Another month remains until the autumnal equinox, and yet in some ways today feels like we are at summer’s end. Today is the last day of Butter Beans Food & Garden Summer Camp for the 2014 season, and what a summer it has been!
For campers and counselors alike, these seven weeks have been a transformative journey in the company of new friends as we tasted, grew, gardened, cooked, played, explored, and learned in the diverse world of food in New York City.
From a rooftop beehive that towers over the city skyline, to a pasta shop that has sat in the same spot on Greenwich Street for over a century, to an urban farm tucked away by a bridge on Randall’s Island… Butter Beans campers discovered a beautifully diverse and interconnected community of individuals that support our food system.
To the gardeners, farmers, market vendors, beekeepers, chefs, bakers, smoothie-experts, yoga instructors, mindfulness coaches, singers, artists, educators, foragers, and chocolatiers that made Butter Beans Food & Garden Camp 2014 so special… thank you! We’re already looking forward to reuniting with these friends again next year.
To our campers, you have inspired us each day with your knowledge, curiosity, questions, and enthusiasm. We know that you will go on to do great things in the kitchen and garden at home and beyond. We wish you happy cooking (and eating!) as you continue to explore food that supports the health of our bodies, the environment and our communities.
Now at summer’s end, we leave you with the Graduation Poem read to our campers on the last day of each camp session…
Butter Beans Food & Garden Summer Camp
Graduation Poem
The summer is over and it’s time for camp to end,
We went on adventures, gained new skills, and made many a new friend.
Throughout the summer we learned to chop, sauté, dice, and boil
How to harvest crops, recycle our trash, and plant in the soil.
At rooftop gardens and urban farms we had the opportunity to work the land,
At the farmers market we bought fresh produce and talked to the Farmer about his stand.
We played in the park and tried to catch some fish,
And spent time with local experts, learning to make a famous dish.
Planting our own seeds and watching them grow was exciting indeed,
Making sure they had sun, water, and love… everything they need.
Our recipe books are packed with all our favorite meals and treats,
Experimenting with ingredients like zucchini, corn, eggplant, and beets.
At the park, at camp, in the kitchen or the dirt,
Our group clearly has more than one Food + Garden expert.
Look for us in the kitchen or in the garden this fall,
With our wooden spoons in hand we can conquer it all.
We say goodbye now but our memories will last well into the year,
Our summer with Butter Beans was full of good times and cheer.