Dinosaur (kale) makes its way from Schomberg to downtown Toronto
Sometimes, being one with nature means eating it.
Heather Nunno, taking in the fresh air at the Cedar Glen Outdoor Education Centre in Schomberg, Ontario, takes a leaf from the bushels of dinosaur kale lining the fields of the farm and stuffs it in her mouth. “It tastes different,” she says. “Better than normal kale.”
Heather, and a group of students from the YMCA Academy, the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s accredited high school for youth with learning style differences and learning disabilities, is enjoying a field trip to Cedar Glen, where they’ll participate in team-building activities like high ropes, spend time with friends, and eat meals made with organic foods—much of it grown on the on-site, 10-acre certified organic farm, where they’re currently picking dinosaur kale.
Seeing the food they eat on their plate is one thing—learning about how the food went through the farm-to-table process is entirely another, especially if they get to do the picking themselves. “I’ve never done any kind of harvesting before,” adds Heather.
Dinosaur kale—also known as black kale, Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, or cavolo nero—is just one of the many crops grown on the farm, which has served many purposes in just three years of operation. Cedar Glen offers a Farm Camp during the summer months where campers learn the farming process from germination to harvest. A portion of the harvest from the farm is donated to a local women’s shelter kitchen. And soon, the farm’s soil will come from its own composting operation, currently in construction.
But for today, it’s a place for Y Academy students to be themselves while learning about nature.
Todd Harrison, a teacher at Y Academy, always looks forward to the trip, knowing it’s a positive experience for his students.
“When we knock down the walls of the classroom, students have new opportunities to build self-confidence and see their peers achieving personal goals. It's also a great way to expose urban youth to nature, and achieve the Academy's environmental stewardship goals.”
Many of the students have been here before, but the opportunity of being outside of the classroom—and their familiar surroundings in downtown Toronto—still excites them.
“It feels different,” says Quinn Woodward, who is visiting Cedar Glen for the second time. “It’s quieter, there’s more fresh air…it’s just awesome.”
Heather agrees, noting
“when I’m not overwhelmed by the big buildings [in the city], it’s like I can see things clearly, and it’s a good place to think.”
The day’s dinosaur kale harvest made its way from Cedar Glen to Metro Hall in downtown Toronto, where it was prepared by students in the YMCA’s Hospitality Training Program and served during Mayor John Tory’s employment and jobs reception October 28 to support the City of Toronto’s Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE) program.
