Samuel L. Jones Boys and Girls Club, 4th and 5th graders

Garden Club

This long-running program provides year-round experiences for 4th and 5th graders. During the school year, up to eight youth visit the Garden every Tuesday afternoon from 3:30-5 p.m. to work on gardening, cooking, and craft projects. They learn the ins and outs of organic vegetable production, and literally harvest the fruits of their labor, taking it into the kitchen to produce delicious snacks. This group makes creative recipes with fresh ingredients, learning about nutrition as they prepare healthy snacks. When not gardening, cooking, or eating, this group works on natural craft activities that help translate their experiences in the Garden through artistic mediums.

What’s Cooking at Oakhurst Garden

Oakhurst Garden offers this program in collaboration with Les Dames D’Escoffier, an international women’s culinary organization, and the Samuel L. Jones Boys and Girls club. For eight weeks in the summertime, a group of 12 students ages 9-12 visits the Garden every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each week, a different female chef from a local restaurant or food business directs the group to create a gourmet meal with fresh ingredients. The highlight of each class is sitting down to the meal and sharing all about the preparation of each dish. Participants of this program regularly report preparing recipes they learned here at home for their families. The participating chefs also tell their own stories of their careers, inspiring many young future chefs.