Novi's 4-H Club Grows, Sells Vegetables at Tollgate Farm

"It's scratching me!" shouted 9-year-old Aaron Hutka of Novi, giggling, as his hands reached deep through broad leaves and thick stems to twist free a ripe yellow squash nearly a foot long Wednesday evening.

Hutka and other children meet every week to collect ripe vegetables from their open garden plot and the greenhouse at as part of Novi’s Sun, Water & Seeds 4-H Club.

The group of about 12 children, in grades kindergarten through high school, and a handful of adult volunteers grow a variety of vegetables, including carrots, squash, peppers, leafy greens, garlic and several varieties of tomatoes at the farm, which they later sell at farm stands.

The club also teaches about cooking, nutrition and food safety.

Connie Gregory of Novi and her daughter Heather Gregory, 14, the current club president, were among the first families to join in the project.

"We always drove by here and thought it would be fun to come, and we've been coming ever since,” Heather Gregory said. “I just think it's fun. After our meetings, we play games...and veggies are quite tasty! Banana peppers are my favorite."

The club began in March of 2010, when Michigan State University's Extension program began a Novi component of their 4-H Youth Gardens and Farm Stands Project, which is open to residents of Oakland County.

Connie Gregory said her daughter never would have tried vegetables like sweet peppers before becoming involved in the club, but now she loves to eat them–and she isn't the only one to have expanded her palate after joining the group.

"A lot of the kids here have tried vegetables they never would have before," Connie Gregory said.

Fourteen-year-old Brooke Friedman of West Bloomfield said the act of growing food yourself changes how you look at it.

"You've seen it grow up, so it makes you want to try it more,” she said.

The group also teaches children business and entrepreneurship skills by having them run farm stands. Members, with the help of adults, price, advertise and sell their vegetables at monthly farm stands held on-site. The children also sell their produce at area festivals and fill special orders for members of their club mailing list.

The next farm stand is at Tollgate on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Learning about gardening

The Sun, Water & Seeds club teaches children how to farm using organic methods.

Organic gardening, in which gardeners use farming methods that are free of pesticides and genetically-manufactured plant strains, is a lost art, Connie Gregory said.

"We're really learning a lot about extending the harvest season," she said, noting that the club was able to harvest a batch of fresh carrots as late as December to sell at their farm stand.

The educational aspect of the group also draws in adult volunteers, such as Carol Beeman of Ferndale, who has long had a backyard home garden. While learning the art of beekeeping at Tollgate this past year, she was struck by its greenhouse and wanted to learn more.

"I really love being here," Beeman said. "It's just such a wonderful place to be.”

For the members, the club is about three main things: growing vegetables, growing new friendships and having fun. They're also looking for more people to join the group and aim to spread the word to local youth.

"There's free food. You get to eat your vegetables," said Brooke Friedman.

"Hey, don't tell them they make you eat your veggies!" replied Heather Gregory, jokingly.