Summer Break was a busy time for the farm, as it played host to some of the most important, hard-working people on campus: our Staff! As things slowed down, staff found time to stroll through the farm, take a tour, and even munch on a carrot. Many hadn’t ever stepped past the farm gate, but were delighted to see what they discovered inside; Dahlias in full bloom, sweet, crunchy green beans, the last of the golden beets, and the first fruits on our gigantic summer squash plants. I won’t name names, but one particular staff member even tried his very first strawberry *ever* on the Michelle Obama Green Acre!  And he liked it!!

Most notably, we had several very special guests from our fearless, behind-the-scenes, magically-cook-three-meals-a-day-for-800-people, but-still-had-time-to-come-hang-out-on-the-farm Cafeteria Staff. Not only did many, including Tina Tan, Victoria Woo, Herman Yu, Shang Chin and Anthony Austria, our Senior Cook, come to visit the farm unsolicited, but they were delighted, on several occasions, to spend an hour harvesting spinach and lettuce and edible flowers and kale and chard for preparation in the cafeteria. They simply gushed over the produce, exclaiming how beautiful and fresh it was, and how much sweeter it all tasted coming right out of the ground. In spite of their incredibly busy schedules, our lovely cafeteria staff took the extra time to ensure that our entire community was able to enjoy the fresh, organic, nutritious fruits of our farm labor, not only because they enjoyed the experience, but because they put great heart and care into the food that they prepare for us. Kudos to Ray Galicia and Ciren Zhuoga, our Food Service Manager and Assistant Food Service Manager, for being so supportive of this budding program, and being so open to incorporating the sometimes unpredictable quantities and varieties of fresh produce into the menu for us all to enjoy.  Now our center has enjoyed the first of many farm salads and sautéed kales and squash soups to come, and we think they may have even eaten their first edible flowers…