Locavore's Camp
March 11–15, 2013
9am–3:30pm
The Locavore Chef March Break Food Camp at Evergreen Brick Works is a one-week program that offers urban campers ages 7–12 the chance to grow, harvest, cook, preserve, and savour fresh, healthy local food, while increasing physical fitness and exploring nature in the heart of the city. Daily activities will be held on site in the Sandra Simpson Urban Kitchen, the sun-lit greenhouse, and lush food gardens. One day will be spent off-site at an organic farm.
Campers will also take turns monitoring three on-site projects:
- GROW TUBES: Grow delicious sprouts indoors!
- WASTE SYSTEMS: Explore the differences between city compost and home compost, what is worm food, how to create healthy soil and strategies to reduce our waste.
- INVASIVE SPECIES and edible wild species: What do they mean to our urban ecosystem? Why are they invasive? How can we help?
Fees
$375 per child, including daily healthy snacks and lunch on Tuesday and Friday.
Extended care is available from 3:30–5:30pm at an additional cost of $55.
Program Details
Monday
This first day is all about getting comfortable, with activities such as a Food Scavenger Hunt and an introduction to growing their own sprouts. Campers will set up their work space, learn basic knife skills and how to work safely in the kitchen.
Tuesday
We will start the day in the kitchen where campers will prepare their own lunch using seasonal local ingredients purchased from the farmers and producers at Evergreen's Farmers’ Market. Other activities include playing in Chimney Court while learning about soil and growing food in containers.
Wednesday
Walk, run, bike at Evergreen Brick Works. Active living, sustainable transportation and healthy food choices are all connected and are key to a healthy child. The day will start in the kitchen were campers will prepare a healthy snack that will fuel their bodies through a ravine hike exploring the ecology and history of the Don River. Children will also learn about foraging and discover edible wild foods.
Thursday
Farm Day! Campers will take a bus to Willo' Wind Farm, one hour north of the city. There they will help farmer Adrian to feed the pigs, collect the eggs and clean up the sheep and goats barns, while learning about organic agriculture and healthy soil systems and animal farming.
Friday
To celebrate the end of the program we will make healthy, seasonal pizzas in the wood-fired oven in Chimney Court. We will also learn about compost and analyze the data we have collected through our monitoring project from the week.
Chef Facilitator
Kate Leinweber is a microbiologist and a registered holistic nutritionist. As a microbiologist Kate first used fermentation to make proteins and enzymes in the production of alternative biofuels. She has been fermenting since 2006 and studied with Sandor Katz; the fermenting guru and author of Wild Fermentation.
Special Guests
Ashlee Cooper – Evergreen Urban Agriculture Coordinator
Shah Mohamed – Evergreen Program Manager, Active Living
Lee Earl – Evergreen Outdoor Educator
Farmer Adrian Stocking – Willo’ Wind Farm
Marie Gaudet – Ojibwe language and cultural teacher
Program Supporter
Evergreen would like to thank Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Canada for their support of the Locavore's Food Camp program that will run in partnership with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.
