How to Find Sunshine in the Winter

Submitted by Carina Gervacio on Monday, March 2, 2015
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First, picture this: a D.C. high school at 9:00 AM.  It’s 30 degrees and windy walking through the parking lot, and the ramps and stairs that lead to main entrance are crusted in snow, thanks to the late February freeze.   But despite the weather and the early morning, despite the fact that it’s a Saturday, the folks streaming into the atrium at Wilson Senior High School look more like a group that’s heading to a sunny recess break than a group braving the cold to get to Saturday school.

And that’s because, in a lot of ways, the experience that awaits inside has more similarities to a sunny recess break than an interminable winter class day.

Rooting D.C., a  forum about growing, planting, eating, and living in a greener more sustainable way, turned 8 years old this weekend.  For 8 years, it has been an event that gives rooftop gardeners, sauerkraut makers, and fair food advocates a day to meet, mingle, learn, and plan for the springtime.  Being able to dream big about gardening and growing is always fun, but it’s the infectious energy of local garden experts and the diversity of free workshops that makes Rooting D.C. the ray of sunshine that gets us through the last bit of winter.  

This year, attendees had the enjoyable challenge of selecting from an amazing menu of workshops ranging from a session on pickling to how to build a food justice curriculum to a youth-led cooking lesson.  That’s right -- for the third year in a row, Community MVPs represented Brainfood with flair at their “Healthy Cooking on a Budget” workshop.  They led a mixed group of youth and adults through a recipe for Spicy Thai Lettuce wraps, encouraging folks to overcome their fear of fish sauce, and gamely sharing stories about their cooking journeys.  

Didn’t make it to Rooting D.C. this weekend?  Mark your calendar for next year, and we'll see you there!

 

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