"Genetic Roulette" Film, Friday 10/19/12 @7:30pm

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

Below is another event we are invited to by the ConcordCAN folks for the "Focus on Food" film series. Hope you all may consider attending!

Kitty

CONCORDCAN!  PRESENTS

Friday Night Focus on Food Film Series

Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of our Lives

Friday, October 19, 7:30 pm

Trinitarian Congregational Church

54 Walden Street, Concord Center

Doors open at 7 PM (Hubbard Street Entrance)

Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet about the safety of the food you and your children eat?  When the US government allowed untested genetically engineered groups into our food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions.

Twenty years later, scientists report a growing body of evidence that connects GMO's with health problems, environmental damage and violation of consumer rights.  

Transparency is a fundamental principle to support a democratic society. Dr. Henry Vaillant, Former Chief of the Department of Medicine and Trustee, Emerson Hospital, says:  "You are what you eat and you are entitled to know if your food has been genetically modified."

Genetic Roulette provides compelling evidence to explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future...including food labeling. Learn more about the GMO labeling referendum in California!

93% of Americans believe GMO's should be labeled.

We thank Debra Stark of West Concord’s “Natural Gourmet” who highly recommended the film for our Focus on Food series, and is an advocate for non-GMO foods.

Sustainable Coffee TOMORROW, Tuesday Oct 16 at 7:30 AM

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

Our Gardens for Life friends have invited us to another interesting discussion happening TOMORROW morning at 7:30 - 9am at Harvey Wheeler. See below for more details.

Kitty

What do you think defines a healthy community? Maybe non-GMO, organic and local food is high on your list! Perhaps it could be enough community and neighborhood gardens for all who want to grow our own food?

In any case....here is our chance to learn about the Healthy Concord project, and why your voice is so important! Come to ConcordCAN's Sustainable Coffee TOMORROW, Tuesday Oct 16 at 7:30 AM. See details below. Questions? email deb01742@comcast.net.

Debbie Barr

Sustainable Concord Coffee

Tuesday, October 16, 7:30 to 9AM

Harvey Wheeler Community Center, Clock Tower Room,

Main Street, West Concord

"Public Health and Sustainability in Concord"

Special Guests: Susan Rask and Jill Block

Susan Rask, Concord’s Public Health Director, will discuss the topic of public health and sustainability. She will then introduce Jill Block, who is a staff consultant hired by the Division of Public Health to implement a “Healthy Communities” grant. Our conversation will begin with a very broad definition of what it means to have a healthy community, encompassing mental, emotional, spiritual and environmental health. 

Given this context, we will talk about what Concord needs to be a truly healthy and sustainable community.

We'll have strong coffee, deviled eggs, and more.

Bring your cup, co-workers and friends!

ConcordCAN! hosts monthly Sustainable Concord Coffees the third Tuesday of every month.

We hope that through regular dialogues on sustainability, learning from local experts, and getting to know each other,

Concord will progress more efficiently and effectively toward greater community self-reliance.

Putting Gardens to Rest and Winter Composting Talk, 10/2/12 @7:30p @Harvey Wheeler

Hello Cousins Field Gardeners,

Please join our Gardening for Life friends to hear Mark Hanson discuss how we may put our gardens to rest and what we can do over the winter to compost our beds. Hope to see you there!

Kitty
 

SAVE THE DATE

Gardening for Life

Tuesday, October 2, 7:30 PM at HWCC

Guest speaker: Mark Hanson, Putting gardens to rest and winter composting 

PLEASE NOT THIS IS ON TUESDAY NOT THURSDAY

Mark is an experienced gardener and composting guru. He comes with photos, handouts...and is ready for your questions about prepping gardens now so they are ready to go in the spring. 

Learn about soil improvement using a rotation plan that has simplified soil maintenance. How can we avoid harboring disease/pests in compost??  What about cover crops to improve soil in the spring: either clover or rye?? And when is it ready to be harvested? 

Last year, Mark spoke to a full house at Harvey Wheeler Community Center!  Please RSVP to deb01742@comcast.net to ensure seating!

Sustainable Home Gardening Meeting, Sept. 13th @7:30 @HWCC

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

Would you like to hear more about how to expand our network fo food gardeners? Come to the Gardening for Life September Meeting next Thurs., 9/13 at 7:30pm @Harvey Wheeler CC to learn more. See below for details.

Thanks,

Kitty

 

Gardening for Life September Meeting

Thursday, September 13, 7:30 PM,

at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center in West Concord

Featuring Sustainable Home Gardening

Gardening for Life’s September meeting for aspiring and practicing home and community gardeners will feature a “TED” talk by Roger Doiron, Kitchen Gardens International, entitled “My Subversive Garden Plot", followed by discussion of local actions we can take. In the future, Doiron notes that we will need to use less fossil fuel, less water, and have less land for growing food. Home gardens are sustainable and essential to a healthy, humane food system.

This kick-off meeting will focus on how we can increase visibility, expand our network of food gardeners and build connections with food fans, home gardeners and garden groups as set out in the Concord Food Assessment Report.  There is a LOT going on in Concord about our food system, and if we put our head's together, we will have quite a calendar of films, speakers, books to read, seeds to save and knowledge to share.  

What else can we do?? What would it take to partner with others to  demonstrate edible landscapes around town, season extension infrastructure, support seed-starting and sharing, gleaning, school gardens, organize random acts of gardening etc. etc??? Our meeting in June with representatives from garden clubs, Gaining Ground, Ag Committee, and community gardeners found lots of interests in common. 

Come join us for the next step! The meeting is free and open to the public. Contact Deb01742@comcast.net. For details, go to http://www.concordfood.ning.com.

Garden Swap and Talk (TODAY 8/9/12!)

Please join our Garden for Life friends for a swap and a talk at Harvey Wheeler tonight at 7.

Kitty

Gardening for Life

GARDEN SWAP AND TALK TODAY Thursday, August 9, 7 pm

Save the date for our annual Gardeners Swap and Talk at Harvey Wheeler Community Center parking lot followed by a discussion and review of this year's growing season. Bring your surplus greens, veggies, flowers, jams...or a favorite recipe!  How did you cope with bright skies...and so little rain? What did you plant that seems to thrive...or die? Are you new to gardening...or a veteran grower??

 All are welcomed to share what you know, enjoy great tasting food and good company. Seeconcordfood.ning.com for more information. Questions? Email deb01742@comcast.net.

Food System Assessment Report, Thur. June 14th @7:30 @Harvey Wheeler CC

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

Another invite from our friends at Garden for Life on an important topic: The Food System Assessment Report. Hope you can make it to hear about the results. See below for how to reply.

Thanks,

Kitty

Gardening for Life members and friends

NEXT UP

Thursday, June 14, 7:30 PM, Harvey Wheeler Community Center 

Concord Food System Assessment Report: Building Local Food Connections.

Promote a town wide gardening movement is one of six recommendations!

Community Gardeners and Garden/Life members will gather to review the Concord Food System Assessment Report with Debbie Barr, Debbie Bier and Enid Boasberg, all members of the Concord Community Food Project Steering and Advisory Committee.  Please RSVP by June 12 to deb01742@comcast.net so we can be plan accordingly for handouts etc. 

Packed cover to cover with informative and colorful charts, pictures, graphics and information about our unique and vibrant local food system, the report starts with our agricultural history then quickly moves to current assets and challenges of all facets of the food system in Concord: land use, food production, distribution, processing, storage, manufacturing and waste recovery. 

Will you be part of the conversation? Come on your own, or bring a friend.  Go to: www.concordfood.ning.com for details.

CSA Farm Tour this Sat. June 9th, 9-11am

Hi Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

Here's an invite to a CSA Farm Tour by our friends at Gardens for Life. RSVP below if you'd like to join them!

Thanks,
Kitty

Hello Garden/Life members and friends

Looks like Saturday will be a beautiful day for a CSA Farm Tour and Talk Sat June 9, 9-11 AM!  There is room for 4 more...so for those who leave things to the last minute...here is your chance! Both farms have gorgeous greens and unique stories of how they started PLUS why CSA's are good for them...and for us.

Come on your own, or bring a friend. Please RSVP to deb01742@comcast.net so we can plan accordingly.

See you there!

Debbie Barr

Request for gardeners to work with the next generation!

From our friends at Gardens for Life. Hope you'll consider this nice opportunity!

Kitty

 

Volunteers are needed to help second grade students plant 'the three sisters' garden: (corn, squash and beans) and much more at Battle Road Farms.  

Here are the dates: Alcott on May 18, Thoreau on June 1, and Willard on June 8.  Each of those three days will host 2 classes in the morning, 9:30-12, then 2 classes in the afternoon 12-2:30.

Here is a chance to work with the next generation of "food and garden enthusiasts" in a terrific program between the Concord Public Schools, The Farm School, the Farm-Based Education Association and the Minuteman National Historical Park!

Volunteers help with about 15 kids at a time, with their teacher, a parent chaperone and the farm educator. It is all very well organized, and a fun way to share the most basic information on gardening.  Sign up ASAP with Brooke Redmond, at brooke@farmbasededucation.org

The  farm visits are structured so all students move through a 'round-robin' experience through 3 stations.

After the welcome and introduction:
Station A  2 groups (~20 students)  1 hour of 'field management' with Farmer Dave from the Farm School
Station B  1 group (~10 students)  30 min. vegi farming with Laura of First Root Farm
Station C  1 group (~10 students) 30 min. Three Sisters garden with Park Ranger Judith

There are NO rain dates.  Punctuality and proper dress / footwear are paramount.

Volunteering with the Concord 2nd Grade program at Battle Road Farms is a great way to spend a spring day!

Visit FOOD FOR THOUGHT at: http://concordfood.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Happy Gardening!
Debbie Barr

Parking Reminder

Hello Gardeners-

Just a friendly reminder about parking on the grass at Cousins Field Community Gardens. Only use the area if you need to, as technically it is for unloading. Be careful to enter slowly from Brown St. and leave without driving on the playing fields. We expect the traffic to diminish as we all get our plots going, and hope that we won't need to implement stricter limits. Please be aware that neighbors are concerned and have raised these issues with us.

Thanks,
Kitty & Tracy
Cousing Field Community Garden Co-Coordinators

5th Graders to Pull Garlic Mustard on May 1st!

Hello Gardeners,

Just wanted to give you a heads up that there will be some elementary school kids in the back of the garden on May 1st. Mrs. Erickson's 5th grade class from Thoreau will be coming to pull garlic mustard from Cousins Field and our garden (yea!). This is the same class that monitors Froggy Pond, I believe.

Thanks,

Kitty

Backyard Birds and Bees, May 10th @7:30 @HWCC

 Hello  Cousins Gardeners,

More fun programs being offered by our friends at Garden for Life. Hope you can make one of them. There are many tips below, as well. Be sure to scroll down!

Kitty


Backyard Birds and Bees with Tom and Edie Sisson on  Th May 10, 7:30 PM at Harvey Wheeler Community Center,

If you have ever thought of raising chickens  or keeping bees, then don't miss our May program! 

Tom and Edit Sisson started Thoreau Country Farm as a family project 40 years ago and evolved into a farm business, selling honey and wholesale eggs or hatching eggs for classroom use. Edie oversees about 100 layers and also teaches at Drumlin Farm. (She brought 'Clucky the Chicken' to meet children at the Getting to Green program in 2011!) They also have a small garden for their own consumption. Tom has kept hives for 70 years, and is acknowledged as the 'bee whisperer' of Concord! He manages about 6 bee hives now. Space is limited: Please RSVP by May  5; a wait list will be started. 

Find out more: "When it comes down to it, beekeeping is far less work and far less dangerous that most people would expect",  (http://www.wickedlocal.com/concord/news/x112678806/Hive-king-Sisson-sticks-with-beekeeping-hobby#ixzz1sOWWHWBw)

Member Tips

Thanks to our members for the following tips. (If you know of an event or workshop of interest, let me know and I will forward to members!)

Emily Wheeler forwarded this  link to a food program on PBS that sounds up our alley: http://www.foodforward.tv.  

and another about gardening apps: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/garden/new-gardening-apps.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general 

Lori Pazaris forwarded this notice of a Habitat Gardening lecture coming up next week on Thursday, 4/26/12, Maynard Public Library, 77 Nason St, Maynard, MA, 7:00 pm, lecturer: Ellen Walther Sousa; sponsored by Maynard Community Gardeners; free and open to the public; light refreshments provided.

Learn how to landscape your property as a natural “habitat garden,” providing food, shelter and housing for many birds, pollinators, and other “friendly” forms of wildlife. Ms. Sousa’s gorgeous slides of real New England habitat gardens illustrate gardening techniques that promote and sustain biodiversity, greatly benefiting our surrounding environment.

Ellen Walther Sousa is a writer, teacher, and garden coach living in Worcester Hills on a small farm registered with the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. She has a certificate in Native Plant Horticulture & Design from New England Wild Flower Society, a BA in English from Clark University, and is certified as a Master Habitat Naturalist from Windstar Wildlife Institute. Her new book The Green Garden (2011, Bunker Hill Publishing) has received great reviews so far! She writes and speaks regularly about habitat gardening in New England. 

Mary Lynn Benson forwarded this interesting lecture "How Can we Feed a Growing World and Sustain the Planet" on Tuesday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m., at MIT sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists:

12th Annual Henry Kendall Memorial Lecture:

How Can We Feed A Growing World and Sustain the Planet

When: Tuesday, May 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Where: Wong Auditorium, Tang Center-Building E51, Room 115, MIT, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139.
A reception will immediately follow the lecture. Please check the MIT website for event details.
This year's talk will be given by Professor Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of Minnesota. Foley will discuss how increasing population and wealth, along with changing patterns of diet and consumption, are placing unprecedented demands on the world's agriculture and natural resources. He will discuss possible solutions that could double the world's food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.
The Henry Kendall Memorial Lecture Series honors the memory of Professor Henry Kendall (1926-1999), who was the J.A. Stratton professor of physics at MIT. Kendall received the Nobel Prize in 1990 for research that provided the first experimental evidence for quarks. A founding member of the Union of Concerned Scientists in 1969, he served as its chair for 25 years. 

Red Wiggler Kits and Open Discussion 4/12 from 7:30-9pm at HWCC

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,


Please consider yourself a friend of the Garden for Life group below and see Debbie's invite below. Hope you can make it!


Kitty



GARDEN/LIFE friends and members:

LAST CALL for Red Wiggler kits and Open Discussion to share what we know about gardening basics on THURSDAY APRIL 12 from 7:30 -9 PM.  Enid Boasberg and Emily Wheeler will facilitate the meeting and Ray Pourali will be there to deliver red wiggler kits and talk about vermi-culture. For more info on related events and the Film Screening/Discussion of Greenhorns on Friday April 13, go to www.concordfood.ning.com.

Open Discussion: Share info about the Concord Food Assessment, Seed Library and other food initiatives. Bring your questions!...no matter how basic. Here are some member questions: I'm short on time: What are the easiest veggies to grow? How long does it take for seeds to germinate?  How close should rows be planted? What is square foot gardening? How do I build raised beds? Where do I get good compost? When should I prune?

Vermi-culture

Ray Pourali, Green Planet vermi-culture expert, will bring the kits (about 1/2 lb) and compost tea for pick up on April 12. Place your order: youwillrememberit@gmail.com directly or at the meeting. In order to judge how many kits you will need to create a working compost heap... let him know roughly how many lbs of material you expect to recycle (compost) and if you have an outdoor or indoor compost.

See you on Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 PM at Harvey Wheeler Community Center.

Happy gardening

Debbie Barr

HOW TO PLACE YOUR RED WIGGLER ORDER

What are red wigglers?? What can I compost? If compost smells...what am I doing wrong? By popular demand, join our group order for red wigglers from Ray Pourali, environmental engineer by day and Green Planet Vermi-culture guru all the time! (scroll down for ordering information). Red wigglers are great at making compost out of kitchen and garden scraps. I plan to get two kits (they last well into the fall outside but do not over winter). He also provides a handout on vermi-composting.

Ray will deliver the kits (about 1/2 lb) and compost tea for pick up on April 12. PLEASE EMAIL HIM DIRECTLY to place your order: youwillrememberit@gmail.com. In order to judge how many kits you will need to create a working compost heap... let him know roughly how many lbs of material you expect to recycle (compost) and if you have an outdoor or indoor compost.

Ray says: I have exactly what you need to start a new compost bin, or to boost an existing one.  The key is the micro-organisms that go along with the worms. I will increase the worm quantity based on the expected available "food" scraps for the worms.

By using a compost bin, you will have a great control over the population and general well being of the worms. Please let me know if you need any help with making your compost bin.  I have tried a few designs and can share the info with you.  The total cost for having a very good compost bin is $9, compost tea $5. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be glad to provide all the information you may need. 

All packages include care instructions and I provide long term support to ensure you have a successful experience. Looking forward to hear back from you, 

Cheers,  Ray

April/Early May Garlic Mustard Pull

Hello Gardeners,

I forgot to mention that April/early May is the time that nasty Garlic Mustard comes out. The best defense against this invasive is to get rid of it when the soil is relatively moist - grasp low and firmly on the plant and tug it gently until the main root loosens from the soil and the entire plant pulls out. As long as there aren't any flowers you can just drop it where it is. If there are flowers already, get rid of it by disposing in the trash.

Please be on the lookout for it during our Clean Up Days and beyond, in the rear of the garden behind the raspberries as well as on the perimeter for this nasty stuff. Here's a link so you know what it looks like: Plant Conservation Alliance Fact Sheet.

Thanks!

Two Dates for Spring Garden Clean Up

Credit to FCIT for use of this image.

Hello Gardeners,

April has started out pretty much as we suspected, blustery and cool but there's some nice sun out during the day time hours. With this thought, its time to think about our Spring Cleanup! I had mentioned in our Feb. meeting that the clean up date would be: April 14th with the 15th as a rain date. It sounded good at the time, however, it's also the start of school vacation week and we're going away! So, in light of this, Tracy and I have decided to hold two cleanup dates:

Sat. April 7th (Kitty will be there from 2-4pm)

Sat. April 14th (Tracy will be there from 9-11am)

Rain date, April 15th

We hope you can make either one of these dates to clean up your garden plot and if you are in the berry co-ops, please ask the coordinators how you can help them (Margaret G. - Raspberries, Barbara P. - Blueberries).

Frank C. has not been able to do much clean up this year due to his knee operation, so if your plot is already quite clear of rocks and other debris (including black plastic and wood chips), please help others. This will help the Town employees when they come to do the rototilling (date TBD).

Please wear gloves and bring large plastic trash bags for debris.  If you cannot participate on these dates, please plan to visit your plot between now and then to clear it of any rocks and debris. Please dispose of all rocks in the back of the garden in the rock pile. Do not place in paths or in the perimeter as this will interfere with weed clearing and mowing later in the season. Anything not removed by April 14th will be disposed of that day.

If you are a new gardener, we'll be contacting you in a separate email about plot locations soon!

Thanks for every one's help and see you this weekend (or next)!

Kitty & Tracy

Cousins Field Community Garden Co-Coordinators 

 

Debbie Barr, our friend and fellow gardener, has invited everyone to a movie tonight called Dirt! which will be held at 7:30 at Alcott School. Hope you can make it! They're also raffling off a Farmstead 4x4 mortise and tenon raised garden bed! Should be a fun night. Hope to see you there.

Kitty

I hope  you can join us for a terrific evening focused on ---DIRT! As community gardeners you can appreciate the importance of the topic...so I hope you will come and forward to your members!

Here are the details:

The ‘Focus on Food Film and Discussion series’ presents ‘Dirt! The Movie’, full of heart and soil, on Friday, March 16 at 7:30 pm, at the Alcott School, 93 Laurel Street. The Film Series is co-sponsored by ConcordCAN and the Walden Woods Project. Doors open at 7 PM. One way to get your hands dirty is to enter a raffle for a Farmstead 4x4 mortise and tenon raised garden bed. Raffle tickets are $1 each at the screening. 

Dirt! The Movie tells the story of the glorious and under-appreciated material beneath our feet. The film looks closely at the living organic matter that feeds us, holds and cleans our water, and regulates the earth’s climate. It also offers many ways to build a more sustainable relationship with this precious resource.

Come at 7pm and see the compost display, and stay after the film for speakers and discussion. Brian Cramer, Manager of Hutchins Farm, will speak about farm soils in Concord and organic methods for building up soil. Mark Hanson, composting advocate and experienced gardener, will demonstrate composting techniques for home gardens.

‘Dirt! The Movie’ is a widely praised Official Sundance Selection. “The film excels. It is a playful, spiritual tale of the soil beneath our feet” says Documentary.org  and Variety calls it “Thought provoking…welcome humor and visual pizzazz.” 

Attached is the flyer! Learn more: www.concordfood.ning.com orwww.dirtthemovie.org. 

If Concord Schools are closed due to bad weather, the program will be cancelled.

See you there, 

Debbie Barr

Seed Swap and Meeting 3/6 @7:30 at Harvey Wheeler

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,


You are invited by our Gardens for Life friends to a seed swap and meeting this Tues. 3/6. Hope you can make it!


Kitty 


Garden/Life members and friends! 

Join us for our SEED SWAP AND TALK MEETING  this coming TUESDAY MARCH 6, 7:30 PM at Harvey Wheeler Community Center with experienced seed saver and gardener, Debbie Bier, who will speak briefly about seed starting techniques, transplanting and hedging our bets in an unpredictable garden season. Please RSVP by Monday March 5 if you plan to attend. Scroll down for info on how links to templates to package your seeds to share! We will have materials on hand to make seed packets  as well. 

WHY SWAP? By sharing seed (they can be from the last or current growing season) we make sure we don't end up holding more than can be used before the seeds lose their viability, and we can buy larger packets of seed without waste. We also get to see how the same plants grow in a different garden with a different gardener tending them, which can be hugely educational. It's a great way to try out a plant without "committing" to a whole packet of seed.  Lastly, when we take on new seed, we can learn something about how the plant grew from others who have tried it themselves. (Scroll down for seed prep directions)

A BIG thank you to all of you who joined the group order of FEDCO seeds: We all get a 22% discount as a result! 

SO....Come join us on your own, or bring a friend!  Please RSVP by Monday, March 5 to deb01742@comcast.net!  For food related information, go towww.concordfood.ning.com or to www.concordcan.org for information on building community.  

See you on Tuesday!

Debbie Barr

GET READY TO SWAP!

Debbie Bier’s Directions for Seed Sharing

Please come with your seeds already set up in small packets to give away -- it's up to you how many you want to put in each packet. Have each packet already labeled with the name of plant, the year the seeds were packaged for, plus anything else you think will be helpful.  

Please write the full name of the plant and if you also tell who supplied it (including seed you saved yourself) on each packet, gardeners can look up specifics online. Be prepared to answer questions about your experience growing this plant. You can also bring seeds packaged in their original envelope to give away, or to refer to if questions come up.

If you have very small envelopes or tiny ziplock bags already hanging around, you can use those for sharing. The below links allow you to repurpose paper already on hand into homemade envelopes.

Simple origami seed packet: 
http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2008/12/make-your-own-paper-seed-packets.html

More complex origami seed packet:http://maggiewang.com/2008/06/26/origami-seed-packets

Another origami seed packet:http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Growing_food/Origami_seed_packets/

Use your printer, glue or tape:http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2009/08/make-your-own-seed-packets-packet.html
You can also use this link http://www.gardensandcrafts.com/files/seedpackets/sp_blank   . This format  includes basic info ready for you to write or type in...and shared by member Enid Boasberg.

Tomato Seedlings!

Spring can't be far now, Verrill Farm has posted their tomato seedling order form : http://www.verrillfarm.com/PDF/2012_tomatoorder.pdf

From Tracy S.

Gardens for Life Meeting on Ordering Seeds for Various Growing Conditions and Cold Frames

An invite from our friend Debbie Barr for a talk tonight, Feb. 9th at Harvey Wheeler Community Center at 7:30 PM.


Hope you can make it!
Kitty


Hello Fellow Gardeners, 

Come on your own, or bring a friend! Garden/Life program is today, FEBRUARY 9 AT 7:30 PM at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. We will talk about ordering seeds for various growing conditions AND how to make (and use) a cold frame with experienced gardeners Debbie Bier (FEDCO and seeds) and David Bearg (cold frame construction). RSVP to deb01742@comcast.net

Speaker David Bearg, eco-design gardener and engineer will talk with powerpoint to illustrate Building and Use of Cold frames; Learn how to design, build and use coldframes to extend the growing season in early spring and late fall.

  

Debbie Bier, East Quarter Community Gardens, will talk about what to seeds to order online for our joint FEDCO order. Share info on your favorites and losers. The more people sign up, the bigger the discount. Save Money! Support this employee owned, seed company with a non-Monsanto/Genetically Modified policy. Bring past plant lists or your current seed order form...or paper/pen to take notes!

See you tonight!

Debbie Barr

Film "Food Fight" Feb. 17th, 7:30-9:30 @Alcott school

This message is from our friend Debbie Barr, who would like to invite you to this film and discussion. Hope you can make it!

Kitty

The Focus on Food film series is part of ConcordCAN's Food for Thought campaign to start a public conversation about food. 

Our next film, Food Fight, includes two terrific speakers: Scott Soares, Agriculture Commissioner and a food entrepreneur, JD Kemp. 

For anyone interested in food and gardening...this is a great opportunity to consider how our local growers fit into the regional picture...and what MA consumers should do regarding the Farm Bill 2012...coming up this year in Washington. May be  our last chance for 5 years to change the direction.

I know members of the Ag Committee will be coming, and I hope you will come too! We need GARDENER voices heard! Scroll down for the invitation..and feel free to add your own message to your membership.

The Film Series is cosponsored with the Walden Woods Project.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION! 

Focus on Food Friday Night Film and Discussion Series

Friday, February 17^th, 7:30-9:30 PM, Alcott School   Doors open at 7 PM.   

“Food Fight”

screening & discussion with 

Scott Soares, MA Commissioner of Agricultural Resources

J.D. Kemp, CEO of Organic Renaissance FOODEx

Our speakers will bring us up to date on initiatives in our Northeast regional food system 

as well as the impact of the 2012 Farm Bill on farm land conservation, small farms and consumers.

                    

How did it happen that our food today is lower in taste and nutrition, and higher in fat and salt, than it was in 1960? And that in just two generations, American consumers of food have traded under-supply and malnutrition for excess and obesity?  

Food Fight tells the story.

Winner of the prestigious Audience Award from the International Documentary Association,  the film features interviews with Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Marion Nestle, and other chefs, farmers, and politicians who are dedicated to reversing recent trends. 

This film screening is co-hosted by ConcordCAN and the Walden Woods Project. Learn more at: concordfood.ning.com

If Concord Schools are closed due to bad weather, the program will be cancelled.      

MORE ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: 

Scott Soares is an advocate of sustainable farming and has taken a leadership role in building strong partnerships at the local, state and regional level aimed at achieving this goal. He grew up on his family farm, and joined the Department of Agriculture in 1996. His primary focus is enhancing economic opportunities for the Commonwealth’s farming community that meets the needs of an increasingly discerning public that is keenly interested in sustainable agriculture.

J.D. Kemp launched Boston-based Organic Renaissance Food Exchange in 2009 to help 're-regionalize' the Northeast food system. Food Ex offers an online platform to local food buyers such as restaurants and grocery stores, plus warehousing and logistical support so they can purchase directly from local food producers.

Concord Community Food Report Information Sharing Session 2/2/12 at Harvey Wheeler Auditorium at 7pm

Hello Gardeners,

Please consider attending this event below to listen as well as share your ideas about farming, connections and growing food.

Kitty

Everyone eats! And, how and what we eat has a direct impact on our human and environmental health. You are invited to join the Concord Community Food Report Committee (CCFRC) on Thursday, February 2^ndfrom 7pm to 9pm at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center Auditorium for a lively discussion and information-sharing session about Concord's food system today and your visions for the future. The meeting will be facilitated by the Conway School graduate student team writing the report; with refreshments provided by Concord's own Trail's End Café.

The whole community is needed to contribute to the Food Story in Concord, so bring your ideas, work and projects to Thursday night’s discussion. Some of the questions we need to explore include: what to do to improve food and health awareness; how we can improve connections between local farmers and local buyers; can Concord better contribute to a regional food system; and can we leverage the data gathered about Concord’s food system to advance innovations in the food community. What questions do you want to ask and have answered?

The Concord Community Food Report Committee is a collaboration of people who live and/or work in Concord who are interested in food; everything from what food we like to how we procure, prepare, produce, and distribute it. All sectors of the community are represented – citizen groups, non-profit organizations, local businesses, schools, farmers and government. To learn more about the Food Report, visit the Food for Thought website: http://concordfood.ning.com/