Aquaculture and gardening at Abraxas Continuation High School

FALLBROOK – Bob Lutticken will be the guest speaker at the Fallbrook Garden Club general meeting Tuesday, Nov. 29. As a biology and agriculture teacher, he will talk about the early beginnings of Abraxas Continuation High School in Poway and how the award winning school garden has changed the culture on campus.

The main objective of the garden is to teach the students how to grow food from seed to table. Teaching young adults how to grow food creates a sense of pride and ownership in their own health and well-being, builds an understanding of community responsibility through the impact of using their work to provide food for the needy and educates them about environmental sustainability and how their positive impacts matter in preservation of their own futures.

In addition to growing and donating organic food, the secondary goal is to encourage the students to actually learn how to cook the food that is harvested; therefore, the culinary arts class is directly impacted by the garden. It is a farm-to-table class located in the outdoor kitchen on the garden grounds, so they are equally invested in the garden's prosperity.

Many students didn't eat vegetables before taking the agriculture, aquaponics or culinary classes. Seeing the process of how food is grown has given the students the freedom to try fruits and vegetables they never thought they would like.

Today, the vision has been realized, turning an old tennis court and a school that was misunderstood into a landmark in the community.

Fallbrook Garden Club general meetings are held at the Fallbrook Community Center, 341 Heald Lane, at 12:30 p.m. for social time, 1 p.m. for the business meeting and 2 p.m. for the program. The public is welcome. For more information relating to the club and its activities, visit http://www.fallbrookgardenclub.org.

Submitted by Fallbrook Garden Club.