MARCH NEWSLETTER
Spotlight: Environmental Education

Hey Hidden Villa!

As you will see in our spring line-up, Hidden Villa is actively engaging this special place to create a vibrant farm and wilderness experience through education, inclusion, and community engagement. Every day we are creating safe, fun, and meaningful programs and removing barriers to access, we are giving people something that they might not know that they need right now: Hidden Villa!

Through partnerships and mentorship, we are nurturing leaders of all ages to cultivate a deep sense of wonder, growing more connected to one self, new community, and to nature. While we may not always get it right, we remain dedicated to learning, growing, and building a community where everyone feels valued and heard.

If you have the ability to join us with a small gift to make all of this happen, or if you missed your parking fee at the kiosk at some point :), please make a donation this spring — this is so important right now. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

– Elliott (he/him), Executive Director

Wellness in the Time of Wildfires

Though Hidden Villa is several hundred miles from the site of the Los Angeles fires, we saw the impacts here in Los Altos Hills.

Pasadena Waldorf High School was scheduled for an overnight field trip at Hidden Villa when the Eaton Canyon fire broke out in their local area. We later learned that their elementary school had burned down and that many families in the community were displaced. Teachers weren’t sure that they would be able to continue with their trip as planned. After some discussion, they decided that what the students needed most was to be together. So, instead of cancelling their trip, they decided to expand the trip to include their senior class, which wasn’t initially slated to attend.

During this field trip, we witnessed students find joy in rubbing piglet bellies, get excited over a collaborative challenge in making shapes with rope, spontaneously sing over hot cocoa, and express their sadness and sense of loss. There was space here for all of that – for them to be their full selves.

A student shared a poem they wrote while on a program at Hidden Villa:

Ball
by August Eberle

I’m as happy
as
hot co-co
as
the rain
as
Fertilized soil
as
a warm glass
dripping with
condensation
as lichen on
a rotting
log though
as I sit
as I think
as time passes
as I look at a window
crying tears of rain
not all are happy
The balance is what matters
I am humbled.
Satisfied.

In this time of uncertainty and rapid change, Hidden Villa offers something real and grounding. Environmental literacy is core to the work we do, and equally important are lessons in social-emotional learning, self-care, and wellness. The students of Pasadena Waldorf experienced this at Hidden Villa. Climate change and wildfires will, unfortunately, continue to be a reality for our youth. Knowing how to meet these challenges with resilience, empathy, and in collaboration with each other will be of utmost importance.

Fires spread by throwing embers, but so do ideas, love, and care. Thank you for sharing your spark with us, students.

-Christina Emmett (she/her), Senior Manager of Education

Registration for the 2025-26 school year will be opening in early May for schools with UPC 50% and higher. General registration will open in early June. Stay posted for details.

Learn More about Hidden Villa Field Trips

ANNOUNCEMENTS

[Walter’s Video Here]

Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts Festival

Don’t miss our Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts Festival on Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. With crafts and shearing demos, live music and farm-fresh food, you’ll experience the journey from sheep to shawl!

Register Today

Calling All Makers!

Calling fiber artists and makers! Showcase your creations in our Makers Gallery at the Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts Festival. Interested? Submit below to share your art.

Register Today

From Sheep to Stitch: “Try It On!” with Fiber Artist Ally Kraus

Meet fiber arts educator (and Hidden Villa team member) Ally Kraus of the Microfiber School at our upcoming Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts Festival! Are you curious about fiber arts? Come “Try it On” with Ally and other fiber artists from across the Bay Area.  As a visitor, you will be guided through the fascinating transformation process—from sheep being sheared to fleece becoming functional, beautiful materials.

As a dedicated textile educator, Ally emphasizes the versatility and practicality of fiber arts. “There are so many textiles around you—your clothing, curtains, bedding, furniture—there are lots of ways to think about how you can make things yourself or embellish what you already have,” she shares.

The Sheep Shearing event offers both inspiration and hands-on education. Visitors will witness each stage of the wool-to-fabric journey through live demonstrations. These showcases highlight how fleece is transformed into yarn and eventually into woven or knitted goods. The event also features a special Maker Gallery displaying finished works that illustrate the creative possibilities of fiber arts.

“Even if you don’t decide to make these items yourself, you’ll gain a better understanding of the process,” notes Ally. “This knowledge makes you a more informed consumer of textiles that surround us daily.”

Whether you’re an experienced fiber artist or simply curious about how your favorite sweater came to be, there’s something for everyone to discover at this event. Visitors of all ages can participate in beginner-friendly activities and may find themselves inspired to incorporate fiber arts into their own lives.

For those who catch the fiber arts bug, Ally offers regular classes and resources through Microfiber School. You can connect with her at microfiberschool.com or follow @microfiberschool on Instagram for upcoming workshops and events throughout the San Jose area.

Don’t miss our Sheep Shearing & Fiber Arts Festival! Experience the journey from sheep to stitch—it might just inspire your next creative adventure!

Natural Science Saturdays

Discover nature’s seasonal patterns through our Natural Science Saturdays. Expert presentations plus field experiences transform facts into understanding. Join us 10am-12 pm at the Wolken Education Center.

Learn More

Umoja Pranayama: Breathwork Fundamentals

Join instructor Adeshina Shindara for breathing techniques that reduce stress and build self-compassion. Experience a beautiful space to connect with your breath, body, and inner calm.

Learn More

Afterschool Adventures

Let nature inspire your 2nd- 4th graders at Hidden Villa’s After School Adventures! Meets Fridays 3:30-5:30 pm, Feb 7- Apr 4. Eight weeks of farm, wilderness, and hands-on outdoor exploration.

 

Learn More

Become a Volunteer Guide

Join our team as a volunteer outdoor guide at Hidden Villa. Share your passion for nature while leading Pre-K through 6th-grade field trips through our farm and wilderness areas.

 

Learn More

The SF Opera is Coming to Hidden Villa

Join Our Team

February: Fall in Love with Community Supported Agriculture!

​“Work is love made visible.​” – Kahlil Gibran

This time of year when our collective focus turns to love, and red and pink decorations seem to adorn every corner, I’m taking some time to reflect on what’s important to me; people, places, activities, all of it. Of course farming is a big part of that. At its core farming is a labor of love. It’s hard work that you have to feel passionately about ​in order to stay motivated, and when practiced regeneratively the work is all about care; caring for the land, the ​water, the creatures that we share ​this place with, and caring for our community with good food and beautiful flowers.

As we prepare for our 2025 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) registration – opening Tuesday, March 4th!! – I’m rereading our end-of-year survey from 2024 to build inspiration for the year ahead. There’s a lot of love and appreciation shared there, plenty to warm my heart. Here are a few for you to enjoy.

With love,

Lanette Anderson, Hidden Villa CSA Manager

Learn More about our CSA

​”Picking up our basket on Thursdays has become a ritual for me and my kids. I’m in awe of how much care, love, and work go into the program and so appreciative of all the farmers and staff who make this happen.​”

 

“I love the feeling of community created by the team. I love knowing my produce is sustainably grown near my home.”

 

“My kids have grown up with Hidden Villa. I love that it is a part of our family.​”

-2024 CSA members

Announcements:

Explore more of our Natural Science Saturday classes with Hidden Villa Senior Naturalist extraordinaire, Garth Harwood, on our website.

Centennial Corner:

Hidden Villa,

I wonder if many who visit know about your origins. Do they know about the native Ohlone people, Hidden Villa’s earliest known settlers? Or that the creek once ran year-round? Do they know about Frank and Josephine Duveneck and their four children who chose to create Hidden Villa with their land? How about how much of a feminist and knowledge-lover Josephine was?

There is a lot to unpack with Hidden Villa. With their history in mind, this will be a love letter to Hidden Villa, those who came before, and those who helped build it.

First, to the Ohlone who came before, I will forever think of Hidden Villa in memory of you. As I walk near the creek, I can see you fishing in the creek. As I walk in the valley, I can see you gathering bunchgrasses in the valley for basket-weaving. As I walk on the hill, I see you hunting deer and gathering acorns. I feel your presence on this land, and thank you for taking care of it.

Second, to the Duvenecks who built Hidden Villa, I will forever thank your generous, compassionate family for seeing your property as an opportunity to improve the land by creating a watershed, advance social justice by housing World War II refugees and Japanese-American victims, and promote environmental education for children. Thank you for creating such an inclusive and beautiful space. 

Lastly, to those at Hidden Villa, thank you for carrying on their mission. As I work with Hidden Villa, I feel their values in the people on this land. Here, there are people who love and respect nature just as much as I do, and those who share my views. Here, I feel at home and at peace. Thank you for making this the space I see it as today.

To Hidden Villa’s 100th anniversary and continued flourishment…

Love,

Kathleen Zhu

Community Corner:

Join the Team:

January: Happy New Year!

FEATURE

Growing Forward- Hidden Villa 2024 Highlights

As we welcome 2025, we’re reflecting on a remarkable year of growth, learning, and community at Hidden Villa. In our centennial year, we deepened our commitment to environmental education and accessible outdoor experiences for all.

Our Environmental Education Programs reached 9,528 students across 215 schools, spanning 82 zip codes. Through farm tours, wilderness explorations, and youth development programs, we awarded over $56,000 in scholarships, ensuring nature-based education remains accessible to all Bay Area youth. 

Summer Camp celebrated another vibrant season, serving 710 campers from 130 different zip codes. Last year we provided nearly $230,000 in camp scholarships and introduced Watershed Wanderers, our new backpacking program focusing on watershed ecology for older campers.

Our centennial celebration brought the community together with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s inspiring keynote and a delicious farm-to-table meal cooked by guest chefs Jesse Z. Cool and Bryan Thuerk. We broke records with Outstanding in the Field, having their longest dinner table to date. 

Thanks to generous supporters, we welcomed two new tractors to tend our land. Our commitment to food security continued through regular produce donations to Community Services Agency Mountain View and we returned to the Los Altos farmers market. We expanded our annual sheep shearing event with a new fiber arts and sustainable fashion exhibit.  

Thank you for being part of our journey as we enter our next century of environmental stewardship and education. We look forward to the opportunities the new year has in store.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Get Ready for Summer Camp 2025!

Have you heard? Summer Camp 2025 is going to be the best summer yet! Camp Registration starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 18! We would love to have your camper join us for the first time on the 13th!

What kind of programming do we offer?

• Day Camp for kiddos entering Kindergarten – 4th grade
• Overnight Camps for those entering 4th grade – 12th grade
  • 5 day and 12 day programs
• Teen Leadership Opportunities!
  • Backpacking Programs in the Santa Cruz Mountains for rising 9th – 12th graders
  • Leaders in Training (LIT) program for rising 11th Graders!
  • Counselors in Training (CIT) program for rising 12th Graders (2 PAID, one-week internships after the training session)!

Everyone! Especially those who like being outdoors, might get a thrill from hugging a goat, want to try a vegetable they’ve never tasted, enjoy getting to know new people from different backgrounds, want to learn about nature, and immerse themselves in the wonders of wilderness. Maybe this sounds new to your kiddo or maybe we are speaking their language- either way, our team is trained to meet each camper where they’re at and work to make them feel comfortable and safe. Camp is a great time to put down technology for a little and sink your toes in the cool creek water, sit in the shade and make a friendship bracelet or challenge yourself by trying something new like archery, backpacking or the high ropes course!

Can I afford to send my child to camp?

We have a robust Financial Aid program. Anyone who applies during or after registration is eligible to receive some amount of aid. Please do not let finances be a barrier to sending a loved one to camp. Spread the word far and wide because people sometimes think that Hidden Villa Camp is outside of their means and we know that Josephine Duveneck would not want that to be the case! 

ALSO! We are hiring! What’s camp without the incredible people who make it happen? Check out our openings HERE!

Any and all questions should be sent to camp@hiddenvilla.org. Let’s have some fun!

Register Today!

Start the new year with fresh air and fresh perspectives! Join us for weekend adventures at Hidden Villa, where our engaging programs offer the perfect blend of discovery, outdoor fun, and community connection.

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SPOTLIGHT: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AT HIDDEN VILLA

CENTENNIAL CORNER

COMMUNITY CORNER

Baby, it’s cold outside! Warm up with a cozy winter recipe from our CSA Manager, Lanette. She’s sharing her favorite dish featuring ingredients we grow right here at Hidden Villa. Get ready to bring some farm-fresh comfort to your kitchen.

Preheat over to 400. Peel the winter squash deeply so that all the skin is cleanly removed. Cut the squash in half and scape out the seeds and pulp. Slice the squash meat into large ‘rainbow shaped’ slices that are about 1/2 inch thick. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 ½ teaspoons salt until well coated. Lay out the squash in a single layer onto oven trays and roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until tender and golden browned (on the underside). While the squash is roasting, prepare the tomato sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, garlic, vinegar, oregano, and rosemary. Stir regularly, stewing the tomatoes down into a thick and chunky sauce. This should take 30 minutes, Remove the squash from the oven. In a large casserole dish or cast iron pan spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, next a thin layer of half the roasted squash pieces, and then a generous layer of tomato sauce but not more than half of what is left. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top and then repeat with another layer beginning with the other half of the squash, then sauce, and then the remainder of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Voilà! Winter Squash Gratin!

JOIN THE TEAM