Jun 27, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Green Scene: Teens Grow Local Food
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
So many vegetables in the grocery store travel long distances to get here, and use a lot of gas in the process. Now some Philadelphia teenagers are part of a movement to change that: Local food.
School's out, but lessons are still being learned at Martin Luther King High School in Philadelphia. The lesson? Local food.
Jonathan Charles-Pierre, a recent King High School graduate who soon heads to college, said, "It used to be an empty soccer field, and now we turned it into a successful garden."
Jonathan helped plant this farm filled with herbs, kale, cucumbers, and more.
Dave Siller is the farm educator. "Local is important because it's fresher, it tastes better, it's usually organic," said Siller.
The young men here know their vegetables. Senior Brian Ferguson has a favorite: "Sorrel. It tastes like sour Skittles."
During the school year, these teens also sell food, grown by them and others, to their classmates.
"The kids, we can't believe how many of our kids are actually eating those foods!" said Kristina Diviny, campus principal of Martin Luther King High School. "They're eating pickles, dried fruits, nuts, instead of potato chips."
When it comes to produce, you can't get much fresher than this. Vegetables are plucked from the ground and washed, then set up for sale at a farmer's market outside Philadelphia City Hall just an hour later.
The teenagers sell for Weavers Way Co-op and earn money, learn business, and even get inspiration to plant at home. "Some sunflowers, some basil, some collard greens -- help my mom out," said Jonathan.
The school calls this "seeds of learning," seeds that seem to be taking root.
The next step the school hopes to take is donating vegetables to needy non-profits. The school plans to call it Sharing King's Way.
Related Links :
Weavers Way Co-op
Farm to City, Philadelphia's local food movement
Jersey Fresh
List of Eastern Pennsylvania Organic Farms
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