Gopal’s Garden Update
by Bindu Sarovara Dasi, April 15th.
A tour of the garden followed by a taste test of the herbs they observed
constituted the class for Thursday. What did they see and what did they eat?
Tapa-Punja led the kids through the teaching garden to see the infamous Stinging Nettle and the notorious Dandelion weed. After learning what a Dandelion looked like, Vedahi exclaimed, “There’s a Dandelion! There’s a Dandelion! There’s a Dandelion!” pointing to wherever she saw one. Vishaka now knows how to identify a Dandelion just by the leaf. Did you know all parts of the Dandelion are edible?
“The kids got their first taste of Dandelion tea that Bindu Sarovara kindly brewed for them. She also steamed Stinging Nettle and gave a sample to the kids with crackers. When Stinging Nettles are cooked they loose their sting. Nolan has eaten Stinging Nettles before and says he likes them. Some of the other kids liked them too. Bindu was pleasantly surprised that all the children were willing to try these new foods. On Friday, April 18th the kids replanted peas in the garden that had failed to germinate due to cool and wet conditions.
