Last night was game night with some of the interns in the area!  Everyone was really friendly; it was a lot of fun to meet all of the people behind the amazing food that's comes out of this land. We are all working towards the same goal: to bring healthy food to people.  It was pretty cool that we could all come together to relax for an evening.

It rained overnight, but we were still able to work a good bit in the garden.  Jessica, Susan, Susan's friend Susannah, and I watched a brief video called "Getting Real About Food in the Future".  It outlined the food crisis and how imperative the local food movement is and how important the role of community gardens are in the movement.  It would make for a good introduction into local foods for someone who wasn't aware of the movement.  We went to the garden shortly after that to set up for a group that was visiting the garden. They were part of an after-school program that looked at how foods are grown and how they get to the dinner plate.  We did some seed starters with them:

 They had a whole lot of energy, but I think they enjoyed their time in the garden.  In this second picture, I was showing Alex how to plant Winter Squash.  We planted Table Queen and Kabocha.  Here they are, respectively:

After we finished planting the seeds, they all got to pick some garlic from the garden to take home.

It seemed like they all had a good time today, and I enjoyed seeing a group in action.  Aside from the volunteer group on Wednesday, I haven't had the opportunity to be with a group of folks visiting the garden.

I am still familiarizing myself with the garden and how we work there. Sometimes I feel like Jessica and Susan are speaking a foreign language when they talk about what crop will go in what beds, or sifting compost, or when they reference huglekultur bed. I just try to absorb as much as I can and tell myself to be patient. I just pick up a little at a time. It's certainly a little frustrating at sometimes, but I know I'll be movin' and shakin' soon!

We also got to see a pig skinning over at Hickory Nut Gap Farm.  It was pretty incredible to see something that had been alive less than an hour earlier now in a completely different state.  I honestly wasn't as grossed out as I thought I would be, although I didn't stay for the gutting portion, just to be safe!  It actually gave me a great sense of appreciation for the beings whose lives are given up in order for us to eat.  It took a lot of human work for that pig to live, and compassion was present in its death.  The pig had pneumonia and was killed to end its suffering. I am grateful for the work they do over at Hickory Nut Gap, and thankful that they put respect and care into their work with animals.