Archive for May, 2010
TODAY Local Community Garden Event with Nora Stewart School!
Today, there will be a cool event at Kilgores Community Gardens to kick off the garden use! See details below. Please come and cheer your support for this local movement. The media needs to see we are all behind this sort of effort! EVENT WILL START AT KILGORES 700 N Providence
3:00 pm: Ian and PedNet volunteers meet Ann and Paula at Nora Stewart School and conduct short educational program with children about physical activity and health, pedestrian safety, etc., and distribute BWWW t-shirts.
3:15 pm: Entire group walks to Kilgore’s Pharmacy on Providence Road.
3:45 pm: Adam and CCUA volunteers meet group and conduct short educational program with children about fresh, local food and health; composting, planting, growing, harvesting, and eating; and everyone plants seeds in Kilgore’s Garden.
4:15 pm: Group walks back to Nora Stewart School
5:00 pm: “Unite 4 Healthy Neighborhoods” event starts at Health Dept.
(Worley/west)
Both Axiom and Columbia Health Dept. will issue press releases tomorrow (Tuesday) to entice media to attend these events as a visual cue for community-wide announcement about the next step in the “Unite 4 Healthy Neighborhoods” tocreate more/better physical activity and nutrition opportunities for children living in underserved areas.
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A Few Good Local Writers/Minds!
In an effort to make our blog as dynamic as possible I want to ensure that fresh content is being posted at least weekly if not more. I know some of you expressed the commitment to write posts but I need to lock that down a little more.
So, please email me a yes or no if you can help. If you say yes I will send you an assigned day of the month for your ONE monthly contribution. This would be your minimum. More would be great. But you will have your assigned day and you simply put that into whatever calendar reminder system you use to prompt you a few days ahead to get a story to me.
Keep in mind that it does not always need to be some lengthy original piece. A post can be from a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs. Photos and graphics are very much appreciated as well. I can usually find something if you don’t have graphics that match story. Things that would work for posts include-
1. a link to something cool that you came across that matches our mission and you send the link and brief outline of what it is and why you like it.
2. Share a recipe or food idea, gardening tip, etc
3. A story or food for thought piece that you write
4. It can be a link to a blog post on someone else’s site that you think our readers would like.
So…who is game?
Local Compost Efforts And Ideas!
“Go Compostal in CoMo” by Arthur S. Lemmings
Our Soldiers of Soil
Coincident to your adventures as a CoMo gardener here is what I would recommend. Grab an old sheet of newspaper, take your chair to a corner, sit facing the intersection between the walls and write 1000 times “I will compost I will compost I will compost.” Then shred the sheet of newspaper, take it outside with some coffee grounds, egg shells, old lettuce, any hair that you can find, mix with leaves and grass clippings, and create the beginnings of a pile, far enough from your dwelling that it won’t attract mice and other furry interlopers to your doorstep.
Why compost? Even if your soul is glory bound, your meat and hide will likely end up one fine day in the custody of worms, who are known for their surliness when confronted with terrestrial injustice. (Of course there are exceptions. I mention this so you aren’t tempted to bore me with florid remembrances of your dear pet boa constrictor Alfonso, a rather large worm, may he rest in peace, and the adorable ways he would imitate a shoelace being tied). But where were we?
Compost is to a worm what foie gras is to a Frenchman; for the worm, life without a moist bed of decomposing organic matter on which to rest its clitellum is not worth living. Moreoever, worms, unlike Frenchmen, keep thick ledger books, books far more detailed and thorough than any you might imagine that St. Peter or Santa Claus use for distributing rewards like Tickle Me Elmos and eternal bliss. I am sad to say that for the vast majority of my time as a human, about 40 years worth, the worms’ annual ledger entries concerning my activity do not bode well for being thrown upon their tender mercies. “Did not feed us,” reads one entry (which was leaked to me by a friend who appreciated some sawdust I provided him this year). Another says: “Still not feeding us.” One detects a note of passive aggression.
At the very tippy top of the University library is a secret room guarded by a two-headed dog, a personable burro, code-named Seymour, and a special collections librarian. Here, amidst the hidden doors, guillotines, and spring-coil foot traps, the library keeps its samidtzat, literature available to the select, a rareified priesthood of those who will suffer no harm when encountering the grim truth of existence; to wit, that truth is a social construct, which, as Nietsche said, is made from the same reassuringly soft cloth “as a baby’s blanket.” Nietsche never said any such thing Here too is where the University librarians typically hold their Halloween party, and it was at just such a party, that I, a lowly electronic resource assistant costumed as a warthog, was able to sneak by the librarians as they played grab ass and ate candy corns and worked on their shushing techniques, and from the brittle, yellowed pages of the De Wormibus Non Disputandum, sampled the catalog of horrors that await those who ignore the stewards of our topsoil.
1. The worm swarm. A squadron of red wigglers covers every square inch of the target’s flesh and at the count of three emits slime whereupon each worm moves three steps to its left. They then repeat this manuever, albeit moving to the right. (Directions change if you are south of the equator).
2. Cave of wonders. Leaders of the squadron choose a special forces team to spelunk into the nostrils and enter the brain cavity. These special forces operations personnel then feed on fatty solids in the frontal cortex, thus diminishing their own decision-making powers.
At this point you may be asking, “Can I be saved from this awful future simply by composting?” Unequivocally yes. Composting may even save you from the awful present. It makes you a general contractor in the Decomposition Division of the Soils Department of the world’s oldest and most generous corporation, Mother Earth Inc. You bring in all the materials and supplies and combine them in ways you decree, and then hand the project over to time, the elements, and dear old Ma. In doing so you reconnect with the ancient cycles; it’s like surfing one of earth’s smelliest waves, dude.
Cowpieabunga. Once the pile is established, feeding it is easy. Sip your tea of a morning, sprinkle the compost with carrot tops, and, if you’re curious, look inside the pile and experience the transformation. A couple of weeks ago I pulled back some sections of the rotting mound of death and decay my girlfriend and I have amassed on the front lawn. It is heavy on horse manure from Stephen’s College stables, Kaldi’s coffee grounds, eggshells, straw from mulching last year’s garden, and kitchen waste. I pawed at the dark wet earth, saw and sniffed residues from past meals (“Hello, breakfast old friend”) in various stages of decay, and spotted some large reddish worms who seemed to be working down there like lonely miners, boring holes through the interior of the mound, masters of a strange and silent alchemy. With any luck, come fall the mixture of miscellany should attain the darkness and consistency of a perfectly wrought chocolate cake, which I intend to feed to the garden soil in celebration of September’s booty.
There are many reasons besides to compost, which are too numerous, intelligent, and straightforward to be covered in a blog post. Additional resources follow:
University of Missouri Extension, Making and Using Compost:
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6956
Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, Chapter 6, The Use of Energy
Arthur S. Lemmings is a Columbia resident and works for a United Nations project improving relations between cacti and people in arid urban environments
Local Escarole Makes a Great Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup- YUM!
Dan Kuebler of "The Salad Garden" Looking Over His Escarole
These cool evenings inspired us to make Escarole Soup. Coming from the Italian tradition it’s a satisfying comfort food for a chilly day.
Escarole is in the chickory family and therefore on the bitter side when eaten raw but cooking changes that into a mellow, flavorful green. Escarole looks like a loose head of lettuce with thick leaves and wide ribs that stand up well to cooking. The Italians blanch the centers by covering the plants with a plate or tying the leaves together at the top. Dan does it by planting them on 9 inch centers crowding them together. Here’s an easy recipe:
Escarole Italian Sausage White Bean Soup
Needed
1# Italian Sausage (I like Susie’s Grass Fed lamb sausages)
1 onion diced optional
2-15oz cans of Cannellini Beans (Italian white beans, can substitute navy beans)
1# Escarole Greens (about one head)
1 Quart (64 oz) Chicken Stock
The Fun
Cut the sausage into 1 inch pieces.
Brown the sausage in a skillet with onion if desired.
Thoroughly clean escarole and cut into 3 inch pieces.
In a different skillet, toss the escarole with 1-2 TBS. olive oil and stir fry for just a few minutes.
Combine the sausage and escarole in a stock pot with the chicken broth.
Add the 2 cans of beans, simmer until done.
Consumare I Pasti!
Diane La Mar & Dan Kuebler
“The Salad Garden” (Columbia Farmers Market Vendor)
Making Omelettes the lowfat, easy way for a group of people!
Need: Eggs, Boiling Water, Ziploc Bags, Favorite Fillers
The best part is you all eat at the same time!! It does use energy to boil water and you need ziploc bags, but they can be rinsed and reused! I have seen different versions of this method and below is a link to a video on it. I used to love having a few friends over for Sunday breakfast. Usually I would make sourdough pancakes and sometimes omelettes. The hard part with both foods is that you spend all of your time cooking and everyone eats one at a time.
So, I tried this boiled bag omelette method and it works great and no cooking oil! I did learn a couple of things that I can share. This would be great for a family too. I used a couple of pieces of ham (local), onion and garlic sprouts from my garden, organic swiss, asparagus from the Columbia Farmers Market (local), and of course Stanton Brothers Eggs from the market as well (local) – 3 per bag.
You can watch the video below for the general idea. There is no reason to leave air in the bag and burp it two times like he shows. Here is my method.
1. Start boiling large pot of water- the size and level of water is determined by size of group.
2. I would sauté, lightly any tough items like asparagus. Also fry up any uncooked meat like sausage as this must be cooked. But most ingredients are fine uncooked- onion, mushroom, etc.
3. Get small to medium Ziploc bags. These should be the heavy duty ones not the flimsy snack ones. I used the ones with double ziplocs.
4. Chop all available ingredients into bowls that everyone can pick from.
5. Have everyone write their name on their bags and put in the ingredients they want from the bowls. Small amounts are best – maybe 2 Tbs of onion, etc.
6. You collect bags and put in 2-3 eggs to each. Roll out the air and seal well. They have everyone gently break up eggs and squeeze bags to mix- kids will love this.
7. Put bags into boiling water seam up. I turned my bags from side to side every few minutes.
8. I left the lid on with enough space for venting. Cook for ~14-15 min.
9. Lift bags out gently and dry off. They are VERY hot inside so you have time to get everyone settled and ready to eat. Have each person come with plate and gently slide their omelette out of bag onto plate. They will be VERY hot for a while. So cut open and let them air out/cool.
They are not pretty but they eat well! Everyone can now enjoy their personalized omelette at the same time. Enjoy!
Grant Money Available for Small Socially Disadvantaged Producers From USDA
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/ssdpg/ssdpg.htm
Contact me if you need assistance.
E Coli Break Out…Do You Know Where Your Lettuce Comes From? Got Local?
Once again we are shown the value of growing our own food or shopping locally and meeting the person who grows our food! It has taken me a few minutes a day and I have about 20 heads of lettuce growing and about 20 chard and kale. Easy as can be! Boy, as if Arizona did not have enough problems, now E Coli Lettuce! Be sure to check this brand and check your fridge and school menu!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hEnc00D5YgQjLxbZqLLkjOw_fwzgD9FHV0QG2