Tom Douglas

When You’re Moving a Mountain, It’s Nice to have a little cake / by Guest Blogger Trudy Tessaro

Make that a big cake- a big garden cake for all the students, teachers, families, friends and neighbors who are turning out to help move a mountain of Cedar Grove compost into the garden the students at Daniel Bagley Elementary are building this week!

Daniel Bagley Elementary is in the midst of a rejuvenation project that began earlier this year.  The school is transforming a neglected and underused outdoor classroom into a beautiful and thriving school garden, complete with a cute cedar storage shed, two water spigots, and 17 natural cedar raised garden beds that will be planted and tended at this public K-5 Montessori school.  The largest raised bed is dedicated to growing produce for the Greenwood Food Bank throughout the year, and the other classrooms are likely to donate some of their crops too.

This week is “Garden Week” at the school and every classroom has a part in creating the new school garden!

Tonight, our new principal, Anitra Pinchback-Jones, teachers, students, and their families, friends and neighbors will participate in a “Move the Mountain” garden work party.  When the task is complete, we will be thrilled to celebrate with a beautiful and delicious Garden Cake specially designed for the event by the pastry chefs at the Dahlia Bakery!! (Thank you, Robyn Wolfe, and all the wonderful bakers!)

There are more exciting events in store this week including more garden construction by students- even the kindergarteners are participating- and an all-school “Apple Social” on the playground this coming Friday.  We’ll snack on organic apples and admire the students’ work.  We’ll have special guests such as guests from the Greenwood Food Bank, and Lettuce Link, and also Eric Boutin, the new Seattle Public Schools Director of Nutrition Services.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers and supporters who have helped this project soar!!!

Editor’s Note: Trudy Tessaro is a member of Seattle Foodies and is married to Chuck, a Tom Douglas Summer Camp lifer.

In the middle row of photos: our Pastry Sous Chef Randi Johansen (photo left) designed this amazing cake which says “Eat Your Veggies” along the side. The photo to the right is a close up of the top of the cake.  There are gardening gloves, all kinds of veggies, and even a slug in the “dirt” on top of the cake.  In case you’re wondering, this is a chocolate cake.

September 22nd, 2010