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Edible Schoolyard
by
Alice Waters
One of America's most influential chefs, Alice Waters created a revolution in 1971 when she introduced local, organic fare at her Berkeley, California, restaurant, Chez Panisse. Twenty-five years later, she and a small group of teachers and volunteers turned over long-abandoned soil at an urban middle school in Berkeley and planted the Edible Schoolyard. The schoolyard has...more
Hardcover, 80 pages
Published
December 17th 2008
by Chronicle Books
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For anyone willing to be inspired, charmed, and irritated, this is the book for you. Alice Waters initiates the transformation of the barren acre at the back of a Berkeley public school into a lush kitchen garden, and brings a cornucopia of good food to kids who were previously stuck with a diet of tacos covered in a sort of beef slurry.
It's short on text, long on pictures; and you wonder where else in North America, other than the fruit bowl of the United States, and how else, with...more
It's short on text, long on pictures; and you wonder where else in North America, other than the fruit bowl of the United States, and how else, with...more
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A brief and wonderful essay on Alice Waters' edible schoolyard project. I think this is a powerful idea and practice that would benefit a great many children and families if more widely adopted. I know that a handful of PTAs in San Francisco have been working hard to create gardens in many of the SF Public Schools and am excited to participate this coming fall! I recommend this book to anyone who cares about food and how we feed our children, in addition to anyone interested in education, ecolog...more
Great inspiration for teachers and anyone else who wants to do good for the world. I will recommend this when people want a book for a child's teacher or a new education school graduate.
While I enjoyed reading it, I wish it had more hands-on DIY information, especially things like lesson plans and details about division of labor among the different classes. I guess the whole concept is that your garden plan (and everything that follows) will be uniques to your climate, and there ...more
While I enjoyed reading it, I wish it had more hands-on DIY information, especially things like lesson plans and details about division of labor among the different classes. I guess the whole concept is that your garden plan (and everything that follows) will be uniques to your climate, and there ...more
This book is just delicious. The first part of the book is an essay from Alice Waters about the vision, construction, development, curriculum and success of the Edible Schoolyard she helped to develop at an urban school in Berkley, CA. The latter part of the book consists of bright, beautiful, exciting pictures from the edible schoolyard. The story is fantastic. Even now, it is inspirational to read about the school, parent, and local communities coming together for this project, but also they w...more
In an age of rising food prices, industrial agriculture, and concerns about food security, a great idea unfolds: turn an abandoned lot at an urban public school in California into the Edible Schoolyard. Kids learn to grow food, keep a garden, cook, eat and converse together, and start it all over again the next day, all the while practicing science, history, and math. Alice Waters sums it up: "Right there, in the middle of every school day, lies time and energy already devoted to the feedin...more
I recommend this book to anyone who cares about food and how we feed our children (although it's really about so much more). In addition to reconfirming the belief that healthy eating should be a right and not a privilege for the wealthy few, it also provides insight into the value of connecting to our rich history through hands-on education.
I only wish it had provided tips and/or suggestions regarding starting similar programs (even on a smaller scale) in our own local schools (I ...more
I only wish it had provided tips and/or suggestions regarding starting similar programs (even on a smaller scale) in our own local schools (I ...more
Another book my husband recently gave me by Alice Waters. This is more a book about the Edible Schoolyard project she instituted more than a decade ago. I was very inspired and tried to start one at my daughter's school (with her class) so many years ago. I think they all thought I was crazy but since I was funding it they let us do it. I have noticed since then, not only her former elementary school, but most in the Houston are have some sort of communal garden.
This is a beautif...more
This is a beautif...more
It's a pretty easy read, but a very interesting explanation of how one middle school built a huge garden and incorporated it into regular lessons. Her emphasis is on the positive impact it had on the school. I wish she had given a little more explanation of how it was used scholastically.
This book is blue-sky thinking but appropriate and meaningful. Waters' has her finger on significant issues in American culture: education, health, ecology, interrelatedness, etc. While Waters' work may be inspriational, this book is not a "how to" book with helful instructions for implementation.
A beautiful example of the possibilities of an idea that can transform a community and school. The Edible Schoolyard highlights what's missing from many lives: eating a civilized and healthy, delicious meal around a shared table and while talking to one another.
Waters reminds us what growing and sharing food can teach children: health, pride, science, sharing, enviromentalism, joy, etc. Perfect for anyone who likes to cook (not me) or is interested in education (me). Beautiful photographs!
Short history, lots of photos, some cool content from the kids. I'm not clear on who the audience is for this book or what the point is? Including information on how this program could be a model elsewhere would have really really helped!
Alice Waters' account the edible schoolyard she created at a needy school in California. An inspirational read for anyone who has an interest in nutrition, gardening, education, the environment and sustainable living.
Nice but fairly insubstantial. Needs more info on how to recreate Waters's project in Berkeley or more recipes. I was hoping to feel inspired but I ultimately just felt meh about the whole thing.
I was very encouraged by this book. I've been fascinated by the idea of community gardening and the concept of doing it on a public school property and involving kids is wild. awesome.
The inspirational program shines despite the lack of depth in this volume. There's also a certain level of "I'm just here to help the poor" that seeps through.
Alice Waters is everywhere lately! Truly inspiring, especially in Middle School where meaning is sought from their very souls.
I enjoyed learning more about how the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley came to be. Quick read and lots of great photos.
Yet another literary inspiration for all of us lovers of life and the spirit of children :)
More inspirational than nuts-and-bolts. Great photos and easy to read.
Cristina
added it
Game changing. School cafeterias don't cook, they reheat. Why are we so lazy?
The beautiful photos ofkids in the school garden are the highlight of this book. It would be an interesting overview of the history of Waters' Edible Schoolyard and an inspiration to those trying to do the same thing. Don't look for a "how to" however.
saw her last night at a benefit for this program. very inspiring!!
I find this seriously inspiring!
An inspirational and eye opening book!
Mimi
added it
Inspiring!
What a lovely, inspirational book! Thanks, Carmine. :)
I wish my schools all had edible schoolyards growing up. I love this idea and I want all schools to be this way.
This book is by no means a detailed look at the Edible Schoolyard, but it provides a nice history and introduction to Alice Waters' project at King Middle School in Berkeley. Lots of photos of the garden and classroom activities. A plus is the inclusion of a number of the children's essays about their experiences in the garden.
Reviewed at Pinot and Prose
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Alice Waters, chef, author, and the proprietor of Chez Panisse, is an American pioneer of a culinary philosophy that maintains that cooking should be based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally. She is a passionate advocate for a food economy that is “good, clean, and fair.” Over the course of nearly forty years, Chez Panisse has helped create a ...more
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