at historic Suyematsu Farm.
• Our 5th Bainbridge Island delegation to Manzanar, the former concentration camp where our Japanese American neighbors were sent during WWII.

“The support we receive from One Call for All is not just an important source of economic capital to support the work of EduCulture, it is a valuable source of cultural, educational and community capital that keeps us grounded and invested in serving our local community,” says managing director Jon Garfunkel.

The Pub Steps Up to Support EduCulture
Harbour Public House and its owners, Jeff and Jocelyn Waite, launched a fall-winter campaign to help publicize the work of EduCulture with a feature article on their menu, showcasing other promotional materials at the restaurant, and offering to match up to $7,500 in contributions to EduCulture through OCFA.

The generous matching contribution from Harbour Public House will help enrich and enhance our programs with Butler Green Farms at historic Morales and Suyematsu Farms.
The $7500 in matching funds from the Pub will be utilized in several areas:

• Building a multi-use outdoor classroom for students to process and prepare food they help raise on the farm, bringing the learning experience from place to taste
• Much needed soil amendments to the instructional plot that has served our farm-school and BISD Bite of Bainbridge programs so well since 2010
• Further development of infrastructure and curriculum for our Chicken School House, where students will learn about the animal’s life cycle and food production. It will also serve as a community learning lab for raising backyard chickens.
• Adding to EduCulture’s existing menu of field studies, we will be continuing the development of demonstration stations and curriculum around the study of local greens and strawberries – from farm to fork.

“We are so grateful for these community partnerships that help feed the work of EduCulture,” says Jon Garfunkel. “To be educational partners with the farmers whose produce we find at our farmer’s market, our local grocery store, and at restaurants like The Pub, is displaying the model of a healthy, local, durable food chain that so many of us seek in our local community. It is a lesson for our students in everything: food miles to food systems – and farm stewardship to food citizenship.”

We, at EduCulture, are so grateful for these wonderful examples of community commitment, caring, and philanthropy.

Foodshed dessert

Foodshed band

Foodshed guests2

Foodshed salad

Foodshed guests1

Foodshed apps

Foodshed large room

More than 55 guests joined EduCulture on December 15, 2013 for a five course, locally grown, farm-style meal in support of Edible Education. The first in a series, EduCulture was gifted the farm-table dinner, which was sourced and prepared by The Food Shed of Kingston, WA. 

The menu was designed to represent the bounty of our regional foodshed, prepared in a fashion to mark the true nature of the season – SLOW. The five course meal included:

• wine made and grown locally by Bainbridge Vineyards
• homemade crackers, local cheeses, fruits, and krauts
• quinoa salad with winter greens and beets
• roasted pumpkin and coconut soup with chicken curry empanadas
• roasted, spiced goat with root vegetables, chutney and polenta; potlatch pilaf croquettes
• gingerbread with poached pears and cinnamon molasses whipped cream

Guests mingled with local producers and enjoyed entertainment provided by a storyteller and Bluegrass band. The Filipino-American Hall, with its rich history and comfortable features, provided a great setting for the evening.

All proceeds from this event will benefit our Edible Democracy Project, a ground breaking intercultural edible education exchange program, pairing island, tribal and urban schools and their food communities.

A Future Foodshed Series
This foodshed to fork dinner is the pilot for what EduCulture hopes will be a series of dinners that bring people together season by season to taste our way through the wild and cultivated food traditions of our Pacific Northwest bioregion, which some call Salmon Nation. EduCulture and The Food Shed are partnering to help deliver this convivia dinner series built on what is seasonal and regional, all sourced locally, fairly and sustainably.

Thank you to all of our guests, producers, and entertainers for making this such a lively, delicious, and meaningful evening!

About The Food Shed
The Food Shed’s objective is to cultivate conscious consumption by advocating local and sustainable food sources and cycles. They strive to be stewards of our own food shed by providing local food experiences, enriching relationships between micro-producers, growers and local consumers, and modeling a “cradle to cradle” food hub that is centered in a deep local economy. The Food Shed makes sure every step along the food chain, from production to recycling, works in a cyclical and durable progression, and strive to pioneer new ways of collaboration and food interdependence, which in turn encourages farm literacy, folk culture, and micro economic viability from the root of the community. To learn more about The Food Shed, visit www.KitsapFoodShed.com or see their Facebook page.

In 2010, EduCulture broke new ground by helping to start the Bite of Bainbridge program with the Bainbridge Island School District. Each year, hundreds of pounds of produce grown by Island students and farmers are featured in the school lunch program.

In early October, locally grown corn raised by Karen Selvar of Bainbridge Island Farms (BHS Class of ’82) was served in school lunches throughout the school district.

BISD once again purchased 300 pounds of Akio Suyematsu’s Raspberries (BHS Class of ’42, raised by Karen Selvar since Akio’s passing), served at Bainbridge High School in yogurt and granola parfaits. The raspberries are also served at Sakai and Woodward Schools as a topping for waffles during their Breakfast for Lunch specials.

On November 26, the featured Bite of Bainbridge in Island Elementary Schools will be locally grown and student sown potatoes, seeded last spring and harvested this fall by more than 20 K-4 classes from Wilkes, Ordway and Blakely Elementary Schools. These Cherry Red, Purple Caribe, and Yukon Gold potatoes were raised organically at our edible education plots at Butler Green Farms on Morales Farm and Heyday Farm on McDonald Avenue.

Click here to read the BISD elementary school menu for Nov. 26.

On Bainbridge Island, we are fortunate to have a continuum of school and community that goes back over 150 years. What is extra special about our Bite of Bainbridge program is how locally grown and intergenerational it has become. We are fortunate to be in a school district in which food served in our school lunches is being raised by three generations who grew up on this Island and representing nine decades of educational and agricultural life in our local community.

We are proud to have had a role in building the bridges to create a dedicated locally grown school food stream within the Bainbridge School District. While still “bites,” they represent a significant place in the school food chain, and allow students to have learning experiences, from production to processing to distribution to consumption. What started for these young people as an educational act, is not only feeding their minds, it is also feeding their bodies.

It may be small in servings right now, but the Bite of Bainbridge program packs a full educational meal. This program is becoming a model of school-community partnerships on both public and private farmlands. Each year, with the continued support from our school, farm and community stakeholders, we are moving the Bite of Bainbridge program from the novelty to the norm.

EduCulture is grateful to the many program partners who play an important role in making this Bite of Bainbridge possible, from the farm to the classroom to the lunchroom:

• Students, Teachers, Administrators and Parents from Wilkes, Ordway & Blakely Elementary Schools
• Brian MacWhorter and Staff, Butler Green Farms at Morales Farm
• Craig & Alice Skipton and Staff, Heyday Farms
• Mark Sperazza, Director of Child Nutrition Services for BISD
• Kitchen Staff at Sakai, Woodward and Bainbridge High Schools
• Bainbridge Island School District
• City of Bainbridge Island
• Bainbridge Island Farms
• Suyematsu Farms
• Friends of the Farms
• Bainbridge One Call for All

A Foodshed to Table Dinner – A Convivium for Slow this Holiday Season

Sunday, December 15, 2013, 4-7pm

Filipino-American Community Hall
7566 NE High School Road, Bainbridge Island, WA

Join EduCulture for a special foodshed to table dinner this holiday season. Enjoy a five course, locally grown, farm-style meal and support locally grown edible education in the process. EduCulture has been gifted a farm-table dinner to be sourced and prepared by The Food Shed. So, all the funds collected from this event will directly benefit our work with local schools in 2014.

The menu will represent the bounty of our regional foodshed, prepared in a fashion to mark the true nature of this season – SLOW. The five courses will feature food prepared in ways that take time, from the fermented fruits and vegetables to cured meats and smoked foods, and slow wine, grown and made locally by Bainbridge Vineyards. And you will sit among some of the producers.

The Menu:
Starter: housemade crackers, local cheeses, fruit and krauts

Salad: quinoa with winter greens, toasted nuts, roasted beets and vinaigrette.

Soup: roasted pumpkin, red pepper and coconut soup served with chicken curry empanadas

Entree: roasted, spiced goat with roasted root vegetables, chutney and polenta
**vegetarian option – potlatch pilaf croquettes

Dessert: ginger bread with poached pears and cinnamon molasses whip cream

Entertainment will be provided by special guest musicians and storytellers.  This event will also recognize Terra Madre Day (December 10).

Take some time this holiday season to slow down and enjoy an authentic foodshed to table experience. This is an engaging way to feel a part of our regional food community. Bring your friends, family, or even better – gift someone a place at the table.

We are asking for a tax-deductable, suggested donation made to EduCulture at Global Source of $65 per person. All proceeds from this event will be a benefit for our Edible Democracy Project, a ground breaking inter-cultural edible education exchange program, pairing an island, tribal and urban schools and their food communities.

To reserve a place for you and your friends or family, please contact our office at 206-780-5797 or admin@EduCultureProject.org.  Seating is Limited.

Setting the Table for a Foodshed Series in 2014
This foodshed to fork dinner is also the pilot for what EduCulture hope’s will be a series of month dinners that season by season bring people together to taste our way through the wild and cultivated food traditions of our Pacific Northwest bioregion, some call Salmon Nation.

In the spirit of creating convivia, each monthly program will focus on a foodshed theme and will feature local producers, storytellers, artists and community leaders who will inspire us with words, music, ideas and stories connected to that program’s theme. EduCulture is partnering with The Food Shed to help shape a menus built on what is seasonal and regional, all sourced locally, fairly and sustainably.

This program is part of EduCulture’s effort to respond to a call for community based edible experiences grounded in tasting what we most need to learn about our local and regional foodshed.  If our December pilot proves successful, we look forward to you joining us for the series in 2014.

About The Food Shed
The Food Shed’s objective is to cultivate conscious consumption by advocating local and sustainable food sources and cycles. They strive to be stewards of our own food shed by providing local food experiences, enriching relationships between micro-producers, growers and local consumers, and modeling a “cradle to cradle” food hub that is centered in a deep local economy. The Food Shed makes sure every step along the food chain, from production to recycling, works in a cyclical and durable progression. We are working to pioneer new ways of collaboration and food interdependence, which in turn encourages farm literacy and folk culture and micro economic viability from the root of the community. To learn more about The Food Shed, visit www.KitsapFoodShed.com or see their Facebook page.

Harbour Public House has launched a campaign to help raise funds for EduCulture through the One Call for All 2013 fall campaign. For every dollar donated to EduCulture directly or through the One Call for All campaign, the Harbour Pub will contribute one dollar, matching up to $7,500 in contributions. We are humbled and excited about this capacity building opportunity for EduCulture. This opportunity to raise $15,000 will go toward building the needed infrastructure to further develop EduCulture’s edible education programs to meet our growing number of participating students and teachers.

Visitors to Harbour Pub will be greeted at the door by literature promoting EduCulture and the Harbour Pub campaign. As they are seated and peruse the menu “Fresh Connections,” diners will be able to read a great feature article about the EduCulture Project; the history of the program, and goals for growth, as well as a feature about local farming partners. At the end of the meal, an EduCulture postcard featuring students harvesting potatoes serves as a reminder to take advantage of this great matching gift by Harbour Pub.

As the Pub’s fall menu states, “relationships matter!” It is a special marker of affirmation to have Bainbridge Island institutions like One Call for All and businesses like the Harbour House Pub reach out to support our locally grown work. At EduCulture, we admire the integrity and authenticity that the Pub and Pegasus bring to the table by investing in and supporting our local food community, including many of our farm partners, like Butler Green Farms. We are grateful to Jeff and Jocelyn Waite for their thoughtful and meaningful act of community commitment, caring and philanthropy.

We encourage you, your family, and friends to enjoy a meal or two at the Pub this fall, and please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to EduCulture that can be generously matched by the Harbour House Pub! Please indicate “Pub” on your donation forms or checks so we can better track these donations. If you have already donated, it is not too late; just contact One Call for All and tell them you’d like your donation marked as a “Pub” matching contribution. Thank you!

Contribute From Our Website

By now, you will have received your red envelope in the mail outlining the many worthy non-profit organizations eligible for donations. This year, EduCulture is one of five featured partner agencies in the One Call for All campaign.

We would like to express our gratitude to Harbour Public House for supporting our OCFA campaign this year. For every dollar donated to EduCulture directly or through the One Call for All 2013 fall campaign, the Harbour Pub will contribute one dollar, matching up to $7,500 in contributions. This opportunity to raise $15,000 will go toward building the needed infrastructure to further develop our edible education programs. This is truly a Community Partnership! Please be sure to mention “Pub” on your check or donation form to ensure that funds are matched. If you have already made a OCFA contribution, it is not too late; just call the One Call for All office and tell them you would like your donation marked as a “Pub” contribution, and it will be matched.

We are honored to be part of this important Island institution of giving and encourage you to support it. Help EduCulture seed our locally grown and student sown edible education programs in 2013-14! To contribute online through our website, please follow this link:
Get Involved. The One Call for All page may be accessed directly through the link below. EduCulture is listed under Youth Services and Organizations.

You can also check out a feature article in the Bainbridge Review by following the link below, page 12. Thank you!

Visit the One Call for All Website

Bainbridge Review One Call for All Supplement