A couple of weeks ago, students from Lansdowne Friends School took a class trip to downtown Lansdowne where they visited two local small businesses: Lansdowne Urban Farms and Kia’s Cakes. Zachary and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with the group during their visit. We loved sharing our knowledge of hydroponic farming with them, and it was refreshing to hear some fantastic questions about the process from their perspective. Impressively, they showed some real insight into climate change and its impact on their future, and seemed to recognize why the idea of sustainable, locally grown food is so darn important.
As a parting gift, we gave everyone a piece of Parris Island Cos Romaine Lettuce on their way out. Most of them were excited to give it a taste, yet one young person replied with a short, yet polite, “I don’t eat lettuce. Yet after taking a piece, trying it, and then eagerly chomping it down, the young boy’s opinion had apparently changed.
“Maybe I do eat lettuce?” he said. This lettuce is good!”
It’s nice to know that even young folks who aren’t normally too fond of their veggies can taste the difference and appreciate fresh, local produce.
We hope the experience was as enjoyable to the students from Lansdowne Friends School as it was for us, and hope to see them again. The thoughtful and creative thank you cards they sent (shown below) were a ton of fun to read, too!
If you’re an educator, or have young people in your lives who would enjoy learning about the hydroponic process and the importance of locally grown food, please feel free to reach out – we’d love to have you by for a visit!
