I have worked with educational food programs for 14 years in a variety of capacities; as an AmeriCorps member, garden and chef teacher,...
(510) 558-1335
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School
1781 Rose St.
Berkeley, CA 94703United States
The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley
Program
Program Administrator: Kyle Cornforth
Grade Level: Middle School
Students Served: 500-1,000
Program Type: Organic Garden, Organic Kitchen Classroom
The mission of the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley is to teach essential life skills and support academic learning through hands-on classes in a one acre organic garden and kitchen classroom. The Edible Schoolyard curriculum is fully integrated into the school day at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and teaches students how their choices about food affect their health, the environment and their communities.
This model program for edible education is fully funded by the Edible Schoolyard Project. At ESYB, students participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce during the academic day and in after school classes. Students’ hands-on experience in the kitchen and garden fosters a deeper appreciation of how the natural world sustains us and promotes the environmental and social well-being of our school community.
Lessons and activities in the garden and kitchen classroom are a collaboration between the staff and teachers of the Edible Schoolyard and King Middle School.
Click here to learn more about our work.
I am currently a Garden Teacher at the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley. I graduated in the Spring of 2010 from UC Santa Cruz in...
Since it's inception in 1997, I have been Chef Teacher in the Edible Schoolyard kitchen classroom. Over the past fourteen years I have...
I joined the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley team in August 2008 as the Garden Manager and Teacher bringing over ten years of work experience...
I am one of the garden teachers at the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley.
I started this position in the fall of 2011.
I grew up in...
I am a Chef Teacher at Edible Schoolyard Berkeley. Born and raised in the East Bay, I briefly left California to attend Colorado College...
As the Edible Schoolyard Garden Americorps Member, I love discovering new things about the garden alongside our students. I have been...
I started my work at the Edible Schoolyard, Berkeley as a Kitchen Volunteer while attending the University of California, Berkeley. As...
I am a relatively recent transplant to California, having grown up in Vermont and attended college in Massachusetts. I studied History...
In this 7th grade humanities lesson, students prepare a Middle Eastern meze platter using ingredients from the four climatic regions of the Arabian Peninsula.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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In this 7th grade humanities lesson, students study the journey of the black-eyed pea from West Africa to the Southern United States and explore the cultural significance of food.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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In this 6th grade humanities lesson, students prepare Pan de los Muertos and practice measuring precisely.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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In this 6th grade humanities lesson, students complete the seed to table cycle by preparing sautéed greens and serving them with grains grown in the Edible Schoolyard garden.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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In this 6th grade humanities lesson, students review the kitchen systems and skills they have learned during their fall rotation while they prepare frittata.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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This lesson introduces 6th grade students to the kitchen classroom. Students meet staff, tour the kitchen, and learn the basic rules and systems. They then write and share a food memory.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Lessons
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6th grade science students culminate 2 months of garden class, bake harvested potatoes (papas fritas) in the brick oven learn facts about potatoes around the world and review their first rotation in the garden.
Area: Organic Garden
Type: Lessons
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The Edible Schoolyard kitchen is a vibrant space that has gracefully matured over the last decade. As a fully functioning kitchen classroom it has grown in to a repository of new experiences for students. Here they have proudly honed new skills, shared the pleasure of working together and experienced many delicious "aha! moments".
Since 2008 we have continued to grow and change our day-to-day programming, and many of the ideas, values and best practices in the Kitchen Companion are still shaping the decisions we make every day.
Area: Organic Kitchen Classroom
Type: Program Management
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As with all living things, no two gardens are exactly alike. The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley garden is unique for both the plants and creatures that live in it and the collective vision it represents. We published this book in 2008 to share our experiences and accumulated knowledge with anyone interested in building an educational garden in their own school or community.
Since 2008 we have continued to grow and change our day-to-day programming, and many of the ideas, values and best practices in the Garden Companion are still shaping the decisions we make every day.
Area: Organic Garden
Type: Program Management
Rating:
At the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley, our compost pile is called "Compost Row." Compost Row is a free standing pile method consisting of layered browns and greens. Science students at King add air to the compost by turning the piles across compost row until they have fully decomposed into living soil.
Area: Organic Garden
Type: Other
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Libraries allow you to build and organize your curriculum by creating libraries of resources. On this Library tab you can search and select any resource from the Resource Center, or you can use the “Add to Library” link on the resource itself. You can also view other users’ and program’s Libraries to find and add resources to your Library. Create a Library
After 6th graders have spent 8 weeks in the garden with their science class, they come to the kitchen with their humanities class for a 5 week rotation. These five classes are usually scheduled in the late fall, and students have the opportunity to prepare many of the...
Sixth grade humanities students at King Middle School have five classes each spring in the ESYB kitchen. The lessons focus on the trading of goods, ideas, and spices along the Silk Road and connects their ancient civilizations curriculum to cooking and eating dishes from...
Each Fall we begin with 6th Grade Science classes in the garden. They come out to the garden once a week for 8 weeks. In addition to learning the basics of composting, propagating, cultivating and harvesting, they have lessons linked to their academic curriculum. This library...
The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley maintains a robust group of 45-55 volunteers each year. We focus on recruitment, training and retention. Resources in this library provide tips and tools for creating and managing a successful volunteer program.
