Did you know that if you put unripe tomatoes into a bag with a banana the tomatoes will ripen because of the hormones? Did you see a cart of fruits and vegetables going around the GHS cafeteria on Tuesday? Did you wonder why it was there?

The produce on the cart was presented for the enjoyment of the GHS student body by the Gloucester High School Environmental Club. The fruits and veggies were grown in GHS’s backyard by the E- Club with the help of Backyard Growers, a non-profit organization that has been assisting the E-club in the production of cool stuff.

“Those two groups together grow vegetables and produce in raised bed gardens located outside the science wing,” said Mr. James Cook, one of the advisers of the Environmental Club. “We are motivated by wanting to share it but also to raise the profile and maybe get some people to join us and think more about their food choices.”

“Part of our club’s goal and mission is to reach out to the community,” said junior E-club member Gwen Koehne.  “So we decided to have this tomato tasting- partly to get rid of the excess tomatoes we have, and also to get the community to be like ‘Hey look at what this club is doing’”.

Another goal of the club is to show students there is a better option than a grocery store.

“We donate a lot to the food pantry,” said Koehne. “We’ve donated sixty pounds of assorted veggies from the garden. It’s a lot of learning about agriculture and transferring food from the farm to the table. We do a lot of gardening and that’s why we meet twice a week- we have to take care of the garden.”

In addition to the tomatoes, the club grows many other vegetables and produce to create edible snack foods, like kale.  After the kale has been harvested, there are different recipes that can utilize the kale, such as kale chips.

“I like kale chips,” said junior Jenna Taormina. “I think it’s great that they’re creating healthy snacks with the food from the gardens.”

Anyone interested in E-Club and Backyard Growers should contact Cara Stockman or see Mr. Cook in room 2207.