A person is holding a green object in their hands in a garden.

Seed-to-Table

Members take part in daily garden operations and harvest produce to be used in the Get Cooking program, focusing on easy recipes that transform veggies and fruits into nourishing, healthy, and delicious meals and snacks. 

For questions about the Seed-to-Table program, please contact Seed-to-Table Coordinator, Grace Bedecarre, at gbedecarre@alamedabgc.org. 

About Italo's Garden

Named for Italo Calpestri III, a local architect and ABGC Board Member who was instrumental in the funding and design of the garden, this ¼ acre urban lot is more than just a garden. It is a living, outdoor classroom where youth learn to grow and apply principles of gardening as well as culinary and life skills to practice into everyday life. This garden space is the root of our Seed-to-Table Programs, Get Growing and Get Cooking.

About Italo's Garden

Named for Italo Calpestri III, a local architect and ABGC Board Member who was instrumental in the funding and design of the garden, this ¼ acre urban lot is more than just a garden. It is a living, outdoor classroom where youth learn to grow and apply principles of gardening as well as culinary and life skills to practice into everyday life. This garden space is the root of our Seed-to-Table Programs, Get Growing and Get Cooking.

Seed-to-Table: Get Growing

Get Growing offers dynamic, garden-based nutrition and ecology education to Club youth. In the garden, youth explore the direct connection between their personal health and the health of their environment. The program emphasizes learning by doing and critical thinking, while roles and responsibilities in caring for the garden provide a rich framework for personal development.

Seed-to-Table: Get Growing

Get Growing offers dynamic, garden-based nutrition and ecology education to Club youth. In the garden, youth explore the direct connection between their personal health and the health of their environment. The program emphasizes learning by doing and critical thinking, while roles and responsibilities in caring for the garden provide a rich framework for personal development.

What Our Members Learn in Get Growing

  • The Basics in Growing Food - Kids learn the fundamentals of sowing, transplanting, caring for, and harvesting plants, while also understanding stewardship and sustainability in gardening.
  • Local Ecology - Participants explore local wildlife and ecosystems, including insects, reptiles, native plants and their uses, and plant identification.
  • Art through Nature - Kids engage their creativity through bouquet making, watercolors, eco-printing, natural dyeing, painting, and photography, all inspired by nature.
  • Harvest and Use of Produce - Children discover how to cook and preserve their garden harvests, as well as learn about selling produce at a farmers' market.
  • Fun in the Garden Days - Participants enjoy outdoor games like bocce ball, Jenga, scavenger hunts, and Hide and Go Seek, blending play with their gardening experience.

What Our Members Learn in Get Growing

  • The Basics in Growing Food - Kids learn the fundamentals of sowing, transplanting, caring for, and harvesting plants, while also understanding stewardship and sustainability in gardening.
  • Local Ecology - Participants explore local wildlife and ecosystems, including insects, reptiles, native plants and their uses, and plant identification.
  • Art through Nature - Kids engage their creativity through bouquet making, watercolors, eco-printing, natural dyeing, painting, and photography, all inspired by nature.
  • Harvest and Use of Produce - Children discover how to cook and preserve their garden harvests, as well as learn about selling produce at a farmers' market.
  • Fun in the Garden Days - Participants enjoy outdoor games like bocce ball, Jenga, scavenger hunts, and Hide and Go Seek, blending play with their gardening experience.

Seed-to-Table: Get Cooking

Following the Seed to Table philosophy, we come full circle in utilizing the harvest from Italo’s Garden in our cooking program. We focus on easy recipes to transform veggies and fruits into nourishing healthy meals and snacks.

Seed-to-Table: Get Cooking

Following the Seed to Table philosophy, we come full circle in utilizing the harvest from Italo’s Garden in our cooking program. We focus on easy recipes to transform veggies and fruits into nourishing healthy meals and snacks.

What Our Members Learn in Get Cooking

  • Cooking Basics - Kids learn essential kitchen safety skills and the proper use of cooking instruments, ensuring they understand how to work safely in a kitchen environment.
  • Healthy Meals and Snacks - Participants practice preparing a variety of delicious recipes, such as veggie stir-fry, pasta dishes, quesadillas, salads and dressings, salsa, smoothies, and hummus.
  • Baking - Kids explore baking techniques through recipes like fritters, cobblers, breads, and pies, mastering both sweet and savory baked goods.

What Our Members Learn in Get Cooking

  • Cooking Basics - Kids learn essential kitchen safety skills and the proper use of cooking instruments, ensuring they understand how to work safely in a kitchen environment.
  • Healthy Meals and Snacks - Participants practice preparing a variety of delicious recipes, such as veggie stir-fry, pasta dishes, quesadillas, salads and dressings, salsa, smoothies, and hummus.
  • Baking - Kids explore baking techniques through recipes like fritters, cobblers, breads, and pies, mastering both sweet and savory baked goods.
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