11-08-2021 Growing Asian Vegetables with Florence Nishida. Florence Nishida is a botanist, mycologist, and life-long gardener. In 2008, she joined the Master Gardeners of LA County after retiring from careers in teaching English at LAUSD, editorial research at Time Inc., and research in mycology at the Natural History Museum of LA County (NHM). Florence always dreamed of having a vegetable garden and a fruit tree on every block in Los Angeles. In 2010, she persuaded the NHM to let her install a small teaching garden where she taught vegetable gardening and food-related workshops as part of an inner-city community project. Aware that South LA was a “food desert” or “fast food central”, she sought direct ways to confront systemic problems like the lack of access to healthy food, and high rates of chronic disease in under-resourced communities. As a result, Florence co-founded LA Green Grounds in 2010, together with two of her students, one of them being now famous urban "Guerrilla Gardener" Ron Finley. The goal was to teach “where people live” and create active classrooms directly in these neighborhoods. LA Green Grounds is a 501©3, all-volunteer organization, which empowers residents to access fresh, healthy, organically-grown food by teaching and organizing gardenbuilding “dig-in” events, and converting water-wasting lawns into food gardens. In 2016, LA Green Grounds started its own teaching garden, where Florence holds regular workshops for adults and children.Florence Nishida: Growing Asian Vegetables Florence Nishida, botanist and mycologist, educates our members about growing Asian Vegetables. Florence is the co-founder of LA Green Grounds, which empowers residents in South LA to access fresh, healthy, organically-grown food by teaching and organizing garden-building “dig-in” events, and converting water-wasting lawns into food gardens. One of the co-founders is the now famous Guerilla and Urban Gangsta gardener, Ron Finley. (Top two photos courtesy F. Nishida) lagreengrounds.org