Rooting DC!

Hello all! I'm Rachel the new Farm Educator Intern at Arcadia and this is my first ever blog post. Hopefully it will be first of many! Thanks as always for reading! 

Team Arcadia took part in this year's super exciting and successful Rooting DC event two weekends ago at Coolidge High School. Sponsored by members of the Field to Fork Network (Arcadia included), the fifth annual urban gardening forum featured workshops by local initiatives and professionals, roundtable discussions, cooking demonstrations, and a bustling information fair where organizations could showcase their work. 

Throughout the day, members of the Arcadia team took turns working the info booth and chatting with other players in the local urban gardening movement. While away from the table, we attended workshops taught by other local organizations. Fellow intern Stephanie and I attended Healing with Herbs, a cooking demo by Tambra Raye Stevenson from the UDC Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health, Canning for Beginners by Bradley Kennedy, and a panel called How to Build a Successful School Garden and Use it! Thanks to everyone involved for sharing your wisdom and enthusiasm!

Farmer Mo led a workshop about soil basics called Getting Dirty, and Andrea took part in the ‘15 minute field Trips’- Garden Activities Round Robin. Both received tremendous feedback from attendees who later visited the Arcadia table - way to go! Last but not least was a preview appearance from our Mobile Market! The big green school bus received lots of attention and looked terrifically shiny and majestic in the afternoon sun.

Perhaps the best part of Rooting DC was the amount of energy and excitement generated between organizations and interested citizens. People of all ages and backgrounds connected over similar interests; found volunteer opportunities and new networks; and traded ideas, knowledge and SEEDS! It was exciting to be involved! We're so proud to be a part of this strong movement of farmers, activists and gardeners committed to a sustainable food system in D.C.