College Royal

Once again this year, we are hosting a great two-day event series for College Royal! 

“The Whole Family from Field to Table” 

brings experiential learning to everyone, 

through fun, interactive activities showcasing 

the connection between garden and table. 

A local chef will display Canada’s bounty 

through hands-on cooking workshops for 

adults and children alike at 11 am and 2 pm 

each day!

Check out our ad in the College Royal Booklet.

Keep reading for more detailed information about what we have to offer:

Our event for College Royal will continue food education for children and families in Guelph by providing a wide variety of events for people to participate in.

1. Grocery Store; we will set up a grocery store style display that families can walk through with the Canada Food Guide and choose the foods they would eat for a day from the “aisles” of the store.

2. Composting; a display that walks participants through methods of composting, how it works, and how they can implement into their homes.

3. Planting Seeds; growing a garden is a great way to continue education of food at home, and brings everyone back to the “roots” of where food comes from.

4. Information display for GCUOF; the GCUOF is a huge part of our programming and we want to educate the community about what they do.

5. Strategies for getting kids to try new things; Getting children to try new foods and eat a balanced diet can sometimes be challenging. We want to provide tips about breaking those barriers, and provide recipes that incorporate healthy ingredients into common recipes, i.e. black bean brownies

6. Preserves and Preservation Methods; growing your own fruits and vegetables in the summer is excellent, but having them around in the winter can be challenging. We will showcase different recipes and methods for making preserves, including jams and sauces.

7. Nutrition; we will display important facts about reading nutrition labels and highlight how much sugar and sodium are in common household pantry items

8. Family Cookbook making; relating back to the cookbook activity we do in the fall, we will have a family cookbook making station set up with several recipes to chose from.

9. Celebrity Chef Demonstration;  we will have two sessions each day showcasing the talents of a celebrity chef that families and people in the community can watch and then try the recipes themselves under the guidance of the chef.

Hope to see out this weekend!

Yours in food,

Emily and the Garden2Table Team

2012: A Year in Review

This year was an amazing year for Garden2Table. A new team formed, establishing new goals and bringing together people passionate about food and education. We all come from a different background, and each of us holds a different relationship with food. The goal of Garden2Table - at it's core - is to help people, youth especially, build a relationship with food. 

The fall semester was busy with frequent visits to the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming and PJs in the Atrium. Students got the chance to see food in it's raw form, straight from the earth. They had a chance to harvest and taste fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries and learn how to make simple, delicious snacks. Each student was also given the opportunity to create their own cookbook with the recipes they tried and tested that day to bring home to their families.

With the semester coming to a close, we hosted a Charity Dinner in celebration of what has been accomplished so far. On Sunday November 18th, Garden2Table partnered with several leaders in Wellington counties gastronomic community. The charity dinner, "Gastronomy through Generations", was a huge success. Guests filled PJs in the atrium to share an experience we will never forget. Food has brought our community together through the recognition of the importance of food sustainability and children's growing relationship with food. The evening celebrated the success of brining 1000 children through Garden2Tables community outreach program. The program brings local students to the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming to learn where food comes from, learn about land and harvesting and how to prepare healthy snacks with the vegetables they harvest from the garden.

Local ingredients were used to make a fantastic meal prepared Court Desautels and John David, Simon Day, the Screaming Avocado, and several student volunteers from the University of Guelph along side our own Garden2Table team.

 

The continued support of the community is what allows us to bring students to the garden and engage them in the food they eat everyday. 

2013 will be a great year for all of us, and the Garden2Table program. Our next big project is College Royale; check back to find out more as March approaches! 

Garden2Table Community Charity Dinner

Enjoy a 5-course dinner with local, organic, and sustainable foods, prepared by the Wellington County Gastronomy Culture. The Charity Dinner and Silent Auction will take place on Sunday November 18th, from 5 - 8pm in PJ's in the Atrium.

Contact Lisa Fodor at lfodor@uoguelph.ca for tickets.

Hope to see you there! 

Together in food,

Emily and the G2T Team 

Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School @ Garden2Table

Visiting us from Cambridge on Friday was Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School. Sixty Grade 4 students along with their teachers and some parents got a tour of the GCUOF and joined us at PJ's in the Atrium. During this visit, the students learned how to harvest leaks and carrots, clean up bulbs of garlic, and taste raspberries right from the bush! 

Understanding where the food comes from is one of our biggest focus areas. The most rewarding aspect is when the students start to make connections such as the seeds from a sunflower can go in the ground to make 10s of new sunflowers. Getting them involved at a young age only lets them develop their own interest and think about what they are eating at the dinner table, on the way to practice, and at school at lunch. 

When we got back to the kitchen, the excitement really began. This week we made kale chips (a huge success!), kale dip, pita chips, sweet potato and leak pizza, granola, and hummus. For many, it was a first time trying out most of the ingredients. We helped them create recipe books with all the recipes of the snacks they created to bring home to their families and try them again. 

Next week we have a smaller group of 30 joining us from another grade 4 class. 

Don't forget to check back! 

Garlic cleaned up after harvest, ready for snacks in the kitchen!

St. Ignatius visits UofG and the GCUOF

October 5th marked Garden2Table's first visit to the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming. 60 grade 7 students from St.Ignatius visited the GCUOF to learn about where vegetables come from, how to plant seeds, and to taste berries, tomatoes, and flowers.

After visiting the garden, the students joined us at PJs in the Atrium at the University of Guelph to learn how to make snacks with the vegetables they find in the garden. We have them follow simple recipes that they can later make into a recipe book to bring home.

With this group we made pita chips, kale dip, tabouleh, salsa, guacamole and beet chips! Most students hadn't heard of most of these, and were eager to try them out. While the "h" in tabouleh may have thrown off a few, it turned out to be a favourite for most!

Students try edible flowers at the GCUOF

Tomorrow is our second visit, so check back to see how it goes! 

Garden2Table 2012/2013

This year we are lucky to have an amazing group take over Garden2Table at the University of Guelph. A combination of Hotel and Food Administration, Human Nutrition, and Agricultural majors bring a diverse mix to the table. We all have a background in food, and share a strong passion for eating well, eating sustainably, and sustainable food practices. 

Introducing the new team:

Children's Programming: Megan and Teresa

College Royal: Michelle and Alex

Fundraising Event (Fall): Aimee

Funding/Communication/PR: Emily

My name is Megan Burns and Teresa and I are running this year’s children’s programming. I am very excited about this role and already have tones of big plans in the making! I am currently heading into my fourth and final year at University of Guelph and am in the Applied Human Nutrition program. Throughout my years at Guelph I have volunteered at the GCVI breakfast program, College Royal, and was the first year representative for AHNSA. I have had various work experiences with children running cooking groups, making presentations, playing fun nutrition games, as well as running a summer breakfast program called Healthy Living by the Rideau. I was immediately drawn to the Garden2Table program due to my experiences as well as personal interests in whole foods, nutrition, and healthy living. I look forward to working with the schools, Teresa, the entire Garden2Table team, and our wonderful volunteers this upcoming school year!

Hi everyone! My name is Alex Chesney and I am a third year nutrition student here at Guelph. I grew up on a fruit and vegetable farm and have also been passionate about fresh, local foods. When I heard about Garden2Table, I was so excited! It was the perfect fit for me. During the summer, I attend various farmer's market and not only sell our produce, but also educate our customer's on the food's origin, and the importance of local food. I can't wait to have another opportunity to do this, through Garden2Table. I'm super excited for this upcoming year, and I hope everyone makes an effort to check out our events!

My name is Michelle and I am a third year student in the B.Sc (Agr.) program with a major in organic agriculture. My focus has been on sustainable farming practices with an interest in tropical agriculture. My relationship with food has been an interesting one! After years of formal training in the hospitality industry, my passion for how food is grown pushed me towards the University of Guelph. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with elementary students and engage in conversation about how much work goes into our food, how amazing plants are and how awesome our farmers are. I look forward to learning a lot from this experience as well!

Hello, my name is Aimee Fowler and I am in my fourth academic year for Hotel and Food Administration, Co-op. I am planning and orchestrating the Fall Fundraiser for the G2T program. The reason why I love Garden2Table: For two years I helped out the previous G2T at the Collage Royale events. It was through my volunteering that I really gained an program and how much is done. One of the greatest aspects of the program is seeing kids are! They love learning about food and getting dirty (what kid doesn't like to play point). Through games, tasters and engaging bulletin boards we are able to engage knowledge - and the food is ALWAYS tasty!

The garden has so much to offer (no matter where your garden is). Whether

front or backyard, share in a community garden, or have access to an organic farm like Guelph - go out and get a little dirty, the food that you get from your own garden always tastes better!

My name is Emily Jago and I am a fourth year HAFA student. My role in Garden2Table is Communications and Funding; everytime you read this blog, the voice is mine. Food has always been my biggest interest; history and culture, making and trying new things, and of course eating! Over the last three years my interest in local, organic and sustainable food practices has grown and I'm so excited to get to share this with my peers through Graden2Table.

My name is Nicole De Athe. I graduated from the University of Guelph in 2010,

Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hotel & Food Administration. In 2009, I helped initiate the Garden2Table program, and have since remained involved as a volunteer. This year I join G2T as Director of Development. I am passionate about what we do, and my role will help grow and build on what is accomplished each year. I will also be available as a mentor to the University of Guelph students leading the program, to assist in their learning. I hope to increase awareness of Garden2Table within the community, and am excited about our new outreach school programming this year; through hands-on learning programs, we can connect more children to their food.

Keep an eye on the blog as the fall progresses. We have some great events coming up; starting this week with our first Elementary School visit!

As always, I'll keep you posted!