Harvest

Seed Saving, Food Storage and Processing

In the Garden

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• Seed Saving and Sowing (PDF, 126 KB)
  Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food: Seasonal Recipes, Activities, and Farm Profiles that Teach Ecological Responsibility
  Kraus, Sibella. California Dept. of Ed., CDE Press, 2002.
  Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE)
  Grade: K-3
  CA State Standards: Science 2nd Grade: 2a, c-f
• Stem, Root, Leaf, or Fruit? (PDF, 98 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: K-3

In the Classroom

• Comparative Tasting Format (PDF, 177 KB)
  Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food: Seasonal Recipes, Activities, and Farm Profiles that Teach Ecological Responsibility
  Kraus, Sibella. California Dept. of Ed., CDE Press, 2002.
  Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE)
  Grade: K-6
• Dry and Delicious Food Dehydration (PDF, 197 KB)
  TWIGS
  Johns, Marilyn J. University of California Cooperative Extension, 1997.
  Grade: 4-6
  
• Food Preparation Methodology and Hints (PDF, 91KB)
  TWIGS
  Johns, Marilyn J. University of California Cooperative Extension, 1997.
  Grade: K-6
• How to Keep a Good Thing Going—Preserving Food for Later (PDF, 494 KB)
  Healthy Foods from Healthy Soils
  Grade: K-6
• Roots, Stems, Leaves (Song) (PDF, 61 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: K-3
• Vitamin Values (PDF, 123 KB)
  TWIGS
  Johns, Marilyn J. University of California Cooperative Extension, 1997.
  Grade: 4-6
• Whistle while you work--Write a harvest song to sing while you work in the garden!

Taking it Further

• Food Safety: From Farm to Fork
  California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 2004.
  Grade: 4-6
  
• The $1,000,000 Orange (PDF, 93 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science.
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: 4-6
• Supermarket Snoop (PDF,105 KB)
  The Growing Classroom: Garden-Based Science
  Jaffe, Roberta and Gary Appel. Addison Publishing Company, 1990.
  Grade: 4-6
  CA State Standards: History Kindergarten: K.3; History 1st Grade: 1.6.1-2; History 2nd Grade: 2.4.1-3
• What's Growing in Your County?
  Farming is Food, Fiber, Flowers... and Fun!
  Sherbo, Jan L. The Agricultural Network, 2004.

Resources

Children's Literature

• Aliki. Corn is Maize: Gifts of the Indians. Harper and Row, 1976.
  The story of how ancient farmers discover the wild grass plant, use it in their lives, save their favorite seeds, and then share their knowledge with the new settlers of America. (Grade K-3)
• Corwin, Judith Hoffman. Harvest Festivals Around the World. Silver Burdett, 1995.
  A History of many crop-related festivals, including craft activities and recipes. (Grade 4-6)
• Faber, Gail and Michele Lasagna. Pasquala—The Story of a California Indian Girl. Magpie Publications. 1990.
  Historical facts and the beauty of nature are woven into a wonderfully warm and human story set in the early 1800's against a background of Indian life in the San Joaquin Valley and the arrival of the Spanish. (Grade 4-6)
• Johnson, Paul Brett. Farmers' Market.
  A realistic look at Farmers' Markets from a child's point of view. (Grade K-3)
• Peterson, Cris. Harvest Year. Boyd Mills Press, 1996.
  Full color photographs and clear concise text take readers month-by-month through a sampling of the wide diversity and volumes of crops grown throughout the United States. (Grade K-6)
• Rendon, Marcie R. and Cheryl Walsh Belville. Farmer's Market. Carolrhoda Books, Inc. 2001.
  Full of colorful photographs, this book describes the efforts of many families who work hard to produce the food that is sold at farmer's markets. (Grade K-6)
• Sissel-Phelan, Peggy, Ed.D. A Visit to the Farmers' Market. Brain Child Books, 2006.
  (Grade K-3)
• Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms. Harcourt Brace and Company, 1995.
  This folktale involves a hare and a bear and shows how clever they both are in planting and harvesting. (Grade K-3)

For Teachers

• Savvy Seed Saving National Gardening Association article by Eve Pranis
  
• CSGN School Garden Planting Guide (PDF, 261 KB)
  

  Use this School Garden Planting Guide to plan your school garden harvest. This comprehensive guide includes suggested vegetables, herbs and flowers to plant in the fall and the spring. In addition the guide includes the following information: when to plant seeds indoors, when to plant outdoors (based on frost dates), depth to plant seed, spacing of plants, days to germination, days to harvest and nutrients content of vegetables. Find frost dates for California at http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/ca.html or contact your local Master Gardener http://www.mastergardeners.org

• More information on vegetable, flower and herb planting, care, and harvest can be found at:
  
  http://www.organicgardening.com Get gardening tips, sign up for monthly garden reports for your area, and simplified information on the care and harvest of garden plants.
  
  http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse Detailed information on planting, care and harvesting of garden plants.
  
  http://www.garden.org/regional/report Get gardening information for your region, sign up for bi monthly gardening tips.
  
  http://www.burpee.com Great information on gardening and seed catalog, sign up for regional garden reports, visit their "library" for plant care and harvest information. visit their "nutrition guide" for vegetable nutrient content and garden kitchen tips.
  
  http://www.citygardening.net/testseed/ Information on how to test the viability of garden seeds as well as seed viability chart.

• Check out the University of California Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Calendar for a listing of Master Food Preserver Classes.
  calendar.ucanr.org
  
• Another great site, this time for students, is the USDA for Kids page.