THE ELLENVILLE GARDEN VILLAGE TEACHING PROJECT
Nutrition education at food pantries
The 3,000 sq ft organic vegetable garden cultivated in 2015 by John Clark at Praise Dominion church, Ellenville, is providing the church food pantry with a selection of freshly-harvested organic vegetables. However, given a general unawareness of how to prepare such unprocessed foods, John has provided recipients of the fresh vegetables with information sheets outlining simple methods of cooking each variety.
Cornell University Cooperative Extension is providing Eat Smart New York (ESNY) nutrition education to support the “Ellenville Garden Village” project's supply of fresh organic vegetables to several food pantries.
Church congregation members
A set objective of creating the productive and aesthetically-pleasing vegetable garden at Praise Dominion has been to encourage an active interest among the church’s congregation in learning about horticulture. Although nobody came forward to volunteer their help in the physically demanding task of creating the garden’s twenty vegetable beds in 2015, it is hoped that the more gentle tasks of sowing, cultivating and harvesting now-established plots will steadily attract more participation as a new family activity. Quite possibly this detachment until year two or three will prove to be the pattern as vegetable gardens continue to be created at places of worship across Ellenville over the next few years.
Working with unemployed residents
Commencing in 2019, the “Ellenville Garden Village” project aims to encourage longer-term unemployed residents to learn how to tend their own vegetable and flower plots. It is hoped that through experiencing the pleasure of growing, caring for, harvesting and cooking their own vegetables, participating residents will learn to think a little about self-provision. Even a small achievement and reward may prompt thoughts of aspiration.
DSS and Ulster Works
Although Ulster County Department of Social Services cannot supply unemployed people seeking to gain work experience or work training for the “Ellenville Garden Village” project, it is hoped that Ulster Works may place people ages 14-20 as paid trainees in the project, according to their Summer Youth Employment Program.
Ellenville Farmers’ Market
John, manager of Ellenville Farmers’ Market, has set a market Mission to “Provide a working setting to teach entrepreneurship skills to young people of Ellenville.” John aids start-up by waiving certain stall fees at the June-October events, also advising regarding vendor participation at other farmers’ markets in the region.
A booth is allocated at Ellenville Farmers’ Market for Cornell University Cooperative Extension to provide Eat Smart New York (ESNY) nutrition education. This worked well in 2017, and other local community-based organizations are being encouraged to make free use of our farmers' market as an outreach resource. Ellenville's Maternal Infant Services Network (MISN), for instance, has been attending the farmers' market once per month, as a means by which they may engage personally and informally with local residents in need of the valuable services MISN provides.
Ellenville Central School District
Working in partnership with Ellenville Central School District, young people have earned school community service credits under John’s supervision at the Praise Dominion vegetable garden. This program will be developed as a key element of the "Ellenville Garden Village" project, involving student volunteer placement at several vegetable garden locations across the village. In this way, participating local teenage students are introduced not only to the basic concepts and skills involved in producing one's own natural foods, but they are given the opportunity to develop important life skills, such as planning and preparation, taking responsibility, team work, task completion, and the value of being patient (increasingly rare in modern society).
Hands-on horticultural projects are being designed for classroom studies in 2019.
BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services)
In 2015, John designed a new horticultural teaching program for the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Ulster County. The program was scheduled to commence at the BOCES vocational education center, Ellenville in spring-summer, 2016, when John was to teach a twelve-week course entitled Organic Vegetable Gardening.
Unfortunately, BOCES canceled this program, stating that Ellenville's aspiring horticulturalists should instead attend community gardening programs already established with Cornell Cooperative Extension, involving a 56-mile round trip for Ellenville residents.
Organic Vegetable Gardening teaching program: Ellenville, 2019
Although disappointed at this set-back with BOCES, John has succeeded in organizing a modified version of this teaching program to go ahead in 2019 at Ellenville's Green Certified restaurant, Aroma Thyme Bistro.
Organic Vegetable Gardening: Course Subjects
Week 1: Introduction to organic vegetable gardening
Week 2: Garden design
Week 3: Soil and soil management
Week 4: Basic techniques
Week 5: Plant health
Week 6: Harvesting, storing and using vegetables
Week 7: Major vegetable varieties
Week 8. Increasing vegetable garden productivity
This new teaching program will be promoted locally with the following press release.
ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDENING COURSE - PRESS RELEASE
Ellenville's Certified Green restaurant, Aroma Thyme Bistro, presents a new course in Organic Vegetable Gardening, Monday evenings (6pm-8pm), March 18 - May 6, 2019.
Designed for the beginner, the course will give students a knowledge of the philosophy, science and practices of the organic approach. Aroma Thyme Bistro's owner, Marcus Guiliano, embraces the course into his commitment to socially responsible cuisine.
The 8-week course will provide students with confidence to design and cultivate a home organic vegetable garden, choosing appropriate varieties and planning for harvest and storage. Students will pick up tips on how to increase vegetable garden productivity and how to extend the growing season, and advice will be given to help schedule tasks that can be done in the garden week by week and throughout the year.
Students will learn about intercropping, companion planting, permaculture, and how to feed the soil. Basic techniques will be taught, including raised bed gardening, vertical growing, and thinning and transplanting. Working with all the major vegetable varieties, students will learn about plant health, how to prevent problems, and how to control weeds, diseases and pests using environmentally responsible methods.
Each week Chef Guiliano will prepare for students a dish featuring the major vegetable groups. Students will also be given free seeds, the evenings will have guest speakers, covering topics such as bee keeping, environmentalism, and how to prepare and cook fresh organic vegetables, and free coffee will be provided.
This carefully structured program brings together in an informal, non-classroom setting the expertise of two locally-based professional proponents of the organic cause. Course instructor, Professor John Clark, supports local organic growing as Ellenville farmers' market manager and as a member of Rondout Valley Growers Association, while his local organic vegetable gardening work is advocated by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
During a 15-year commitment in Ellenville to healthy, sustainable, local and real food, Chef Guiliano has earned for Aroma Thyme Bistro the distinction of becoming the first Green Certified restaurant in the Hudson Valley. Maintaining this esteemed status demands that Aroma Thyme Bistro meets environmentally sustainable standards for chemical and pollution reduction, waste reduction and recycling, and sustainable food.
Early enrollment is recommended for this course, as the restaurant will be reserved to accommodate only 12 students. The fee for the 8-week course is only $300, with a $150 deposit payable in advance at Aroma Thyme Bistro, 165 Canal Street, Ellenville.
For an enjoyable learning experience set in a relaxed and informal restaurant ambience, guided according to the working knowledge and the passion of professional advocates of organic principles, contact Marcus Guiliano (Aroma Thyme Bistro): 845-647-3000.