"It's fun to plant the garden beds," said John Caparone, a third-grader at Acequia Madre Elementary School. "And what I like is you can pick stuff. You don't work by yourself. You work with a group of people. I really like going to the garden during recess and turning over the beds and watering."

School gardens are becoming more popular each year. Larragoite and Alvord elementary schools both had vegetable gardens, which have been moved to Aspen Community Magnet School because of the consolidation of Larragoite, Alvord and Kaune elementary schools. Larragoite and Alvord planted in hoop houses and wooden structures, which are transportable.

Monte del Sol Charter School, Salazar Elementary, Capital High and Gonzales Community School also have vegetable gardens that are planted and nurtured by students with the help of volunteers, parents and teachers.

Sue McDonald, who has master's degrees in art education and art therapy, said that a couple of years ago, the lush garden at Acequia Madre was but a dream. It is now home to potatoes, tomatoes, greens, squash, corn, peas, radishes, beets, eggplant, a variety of herbs, cherries, apricots, pears, grape vines —the list goes on.

"I'm a parent of a fifth-grader," McDonald said. "In the fall of 2008, the principal said I could coordinate a garden here. I hold the vision for the garden. I write grants," she said, adding that the garden is kept alive by volunteers and donations, which include cash as well as seeds, tools, birdfeeders and almost everything a garden needs.

Paul Navrot works with students in the garden throughout the season, but there are about 30 other volunteers. Gardens aren't new to Navrot, who volunteers at the gardens in the Railyard Park as well as other community gardens in Santa Fe. Late last spring, he worked with students to plaster the dilapidated horno. Jack Wheeler, an educational assistant, and his wife, Mae, taught the students last year about traditional Native American baking and demonstrated in the horno.

Near the horno is a table with benches. In this cozy area at the edge of the garden, small groups eat lunch and can taste fruits, vegetables and herbs straight from the garden.

In July, the garden was alive with activity — not only with students from Acequia Madre, but with youth enrolled in the Santa Fe Summer Youth Program. Some were in the playground adjacent to the garden, while some were at a table cutting vegetables for spring rolls they would prepare later that day. Others were watering and harvesting vegetables. Navrot was busy with another group who tended the compost pile, and after that, he helped students dig a well around one of the fruit trees.

McDonald said students like to come to the garden during recess — a small sanctuary during a busy school day. Children participate in the garden program through classes, learning about gardening, sustainability, life science and healthy food choices. School gardens give students an opportunity to connect with nature during the day, and to write in journals about or draw pictures of what they observe.

"There is a broad range of ages during recess time, which may include adults of varying ages. The experience teaches them to work cooperatively," McDonald said. "At recess we see about 100 kids each day. Sometimes a teacher will hold a class in the garden, and the after-school and summer programs are very popular."

The school garden can be used for learning various subjects, including science, math and art. For instance, children must use both math and science when measuring plots, counting seedlings and computing ratios of compost, manure, nitrogen and other elements used to build healthy soil. And anyone who has planted a garden knows that an artistic sensibility is necessary. Students also learn to prepare meals with their crops.

Anyone interested in becoming involved may call a participating school or McDonald at 820-3535.

SUE MCDONALD'S ROASTED POTATOES WITH HERBS

Olive oil
6 medium potatoes
Tarragon
Basil
Oregano
Sage
Salt and pepper

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and coat a 9x12 inch baking pan with olive oil. Wash and cut 6 medium potatoes into wedges.

In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with enough olive oil to coat potatoes. Add herbs from the garden and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potatoes out in the baking dish so that the wedges are in a single layer and barely touching each other. Put in oven to roast. Turn occasionally with a spoon or spatula. Roast approximately one hour until golden brown, crunchy outside and soft inside.

MICHAELANGELO STANCHI'S PESTO

Stanchi is a parent of one of the students and taught the group how to make pesto. This recipe contains metric measurements, so if you don't have a measuring cup that includes grams, various conversion tables are available on the Internet.

1 pound fresh basil leaves, no stems
30 grams of piñon nuts
30 grams Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
30 grams of olive oil or more
Pinch of salt

Preparation: In a blender, mix basil, olive oil and piñon nuts, then add cheese and garlic. Blend all together, using more olive oil if needed. Serve on hot pasta. If not eaten right away, freeze to preserve.

SUE MCDONALD'S GARDEN SPRING ROLLS

For the spring rolls:
Rice spring roll wrappers
Basmati or jasmine rice
Fresh vegetables from the garden or farmers market (sunflower sprouts; green or purple beans; sweet peppers; peas; fresh herbs including mint; lettuce or Chinese cabbage; cucumbers; carrots; yellow squash; or zucchini)

Preparation: Prepare rice ahead of time, use warm. Chop sunflower sprouts, green or purple beans, sweet peppers, peas, herbs, lettuce or Chinese cabbage, and cucumbers. Grate carrots and squash. For the wrappers, fill a large pie or cake pan with warm water. Put wrapper in the water for a few minutes to soften. Remove carefully.

Spread carefully on a plate. Place rice and veggies into the center of the wrapper. Try not to put in too much. Add sesame seeds for crunch, if you like. Sauce (below) may be added to the filling, but use a small amount. Fold one end over filling, and then fold sides in toward the center. Then roll gently to wrap it into a log shape. Eat plain or with dipping sauce.

For the dipping sauce:
4 tablespoons Tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoons sesame oil
Vietnamese chile sauce (small squirt to taste)

Preparation: Mix ingredients at room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use.