People's District

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

This week, People’s District shares three stories about and recipes from City Blossoms, a non-profit committed to kid-driven, community engaging creative green spaces. Today, we hear from Dionte, the 10-year-old “Mayor” of the Girard St. garden. Friday, we hear from five-year-old Lorenzo, the garden’s master waterer.

“I live on Girard St. and used to look out onto the garden, before it was a garden, from my window. This place used to be a dump and full of sand. The playground was all run down, and most of us weren’t allowed to play out here. Then one day, I saw the construction come, and they built a new play area for us kids. Now, we be out here playing football, riding our bikes, using the swings, and gardening. It’s nice to have a place where kids can come out and play instead of just staying all up in the house.

“When they started to build the garden, I got all excited. I love building stuff and construction, and thought that gardening was like construction, but with plants instead of wood and metal and stuff. Here, they taught me a lot about gardening, and now I feel like kind of an expert. I can plant stuff and cook a little bit and help other children learn about food.

“My favorite part about the garden is cooking. I bring home all kinds of plants and herbs, and now, every Sunday, I make dinner at my house. My Mom lets me make, like, Thanksgiving food. I cook baked chicken, greens, onion, and mashed potatoes. I would ask you to come over, but I gotta ask my Mom first?

Dionte's favorite herb: lemon mint

“When I grow up, I want to be a construction worker, but if that doesn’t work out, I will be a professional football player. I also want to work as a fireman because I like saving lives.  Did you know that healthy eating and gardening can help people save lives? I learned that here. So, I guess by helping in the garden, I am also helping to save lives. That is kind of cool.”

I asked Dionte to share a recipe with things collected from the Girard Children’s Community Garden at 1480 Girard St. NW. (Only the herbs listed below are from the garden.)

Dionte’s High Tea (“I suggest having tea at around 4 p.m., or when you are cold.”)

- Boil water in a pan

- Get a tea bag and put in in a cup.  (“I like apple cinnamon tea.”)

- Pour the boiling water in the cup.

- Add mint and rosemary to the tea and stir. (“It’s gotta be fresh from the garden.”)

- Let it sit for a minute (“So you don’t burn your mouth!”)

- “It’s delicious and makes you warm!”

Learn more about and/or consider donating your time and money to City Blossoms here.