11/19/2020 | This resource was created by Melissa Almendinger.
“Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.” - William Wordsworth
Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations. This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.
Did you ever think about where your food comes from? Chances are that a lot of the good you eat travels thousands of miles before it even ended up on your plate! For example, often avocados are grown in Mexico, citrus fruits like oranges come from Florida or California, and potatoes are commonly grown in Idaho. If you're eating fresh food in the middle of winter where you are, the food is probably coming from even farther places like Israel or Peru - that's a lot of fossil fuel on behalf of the ingredients we use in preparing our meals!
You might be familiar with farmers markets as a way to get fresh, local fruits, and vegetables. Often times this food is grown right in your community, and was likely picked only a day or even a few hours before you purchased it... neat, right? Believe it or not, there's a way to get local food that's fresher than what's at the farmers market and that's through growing your own food in a garden! Fall is the perfect time to plant one of our favorites here at Duke Farms - garlic! Community Garden Coordinator Melissa walks you through garlic's history, how to plant it, eat it, and even more things you might not have known about this pungent veggie. Watch the video to see step-by-step planting instructions and check out the PDF for garlicky activities and readings for learners.