Hello Everyone,

This week we have composting as usual but we will also be planting seeds. Oh yeah, and, gr

eat news! The administration decided to give us an extra $1000 to purchase the rest of the raised beds! Looks like we'll have a full garden by the end of the summer.

Someone in club (Alyssa) sent me a link to a CNN article about the "revolution" we are a part of. cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/29/bia.urban.farming/index.html

My thought is that we have spent far too much time eating junk that is fed to us, watching TV that teaches us bad habits (and keeps us on the couch), and generally deteriorating our bodies and minds with "modern life." I don't mean to sound reactionary (I like my smart phone as much as the next person) but I also think there is a reason our ancestors were so close to nature, the seasons and the whole food process for so many generations. I think revolution might be a bit strong of a word but I like the Ghanaian word they refer to in the article "sankofa." It means returning to the past to move forward. I think its a nice idea and we could use some of that-- check these two articles out and see why!

1) - On corporate food and how it keeps us so captivated:

-nytimes.com/2009/06/23/health/23well.html?_r=1&ref=dining

2) - Paul Krugman's column on newest predictions on global warming and its

international consequences:

- nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29Krugman.html?em

Anyway, on a brighter note, here are some photos from planting and brunch

POSTED BY ELISSA CHANDLER

We planted seeds today!

About 6 of us met up to plant seeds and have a pot-luck. The highlights include:

Squash

- Crookneck

- Scalloped

- Pumpkin

- Butternut

Melon

Purple Beans

Snap Peas

Carrots

Fennel

Cucumber (two varieties, one for pickling!)

Carrots

I'm probably forgetting some...but you get the idea. Then we enjoyed fresh fruit from the market, sandwiches, delicious potatoes and a peach-blueberry crisp. Not a bad way to end the morning!

Hope to see you on Thursday.

POSTED BY ELISSA CHANDLER

Hello!

Another fabulous day of composting-- we turned 5 or 6 piles (including Abner) and built a new one. We were trying to come up with a good "B" name but decided that MJ would have to do given the circumstances. Its a solid two-bale pile with a new time-saving design and better structural support than the other piles we've built. Sound fancy? It is. You'll have to come see it sometime.

Some more dog-walkers came out this week with genuine interest (in a good way!) in the garden. Gone are the days when we thought we might have trouble with them-- we love compost, their dogs love compost and we love dogs. It all works out...

This Saturday we are having our first planting day-- we're planting some seeds (probably mostly summer squash, herbs, sunflowers, corn) and brunching in our normal spot. Its bound to be a good time.

Until then!

POSTED BY ELISSA CHANDLER

Back in Action

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the long hiatus but we are certainly back for the summer season!

Last time I blogged we had just completed the first pile-- we have moved far beyond and now have 7 or 8 piles cooking and some compost ready to go into the 7 beds we have built.

We have been meeting every Thursday evening at 5:30 to turn the piles and build new ones. This week we used three bales of straw to complete our pile (a new record) and even decided to start naming the piles in the same fashion that hurricanes are named. We started with Abner. Also, we want to have a FEAST olympics in the fall with compost-dance competitions, wheelbarrow racing, plant and fungus identification and maybe, just maybe, a naked composting session.

More news to come soon.

POSTED BY ELISSA CHANDLER