Kelly Bradley is teaching her second Nature Camp this week, "Cooking Around the World." Campers from grades 1 - 5 come to the ranch from 9am - 2pm, Monday through Friday, and learn how to prepare dishes from the Mediterranean, Middle East, Mexico, Vietnam, and more! Today they learned about and helped prepare foods from Japan, including miso soup, sunomono (cucumber salad), and even sushi! Kelly encourages participants to always be adventurous when trying new foods and asks them, "What are the two choices you have?" They know the drill and answer, "Yes, please, or No, thank you!" Kids take tours of the community gardens on site, pick produce, learn basic cooking skills, and best of all, taste their delicious creations! Next week, the third nature camp theme is "Little House at Rodgers Ranch," when they will churn butter, make pickles, learn about settler life, and more!
                                                                                                                                          Photos by Alison Clary

"Red, White, and Bloom" was this year's theme for the Pleasant Hill 4th of July parade, and Rodgers Ranch and its partners (historical society, herb society, succulent club, and urban farm) fit in perfectly with their mission of sustainability, organic gardening, etc. We decorated Denise's truck with flowers, fruit, and veggies, along with red, white, and blue buntings, flags, and decorations, and we brought along six four-legged friends, dressed in flower collars! The chihuahua dressed as a bumble bee stole the show!                                                    Photos by Alison Clary, Victoria Holben, Denise Koroslev, and John Kujanek