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Introduction to Beekeeping Course
Time:Tuesday Evenings, January 17th through March 6th, 709pm
Location: Fairhaven Library, Fireplace Room, 1117 12th Street,
Organized By: Jody Gerdts
This course is designed for new and beginning beekeepers focusing on beekeeping fundamentals essential for keeping bees healthy and happy. Topics covered:
• Natural history of pollination
• Honey Bee biology
• Hive management techniques
• Pest and disease biology
• Integrated pest management techniques
• Hive products
The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, guest speakers, and video clips. 2012 Country Living Expo & Cattlemen's Winterschool
Saturday, Jan. 28th at the Stanwood High School. This is an amazing day of over 150 classes. Prime rib or veggie lunch included. Registration is $60 per person, and youth ages 12-18 are only $10 for the day. Classes include: Beef, Bees, Country Living, Equine, Fiber, Foods, Horticulture, Poultry, Sheep & Goat and Swine
Whatcom Conservation Dist. 19th Annual Plant Sale
Saturday, March 24th, 2012, 9am-2pm
Whatcom Community College at the Roe Studio
237 W. Kellogg Rd., Bellingham Urban Agriculture Rezoning in Boston
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the City of Boston want to establish an environment in which all of our citizens-particularly the most underserved-have direct access to locally produced fresh food, the ability to produce food for themselves, and access to education and knowledge about healthy eating. A Case-Study Based Exploration of Seattle Urban Agriculture Projects
Currently there are 103 urban food production sites in Seattle.1 These include urban farms, P-Patches, community gardens, and school gardens. From the 103 sites, however, only 10 are functioning as Urban Farms. While P-Patches, community gardens, and school gardens are an important component of Seattle's food system, urban farms have the potential to make a large impact on the local food supply system. Within this report we focus on existing urban farming case studies to better understand how these farms function. (See the report here.)
California Farm Academy Aims to Produce Next Generation of Farm Entrepreneurs
The average Californian farmer business owner is 58 years old. These entrepreneurs produce crops valued at $20 billion per year. The 22-week program, priced at $1,950, is designed for those with busy schedules, with courses offered in the evening and on weekends for a total of seven to 10 hours of class and training time per week. The cost includes printed materials, machinery, tools and supplies. Young Urbanites Put Down Roots in Organic Farming in BC
“I think there’s a growing demand and I think it’s going to keep growing, but it’s still a really hard way to make a living.” McMillan now runs the farm with fellow UBC Farm practicum graduates Simone MacIsaac, 33, and Niki Strutynski, 32. Having cleared the hurdle of securing land, labour is now the main limitation to business growth for Rootdown, which grossed $80,000 in sales last year. “The market is definitely there. People are interested in more than we can produce, but we can’t physically do any more than we can do,” says McMillan, noting that Rootdown hosted several volunteer workers in 2011 to help lighten the load. New World Crops – Order Now for 2012!
By the way this fellow looking for folks to trial some of his crazy tomato varieties.... check 'em out: “I (Rob) am currently looking for someone interested in growing out tomatoes on contract, to either sell to a bigger seed company and give us our cut, or to use in some other way and give us back the seeds. The purpose is to get more seed of our best varieties available to you, in a more efficient manner than our current system, so that we can handle it with our limited human resources. We have a huge backlog of varieties that could be grown out. The intent is to make this a profitable and worthwhile venture for all parties involved. We believe in ‘win-win or no deal’, and will do what it takes from our side to make it happen.” But he's best known for his collaboration with Tater-Mater.... for his potatoes and specifically 'potato seed’: “True seed is a godsend to home growers because it creates the option of rotating potatoes out completely before disease builds up, and saving the seeds in storage for later planting. It’s also a more sanitary and economical way to buy and ship genetic resources.” Potato Varieties you will only see from them…from 40+ years of local research and breeding. And a few more other items: Everything else like dry beans, greens, root crops and squashes... Keep up the awesome work/labor of love, fellas! Blend Your Own Seed-Starting Mix - How to make your own seed-starting mix.
April Johnson, landscape and greenhouse coordinator at the Rodale Institute near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, grows literally thousands of organic vegetable, flower, and herb transplants every year. Many of her seedlings end up in the Institute’s production and display gardens; others are sold to local gardeners at two spring fundraisers. After many years of experimenting with recipes for indoor seed-starting mixes, Johnson has settled on this general formula.
• 4 parts screened compost
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part vermiculite
• 2 parts sphagnum peat moss and/or coir
To keep the dust down, lightly moisten the ingredients before blending them thoroughly in a dishpan or wheelbarrow. This mix strikes a balance between moisture retention and drainage, both of which are necessary for seedlings. “Regulating the moisture is key,” Johnson says. “It’s easy for the soil to stay too wet, and that can lead to damping-off.” Damping-off is a fungal disease that causes newly germinated seedlings to topple over and die. Some flower seedlings—Johnson mentions pansies, snapdragons, ‘Gem’ marigolds, and lisianthus—tend to be more sensitive to too much moisture. For those, she makes a special batch of the mix, using less compost and replacing coir with peat moss. Sphagnum peat moss and perlite tend to lighten the mix and allow it to drain more quickly. Compost, vermiculite, and coir increase moisture retention. The compost in Johnson’s mix is made mostly from shredded leaves and other garden debris—but she avoids any organic materials that might introduce weed seeds to the compost. Having compost in the mix means that seedlings rarely need to be fertilized until they are moved outdoors to the garden; the compost provides a constant mild feeding. Compost also counters the natural acidity of peat moss. In mixes that don’t include compost, add 1/4 teaspoon of lime for every gallon of mix. A Great Link: Beginning Farmers – Full of useful information! Asian Chicken Salad
Serves 6 to 8
Jenifer loves to make this salad with the boys. If there's time, she'll throw it together a few hours ahead of dinner, but she makes sure to add the herbs at the last minute or they lose the wonderful aromatic qualities that they bring to the salad in the first place. Serve more herbs in bowls for everyone to add as they like.
* 1 head cabbage, thinly sliced
* 4 3-4 ounce packages dried Ramen noodles, seasoning removed, broken into bite-sized pieces
* 2 cups or so diced cooked chicken
* 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
* 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon fish sauce
* 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
* 1 teaspoon sambal chili paste
* 2 pinches sugar
* 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
* 6 green onions, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup peanuts, toasted
* Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil, sliced
* Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, sliced
* Leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint, sliced
1. Mix together the cabbage, Ramen noodles, and diced chicken in a large bowl. Hands are welcome.
2. In a small bowl or jar, mix the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, sambal chili, sugar, ginger, and green onions. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss really well to coat all the ingredients. You can do this a few hours ahead so that the seasoned sauce will moisten the dried noodles.
3. Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with the peanuts and some of the basil, cilantro, and mint. Have bowls of the herbs on the table so everybody can add what they like. Lacy Almond-Orange Cookies
Makes 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes (plus cooling)
Good to Know: A mix of sugar and honey in these citrusy cookies satisfies a sweet tooth, yet each thin, delicate cookie has only forty-four calories. Go ahead, have two.
* 1/2 cup slivered almonds
* 3/4 teaspoon anise or fennel seeds
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in middle and lower thirds. In a food processor, pulse almonds and anise seeds until coarsely ground. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan. Add butter, sugar, honey, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring once to combine ingredients as butter melts. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in flour and zest. Working quickly, drop batter by teaspoonfuls, 2-1/2 inches apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. (Cookies can be stored between sheets of parchment in airtight containers up to 2 days at room temperature.) |
