Growing In and At the Garden

As our beloved Garden Month celebration is in full swing, it is important for us to share the wonder of gardening to guests of all ages. We love sparking an interest in growing to our youngest guests! There are great garden-related activities offered for kids at the Farm including garden tours, farm-to-table cooking classes, and a boxed garden just the right height for budding gardeners.

Tucked away next to the fire pit at Camp Blackberry is Teensy’s Garden, named after a Blackberry Farm children’s book. This beautiful boxed garden contains our own miniature version of the Garden at Blackberry Farm and has everything from heirloom tomatoes to cucumbers, with multiple zinnias in between. Blackberry campers are encouraged to help water the plants and harvest the vegetables.

Mint is a very popular plant for kids in Teensy’s Garden because of its bright flavor and smell. Multiple times a week, our campers harvest the mint and make our favorite Old Fashion Lemonade! Not only is it fun, but it’s also a very educational process that allows them to learn about the growing cycles of different plants and use their garden finds in the kitchen.

Old Fashion Lemonade

1 children’s-sized handful of fresh garden mint
6 lemons
6 cups of water
1 cup sugar

Cut lemons in half. Squeeze the lemon juice into a pitcher or large mason jar, straining out any seeds.

To make your simple syrup, place one cup of sugar, one handful of fresh mint and one cup of water in a separate container and microwave/stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

Add the remaining water and simple syrup mixture to your lemonade pitcher/jar.

Stir and taste, adding any additional sugar or water as needed.

Chill and serve over ice. Enjoy!

Click here to get the book that inspired Teensy’s Garden at BlackberryFarmShop.com.