On Thursday, February 19, 2015 our Spring BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) took a trip to Pie Ranch is Pescadero, California. Here are some notes from the day, written by Melissa Tang, our CommunityGrows BEETS Program Manager:
“I liked eating pie and learning about the different processes used in the farm!” – Vicente Rivera, BEET Intern
Not only did the BEETS interns eat pie but they spent the day bonding and getting to know each other as we learned about sustainable farming practices and worked on the farm.
After introductions, we all jumped in the back of a pickup truck for our tour of Pie Ranch. The farm stand was a barn alongside the highway were the community could stop to buy farm fresh products, attend a barn dance, or take classes. Then the BEETS learned about the health and ecological benefits of pasture raised chickens. Not only do chickens help weed and fertilize the farm but eating natural grasses rich in omega 3s provides a more nutrient egg for humans to consume. We talked about how pasture raised eggs are raised differently than conventional eggs. The BEETS had the opportunity to collect eggs for the farm stand and to try a couple eggs at lunch.
Speaking of lunch, Pie Ranch staff made a delicious chard salad, fried a couple of pasture raised eggs and let us try their famous pies along with our lunch. Staff from Pie Ranch joined the BEETS for a communal lunch in their outdoor kitchen and we all gave thanks to a beautiful day, to the food, and to the great company we were with. After tasting a fresh pasture raised egg, one our BEETS pointed out that “the chicken eggs seemed healthier than the eggs they sell at the super market.” After eating a nutritious and filling lunch, the BEETS were ready to do some farm work. We split up in groups and spread out in the farm to organize bales of hay in the barn, sift compost, build fencing to rotate the cows, and to weed the orchard.
BEETS intern, Tomicia reflected, “I always appreciated how hard farmers worked, but after working today I have an even deeper appreciation for their efforts in growing food for us.”
For more photos from the day, check out our CommunityGrows Flickr Photostream here.