Steve's Urban Garden Experiment & CSA Development!

Organic vs. Conventional Farming: 30 Year Study Complete!

2011-09-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

Rodale Institute Website

Study debunks myths on organic farms

The results are in from a 30-year side-by-side trial of conventional and organic farming methods at Pennsylvania's Rodale Institute. Contrary to conventional wisdom, organic farming outperformed conventional farming in every measure.
There are about 1,500 organic farmers in Saskatchewan, at last count. They eschew the synthetic fertilizers and toxic sprays that are the mainstay of conventional farms. Study after study indicates the conventional thinking on farming - that we have to tolerate toxic chemicals because organic farming can't feed the world - is wrong.
In fact, studies like the Rodale trials (www.rodaleinstitute.org/ fst30years) show that after a three-year transition period, organic yields equalled conventional yields. What is more, the study showed organic crops were more resilient. Organic corn yields were 31 per cent higher than conventional in years of drought.
These drought yields are remarkable when compared to genetically modified (GM) "drought tolerant" varieties, which showed increases of only 6.7 per cent to 13.3 per cent over conventional (non-drought resistant) varieties.
More important than yield, from the farmer's perspective, is income, and here organic is clearly superior. The 30-year comparison showed organic systems were almost three times as profitable as the conventional systems. The average net return for the organic systems was $558/acre/ year versus just $190/acre/year for the conventional systems. The much higher income reflects the premium organic farmers receive and consumers pay for.
But even without a price premium, the Rodale study found organic systems are competitive with the conventional systems because of marginally lower input costs.
The most profitable grain crop was the organically grown wheat netting $835/acre/year. Interestingly, no-till conventional corn was the least profitable, netting just $27/acre/year. The generally poor showing of GM crops was striking; it echoed a study from the University of Minnesota that found farmers who cultivated GM varieties earned less money over a 14-year period than those who continued to grow non-GM crops.
Importantly, the Rodale study, which started in 1981, found organic farming is more sustainable than conventional systems. They found, for example, that:
. Organic systems used 45 per cent less energy than conventional.
. Production efficiency was 28 per cent higher in the organic systems, with the conventional no-till system being the least efficient in terms of energy usage.
. Soil health in the organic systems has increased over time while the conventional systems remain essentially unchanged. One measure of soil health is the amount of carbon contained in the soil. Carbon performs many crucial functions: acting as a reservoir of plant nutrients, binding soil particles together, maintaining soil temperature, providing a food source for microbes, binding heavy metals and pesticides, and influencing water holding capacity and aeration. The trials compared different types of organic and conventional systems; carbon increase was highest in the organic manure system, followed by the organic legume system. The conventional system has shown a loss in carbon in recent years.

. Organic fields increased groundwater recharge and reduced run-off. Water volumes percolating through the soil were 15-20 per cent higher in the organic systems. Rather than running off the surface and taking soil with it, rainwater recharged groundwater reserves in the organic systems, with minimal erosion.
Organic farming also helps sustain rural communities by creating more jobs; a UN study shows organic farms create 30 per cent more jobs per hectare than nonorganic. More of the money in organic farming goes to paying local people, rather than to farm inputs.
With results like these, why does conventional wisdom favour chemical farming? Vested interests. Organic farming keeps more money on the farm and in rural communities and out of the pockets of chemical companies. As the major funders of research centres and universities, and major advertisers in the farm media, they effectively buy a pro-chemical bias.
Still, the global food security community, which focuses on poor farmers in developing countries, is shifting to an organic approach. Numerous independent studies show that small scale, organic farming is the best option for feeding the world now and in the future. In fact, agroecological farming methods, including organic farming, could double global food production in just 10 years, according to one UN report.

Saturday Sept 24 1-3 PM Odette Sculpture Park

2011-09-22T14:09:00.003-04:00

Saturday Sept 24 1-3 PM Odette Sculpture Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2011

Windsor to Join Thousands of Climate Rallies across the Globe

On Saturday, September 24th starting at 1:00 pm, Windsor on Watch (WOW), in coalition with the Council of Canadians Windsor-Essex Chapter, will join with communities around the world in a global day of Climate Change action.
This year’s theme, “Moving Planet,” is being sponsored by the organization 350.org. September 24th is designated as a worldwide day of action for solutions to climate change with hundreds of thousands of people moving with fossil fuel-free modes of transportation.
The public is encouraged to join in a walking tour of the riverfront Odette Sculpture Garden. The tour will begin at 1:00 on Saturday, September 24th at riverfront parking lot near the Pumping Station at the foot of Caron Avenue. It will proceed to the Ambassador Bridge and back, stopping at sculptures along the way. Presenters will highlight our city’s beautiful outdoor art installations while drawing links between the artist’s themes and the reality of climate change.
“The walkway through the Odette Sculpture Garden along the Detroit River is a terrific location for our community to gather this coming Saturday afternoon and consider both the creations of humankind and nature and the impact that they are having on each other”, says Randy Emerson, a spokesperson for WOW. “Many of the sculptures present themes relating to the perils of climate change and challenge us to take action to stop further damage to our environment.”
Afterwards, everyone is invited to Phog Lounge at 157 University Ave West for videos, discussion, and music.
Anyone with concerns about their health, the health of Windsor, or the health of the planet is encouraged to participate in this exciting public event.
.
For further information, please contact Randy Emerson at 519-817-2618, Pat Noonan at 519-256-1497 or Jim Brophy at 519-735-2944.

Tainted Dollars?

2011-09-20T13:04:00.000-04:00

Tainted Dollars: Dirty Money from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Tainted Dollars?

I've included the main article from grist.com here, then some subsequent blogs and articles about this donation by Wal-Mart to Growing Power. Interesting stuff. Love to hear your feedback everyone!

First, as reported on GRIST:

Last week, retail behemoth Walmart announced a $1.01 million donation to Milwaukee-based Growing Power, a well-known urban farming nonprofit, whose founder Will Allen has gained many accolades for his hard work to bring local, healthy food to low-income areas.

So far the online debate over Growing Power taking this funding is predictable: Some defend it for pragmatic reasons, while others deplore the move, either because they don't like this particular company or they think all corporate money is evil. However, this donation cannot be viewed in such a narrow context. There is a pattern here that spans decades. By partnering with a group that could otherwise be one of its staunchest critics, Walmart is taking a page right out of the Big Tobacco playbook: buying silence.

Philanthropy to win over potential critics is a time-honored tradition in Corporate America, and this is the just the latest installment. The tobacco industry saw great success with sponsorships of women's causes (Philip Morris promoted its support of women's shelters in ads, for instance) and both the tobacco and alcohol industries have simultaneously made significant donations to Latino groupswhile heavily targeting them with advertising. In fact, they've done the same with a number of other minority groups, as I've described before.

Of course Growing Power needs the cash and will do good things with it. It's understandable, in these hard times, how the group could justify taking it. Why not put a corporation's profits to good use? Viewed in that narrow frame, there's logic in taking almost any donation.

But what happens if Walmart's pledge made earlier this year -- with the first lady by their side -- to sell more fresh produce at affordable prices, falls through (or squeezes farmers), as it inevitably will? What happens next year, when Allen needs more money, and Walmart ups the ante? One colleague I spoke to says he has no problem with the deal, as long as Walmart doesn't ask for a seat on Growing Power's board. But they just might.

It's not at all clear where Growing Power is drawing the line. On their blog, Allen defends the move by arguing that we "can no longer refuse to invite big corporations to the table of the Good Food Revolution."

Invite them to the table? These corporations -- McDonald's, PepsiCo, Kraft, and especially Walmart -- have already been to the table: In fact, they have set the table.

Corporate America can hardly claim that it's been left out of the conversation about our food supply. My book, Appetite for Profit, was inspired by the retaliation the food industry has leveled against its critics. Retaliation in the form of a massive public relations campaign designed to convince the American public and policymakers alike that they have the public's interest in mind.

McDonald's pushing cheeseburgers and fries? No problem, now they sell salads. General Mills promoting sugary cereals to kids? Enter whole grain Reese's Puffs. Not enough access to fresh food in poor areas? Walmart to the rescue.

Meanwhile, any policy effort to reform the food system in more meaningful ways is resisted by these same companies with powerful lobbying campaigns. Walmart is no exception to this pattern. Last year, the retail chain's lobbying expenditures topped $6 million.

Christopher Cook (author of Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis -- which I highly recommend) recently hit the nail on the head. He posted to a list-serve arguing that such donations are "not only tainted but tied to political allegiance with the corporate agenda." He went on to say:

The PR and influence that Walmart and others gain from this "charitable giving" expands their corporate power and their market control -- the very things that are directly undermining our food system, sustainability, and food access and justice. These corporations are a huge part of precisely why we are in such deep trouble with our food today. It's not just about "tainted" dollars, it's about how these corporations will profit (and they will) both economically and politically by buying market share in the food justice movement.

Andy Fisher, former head of the Community Food Security Coalition, also wrote an excellent critique on Civil Eats, where he concluded that Walmart cannot possibly be part of the solution to our broken food system because the company "hurts communities more than it helps them."

So what then, I hear many asking, is the alternative given that the money is still sorely needed? Cook offers an admittedly more challenging solution: "We need a strongly united movement pushing aggressively for public investment in the great and vital work of Growing Power and other groups."

I agree. Let's get to work.

Michele Simon is a public health lawyer specializing in industry marketing and lobbying tactics. She is the author of Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back. She is grateful to live in Oakland, Calif., within walking distance of a farmers market. You can follow her on Twitter.

Second, Andy Fisher's Blog:

Growing Power Takes Massive Contribution from Wal-Mart: A Perspective on Money and the Movement

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

September 16th, 2011 By Andy Fisher

Everyone hates fundraising. I am one of those rare souls who actually likes it, but I know how time-consuming, disheartening, and frustrating it can be. Having been the main fundraiser for the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) for 14 years, I am intimately familiar with the realities of non-profit fundraising. So, the recent news that Growing Power was accepting amillion dollar donation from Wal-Mart was not so surprising. A million clams is, as they say in D.C., “real money.”
All organizations have to make decisions about from whom they are willing to take money and under what terms. Some groups will take money from any corporation that gives it to them, believing that they can do better things with the money than the company can. Other organizations are more selective, only taking money from those aligned with their mission. Yet Growing Power’s acceptance of this contribution and CEO Will Allen’s statement on his blogpresent some crucial dilemmas for the movement. Will writes: “We, as a society, can no longer refuse to invite big corporations to the table of the Good Food Revolution… We can no longer be so idealistic that we hurt the very people we’re trying to help. Keeping groups that have the money and the power to be a significant part of the solution away from the Good Food Revolution will not serve us.”
Let’s unpack this situation first by looking at Wal-Mart. It is the largest food retailer in America capturing one of every three grocery dollars spent. Yet, Wal-Mart has little room for growth in suburban and rural communities. Urban areas remain its great untapped market. The company has been kept out of cities because of concerns about its labor and environmental practices and its negative impacts on independent stores.
Wal-Mart has adopted a sophisticated and integrated business strategy, employing both highly publicized but modest changes to their practices and their enormous philanthropic capacity to co-opt opposition to their entry into cities. Earlier this year, the Boston Globe reported on this practice: “She [the new Executive Director of Wal-Mart Foundation] has also become an ambassador for the world’s most powerful retail machine, helping to burnish its image and lay the groundwork for its push into urban markets–including Boston.”
“Such charitable giving shows how sophisticated Wal-Mart has become in wooing communities,”said Russ Davis, executive director of MA Jobs with Justice. ‘They’re throwing a lot of money around,” Davis said. “They have a desire to buy goodwill, and for actual business and political decisions to happen as a result.”
In the other part of this strategy, Wal-Mart claims to be changing its operating practices to accommodate our movement’s concerns. They announced that they will start buying produce from local farmers. They’ll discount their produce and reformulate their house brands to reduce sodium. And, they’ll even build more stores in urban food deserts.
Looking behind Wal-Mart’s press releases, we find significant reason for skepticism—and little transparency—about these claims. It is common knowledge that Wal-Mart demands its suppliers to charge them rock bottom prices, which are not economically viable for family scale farmers. With regards to sodium reduction in their products, one highly placed official at Kraft told me, “Wal-Mart is far behind the competition. Other food manufacturers have been working in this area for years.” With regards to their apparently altruistic intentions to build in food deserts, this is little more than a Trojan horse packaged in shiny PR gift wrap.
Back to Growing Power’s blog: Will claims that Wal-Mart can be a “significant part of the solution.”
A solution to what problem? Wal-Mart’s and the “Good Food Revolution’s” interests may dovetail in bringing groceries into food deserts. However, the broader interests of these two parties are in direct opposition to each other. Wal-Mart’s operations cause larger problems to the food security of the communities in which they locate:
• The spectre of Wal-Mart moving into urban areas has other supermarket chains running scared, leading them to demand cutbacks in wages and benefits of their unionized workers across America.
• Wal-Mart is undermining the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ campaign to improve farmworker conditions in the tomato fields of South Florida.
• Every new store further skews the concentration of wealth in the country; the combined fortune of the heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton total $87 billion, over $30 billion more than Bill Gates.
• Each Wal-Mart store, averaging 200 employees, costs taxpayers approximately $420,750 annually in public social services used by store employees. Multiplied by the chain’s 3,800 stores, this translates into a burden on taxpayers of $1.6 billion annually.
Given the tight funding environment, NGO boards and executive directors are often faced with compromises that they wish they didn’t have to confront. They are often forced to become pawns in someone else’s game in order to meet their organizational needs. That is just the reality of fundraising in a society where corporations control much of the wealth.
Nonetheless, we in the movement don’t have to define our game as including those entities whose practices undermine our long-term goals, despite the convergence in short-term more narrowly defined objectives. In plain language, Wal-Mart is NOT part of the “Good Food Revolution,” because at the end of the day it hurts communities more than it helps them.
Let’s not be so idealistic about the power relations between our movement and multi-national corporations that, as Will Allen, says, “We hurt the very people we’re trying to help.”

Andy Fisher is the co-founder of the Community Food Security Coalition, where he served as Executive Director and Coordinator for the past 17 years. He lives in Portland, OR with his wife, two sons, Flash the cat, and Harry, Ron and Hermione the hens. He is grateful for his bumper crop of tomatoes this summer. He can be reached at andyfisher.pdx@gmail.com

Third, Wil Power's Blog at Growing Power Chicago:

A NOTE FROM WILL ON CORPORATIONS AND THE GOOD FOOD REVOLUTION

September 8, 2011 | Author: Ming | No Comments

I appreciate that our friends have shared their honest opinions and feelings with us. I’d like to take this opportunity to share my position on the role that corporations can play in the Good Food Revolution.

The First Lady has brought national attention to our country’s poor health, poor eating habits and poor food quality with her “Let’s Move” program. Now that this issue is in the national spotlight, we are using the momentum she’s created to take the next steps forward in improving overall food quality and quality of life for all people. We, as a society, can no longer refuse to invite big corporations to the table of the Good Food Revolution. Poverty, foodlessness, joblessness: these are problems we all face. They are not only the problems of the poor or of the urban – they are everyone’s problems.

Wal-mart is the world’s largest distributor of food – there is no one better positioned to bring high-quality, locally grown food into urban food deserts and fast-food swamps. We can no longer be so idealistic that we hurt the very people we’re trying to help. Keeping groups that have the money and the power to be a significant part of the solution away from the Good Food Revolution will not serve us. At the same time, by accepting grants like these we retain the power for how corporate money is spent, and the grassroots movement stays grassroots.

Thank you for your continued support of the Good Food Revolution, and please keep your eyes open for more announcements from me and Growing Power. This is an exciting time to change the world.

So, what do you think? Did Wil sell out? Or is this a case of all of us having a bad case of 'sour grapes' because we think we would take the high road and turn it down.

Hope this is good fodder for discussio, wherever you are.

Steve Green
Windsor, Ontario,
Canada

All Candidates Meeting Sept 26 2011

2011-09-13T13:23:00.002-04:00

Good Day Candidates Of Windsor West, Windsor Tecumseh and Essex: (please read full email for details)

Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture and Sustain Ontario is sponsoring an ALL CANDIDATES DINNER especially for you!

This ALL CANDIDATES event is planned for September 26th 2011 at 6 PM.

Dinner will be held exclusively for Candidates at Rino's Kitchen, located at: 131 Elliott Street West, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 5Y8 (http://rinoskitchen.com/)

Your dinner will be completely paid for.All you need to do is show up!

After dinner, we will be addressing such election issues of Food & Farming starting at 730 PM. General Public and Media will be welcome to attend this portion.

Refreshments will be available for purchase at 730 PM for any members of the general public attending.

Here are a sample of some of the questions that may be asked:

ON Economy:

The Ontario government buys 115 million meals per year for its hospitals and long-term care facilities. Since government-run facilities are in large part not required to buy their food locally, millions of dollars of taxpayer money goes elsewhere instead of back into Ontario farm and food industries. What will you do to make sure that government-run facilities (e.g., schools, hospitals, long-term care) are buying from Ontario farmers and processors?
Ontario is home to 3,500 food processors that contribute more than $32.5 billion to the economy and employ almost 120,000 people. However, more and more food processing businesses are going out of business, putting a strain on farmers and on the local food industry. How will you help to support food processing plants in Ontario (e.g., small and mid-scale meat processors, canning plants, etc.)?

ON Health:

Diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer cost Ontarians upwards of $657 million in healthcare spending a year. Research shows that many of these diet-related diseases would decrease drastically (saving Ontarians and the economy hundreds of millions) if people were to eat diets that are higher in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. How will you act to promote healthy eating in Ontario?

ON the Environment:

Sustainably-managed agricultural lands provide many functions that are vital to a healthy Ontario, such as sequestering carbon, cleaning air and water, providing habitats for wildlife and bees, and limiting soil erosion. Currently there are few financial incentives that encourage environmentally sustainable farming, which means we risk degrading the quality of our environment for future generations. How do you propose to support a shift towards more sustainable farming in a way that does not financially penalize farmers?
Much of Canada’s best farmland is in Ontario. However, since 1921, Ontario has lost thousands of acres (42%) of productive farmland to developers. How do you plan to protect farmland?
The proposed 8,000-foot limestone quarry in Melancthon Township (dubbed the Mega Quarry) has been criticized by many groups for the effects it will have on the surrounding farmland, natural habitats, and water supply. Do you support the building/construction of this quarry? Why or why not?
Green Energy projects such as wind turbines and biogas digesters are important ways for farmers to produce clean energy and lessen their impact on the environment. What will you do to support clean energy projects on farms?

ON Kids:

Rates of obesity and other diet-related illnesses are on the rise in Ontario, and this is largely a result of poor food choices. Study after study shows that school breakfast programs, salad bar option, school gardens, and food education have amazing effects on encouraging children to develop good eating habits and help them perform better in school. What plans do you get healthy food into schools and the curriculum?

ON Community:

About 402,000 Ontarians rely on food banks every month, and the cost of healthy food is often too expensive for low-income families. Not only are more people relying on food banks to meet their basic food needs, but many Ontarians lack the skills and knowledge to feed their families a healthy and balanced diet. What will you do to support community food programs such as gardens and kitchens?

ON Farmers:

The average Ontario farmers is making about the same amount of money as farmers during the Great Depression. For this reason, in 2006 there were 10,309 fewer farmers than only 10 years before. What steps will you take to make sure that farmers can stay in business?

The average age of Canadian farmers is 53 and about 75% are expected to retire within the next 10 years. Since farmers are making less money and because farmland and farming equipment is very expensive for potential new farmers, it is unclear who will replace existing farmers. How will you act to train and support the next generation of farmers?

CANDIDATES ARE REQUESTED TO please RSVP by September 19th, 2011 regarding your ability to attend.

Non-Candidates attending the 730 Question Period are requested to RSVP to Steve Green by September 19th, 2011.

Media are welcome to attend for the 730 Question Period.

Respectfully,

Steve Green

Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture

Food & Elections Webinars Coming Up!

2011-08-24T15:03:00.000-04:00

Food & Elections Webinar Trainings

As part of our Vote ON Food and Farming campaign, Sustain Ontario is hosting a series of 4 webinars focused on the Provincial Elections.

Food in the Ontario Government
August 30th, 7pm-8:30pm

Join Sustain Ontario’s Director, Ravenna Nuaimy-Barker, Lauren Baker, Coordinator of the Toronto Food Policy Council Rod MacRae from York University, Jamie Reaume from the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, Christie Young from Farmstart and policy advisor David Harvey for a panel discussion on Food and Farming in the Ontario Context. Learn more about how the different levels of government interact and why the Ontario government plays a key role in food systems change.

Vote ON Food and Farming
September 1st, 7-8pm

This is a chance to learn about the Vote ON Food and Farming Campaign, Sustain Ontario election tools and campaign ideas from across the province. It is a chance to ask questions and share your experience with others. Hosted by Sustain Ontario's program coordinator, Carolyn Young, and the Elections Working Group. Please send any pressing questions in advance to carolyn@sustainontario.ca.

Playing Politics: A Pre-Election Primer
Sept 6th, 7:00-8:00pm

Playing Politics is an hour-long webinar, designed to assist food champions in preparing for the 2011 Ontario Election.

Presented by Advocacy School Principal Sean Moore, a public policy advocate with over 30 years of experience in Canada and the US, the webinar will provide a rich combination of operating principles, examples, mini-case studies and practical tools to guide and support your advocacy efforts before, during and after the October 6th general election.

Speaking to the Media
September 7, 7pm-9pm

This presentation and workshop by Dave Meslin takes a fresh look at media training, exploring the interpersonal relationship between the interviewer and the subject. We’ll explore the art of connecting with journalists, getting your message into the story, protecting yourself, and building long-term rela- tionships with those who can reach millions of readers, listeners or viewers.

Dave Meslin founded the Toronto Public Space Committee. Despite having no funding or staff, the TPSC quickly grew to become one of the most quoted non-profit organisations in Toronto. It was chosen in 2005 as the “Best Activist Group” by both Eye Weekly and NOW magazine and secured feature stories and even a major cover story.

How to Host an Eat-In
September 13, 3:30-4:15

Brooke Ziebell and Meredith Hayes from Foodshare's Field to Table Schools will get you excited about local food with engaging hints, tips and activities for educators, parents, students, school community members and anyone interested in celebrating Ontario produce.

Foodshare invites you to join them for their Eat-In Ontariofall harvest celebration happening on Friday, September 30th as part of their Recipe for Change initiative - getting food education back into the Ontario curriculum. Brooke and Meredith will show you how you can participate in this fun event with not only your school, but with your colleagues, friends and family too! So join FoodShare to learn, share and celebrate Ontario produce and food education!

350.org Moving Planet Day - September 24th, 2011

2011-08-24T09:58:00.001-04:00

Join WECSA and Windsor Essex CLUCK

Moving Planet Day

September 24th, 2011

Windsor Riverfront Sculture Park!

Details to follow!

Vote For Your Favourite Windsor-Essex Foodies, Restaurants & Wineries For 2011

2011-07-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

Vote For Your Favourite Windsor-Essex Foodies, Restaurants & Wineries For 2011

2011-05-02T10:35:00.001-04:00

http://www.windsorstar.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=4095278

2011-01-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

Denis Vidmar in the news...

http://www.windsorstar.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=4095278

Local Farmers, Local Food

2011-01-08T08:45:00.002-05:00

The Power of Gardening!

2010-05-14T14:07:00.001-04:00

The Power of Gardening!

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Backyard Chickens – Hellmann's Real Food Movement

2010-04-13T13:46:00.000-04:00

Backyard Chickens – Hellmann's Real Food Movement

Urban Chicken

2010-02-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

Hey cool look at this picture! I love it! I found it on an article on line and immediately wanted to share it with you! You can read the original article here. It was good see members at the meeting! It will be fun to put up those pretty bird houses! Good job girls! I think I will take some pictures of that fine work and post it up on the blog!

Farm in Columbia, SC Brings Vegetables, New Views to Midlands wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports |

2010-02-19T08:23:00.000-05:00

Farm in Columbia, SC Brings Vegetables, New Views to Midlands wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports |

San Francisco Bay Guardian

2009-12-08T10:47:00.001-05:00

San Francisco Bay Guardian

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Saving Tomato Seeds

2009-09-14T12:55:00.004-04:00

Saving Tomato Seeds

by Trudi Davidoff

You may have brought home a particularly delicious tomato from the supermarket, or gotten an heirloom tomato from a Farmer's Market, or grown one in your own garden that is so wonderful you want to save the seeds from it and grow them next year. Nothing ever tastes quite as good as a home-grown tomato!

So, how do you save the seeds? The method is easy to do....it's a little gloppy, and it's a little funky, but you'll be able to save seeds in a manner that will lesson the occurence of tomato disease while giving you plenty of seeds to germinate, and with left-overs to share or trade. This seed saving process is a process of fermentation.

Select to save seeds from a tomato that has a flavor that you love....if you're a home gardener and saving seeds from tomatoes that are growing in your garden choose tomatoes from the very healthiest looking plants.

Take your chosen tomato and slice it in half across the middle (it's "equator"). With a spoon or your well-washed fingers scoop out the seeds and their gelatinous "goo" into a clean cup or container. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the seeds. Cover the container with a piece of plastic-wrap and then poke the plastic-wrap with a paring knife or pen point to put a small hole in it...this is to allow for air-transpiration. (A little fresh air needs to get in and out of the cup to help foster fermentation.)

Place the container of seeds in a warm location; a sunny windowsill or the top of the refrigerator are both excellent sites to place the container of seeds. Now Mother Nature will take over and begin to ferment the seed and water mixture. This takes about two or three days. Each night remove the plastic-wrap, stir the seed and water mixture, and then replace the plastic-wrap, if you use a new sheet of plastic-wrap then don't forget to put a small hole in it for air-transpiration. The top of the liquid will look "scummy" when the fermentation process has seperated the "goo" from the seeds. It also helps destroy many of the possible tomato diseases that can be harbored by seeds.

Take the container of fermented seeds to the sink and with a spoon carefully remove the scummy surface. Then pour the container's contents into a fine kitchen sieve and rinse the seeds with water several times...stir them while they're in the sieve to assure that all surfaces are thoroughly rinsed. Give a few sharp taps to the sieve to help remove as much loose water as possible from the seeds.

Line an open plate with a piece of waxed paper or a large automatic-drip coffee filter. Place the rinsed seeds onto the wax paper or coffee filter and spread them about so they are in a single layer. Place the plate in a safe location where the seeds can dry for a few days. Stir the seeds a few times during the drying process to assure that all their surfaces are evenly dry. Spread them out again into a single layer after each time you've stirred them. Tomato seeds are thick and can take up to a week to dry thoroughly. If you're having a rainy week that drying time may lengthen by a few days.

How do I know when the seeds are dry? Dried seeds move quickly and easily across a plate, they do not stick to each other.

How do I store them?

I like paper packets or some folks like plastic. Whichever envelope style you choose is a matter of personal preferance. If you choose to store your seeds in plastic the seeds must be BONE DRY....otherwise any moisture in the seeds will be transferred to all seeds inside the plastic packet, it will foster mildew and rotting and the seeds will be ruined.

How do I label them?

Tomatoes are generally self-pollinated so there is rarely a chance of cross-breeding. If you save and trade your seeds you might wish to describe your trade offering as "open-pollinated" tomato seeds. That way the trader knows that Mother Nature was solely involved in the fertilization of the flower which produced the tomato that you have saved seeds from.

Onto the packet write the tomato variety name (if you know it) or a very good description if you don't, add the term "open-pollinated" if you're sharing or trading your tomato seeds, and also add the current year to the packet description.

And that's that! Do enjoy saving tomato seeds and growing your own tomatoes at home from them. Home-saved tomato seeds are a wonderful gift to tuck into a holiday card for when you want to add a "little something extra", or to share with friends and neighbors.

Down To Windsor Farm Market!

2009-09-12T20:59:00.004-04:00

Mmmm...can you taste summer? I can!

Windsor Farm Market Day!

Jade and I rode down to our blossoming Windsor Outdoor Farm Market. It was a long ride, and I blew a tire and had to be rescued (brought another bike!, thanks Honey!) so we could continue on our journey, but was great! We got to see lots of foodie friends, refill with Dresser's Unpasturized Honey, Richard Thibert's Multigrain Pancake Mix, and other assorted treats! Here's a picture of Jade's face painting by Perry Noia the Clown.

Autumn 2009 Front Yard Farming

2009-08-31T13:22:00.006-04:00

Andy Warhol's Cabbage

In My Front Yard...!

The Clover That We Planted To Replace

Regular Grass Is Taking Hold!

No Watering, No Weeding

Beautiful Green Yard!

This Years Corn has already been eaten

We had 'Rainbow Inca' and 'Platinum'

Amaizing!

WECSA Veggie Identification Contest

2009-08-12T09:03:00.004-04:00

WECSA is holding a veggie identification contest.

Can you correctly identify every veggie found in these pictures?

There will be 1st, 2nd, 3rd prize winners,

and honorable mentions for our younger contestants!

Contest ends on September 1st, 2009.

Winners will receive local food items produced from local farmers!

Good luck to everyone!

Email your answers to wecsa @ ymail.com

Nutrition and Organic Food

2009-08-11T12:55:00.003-04:00

Canadian Organic Growers on the nutritional content of organically grown foods

Response to:

In late July, an advance copy of an article (Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review Alan Dangour, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, funded by the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency) slated for publication in a September issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was released to great sound and fury in the media. The report stated that organically grown foods contain no more nutritional value than conventionally grown foods. Below is Canadian Organic Growers’ response to that study.

The Big Picture

Organic is not a health claim – it is an alternative food production system that aspires to avoid many of the problems of modern food production. At its core, organic agriculture is about the soil. Unlike modern agriculture, organic agriculture improves soil quality by nurturing unseen underground workers – the dozens of species of earthworms, bacteria and fungi that function to improve soil quality, to transform nutrients into forms that plants can use and transfer them to the root zones of plants.

By fostering this underground army, organic methods work with nature, rather than against it. By getting essential plant nutrients such as nitrogen from nature, rather than from a bag, and enhancing plant immune systems to enable plants to fight their own battles against disease and insects, organic production avoids much of the environmental tragedy that modern agriculture begets, including contamination of surface and subsurface water sources, inefficient energy use related to the production and distribution of fossil-fuel based chemicals, reduced soil quality and impoverished and toxic habitat for the species that live above and below the soil.

Organic farming also offers a ray of hope for Canadian farmers embattled by years of negative net farm incomes and it is one of the few options for ending the farm exodus that has continued unabated for generations. In 1926, Canada boasted over 800,000 farmers. Today, there are fewer than 300,000. Those that remain are on average 52 years old according to Statistics Canada. By appealing to a new younger generation of farmers and by offering a living wage, organic farming may be our only future.

Is organic food better for you?

Absolutely! You can rest assured that organic farmers and processors do not add any substances that have been linked to negative health outcomes to food. That doesn’t mean that organically grown food is 100% free of genetically modified organisms, pesticide residues or synthetic fertilizers. It just means that organic farmers don’t put them there since these substances are banned in organic production. Unfortunately, however, on our polluted planet these substances are ubiquitous and often find their way into the food system through air and water currents despite the best intentions and actions of organic farmers.

Does organically grown food contain higher nutritional levels?

The Science

Two scientific teams – the Food Standards Association (FSA) in Europe and the Organic Agriculture Center (TOC) in the US have conducted literature reviews of studies comparing the nutritional benefits of organic grown vs. conventionally grown food and interestingly, both groups have arrived at different conclusions. Both the TOC and FSA scientists agree that the quality of science on this topic has been abysmally poor. Both groups set up criteria to evaluate existing science and exclude studies not up to scientific standards. The TOC group eliminated more studies, partly because they set the bar higher by developing stricter criteria, but also because they

eliminated studies done prior to the 1980’s, unlike FSA which included English-language studies dating back to the 1950’s. The TOC argued that because nutritional science was nascent in the 1950’s and because nutritionists had never heard of phytochemicals, let alone had the capacity to measure them, that they should be excluded.

From COG’s perspective, since plants take in nutrients from the soil and because soils vary widely in nutrient content, it is extremely important to conduct these studies in exactly the same soils. While the FSA did include scientific studies using this “paired” methodology, they also included other types of data, including “food basket” studies where researchers picked “organically” and “conventionally” grown foods from grocery stores. TOC excluded any studies that did not control for soil nutrient variability which would have left out the food basket data used by FSA since this food was of unknown provenance.

The FSA found no difference between organically and conventionally grown crops on eleven measured nutrients with the exception of nitrogen, which was higher in conventional crops, and phosphorus and tritratable acids, which were higher in the organic crops. The TOC study replicated the findings with respect to nitrogen and phosphorous. According to TOC, elevated levels of nitrogen in food are regarded by some scientists as a public health risk because of the potential for cancer-causing nitrosamine compounds to form in the human GI tract, a strike against the conventionally grown food.

Overall, the TOC findings were similar for some of the nutrients analyzed by the FSA team, but differ significantly for a class of nutrients which plays a role in promoting human health – phytochemicals. TOC examined two of these: total polyphenols and total antioxidant content. While the FSA team did not look at total antioxidant capacity, they did look at phenolic compounds but observed no differences between conventional and organic.

So why the differences? FSA did not examine total antioxidant content. For the phenolic compounds, TOC argues that the differences they observed for specific phenolic compounds were washed out by the FSA statistical analysis that lumped different phenolic compounds into a single analysis.

So is organic food more nutritious?

Probably, but we need to wait for more and better science before we can unequivocally say that. This science is coming so we won’t have long to wait.

Recently, a pan European study involving some 31 universities completed a five-year study investigating questions related to the quality and safety of organically grown food. These studies, which have not been included in the FSA or TOC reviews, are the organic sector’s best hope for getting these questions answered. To date, over 100 studies have been published in scientific journals. These studies stand apart because they have been designed using a factorial model that allows investigators to gauge the impact of multiple factors while controlling for variables that can impact nutrition such as soil and climate etc. The final report is not out yet, but researchers are confident in saying that “organic food production methods resulted in higher levels of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g. vitamins, antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as CLA and omega-3) and lower levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, and glycol-alkaloids in a range of crops and/or milk.”

Home Grown Lasagna - Family First!

2009-07-30T21:07:00.004-04:00

Local and Family Made

Tonight we spent time making two lasagnas. We used yellow zuchinni from our farm thinly sliced, sliced fresh spinach from our front garden cut into thin strips, mixed with the soft goat cheese for me, cottage cheese for the 3 girls, some Essex County mushrooms, thinly sliced, some canadian cheeses, two types of goat cheese for mine since I can't eat moo-products, some of our own grown spices especially the dried and crushed parsley from the side garden, some of our tomatoes squished and diced, and canadian made pasta noodles. More importantly we made the lasagnas as a family. Each one playing a part. All of us sitting down and enjoying the meal together. Just think about those leftovers...mmm mmm mmm...

My Brother In Law, Jim Best - Metro Detroit boosts recycling

2009-07-27T11:23:00.001-04:00

Metro Detroit boosts recycling | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Shared via AddThis

Today's Supper - Fresh From The Farm!

2009-07-16T21:58:00.003-04:00

So I wanted some supper and I said, "Hey? I belong to a cool farm called WECSA!" So, I hops in my car and drive out, do some watering and bring this home and cooks it up! I pulled up one tire of potatoes because there was a rotten planted tater in it and found that the other plant was doing quite well. I was worried about disease wrecking the good ones, so I brought them home and ate them with Jasmin, Jade, and Suzie...oh, boy, are we in for a turr-eeeat! They are delicious! Since I had a last minute appointment to go to suzie cooked up the beets, peas, beans, bbq'd the yellow zuchinni. The yellow cherry tomatoes were like pure sugar!!! The cuke's (there's lots out there) were crisp and perfect! Wow! What a great little farm we have!

2009-07-10T14:22:00.003-04:00

My ground cherries were finally ready. I was trying to save them to make a chutney, put them in a salad, salsa-ize them, but we ended up eating them all as a family. It was the first time that Jasmin and Jade and Suzie had experiened the wonderful taste of ground cherries. I didn't take these photos, I ate them too fast to get a picture. If you want the recipe for ground cherry salsa you can click here, its where I got the two pictures.

2009 Front Yard Garden- Set 1

2009-06-25T20:43:00.008-04:00

Some pictures from THIS year's veggie gardens at the GREEN house!

Below is a picture of the ground cherries I started from seed.

More pictures coming later on...

Local Gardens Springing Up Everywhere!

2009-06-17T10:32:00.007-04:00

Urban Farming, a Bit Closer to the Sun

By MARIAN BURROS

Published: June 16, 2009

The New York Times

Click Here To Read Article

Rabbit Problem

2009-06-02T08:28:00.002-04:00

Wanted: Dead or In Stew!

This cute little creature continues to devour my garden against my strongest advice. The rain washed the pepper away last night and he was SITTING in my garden, eating my beans! Last year I lost my entire crop of okra, twice,

to the same rabbit!

Scaledown's Radio Show w/Jeremy Rifkin's full presentation

2009-05-22T13:11:00.005-04:00

For many of you, Scaledown, a show on CJAM Windsor, may be a new thing. For me, its an enjoyable show that talks about current issues in windsor, our area, our world. They put their shows up on line to listen to. You may want to listen to the full speach by Jeremy Rifkin, who was invited to the HUB Conference at CEASAR'S Windsor..which was a mismatch of sorts, since he speaks about the Peak Oil Crisis and the Economic Crisis at hand, massive per capita US debt, global energy issues, etc. Take a listen, I'm sure you'll be come a fan of Scaledown. It's great to expand

New Additions To My Yard Garden

2009-05-21T11:35:00.004-04:00

New Additions This Year To My Yard-Garden
two grape vines to run along my fence and a whole bunch of raspberries that I will train along my fence as well- a total of four sections of raspberries
I got them free, dug them up and shoved them in the ground
these pics were taken a couple weeks ago
the raspberries are now in full bloom

2009-05-20T12:14:00.002-04:00

Home Grown Spuds

2009-05-15T11:29:00.003-04:00

South Windsor Student Composting Project

2009-04-21T11:29:00.004-04:00

Hello, my name is Vidya Mohan and I am 15 years old. I live in 3054 Avondale and a grade 9 student at Massey Secondary School.

I would like to start a Neighbourhood Composting Project where I will collect your kitchen waste and compost it in my backyard. When the compost is ready, all those who have contributed can use the compost.

I have contacted the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA)
and the City of Windsor, who are guiding me through this project.
If you would like to participate in this project, please contact me at (519)-967-9116.

On the back of the pamphlet contains the list of things that can and cannot be made into compost. A friendly reminder that I will not be collecting any yard waste only kitchen waste.
If we can promote the use of natural fertilizers within our neighbourhood, we can also do a small part to reduce water pollution and contribute to a cleaner neighbourhood.
Your contributions to this project will be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to contact me at (519)-967-9116.
Thank you for your time!

Things that can be compost

· Skins (onion & carrot skins)
· Egg Boxes & Egg Shells
· Fruit & Vegetable Scraps (apple cores, banana peels, etc.)
· Coffee Grounds/ Filters & Tea Bags
· Hair (that is not dyed)
· Peanut Hulls

Things that cannot be compost
· Meat/Bones (raw or cooked)
· Salad Dressing/Mayo (any sauces)
· Newspaper/ Glossy Magazine
· Vegetable Oil/Butter
· Cooked Food
· Coal & Coke Ash
· Cat, Dog and Rabbit Litter
· Disposable Nappies
· Dairy products (such as cheese, milk)
· Seafood

Hope For This Fall!

2009-04-20T11:05:00.002-04:00

Harvesting Jerusalem artichokes from Soilman on Vimeo.

Local Food Article From Windsor Star

2009-04-19T22:12:00.002-04:00

By Sharon Hill, The Windsor Star April 15 2009

The hunger for local food is so strong, you can almost hear stomachs growling.
The Essex County Federation of Agriculture is getting 10 calls and e-mails a day as consumers wait for the area's first local food map to be printed.
The highly anticipated brochure should be available May 1 and will give consumers a way to find local fruits, vegetables, meat and more. Consumers may discover there's also locally produced flour, popcorn, cheese, milk and honey.
"It's a time in history when people are talking about the 100-mile diet," says map co-ordinator Antonio Gomez. "People are craving for this information.'
Gomez says the map comes at a perfect time. Consumers can distract themselves from the economy by taking a drive out to the county to pick up fresh food. They'll know where their food comes from, could save some money and will be contributing to the local economy, he said.
With Easter sales off 20 to 30 per cent, Jason Fuerth of Ewe Dell Family Farms is ready for that.
"Any bump in business would be good right now."
The Lakeshore sheep farm is used to taking calls from consumers. Ewe Dell Family Farms has depended on selling directly to meat shops and consumers for the last 25 years.
The farm sells about 5,000 locally raised lambs a year. Since 1994, they've had someone from the Muslim faith conduct Halal slaughters at the farm.
And in the last year and a half, the farm has been selling lamb chops, sausage and shishkabobs from the farm.
"We've never advertised. All of our growth has come through word of mouth," Fuerth says.
Now farms and agriculture-related businesses are advertising through the map. The federation knew people wanted to buy local food. They just didn't know where to get it.
Jagir Chana of Chana Foods in Tecumseh said the flour mill wants to attract locavores, people in the growing local food movement.
"People do come and say I didn't know you guys existed."
Chana Foods is one of two flour mills on the map. The Chana family's business makes stone ground, whole grain flour including corn and soft white wheat flour that's grown in Essex County.
By May when the first local food map is available, asparagus should be ready to whet the appetite of local food fans.
Although some businesses such as wineries and livestock producers are ready to welcome shoppers, locavores will have to wait until fruits and vegetables are in season.
Once they are, the map will help people find pick-your-own farms, fruit stands and even spots offering baked goods, jams, hayrides, a petting farm and tours.
The map has 52 producers and four agriculture-related businesses including the flour mills, a cheese company, an abattoir and Essex County's last dairy. The federation asked for farm business registration numbers from farms so it didn't get resellers of local food but producers.
The $100 charge per producer covered the cost of the map.
The Essex County Federation of Agriculture is having 20,000 brochures printed with the map, a listing of farms and businesses and produce availability.
The information will go on the federation's website (www.ecfa.ca) and brochures will be available at participating farms, in libraries, town halls and Windsor's tourist information bureaus.
If needed the federation could reprint the brochures next year but isn't planning on redoing the map until two years from now.
Some locations don't have Sunday sales and most suggest you call ahead.
- - -
KEY TO THE MAP
1. Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery: 7258 County Rd. 50, 519-738-9253, www.sprucewoodshores.com
2. Tredki Acres: 7591 Collison Side Rd., Harrow, 519-730-1253, pick-your-own chemical-free strawberries, hayrides, petting farm, jams
3. Bartolomeu Farms: 2776 County Rd. 20, 519-738-6959 or 519-987-4997, fresh vegetables
4. Colchester Ridge Estate Winery: 108 County Rd. 50, 519-738-9800, www.colchesterridge.com
5. Colio Estate Wines: 1 Colio Dr., Harrow, 519-738-2241, www.coliowinery.com
6. Erie Shore Vineyard: 410 County Rd. 50, 519-738-9858, www.erieshore.ca
7. Klassen Blueberries: 954 County Rd. 50, 519-738-4089
8. Koehn's Farm Market: 2847 County Rd. 20, 519-738-3370, fruits and vegetables
9. The Fruit Wagon: 793 County Rd. 50, 519-738-4819, www.thefruitwagon.com, fruit and flowers
10. Viewpointe Estate Winery: 151 County Rd.50, 519-738-0690, www.viewpointewinery.com
11. Wrightland Farm: 1000 Ridge Rd., Harrow, 519-738-6120, asparagus
12. Abbruzzese Farms Ltd.: 1710 Rd. 4, Kingsville, 519-326-4274 or 519-733-8791, ready picked, pick-your-own apples
13. Aleksander Estate Winery/Bemben Farms: 1542 County Rd. 34, Ruthven, 519-326-2024, www.aleksanderestate.com, grape and fruit wines
14. Black Bear Farms: 1137 County Rd. 20, Kingsville, 519-733-6289, fruit winery, strawberries, raspberries, black currents, blueberries, goose berries, plums, potatoes
15. Cornland Corner: 2 Marsh Rd.at County Rd. 34, 519-839-5200, fresh and hot-buttered sweet corn
16. Lilac Row Farms Inc.: 2360 McCain Sideroad., Kingsville, 519-816-8171, lean ground beef and tours by appointment
17. McLeod Farms: 270 County Rd. 34, 519-839-5351, pick-your-own and ready-picked strawberries, raspberries, corn maze, autumn decorations,
18. E & B Medel Orchards Ltd.: 1706 Road 5, Ruthven, 519-326-0082, apples, peaches, pears, jams, pies, honey and gift baskets
19. Meleg's Lakeview Orchard: 158 Arner Townline (County Rd. 23) 519-733-4857, www.melegpyofruit.com, fruit, vegetables, pick-your-own strawberries, apples, peaches, apple cider, paprika
20. Murray's Market: 137 County Rd. 34, 519-839-4188, produce and fresh-baked breads, pies and goodies
21. N & M Farms: 1875 Seacliff Dr., Kingsville, 519-326-2062, flowers, hanging baskets, bedding plants and greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers
22. Nickels Orchards: 1498 County Rd. 34, Ruthven, 519-326-7093, www.nickelsorchards.com, peaches, nectarines, apples
23. Pelee Island Winery: 455 Seacliff Dr., Kingsville, 5198-733-6551, www.peleeisland.com
24. Pretli's Green Acre Farm: 150 County Rd. 34, Cottam, 519-839,4478, fruits and vegetables, jam, jellies, preserves and baked goods
25. Raymont's Berries: 445 County Rd. 14, Cottam, 519-839-5422, pick-your-own or ready-picked strawberries and raspberries
26. Victor and Lorraine Rivest: 156 County Rd. 8, Woodslee, 519-776-6131, frozen packages of beef, all cuts
27. Scherer Orchards: 1705 Rd. 4, Kingsville, 519-326-4617, www.schererorchards.com, peaches, nectarines, pears, apricots, plums, tomatoes, peppers, apples
28. Schoger Orchards: 432 County Rd. 34, Essex, 519-839-4675, pick-your-own strawberries, raspberries, sour cherries and pumpkins
29. Stop 459 - Wm Neufeld and Sons: 459 County Rd. 14, Cottam, 519-839-4575, fruits and vegetables at road stand including apples, potatoes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes
30. Sun Parlor Honey Ltd.: 238 County Rd. 14, Cottam, 519-839-4000, www.sunparlorhoney.ca
31. Versnel Farms: 726 Road 2, Kingsville, 519-733-4300, vegetable stand including cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers
32. George Whaley and Sons Ltd.: 1903 Road 5, Ruthven, 519-326-9330, apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, blueberries
33. Arrow Farms Produce: 988 Lakeshore Rd. 101, Maidstone, 519-727-6418, pick-your-own or ready-picked tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, roma beans, farm animals, wagon rides and pre-arranged tours available
34. Crockers Nuts: 272 North Talbot Rd., Maidstone, 519-723-2121, heartnuts, hazelnuts, black walnuts
35. Ewe Dell Family Farms: 1282 Oriole Park D., Woodslee, 519-723-4456, www.ewedell.ca, whole lambs, chops, roasts, ground, sausage or kabobs
36. The Thibert Farm: 20300 Conc. 8, Comber, 519-682-0204, www.thethibertfarm.com, on-farm flour mill, bakery and limited cuts of beef, pork and chicken
37. Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery: 1222 Lakeshore Rd. 103, Maidstone, 519-723-4807, www.wagnerorchards.com, apples, pumpkins, bakery, hay rides, meats and a winery
38. Wild Acre Cattle Co.: 1947 Myer Rd. Woodslee, 519-919-4050, Angus beef, smoked and fresh sausage
39. Chappus Farm: 2221 Front Rd., LaSalle, 519-734-7334, farm produce and garden centre
40. Bradley's Potatoes: 482 County Rd. 14, Cottam, 519-324-6539 or 519-999-6386, white, red, yellow and russet potatoes
41. Carl's Plants and Produce: 381 Seacliff Dr., Leamington, 519-326-3925, vegetables, fruits, flowers and bedding plants
42. Highline Mushrooms: 506 Mersea Rd. 5, Leamington, 519-326-8643, www.highlinemushrooms.com, organic mushrooms
43. Jones Popcorn: 832 Mersea Rd. 8, Leamington, 519-326-7128, www.jonespopcorn.com
44. Simpson Orchards: 239 Mersea Rd. 5, Leamington, 519-326-9459, apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, melons, cherries
45. Verbeke Family Farm: 219 Essex Rd. 18, Leamington, 519-326-5963, 519-791-0896, potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, peas, beans and other vegetables
46. Williams Nurseries Ltd.: 315 Rd. 12, Leamington, 519-326-6911, garden centre with native plants and landscape supplies
47. Hylander Farms. Inc.: 15829 County Rd. 8, Essex, 519-259-3027, www.hylanderfarms.com, Angus beef/veal, BBQ packages and single cuts available 48. Lafferty Farms: Highway 3, Maidstone, 519-737-6311 or 519-977-3335, sweet corn, melons, tomatoes, peppers
49. Lafferty Farms: Also at Tecumseh Road. East and Brighton, St. Clair Beach
50. Elaine's Garden Market: 4412 County Rd. 17, Maidstone, 519-735-8120, sweet corn, pumpkins, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cauliflower, peaches, plums and melons
51. Lafferty Farms: 3310 Dougall Ave., Windsor, 519-737-6311 or 519-977-3335, sweet corn, melons, tomatoes and peppers.
52. Lafferty Farms: Also at County Rd. 42 at Conc. 9, Windsor, near the airport
53. Chana Foods: 11664 County Rd. 42, Tecumseh, 519-979-1263, www.chanafoodproducts.com, stone ground, whole grain flours including whole wheat, corn, chick pea and spelt.
54. Galati Cheese Company: 931 Tecumseh Rd. W., Windsor, 519-973-7510, www.galaticheese.com, Italian specialty cheeses
55. Gord's Abattoir: 643 Hwy. 77, Leamington, 519-326-2503, custom slaughtering, cut and wrap
56. Lakeside Jersey Dairy: 26 Setterington St., Leamington, 519-326-4551, Essex County's only dairy, specializes in egg nog, chocolate milk, butter milk and chef's 40 per cent cream.

City Of Windsor Plant Sale

2009-04-09T09:25:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, May 2, 2009 local gardeners and green thumbs are invited to the annual Parks and Recreation Plant Sale at Lanspeary Park Greenhouse located on Giles Blvd. at Langlois Ave.From 8 am – 2 pm, volunteers from Parks & Recreation will sell perennials to raise funds for the Paul Martin Garden in Willistead Park.

Over 100 different perennials, plus herbs and grasses, trees and shrubs will be available for purchase. Come on out rain or shine! For more information, call 311 or visit www.citywindsor. ca.

Seed Swap April 25 2009

2009-04-09T08:21:00.004-04:00

SEEDY SATURDAY

APRIL 25, 2009

WINDSOR, ONT

"Come celebrate Seedy Saturday

on April 25th, 2009 to swap seeds,

bulbs,plants and other live things.

We will meet at Remington parking lot

(Lillian and Edinborough Streets-

East of Howard, North of Grand Marais)

at 12 pm to 2 pm

so bring your dogs

if you want to take them for a romp in the dog park.

Any questions please email Joan at

info@moneyfreeliving.com.

Hope to see you there!"

2009-02-26T11:23:00.003-05:00

Front-yard farming

Lawn-turned-veggie garden sprouts food, friendships, sometimes a fuss

Ellen Simon - Associated Press (from 2007)

A group of vegetable gardeners is ripping out front lawns and planting dinner.

Their front-yard kitchen gardens, with everything from vegetables to herbs and salad greens, are a source of food, a topic of conversation with the neighbors and a political statement. Leigh Anders, who tore up about half of her front lawn four years ago and planted vegetables, said her garden sends a message that anyone can grow at least some of his or her food. That task should shift from agribusiness back to individuals and their communities, said Anders, of Viroqua, Wis. "This movement can start with simply one tomato plant growing in one's yard," she said.
Although people have been growing food in their backyards forever, front-yard vegetable gardens are a growing outlet for people whose backyards are too shady or too small, as well as people who want to spread their beliefs one tomato at a time.

Many hope their gardens will revive the notion of victory gardens, which provided 40 percent of America's vegetables during World War II, according to some estimates.

The topic has gotten more buzz nationally as bloggers chronicle their experiences and environmentalists scrutinize the effects of chemicals and water used to grow lawns. The book Food Not Lawns, published last year and written by Heather C. Flores, inspired several offshoot groups.

Fritz Haeg, an artist and architect, has done yards in Kansas, California and New Jersey as part of a project called "Edible Estates." Haeg - who is working on a book, Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, due out in 2008 - says he has been overwhelmed by the response. He gets hundreds of e-mails every month from people who want to be next.

"People are obsessed with their homes, creating these cocoons that isolate them," he said. "This project is about reaching out, getting them connected to their streets."
Some neighbors are less than thrilled, and some municipal codes limit the percentage of a yard that can be planted with anything other than trees and grass.
"Especially in the first three years, I got a lot of code violations," said Bob Waldrop of Oklahoma City. He planted his corner lot almost entirely with fruit trees, berry bushes and vegetables.
"Now that the plantings have matured, it's pretty," he said. "It wasn't so pretty the first couple years."
Shannon McBride, 47, of Huntsville, Ala., kept grass borders around her front-yard vegetable beds.

"We promised our neighbor we wouldn't grow corn, because that looks kind of tacky," she said. The neighbor also thought tomatoes looked "untidy," so McBride and her husband are growing bell peppers, carrots, chives, herbs, two kinds of beans, beets, okra, lettuce and cucumbers.
An anonymous complaint about Karen Baumann's front-yard garden in Sacramento led to a fight by local gardeners against the city's landscaping code, which stated that gardens could take up no more than 30 percent of the front yard.
After a public hearing at which Baumann's 11-year-old twin sons, dressed as a carrot and a tomato, testified, the city changed the law.

Are dead lawns pretty?
"I'm always asked, 'What will it look like in the winter?' " said Rosalind Creasy, a landscape designer who has been writing about edible landscaping for 25 years.
"If you design it well and it has an herb garden, it will look fine. One of the dumbest things I see is dead lawns in the winter. They're brown for six months of the year. How beautiful is that?"
Some front-yard gardeners said that ripping out the sod and putting in vegetables gave neighbors their first excuse to speak to them. "It's kind of like having a dog," said Nat Zappia, 32, a graduate student. "No one talked to us until we had a dog."

Zappia turned the front yard of the home he and his wife rent in Santa Monica, Calif., into a vegetable garden, with his landlord's permission. Zappia estimates it supplies 35 to 40 percent of the food they eat. Zappia took a master-gardening class at the University of California extension program in East Los Angeles, that focused on growing food. Other gardeners were inspired by books such as Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway and The Year I Ate My Yard by Tony Kienitz.

'The tennis-shoe twist'
The gardens don't cost much to plant. Zappia estimates he spent about $100 on the garden and says he and his wife save about $200 to $300 a year on food costs.
Waldrop, in Oklahoma City, said the garden's organic fruit allowed him to eat in a way he never could afford if he bought everything at the grocery store.
"It's like money growing in your yard," he said.

Designer Creasy has a 1,000-square-foot edible garden that borders her Los Altos, Calif., home. Among the things she grows: wheat, sesame, paprika peppers and alpine strawberries.
Every July 4, as part of her neighborhood block party, she harvests wheat, lays it down on a tarp on her driveway, covers the wheat with a cloth and has all the neighbors do what she calls "the tennis-shoe twist" to thresh it.

Next, she puts the wheat in a deep wheelbarrow and blows off the chaff with a leaf blower. Then she grinds the wheat with an attachment for her mixer, bakes bread and serves it warm from the oven to the neighbors.Seeking meaningful life, "It's like a sacrament," she said.

Creasy also keeps eight hens and one rooster in her yard and grows sorrel to feed them.
"I would say they're visited at least once a day by some child," she said. Her garden gives kids what grandparents gave children during a more rural time, Creasy said.
"I remember my grandfather slaughtering a chicken and showing me the insides where the egg was growing. I remember finding a potato," she said. "There's a reality to it that sitting and watching TV and watching video games don't have."

And it's a reality people can plant and cultivate themselves, she said.
"People tell me they went to Tuscany and ate outside under a grape arbor," Creasy said. "Well, they can grow their own grapes in their yard. . . . People want meaning in their lives. You don't have to go to Tuscany to get it."

Toxic Printer Dust! Yikes!

2009-02-21T11:32:00.001-05:00

...and we wonder why we are all getting cancer!

...what isn't toxic anymore?

...why does our government(s) allow for the poisoning of society?

Your printer may still be hazardous to your health
By Chris Null

In July 2007, an Australian research team quietly released a study that alleged that laser printers could release a fine, toxic dust -- "on the scale of inhaled cigarette smoke" -- whenever they were in use. Certain model printers were noted as being far better than others, but the upshot was that many office workers were probably being exposed to some nasty airborne particles that they really had no control over. The story exploded (and it became one of the biggest stories on Yahoo! Tech that year). Printer companies, of course, were not entirely thrilled with this information and disputed the findings vigorously.

Nearly two years later, the same researchers are back... with a vengeance. Their goal: To determine why some printers produced so many particles and some produced considerably fewer. Rather than test a few dozen printers, this time the research focused on two printers (both from HP): One known to produce a very small amount of particulate matter, and one which had been shown to produce about 1000 times as much. That's an enormous range for two printers from the same manufacturer.

To get to the point, here's what the study found: The temperature that the toner, lubricating oil, and certain internal printer components reach (and how fast they reach it) is what is largely responsible for causing the rise of particulate emissions. Once certain thresholds were crossed (which vary depending on the component), particulate emissions went through the roof. The study also found that toner itself isn't the real issue, but rather a complex secondary reaction that occurs in the air and involves organic compounds that originate on paper as well as toner, also involving airborne ozone, to produce the resulting emissions.

Without experimenting, there's no easy way to guess when these temperature thresholds are crossed, as temperature varies up and down during a print job, and not always in ways you'd expect. In the tests, both printers' temperature (and emissions) peaked in the first minute of a print job and then declined, but for the "bad" printer in the test, a second peak occured after two sustained minutes of printing. Ultimately, the study found that how well the printer controlled temperature levels was what was responsible for its emissions level. The report concludes by suggesting that printer companies should focus on this temperature issue in order to make their products potentially less dangerous to those who work around them.

2009-02-20T08:56:00.001-05:00

Aside from staying home and drinking tap water out of a washable glass, the best way to be “green” while on the go is choosing your water bottle wisely. From the lowly single-use-only plastic water bottle you can buy at your local gas station to the stainless steel and aluminum options, making the right choice is important in maintaining both your health and the health of the environment!

The worst kind of water bottle is the kind that you only use once - the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle that you find in grocery stores, gas stations, etc, that is used for water, soda and juice. This kind of plastic has been proven to leach DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate) after repeated use and is a probable carcinogen. They can also harbor bacterial growth inside any cracks and crevices inside the bottle, which cannot be too good for your health either!
Next to the regular old plastic bottles we see everywhere, probably the most common would be your typical bottle as seen here. These plastic bottles, commonly used by exercise buffs and campers, are made out of thermoplastic polymers that usually goes by the name polycarbonate.

However, it’s not just water bottles that are made out of polycarbonate; CD’s, iPods, sunglasses, and computer shells are also made of the material. Thankfully though, we don’t normally chew on CD’s or computers because polycarbonates have been proven to leach BPA, a synthetic hormone that can mimic estrogen and cause prostate cancer. Even scarier is the fact that most baby bottles are made out of polycarbonate, and when you heat up milk in them to feed your baby, the BPA could be leaching in at an even higher rate than normal. Not good at all, if you ask me!

A much better option than either of the above two would be an aluminum water bottle. A big manufacturer of aluminum water bottles is Sigg (which you can get at Reusable Bags, where we got ours), which claims to make environmentally friendly products. They have a lot of information on their site about the safety of aluminum,but one little part concerns me that I didn’t know until just a little while ago - these bottles still have a plastic liner. *Update - The liner inside is made from a water-based resin that is baked into the bottles, according to company representative who just emailed me.

The best way to get your daily dose of water on the go, in my opinion, is a stainless steel reusable container. Kleen Kanteen is a large manufacturer of these type of bottles, and you can get them from Reusable Bags. They are made entirely out of stainless steel, which does not leach, is difficult to break or crack, and does not easily stain or interact with whatever product you are consuming. The water always tastes good out of it (at least ours does, and it is Los Angeles tap water!) and it keeps it reasonably cold for a little while when we go hiking or out in the sun. They don’t recommend using them for hot beverages, which is understandable - that’s what a thermos is for.

Ideally, the best way to drink water on the go would be an aluminum or stainless steel water bottle, as they seem to exhibit the least amount of health concerns out of all the choices. Add in the fact that they can be used over and over again with no degradation and do not need to be recycled each time you use one, they really are the “green” choice. And since upwards of 40% of bottled water is actually just tap water in disguise, buying it seems like not only a health risk due to the plastic leaching possibilities, but also a wallet risk due to wasting money on something you already have at home!

2009-02-04T14:33:00.001-05:00

Update-Local WECSA TOTE debuts!

Our new cotton tote bags have arrived. They are completely locally made. The bag was made at Lloyd Bag Co. (Chatham - $3.40/each) and the Screening of the logo was done at Hogan's on Drouillard Road ($3.40) and the design was done by Adam Rideout (payment in veggies pending). Each of our cotton tote bags cost a $6.40 to make. Selling for $10 with the proceeds to go directly to the Farm Account for soil/seeds/equipment/etc. Please contact wecsa@ymail.com (Steve) to let him know how many you want! Who says you can't do things locally???

windsorcsa.blogspot.com (WECSA BLOG)

wecsa.org (WECSA webpage)

steveg

2008-12-26T15:07:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!

WECSA is now on Local Harvest!

2008-12-08T08:57:00.003-05:00

We had an awesome family day at Christine Rideout-Arkell's Made in Windsor craft show! She did a great job! I got myself a miniature little carrot pin, a small piece of wood with a little bird painted on it (pin) and some RAW produced Vanilla and Coconut Macaroons from Nude Food (you can find my link to her on the windsorcsa.blogspot.com site). Just a reminder for the tonnes of folks that asked me for info on the farm. You don't have much time left to decide whether you are going to be involved. Also, I'm cross promoting the January Thaw meeting which will be on January 18th, 2008 @ 200 PM. See the wecsa blog for more details. That's all for now, take good care everyone.

2008-12-03T09:11:00.000-05:00

merry christmas to all my friends!

November and still harvesting!

2008-11-13T15:24:00.003-05:00

You would think that being the middle of November everything is wrapped up. Not true! Last night we enjoyed more fruits of our labour from the garden. There was a light rain and the veggies were still soaking it up. The Kale continues to grow, after multiple cuttings, the Swiss Chard, which you see above, was very very sweet. What kid asks for four helpings?? Jade! I steam it quickly with some chopped up red pepper, some salt and garlic (diced) and the whole family loved it. Right now the Swiss Chard is dark dark green, firm and growing to incredible sizes. The carrots were sweet. The parsnips were the best I have ever had! The flavour of them fresh from the garden was mild and sweet. We are truly blessed! A few days ago we had a small accumulation of snow and the green/dark green/white combination looked fantastic.

2008-10-18T19:54:00.003-04:00

...parsnips, pulled them today!

...acorn squash, just one of my fav's!

...some spaghetti squash anyone?

suzie likes it a little stringy, i like the smoother squash

...a delicious treat, melba rounds, cherry tomatos and an olive!

check out our Community Supported Agriculture page!

wecsa.org

More Fun in the Garden!

2008-10-18T19:29:00.003-04:00

...broccoli monster!...
jade and i were doing food packages for our neighbours of

kale, swiss chard and 3 types of tomatos

Summer and Fun in the Garden!

2008-10-18T19:20:00.004-04:00

...time to ripen up little guys!

...good things are growing!

...time to stuff you in a jar!

....nothin' like a nice hot bath!

...TA DAH! garlic dills!

Harvest Time With Family!

2008-10-03T08:25:00.004-04:00

For me, this is kinda what small scale farming is all about. It's not necessarily just the great food that you get to eat. It's about what you can pass on to the younger generation about where your food is coming from, how it is planted, cared for, grown, harvested- and then eaten!

Vote Environment! Get Educated! Ask Questions!

2008-09-12T20:23:00.002-04:00

http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/

The environment is too important to fall through the cracks this election. Don't let it.

    • Get informed.
    • Hold candidates accountable.
    • Go out and vote.

On this site, we'll keep you abreast of where the parties stand on all the issues - public transit, alternative energy, carbon pricing - the works. We'll wade through all the political posturing, so you won't have to. And when the candidates aren't being clear, we'll arm you with the hard questions.

Remember - people elect politicians. They can't get into office without you.

http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/

Precaution –Scientific uncertainty cannot be an excuse for inaction where there is a risk of irreversible damage to the environment. This is especially true when alternatives are readily available or solutions, like increasing energy efficiency, can deliver economic benefits as well.

Polluter pays - Those who pollute need to be held responsible for their pollution. No one should be allowed to freely dump greenhouse gases, toxics or other waste products into our environment, leaving our climate, our ecosystems and our communities paying the real costs of these actions.

Leaving the world a better place for our children - Future generations deserve at least the same environmental opportunities as we had. Canadians have accepted this principle for dealing with government debts; now it is time to apply it to our growing environmental deficit by adopting preventative approaches to pollution and putting in place strong protections for irreplaceable ecosystem services.

Make governments accountable for the state of our environment – We must be able to measure progress against national environmental objectives using clear indicators, and we must make such progress reporting routine and ongoing. Access to factory or facility-level and community-based environmental information collected by government must be readily available to all Canadians. Such access could be ensured through the development of a federal Environmental Bill of Rights.

Good global citizenship – The wealth and talent of Canadians means there is no excuse for this country not to be a world leader in environmental sustainability. In fact, we should be actively helping developing countries become more environmentally sustainable by demonstrating and sharing best practices. Canada needs to be a constructive contributor to international environmental protection efforts, not a solitary roadblock to progress.

Original source: http://tomorrowtodaycanada.ca/en_full_principles.php

From the "Tomorrow Today" report. A joint project of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence, Equiterre, Greenpeace Canada, Nature Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club Canada and World Wildlife Fund.

2008-09-03T11:01:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Our website is up and running at http://wecsa.org andwe have a new email address for general inquiries at wecsa@ymail.com !

Poor Pollination with my Squash and Cukes

2008-09-02T12:10:00.003-04:00

Cucumber and Squash PollinationVisual Aids

Learning From My Mistakes...

Incomplete pollination:
There were not enough bee visits, not enough pollen delivered to fertilize many of the seeds. The flesh did not develop in the area of unfertilized seeds, leading to deformities. A badly pollinated slicer cuke is shown at right.

Poor squash and pickle cuke pollination pictures

I'll know next year that I need to give them a helping hand.

Why I Love Greens - Seeds of Change eNewsletter Feature on one of my fav's

2008-08-25T10:04:00.002-04:00

Field Report: European Gourmet Greens
Nutrition and Flavor from Across the Atlantic
by Micaela Colley, Bulk Seed Representative

Throughout history greens have played a prominent role in the European diet —fresh, raw, braised, wilted, fried, stewed, and even pickled. Several greens native to Europe were originally harvested from the wild, then later domesticated, grown in gardens, and bred into modern crops. These crops evolved with the various European cultures and the development of regional cuisines. From wild or garden harvests, greens developed into seasonal dishes, which followed their local availability. It is hard to think of arugula without thinking of Italy or of sorrel without thinking of French sorrel soup. Other greens were adopted from foreign cultures long ago and integrated into European traditional diets. For example, spinach came from Persia and the Middle East during the Middle Ages and is now an integral part of traditional Italian cooking.

With an increasing awareness of health and diet over the last two decades, the American palette has gained an appreciation for fresh greens. All dark leafy greens are high in antioxidants including riboflavin, carotenoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E. With this trend in diet, the United States has looked abroad, primarily to China and Europe, for a diversity of varieties and cooking styles beyond iceberg lettuce and overcooked kale. Many varieties became popularized in the familiar mesclun salad mixes (adopted from the French). Today farmers' markets, restaurants, and grocery stores feature a wide variety of European greens in baby- and full-sized bunches, including kale, chard, arugula, cress, chicory, sorrel and even mâche. Specialty greens have become an important crop for both small and large-scale organic producers. In considering which crops to grow and how to market them, it is valuable to consider their seasonality and horticultural requirements. It is also worth revisiting the traditional European style of cooking and gardening from which many of our favorite varieties evolved.

Many familiar greens in the brassica family are native to northern Europe or the Mediterranean including kale, collards, cabbage and arugula. Kale of the species Brassica oleraceae, including Scotch and curly type kales as well as collards, are thought to be the earliest types of cultivated brassicas as they are very similar to wild brassicas. Siberian kales were developed in eastern Europe and found their way to the Mediterranean. They belong to the species Brassica napus and include Red Russian, Siberian, and Lacinato varieties. Kales are extremely cold hardy, serving as a consistent food source in the cold northern European climates where they are often added to soups and stews or turned into the classic eastern European sauerkraut. In Italy, the heirloom variety Lacinato is traditionally cooked by slowly braising in oil with herbs and broths. Kales have the best market in the fall, winter, and early spring as they lend themselves to warm, hearty dishes. They are also sweeter and tenderer when grown in cool weather. Collards, widely grown in the South, are more heat tolerant than most kales.

Kale is commonly sown as early as possible in late winter for a spring crop and in July or August for fall greens and overwintering. Often started in flats then transplanted, kale may also be direct seeded and thinned to one foot spacing for full plants or harvested at closer spacing for baby greens. Young kale greens make a tender but sturdy baby braising mix or when very young make a fine addition to mesclun mixes. Their cold hardiness makes them good for fall and winter salads when lettuces have slowed in growth.

The bittersweet flavor and succulent texture of chicories, radicchios and endives make them a European favorite, gaining popularity in the United States. There are two main species in the genusCichorium. The first, C. intybus, includes the popular red, round, heading radicchios, leafy cutting chicories, and dandelion chicories often referred to as "asparagus chicory" because of their succulent, asparagus-like stems and dandelion leaves. C. intybus also includes Witloof or Belgian endive grown for its conical blanched hearts. Witloof means "white leaf" in Flemish. The second species, Cichorium endivia, includes curly endive, often called frisée, and escaroles, loose-heading endives. All of these types are known for their bitter flavor, sometimes with an element of sweetness, and their sturdy leaves, which are eaten raw in salads, sautéed, braised, grilled, or added to soups.

Radicchio, a staple in the Italian garden, has become a popular component of mesclun mixes, but is traditionally favored in Italy for its use in antipastos, salads, and risottos. Radicchios are commonly named after their Italian cities of origin: Radicchio di Treviso is the upright type with long, thin, pointed leaves, Radicchio di Verona is the common round, compact red, marbled heads, and Radicchio di Scoltellato has red and green leaves that form rosettes that grow back from multiple cuttings.

Leaf chicories and curly endives are commonly used in France and Italy in fresh salads or braised with onions, wine, and broths. Seeds of Change currently offers the traditional frilly Très fin Mariachère Frissée and the curly Bellesque endive, two varieties of endive favored for salads and braising. All members of this genus are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron.

Chicories, endives, and radicchios prefer cool growing conditions and are sweetest harvested in the fall or early spring. All can be direct sown or transplanted like lettuce. Endive and escaroles can easily be spring planted, but radicchios tend to bolt in summer heat and are best planted midsummer for a fall harvest or early fall for a spring harvest.

Swiss chard was derived from wild beets and is native to the eastern and southern coasts of Europe as well as North Africa and Asia. Chard was grown by the early Greeks and Romans and by the English as early as the 16th century. Chard leaves have long been a favorite cooking green throughout Europe, but the stalks are particularly favored in France where they are blanched and braised. Witerbi chard, a Seeds of Change variety, has very large, broad, succulent stalks and is an excellent variety for this application. Highly nutritious, chard is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, iron, riboflavin, calcium, and vitamin B.

Chard is commonly direct sown in spring around April and successively resown in midsummer for a fall harvest. However, if sown while evening temperatures are still cold, they may acquire enough chilling or vernalization to induce bolting.

Besides chicories, kales, and chards, a wide diversity of salad and cooking greens that we now find in mesclun mixes or specialty greens selections have old roots in the European diet. Peppery arugula (Eruca vesicaria), which has become a staple of mesclun salads, is traditionally mixed in salads in the south of France where it is called roquette. In England arugula is known as rocket. Arugula is also a staple of the Italian fresh salads, often mixed with radicchio creating a bold spicy-bitter mix. Mesclun (which means "mixture") salads were originally made from the thinnings of garden greens.

Mâche (Valerianella locusta), the delicate, mild-flavored green revered in French and English salads, is commonly know as corn salad due to a history of wild harvesting. In England it was commonly collected as a wild plant in wheat fields (in England wheat is known as corn). Mâche is highly heat sensitive and requires consistent watering. It is also very delicate, requiring careful handling and packaging. These traits along with its lack of availability are why Mâche often brings 12–15 dollars per pound in fresh markets.

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), with its tangy punch, is the key ingredient in the classic French sorrel soup. A perennial, sorrel is often started as a transplant, but once established will produce for years.

Persian garden cress (Lepidium sativum) is another fine specialty green with history in Europe. This heirloom green is native to Persia and spread to India, Syria, Greece and Egypt. It was adopted by English traders and commonly grown in English gardens. Its spicy flavor is often used in salads in France and England or enjoyed on buttered bread. It is direct seeded early spring and fall as it bolts quickly in summer heat.

At Seeds of Change, Gourmet Greens have always been an integral part of our garden and bulk seed offerings. Please visit our garden and bulk seed section to read more or purchase seed of the following European greens varieties.

Kales: Lacinato, Red Russian, Red Ursa, True Siberian, White Russian
Chicories, Endives, Radiccios: Wild Garden Chicory, Early Palla Rossa Radicchio, Très fin Mariachère Frissée, Bellesque Endive
Chards: Broadstem Green, Golden, Rhubarb, Witerbi Mangold
Other European Greens: Persian Garden Cress, Sorrel, Arugula, Mesclun Salad Mix

Enjoy the diversity of flavor and nutrition of these fine European greens.

Micaela Colley
Seeds of Change Bulk Seed Field Representative

Literature Sources:
Phillips, Roger, and Martyn Rix. 1973. The Random House Book of Vegetables. NY, New York: Random House Inc.

Merrill, Richard, and Joe Ortiz. 2000. The Gardener's Table: A Guide to Natural Vegetable Growing and Cooking. Berkley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

Belsinger, Susan, and Carolyn Dille. 1994. The Greens Book. Interweave Press.

Fortin, Francois (Editor). 1996. The Visual Food Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Wiley Publishing.

Reichl, Ruth (Editor). 2004. The Gourmet Cookbook. New York, NY: Conde Naste Publishing.

Ingram, Christine. 1996. Vegetables: An A-Z Reference and Cooks Kitchen Bible. New York. NY: Ames Publishing Limited.

Production Resources/Links:
Oregon State University Production Guide for Kale and Collards:http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/NWREC/collards.html

Oregon State University Production Guide for Greens including Arugula, Swiss Chard, Endive, Mustard Greens and Turnip Greens:http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/NWREC/greens.html

Photo captions: (1) Field of greens with Siberian kale and Rhubarb chard (2) Close up of Lacinato kale (3) Leaves of curly endive (4) Steve Peters in a field of chard (5) Persian garden cress.

WECSA First Meeting Report

2008-08-20T11:32:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone! Here's a shot from our first meeting!

Last nights meeting was a success and we have begun to build our Working Core of members for the test year in 2009. We had a plenty of meet and greet time, Q&A's, and a light discussion on how we want to move forward. A note to those interested in participating in the test phase of WECSA for 08/09 season will need to speak up soon. Participation will be limited. We were blessed to have many disciplines and expertise there from agriculture to marketing to IT/Computer Science. Thank you to Caffe Mondo for allowing us to take over a portion of the building!

Our next 'physical' gathering is on Saturday SEPTEMBER 20, 2008, at 1000 AM at the WECSA Farmsite. Directions are provided for those in the Working Core and for those interested in attending.

Thanks for coming out and assuring me that this dream of mine is not 'completely nutty'.

In our interconnectedness,

steveg

Preparation for Vacation

2008-08-02T09:57:00.004-04:00

Today we got the garden already for our vacation. Jade and I went through all the plants and cleaned things up, harvested more beets and various yummy tomatoes, spied on the carrots, checked the onions and parsnips, eggplants and squash. Our friends mike and daysi are going to be hear to watch the plots while we take off for some camping! In one day of picking I am averaging about a pint of grape tomatoes, that's amazing! We're packing a number of nearly ready tomatoes to go camping, some with a tinge of yellow, so that they will ripen whilst we are camping and we can enjoy our garden on vacation! Mike and Daysi can eat the rest!

I feel its really important to set things up so that it is easy for our company to take good care of the food! So I've allowed a little bit of cheating by bringing out the garden hose if it is dry or if they use up the rain water.

Healthy Eating While Camping

2008-08-01T08:51:00.002-04:00

10 Tips To Healthy Eating While Camping

Going on a family camping trip is a great family activity. It is one of the greatest memories that you can give yourself, your kids and family. But just because you are away from home does not mean you are locked into eating unhealthy or only processed foods. Follow these ten tips to eat healthy and delicious food while camping.

1. Plan ahead - Prepare a simple menu with fruits and veggies at every meal. Without planning, you will be tempted to fall back on junk food, processed fast food. A little planning in advance allows me to take only what we will need.

2. Take lots of fruit - Apples, oranges, pineapples, bananas and cantaloupe travel well. A sharp knife provides all the tools you need to prepare them.

3.Freeze meals ahead of time - In the days prior to our camping trip, we prepare some meals ahead of time and freeze them solid. Placed in our cooler, the frozen entrees can take the place of ice for the first few days. Once defrosted, heat and serve.

4. Take frozen vegetables - Bags of frozen vegetables also take the place of ice in our cooler. Once defrosted, they will keep their shape and texture for a few days in the cooler. A small pan of boiling water is an easy way to prepare them once defrosted.

5. Take homemade muffins, loafs or sweet breads for breakfast and snacks - The day before we leave to go camping, we take a few extra minutes in my kitchen and prepare some whole muffins and/or banana breads. We love them for breakfast and for snacks. No refrigeration or toasting is required.

6. Take along some shelf stable meat replacements – I like the Tofurkey sausages myself. There are plenty of options nowadays when you look at your health conscious market. No need to worry about your meat going bad!

7. Keep a lookout for produce markets along the way or once you have arrived - There is nothing like fresh, locally grown produce to fill out our meals while camping. We love to find small markets and road side stands to explore the local treasures we may not find at home.

8. Freeze gallons of water ahead of time - Often while camping we are tempted to indulge in sugary soft drinks when what we really desire is a nice cold glass of liquid. By freezing gallons of water ahead of time, we have cold water to drink for days and ice for our cooler. As the water starts to defrost, we use it and refill it with fresh room temperature water. By our next meal, we once again have a cold beverage.

9. Take along sweet potatoes, squashes and baking potatoes - All of these vegetables do not need refrigeration and are quite easy to prepare. With the addition of some onions and a cast iron skillet, these core vegetables can take on a wide variety of flavors.

10. Relax and enjoy the margin you have built in to your family's health - By providing healthy and tasty meals the vast majority of the time, we go ahead and indulge our cravings when the mood strikes. If the vast majority of food our family has eaten has been healthy and life giving, then I go ahead and indulge in an occasional treat.

........T-Shirt Fundraiser For The Farm!

2008-07-27T08:04:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone! In order to raise some capital for the farmland we are offering a WECSA T-Shirt! Please let me know if you would like one. They are overpriced at $20 a shirt. If you want one, please send me an email with your Name, T-Shirt Size, Phone Number, Quanity. Orders are pending on how much time I have! But rest assured, some of you will get them at our first meeting. Growers get theirs first! Lets raise some capital for compost, seeds, and equipment. Steve wants a Seed Drill! More on that later... Email stevegreen@ymail.com for your special edition, "Get Dirty With Us!" WECSA T-Shirt! Everyone loves a farm girl/boy!

AM 800 Sunday Morning Live

2008-07-23T10:15:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone, more exposure for the Farm! I'll be speaking with Arms Bumanlag on AM 800 The Sunday Morning Live about

the Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture! Tune in and listen to me

make some sort of politically incorrect statement...hopefully not!

Take care and have a nice Wednesday!

Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture Meeting!

2008-07-21T10:39:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone:

The meeting location for our first meeting will be Caffe Mondo's which
is located in the Windsor Crossing
Outlet Mall complex. It is right in the Courtyard where Marketown will
eventually have their products. Hopefully
Jamie will join us and can share too. Come and meet Derek, farm
owner, and hear about our plans, have a hot or cold
drink.

Date: August 19th, 2008
Time: 700 PM
Place: Caffe Mondo's - Phone: 519-250-6236 (if you get lost)
Address: 1555 Talbot RD Windsor ON Canada N9H2N2

Please RSVP if you are attending/not attending.
Steve Green: stevegr...@ymail.com
Home Phone #: 519.966.9157

steveg

" I like vegetables. They don't talk back."
Note: I am on vacation August 1-15th, 2008 and away from technology
probably.

Joining The CSA Movement!

2008-07-19T08:28:00.003-04:00

Wanting to be a part of

Windsor-Essex Community Supported Agriculture Group?

goto http://windsorcsa.blogspot.com

or email steve green at

stevegreen@ymail.com

Happy Gardening Everyone!

2008-07-12T19:46:00.000-04:00

My not-so-fancy water tap! Talk about economical. I got the barrel from good ole dad and drilled a hole in the side. I take out the deck screw with my hand, water runs into my bucket. When I'm done, I put the screw back on. The top remains sealed except for the eavestrough running into the whole. Having the barrel up on half of another barrel was an excellent suggestion by dad. Gosh, he's smart!

2008-07-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

This bunch of beets did us for two meals! Once hot, once in our salad, which entirely came from our garden.
I don't know how people can NOT like a beet. They are so sweet and delicious.

2008-07-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

On Friday, Jade and I pulled our first batch of beets! Wow! Talk about a tasty dish! Total distance to the kitche: about 15 steps! Now that's getting your food locally!

Veggie Video!

2008-07-12T11:20:00.002-04:00

Video of my veggie garden at home by Bill...thanks so much! Can't wait to see the other ones!http://www.youtube.com/v/EZHfBDfxs_w&hl=en&fs=1

steveg

Local Food!

2008-07-11T15:52:00.003-04:00

LOCAL FOOD IS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT

The average North American meal travels 2,400 km to get from field to
plate and contains ingredients from 5 countries in addition to our own
– that’s a lot of “food miles” – a term coined in 1994 by Britain’s
‘SUSTAIN’ organization. In the past 20 years in North America, the
import and export of food have tripled with agriculture and food now
accounting for more than a quarter of the goods transported on our
roads. Food is now also the largest component of airfreight, the most
polluting form of transportation. What does this mean? more...

When food is transported lengthy distances, a lot of fossil fuels are
burnt, creating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This emits a variety
of toxic chemicals that contribute to air pollution, acid rain, and
climate change (global warming.) What about the distance local food
travels?

Studies have shown that local food distribution systems can reduce
environmental impacts significantly, as opposed to conventional truck-
delivered food systems which can be 4 to 17 times bmore damaging to our
environment. A study by Toronto’s ‘Food Share’ found that a meal
produced with ingredients from a local farmers’ market travelled a
total of 101km while an average imported meal travelled 5,364km
creating 100 times more GHGs than the farmers’ market meal. Does that
sound challenging?

The David Suzuki Foundation’s ‘Nature’s Challenge’ lists eating
locally as one of the top 10 things you can do to reduce your global
footprint. Canada’s ‘One Tonne Challenge’ was asking Canadians to
reduce their personal GHG emissions by 20%, by reducing GHG emissions
from the average five tonnes per household per year to four tonnes.
Studies have shown that replacing enough imported food items with
those locally grown can reduce household GHG emissions by a quarter of
a tonne – one fourth of your One Tonne Challenge! Let's rise up and
meet the challenge, deliciously: Let's Get Local

LOCAL FOOD IS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR OUR FAMILY & OUR COMMUNITY
Local produce is the freshest produce you can buy. It is picked when
it is fully ripe and delivered to you quicker than produce imported
from another province, country, or continent. Imported produce is
picked weeks before it is ripe, and often, the nutrients, taste,
texture, and colour have not fully developed, which can result in the
produce being gassed to create a pleasing, healthy appearance to the
consumer. Is local produce really more nutritious? more...

When it comes to fresh food, local is most often a much more
nutritious choice. For example, 24 to 48 hours after harvest, 50% -
89% of vitamin C is lost from leafy vegetables. Bagged spinach loses
about half its folate and carotenoids after being stored in
refrigeration for just four days. Think about the nutrients in produce
that is imported from other countries or continents. Not only can
individual produce items be more nutritious for us, but also
increasing our consumption of fresh produce is always a healthy
choice. Studies have shown that increased awareness of regional foods
leads to an increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables which
can lead to a healthier diet, reducing obesity, a major contributor to
Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. By becoming aware of the food we
eat, we eat healthier food and less processed food with added sugar,
fat and preservatives. What about taste?

Growers can plant better tasting varieties if their produce doesn’t
have to be shipped long distances. Have you ever bought a purple
potato from Your Local Farmers’ Market? When you support local
growers, you support diversity. How much more can we grow?

The 2007 Vancouver Food Assessment Report states: "Estimates of the
amount of food consumed in the province or Lower Mainland that is
produced here vary widely (from a low of 20% to a high of 60% or
more), though it is widely acknowledged that the province could
produce 60% of its own food and the Lower Mainland as much as 85%."
Val Roddick, Parliamentary Secretary for Agricultural Planning, stated
in the December 2006 issue of West Coast Farmer, “the 2 major themes
emerged from the Harvest to Home public presentations were the need to
get young people involved in the agricultural industry and the general
public needs to reconnect with where their food comes from and
recognize that the farmer is the key to our survival both as a
province and as a country.” Is that what food security is all about?

Eating local foods also contributes to our food security. The BC Food
Systems Network Society defines food security as “A community enjoys
food security when all people, at all times, have access to
nutritious, safe, personally acceptable and culturally appropriate
foods, produced in ways that are environmentally sound and socially
just.” You can contribute to our food security by buying food grown
and produced as close to home as possible. Throughout history, at
times, food delivery has been hampered by natural disasters, weather,
ferry strikes and closed borders. We need to grow a sufficient amount
of food in all regions of the province to ensure community food
security. What about food safety?

Food safety is also enhanced when you buy local food because
businesses who sell local food are better able to source where that
food comes from. Buying direct from farmers and producers or visiting
farms and getting to know who is growing your food and how it is grown
creates consumer confidence in food safety. When food safety is an
issue in British Columbia, they are alerted in a timely manner, with
the issues and progress being more transparent. Let's eat fresh, eat
tasty, and eat healthy! Let's Get Local!

Choosing local food also contributes to our provincial economy and
helps OUR farms stay in business.

When we buy a local food product, the producer receives a higher percentage of our food dollar (and at a farmers’ market or on-farm store, 100%!) This money is then circulated
many times throughout our communities, strengthening our local
economies. How does this happen? more...

Most local food is sold either directly to the retailer or restaurant
or via one local distributor. This not only supports our local
businesses but also keeps a larger percentage of our food dollars in
our province, rather than profits going to out-of-province, out-of-
country, and international distributors and transportation companies.

Choosing to buy a product that is processed locally, even if the
ingredients are imported, also helps our economy. Ask questions about
the products you regularly buy and find out how knowledgeable the
processor is about their ingredients and where they come from. There
are processors who often source as many local ingredients as possible
and source elsewhere when necessary. They employ a large number of
people here in our province and can be very knowledgeable about their
ingredients and employ a high standard of food safety. Get to know
your food. What about farmland protection?

The very soil that food is grown on is vital to Ontario’s agricultural
economy. Eating locally grown food supports our farmers and protects
our precious farmland by keeping it in production. We need to protect
our farmland from development and we need to “grow” farmers. The
median age of a farmer (in 2007) is somewhere around 57 years. This
means that many farmers are set to retire in the near future and
viable opportunities are needed to engage the next generation into
succession. It is crucial that market demand for locally grown food is
strong enough to encourage a new crop of farmers and that they are
able to confidently grow for the domestic market. Can we really do
this?

Yes! Get Local and together, we can create a healthy food system for
future generations!

Moving Right Along...CSA bound!

2008-07-10T09:15:00.002-04:00

Who would have thought that my Urban Garden Experiment would have birthed in me the opportunity to start our own Community Supported Agriculture group here in Windsor. I guess you can take the farm-boy out of the county but not the county/soil out of the farm-boy. Momentum is really picking up with the CSA word getting out to many people. I have a number of awesome contacts in my first week since I met with Derek (farm owner). I had friends who owned restaurants wanting to know if we would sell them organic farm fresh veggies, I've had offers of help and support, now I have corral all this work and 'get organized'. There is so much to do.

2008-07-07T09:07:00.005-04:00

Our Community Supported Agriculture Land!

Derek (owner) and I met Sunday and it looks like it's gonna work out!

Supper Time!

2008-07-04T20:15:00.004-04:00

Suzie caught some shots of me while we talked and I got some fresh lettuce for a nice salad tonight. I've decided that it is not crazy to think that we couldn't get a CSA started in our area. Why shouldn't we have one! I don't think that GAS is going to get cheaper, Vegetables are going to come down in price, or be safer, often the Organic ones look older and sicker than the side of the road! So, I'm not going to give this one up easy. There has to be other people in Windsor-Essex who would be willing to start a grassroots group to dream and believe, and make a CSA happen in our area. I just need to connect with them some how. They are out there. Are you one of them?

2008-07-04T13:29:00.002-04:00

LOOK WHAT WE WANT TO DO!

A COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) PLANNING GROUP!

Are you concerned about where your produce is coming from?

Interested in how your food was grown

or Organic produce?

Do you enjoy gardening,

farming, meeting new people?

Are you a budding Urban Farmer

who desires sustainable and local solution?

WE WANT YOU!

If you are interested in being part of Windsor’s first

Community Supported Agriculture Group, please contact us!

We are a group of citizens who are interested in obtaining, planning, and operating our own fresh food coop right here in the Windsor Area!

Please contact us! No experience necessary!

We need your help to be a part of organizing, bringing your unique talents and wisdom to the group, helping plan, prepare, plant and harvest!

Please contact us! Everyone welcome!

Contact by EMAIL: stevegreen@ymail.com

MAIL: 4556 Fontana Ave, Windsor, ON, N9G 3C8

BE A PART OF WINDSOR HISTORY!

“Given a choice between one action that creates suffering and one that doesn’t,

it just makes sense to choose the action that doesn’t create suffering.”

Evening Sets On The Veggies

2008-07-03T20:34:00.004-04:00

My little garden heads to sleep for the night....

2008-07-03T16:15:00.003-04:00

Good use of corner space for peas, swiss chard and string beans!

My water barrel has been continuously filled almost every night!

...After another night of rain.

2008-07-03T16:03:00.003-04:00

Hey so this crazy post shows some neat stuff, like Jade's sunflower, some nice lettuce, beets, and a clump of grape tomatoes.

Gorgeous Veggies!

2008-07-02T20:58:00.005-04:00

Take a look at these beautiful veggies!

Above you see some wonderful lettuce and

you see what will be a nice zucchini just blossoming.

He already has some 3" brothers and sisters growing beside him!

It's a guy thing to plant vegetables in your front flower bed, but then again,

it's also a guy thing to put them out back in a big rectangle.

It's a little radical to put them in front,

a statement that you can do whatever you

want in your own yard.

- Warren Schultz

2008-07-02T17:34:00.002-04:00

“Given a choice between one action that creates suffering and one that doesn’t,

it just makes sense to choose the action that doesn’t create suffering.”

Moby

Tastie Treats Last Night!

2008-07-02T16:59:00.005-04:00

Last night was a harvest night, once again, and we had an awesome family dinner which included two new recipes from moi! The first recipe was a cold noodle salad called "chilled noodle salad with mango". The basil, mint, lettuce, swiss chard, onion, cilantro all came from my garden. The mango did not.

The second dish was called Spicy Kale & Leek. It has leeks, onions, kale (from my garden), garlic, red pepper and was delicious. It's great to have fresh produce that you are not afraid to eat!

2008-06-29T23:52:00.002-04:00

i'm particularly proud of my kale. this was my first time growing it and it has been a great experience watching it turn into the familiar dark green that i am used to buying at the super store. only this kale will taste even better! i don't know how it got to this but something went wrong. we've turned lazy. we buy property to grow grass but have no livestock on it. it's for vanity's sake. we spray poison on our lawns because we want that perfect look for our perfect yard. how dare we allow the environment to invade our space. can you say control freaks?
i think about so many things that grew in my garden from spring until now that I did not plant. I planted carrots- and reap patience. I planted tomatoes- and found myself nurturing them through all our storms. i planted okra only to grieve its loss as the bunnies ate it up! I planted, watered, weeded, and now i eat. all these times I was out side, walking with water, hoeing, fussing about in the dirt, spending time with my girls and teaching them about where their food REALLY comes from. I planted a garden in my front yard- and reaped health and happiness.

Rain! Rain! Rain! Humidity! Rain!

2008-06-29T23:43:00.004-04:00

All this rain has created quite a jungle around here. tomato plants taking

over the gardens! beans climbing like they were magic! super giant zucchini

plants that look like they could eat you rather than you eat them! yum yum!

looks like more good gardening times ahead!

Veggie-fest with good friends!

2008-06-29T23:31:00.003-04:00

our good friends adam and christine came over to celebrate our bounty! part of gardening is sharing from the blessings that come from your hard work. without good friends and good times around the table, the rest would mean nothing.

Urban Garden Movement - Fritz Haeg

2008-06-28T13:18:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine Bill Reilly suggested that I post this link...

http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/main.html

He even volunteered to do some Vblog for me! Hopefully we'll have the

time to film some of this experiment!

steveg

2008-06-24T08:16:00.004-04:00

Here are some more pictures from the latest documentation of this yummy experiment...

Garden updates...

2008-06-24T08:01:00.002-04:00

Well, so much has happened since my last garden post. Violent storms, litres of water falling from the skye, harvests, eating, crazy weather playing havoc with my little farm.

Here's some of the updated pics...

Harvest Pictures!

2008-06-12T18:56:00.000-04:00

A couple more shots of one beautiful urban farm girl! Now if I can get her to stop poaching the chives out of the pots and garden!

Spring Harvest = Yummy Supper!

2008-06-12T18:36:00.001-04:00

Jade and I did the first harvest today! What a great supper we had! Even some of our newly planted herbs were ready: four kinds of salad leaves (and a few beet leaves we grabbed) and some fresh baby dill, fresh baby cilantro, and fresh chives...add it together with some soft cheve cheese and grape tomatoes (mine aren't ready yet - but they are blooming!) and you get one great meal!

Kaboom! Everything takes OFF!

2008-06-09T20:17:00.000-04:00

I almost lost everything in the big storm yesterday! YIKES! The wind was horrid! The stress of being an urban farmer!

June 9th and the Heat Wave Grows Veggies!

2008-06-09T20:10:00.000-04:00

Wow! Look what the Windsor Humidity and Heat Do!

2008-06-05T21:41:00.000-04:00

A few more shots of where things stand right now. One of the hardiest seeds I found have been the beets and the broccoli! Also, Gerber Daisies do great outside in Windsor!! The cats were eating them up inside so I brought them outside and, voila, beautiful blooms, the leaves turn a darker green in intense sun! Who knew? Beautiful, though.

2008-06-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Every bit of rain is conserved so that I don't have to pay the 150% surcharge that Enwin Utilities charges me on my water bill. Freakin' rip off, those guys are. I have a transfer bin for the water with a hose hooked up to the bottom so I can water the front gardens with a hose.

I cover the whiskey barrel when it is full.

2008-06-05T18:01:00.000-04:00

Hey! So look at things now! Those are grape tomatoes. Everything is doing well except for my OKRA which got eaten by the rabbits.

History

2008-06-05T15:55:00.000-04:00

So I started this experiment, and I was blogging it on Yahoo 360 but I don't like the restrictions, I'm switching over to my favourite, blogger, and I'll do a bit of historical picture book for ya...then I will give you the NEW stuff!