Students at Lincoln Elementary School are learning to make healthier eating choices.

They can thank the Give Every Child a Chance After School Advantage Program led by academic manager Mosha Lehouillier who helped tend to the new school garden installed towards the end of the last school year.

Over the summer, she and her father took care of watering and weeding the garden on a regular basis. The result of that were ripe-for-the-picking egg plants, chili peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchinis, to name a few.

“The garden, as a first-time project, had some hits and misses,” Lehouillier said on Friday.

The corn crop, for example, grown along the fence were casualties of the heat.

GECAC students did the harvesting, in turn, learning which produce was ripe. More importantly, they learned how to cook from what they picked from the garden.

“They’re eating healthy, especially if you’re eating what’s in season,” said Lehouillier.

She does the cooking part every other week. From the garden came guacamole, carrot dip, zucchini pizza, and zucchini lasagna.

“Everyone liked the pizza,” said third-grader Alison Joyner.

Rather than seasoning, Lehouillier incorporates herbs into many of the food dishes.

Talks of resurrecting the school garden got started two years ago when the GECAC mural was completed during that time.

“The school had a garden here years ago,” Lehouillier said.

She’s now planning her fall and winter crops, growing possibly pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radish, and beets.

“This is part of my healthy eating plan for throughout the year,” said Lehouillier.