Our Elder farming season is off to a fantastic start! This season, we’re diving into the solanaceae (nightshade) plant family across our LMS gardens. This group includes familiar favorites like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatillos, ground cherries, goji berries, and potatoes.
Each week, we explore a different part of the plant, comparing and contrasting how it appears across members of the nightshade family. We then engage in hands-on activities to bring the learning to life. So far, we’ve examined cross-sections of fruits, harvested and dehydrated goji berries, collected and pressed nightshade flowers, explored a variety of solanaceae seed packets, and learned how to plant them. We've also harvested nightshade leaves for an upcoming paper-making project.
This curriculum is designed to build on foundational botany lessons students have been presented in earlier years. By revisiting plant parts and their functions in a more advanced and applied context, we strengthen understanding and create meaningful connections with our own gardens and across plant families, encouraging students to identify patterns and deepen their observations.
We end each lesson by tasting a sample of what’s growing in the garden. So far, we’ve enjoyed spoon tomatoes, cucamelons, cucumbers, nasturtium flowers, and oka melon.
We’re excited to keep learning and growing together throughout the season!
