[Communications] [Resources] Fwd: ACGA March/April 2020 Newsletter
Patricia Hart
patahart45 at gmail.com
Tue Mar 31 10:46:33 CDT 2020
Thanks Julie!
On Tue, Mar 31, 2020, 10:41 AM Amy Olson via Resources <
resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org> wrote:
> Thank you Julie!
>
> We can include the ACGA seed info in the newsletter and perhaps a link to
> the ACGA website to folks can read about the growing projects mentioned in
> this email.
>
> Amy
>
> On Mar 30, 2020, at 2:28 PM, Julie Samuels via Communications <
> communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org> wrote:
>
> This notice is interesting and supportive of our goals like "backyard
> gardening" ........and possibly getting some free seeds!!
>
> -
> From: ACGA <info at communitygarden.org>
> Date: Sun, Mar 29, 2020 at 5:56 PM
> Subject: ACGA March/April 2020 Newsletter
> To: <jsamuels1966 at gmail.com>
>
>
> Gardening Through Covid-19
> View this email in your browser
> <https://mailchi.mp/1528b2c9faf6/acga-february-2020-newsletter-917633?e=e2e8ba817b>
> *What you'll find in this month's newsletter:*
>
> 1. Letter from The President
> 2. Community Garden Guidelines During the COVID-19
> 3. 2020 ACGA Conference Speaker Request for Proposals
> 4. Backyard Gardening with Bobby Wilson
> 5. The Crazy Chile Farm: Effort adds spice to church's outreach
> programs
> 6. 2020 ACGA Conference
> 7. Produce of the Month Spotlight on Arugula
> 8. Recipe of The Month: The Reset Salad
> 9. Share your garden stories with us for our next issue
>
>
>
> *Letter from the President*
>
> *[image: C:\Users\bobby\Documents\2020 MAUF\2020 Work List\IMG_1657
> (3).jpg]*
>
> *Safe Way to Gardening*
>
>
>
> *Dear Community Gardeners and Growers*
>
> During these trying times, let us all do our part in keeping everyone
> safe. Make sure you follow the CDC
> guidelines and follow the mandated orders that has been put in place in
> your area. Here are the CDC
> recommendations for halting the spread of COVID-19
> https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
> ncov/prepare/prevention.html
>
> As we go through these trying times remember Gardening/Farming is a major
> part of living. As
> community gardeners and growers we must continue to grow food for the
> community. Food is essential
> for all living things to live. All living things need plants to survive.
> Plants help keep the air clean by
> releasing oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. This not only freshen up the
> air, but also eliminates
> harmful toxins. Our bodies need fresh fruits and vegetables to keep our
> immune systems built up to
> fight off diseases. At this time, we don’t know where this pandemic will
> lead this world to.
>
> ACGA is offering free seeds to those who want to grow their own
> vegetables. Contact us at
> info at communitygarden.org to request your seed. If you cannot plant in a
> community garden you can
> always plant at home.
>
> ACGA will always put your safety first. Please remember to follow all
> safety guideline that has been put
> forth.
>
> This too shall pass.
>
> Cathy Walker, ACGA President
>
>
> A
> *CGA 2020 Conference, Los Angeles REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS*
>
> * "We at ACGA continue to monitor the effects of COVID-19 and will make a
> final decisions on the annual conference in Early June. With Growing food
> and protecting our ecosystems at top of our priority we remain hopeful with
> ACGA education."*
>
> The mission of the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is to
> build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and
> greening across the United States and Canada.
>
> Each year, ACGA organizes an Annual Conference hosted by a different city.
> The 2020 ACGA Annual Conference will be in Los Angeles at the Hollywood
> Hotel and adjacent East Hollywood Community Garden from Thursday, August
> 6th to Sunday, August 9th. Workshops will be held from 9:45 am to 4:00 pm
> on Friday, August 7th and from 8:30 am to noon on Saturday, August 8th.
> Each workshop will be 60 minutes long including Q&A. We welcome workshops
> in Spanish as well as English. The theme of this year’s conference is
> “Community Gardening Without Borders”.
>
> We are seeking proposals for workshops on themes that relate directly to
> community gardening. Workshop Leaders will receive a $100 discount off the
> conference registration price of $275. This discount can be split across
> the leaders if there are multiple presenters. ACGC is not able to pay
> stipends or travel expenses for workshop leaders. You may choose to donate
> your conference discount to ACGA.
>
> If you are interested in leading a workshop, please complete and submit
> the information below by June 1st, 2020. Our Education Committee will
> review all proposals and let you know if your proposal has been accepted.
> Questions?
> Please contact Fred Conrad at fred.conrad at communitygarden.org or
> 404-397-6028.
>
> *Link to the form for Request for Proposals* * https://forms.gle/ApRCJBSnPUaDAabc6
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=5e0a75518b&e=e2e8ba817b>*
>
> *3271 Main St College Park, Georgia 30337*
>
> *Themetroatlantaurbanfarm.org <http://Themetroatlantaurbanfarm.org>
> 404-788-2432 bobbymauf at gmail.com <bobbymauf at gmail.com>*
>
>
> *Backyard Gardening*
>
> *From the Field of Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (MAUF)*
>
> *By Bobby Wilson*
>
> *[image: C:\Users\bobby\Documents\2019 MAUF\03-07-19 Bobby on Tractor.jpg]*
>
> Have you and your family ever considered planting your own backyard
> garden? Could Covid-19 and the impending lock-down threaten your access to
> fresh vegetables? If you think so, then the time may be right for families
> across this great nation to experience the joy and excitement of planning
> and planting a backyard garden?
>
>
> A backyard garden can serve as a great teaching tool for parents who are
> homeschooling their children during these challenging times. One can
> hardly turn on the television or radio without hearing breaking news on the
> Coronavirus. To quiet the anxiety, NOISE-free gardening can be used as a
> source of relaxation along your journey to having fresh vegetables at your
> fingertips. Gardening can also be used as a tool to teach many subjects
> and life skills, especially S.T.E.A.M., science, technology, engineering,
> agriculture and mathematics.
>
>
> Additionally, gardening can help improve a child’s reading and language
> arts skills. In today’s times of constant noise, a small backyard garden
> can serve as a NOISE-free sanctuary for the entire family, a place to
> relax, reconnect, discover and gain new skills.
>
>
> Metro Atlanta Urban Farm can serve as a resource to assist you in
> designing a garden to suit your needs. We are also available to provide you
> with seeds, technical assistance, or to answer any questions you might
> have.
>
>
> Here are just a few tips for planting a garden:
>
>
> Location: 8 – 10 hours per day of sunlight;
>
> Irrigation: Source of water close by;
>
> Soil: Prepared by turning it over, either with a shovel or a tiller;
>
> Optional: Build a small 4x4 or 4x8 raised bed; add bagged soil
>
>
> For more information, please contact Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, 3271 Main
> Street, College Park, GA 30337; bobbymauf at gmail.com.
>
>
> We look forward to hearing from you.
> *Community Garden Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic*
>
> As we know, community gardens vary in size and scope and serve different
> populations. Yet, all community gardens provide a space for community
> members to be proactive, relieve stress, nurture the earth, and take care
> of their emotional health. During the coronavirus pandemic, we want to help
> our community garden committees and leaders make the best decisions and
> spread the most useful information to the communities they serve. Below are
> guidelines to help gardeners protect each other and implement best
> practices during these times of uncertainty.
>
>
> 1. *Stay informed*. Establish ongoing communication with your local
> public health department. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says
> building strong alliances before an outbreak may provide your organization
> with the support and resources needed to respond effectively. For a list of
> health departments in North Carolina, see
> https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/county-health-departments
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=f0e318eb60&e=e2e8ba817b>.
> For an update on the state’s response to COVID-19 see the Department
> of Health and Human Service website
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=7dce1d6e15&e=e2e8ba817b>
> .
> 2. *Communicate.* Contact garden members to let them know what the
> advisory committee is doing to keep people safe and how they plan to move
> forward during this public health crisis. Keep the gardeners informed.
> 3. *Enjoy the outdoors.* Continue to remain open to your members as
> the garden is in an outdoor environment. Please limit the number of people
> in the garden to no more than 10 at a time.
> 4. *Keep your distance.* Follow the CDC’s social distancing guidelines
> within the garden. This means gardeners should maintain a distance of at
> least 6 feet from other gardeners.
> 5. *Cancel events.* Do not host workshops, potlucks or any other
> garden group gatherings.
> 6. *Stay sanitary.* Wear gloves and sanitize any home tools that you
> use in the garden. Also, sanitize your hands before and after using any
> shared tools.
> 7. *Stay home.* If you are feeling sick, have a temperature or cough,
> stay home and get better.
> 8. *Stay sanitary, part 2.* Sanitize all gates, shed handles and all
> other communal spaces and equipment that people touch regularly after using.
> 9. *Avoid isolation*. Remember, social distancing is necessary, but
> not social isolation. Continue to keep the garden members engaged by giving
> online workshops, and sending recipes and newsletters. Use this time to do
> the planning and organizing you never have time for.
>
>
> The information below comes from the CDC website
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=37d34474d6&e=e2e8ba817b> recommendations
> for community and faith-based organizations:
>
> *Provide COVID-prevention supplies to staff, volunteers, and those you
> serve*
>
>
> - Ensure that your organization has supplies, such as hand sanitizer
> that contains at least 60% alcohol, tissues, trash baskets, and disposable
> facemasks for staff, volunteers, and those you serve. Clean frequently
> touched surfaces and objects daily (e.g., tables, countertops, light
> switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles) using a regular detergent and
> water.
>
>
> - If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent and
> water prior to disinfection. For disinfection, a list of products with
> Environmental Protection Agency-approved emerging viral pathogens claims is
> available from the American Chemistry Council Center for Biocide
> Chemistries (CBC). Visit
> https://www.americanchemistry.com/Novel-Coronavirus-Fighting-Products-List.pdf
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=3468ba3d85&e=e2e8ba817b>
> - Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and
> disinfection products.
>
> M. Alyssa McKim
>
> Community Garden Coordinator
>
> Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T
>
> N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University
> Crazy Chile Farm:
> Effort adds spice to church’s outreach programs
> BY MARLYS WEAVER-STOESZ
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=d2aa6fae06&e=e2e8ba817b> /
> PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBBY WOLVOS
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=d148ff0407&e=e2e8ba817b> | SEPTEMBER
> 15, 2018
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=ace705cc7e&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> *S*hirley Johnson’s and Janet Zuber’s fingers rhythmically slice in half
> red-orange peppers—some small and round like young strawberries, others
> shaped like a curly jalapeño. A few people crouch in the nearby chile
> field, cutting the scarlet pods from the leafy plants to drop into small
> plastic buckets.
>
> This is a typical Monday morning at the Episcopal Church of the
> Transfiguration in Mesa, at least during harvest season for the 1,100
> Chimayo chile plants outside the church buildings.
>
> Now in its fourth year, the Crazy Chile Farm started as an effort to raise
> money for the church’s outreach programs, particularly one that provides
> meals through United Food Bank. A group of church leaders wanted to
> continue and expand those programs without continually asking parishioners
> for more money.
>
> “We started looking into community gardens and the rate of failure is
> pretty high,” said Bill Robinson, the Crazy Chile Farm’s manager. “One of
> our guys said, ‘Hey, why don’t we work like a commercial farm and raise a
> commercial crop, sell it, and use the money to support the outreach
> programs?’”
>
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=d34d533047&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> The church now grows hundreds of pounds of Chimayo chiles, producing
> dozens of pounds of ground Chimayo chile pepper. After expenses, all the
> profits from the farm’s sales go to United Food Bank, Apache Junction
> Unified School District, Mesa Public Schools and emergency relief efforts,
> like communities hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
>
> “Most of the chile powder that’s sitting on a shelf in the grocery store
> is usually a chile mix. It’s got cumin in it and oregano and garlic and a
> bunch of other stuff,” Robinson said. You can find pure chile powder in
> grocery stores, he continued, but you don’t know how old it is and “it
> seems to be primarily geared for heat, rather than flavor.
>
> “The Chimayo chile powder is a medium heat and it has a distinct flavor,”
> he said. “One of the things that is definitely noticeable is that there is
> a sweetness to it—not a sticky sweet, but definitely a sweetness you can
> taste.”
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=0b9505df2e&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> On trips to New Mexico, Robinson had loved the namesake peppers he ate
> around the town of Chimayo. When the church group found Chimayo chile seeds
> in Native Seed/SEARCH’s catalog, they connected with University of New
> Mexico’s Agricultural Science Center at Alcalde for advice on growing them
> a state farther west than where they usually grow.
>
> “The village of Chimayo is almost at 6,000 feet and we’re at 1,600 here,”
> Robinson said. “We didn’t know if it would even work.”
>
> “We ended up with a crop that [first] year that not only covered all of
> our start-up expenses, it gave us about $600 to $700 at the end of the year
> to start dumping into outreach programs,” Robinson said. The group had
> learned a lot by planting, growing and harvesting the first year’s crop,
> and in the second year brought in more profit from the 4,000-square-foot
> plot.
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=9d4e2d4384&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> Last year, church members were excited about another prosperous chile
> season. The plants were doing well, Robinson said, and produced 36 pounds
> of chile peppers the third week of harvesting. The following week, though,
> Robinson and other volunteers returned to chile plants that seemed
> emaciated. Eventually, most of the plants dried up and died. Pathogens had
> built up in the ground and the fungal disease called verticillium wilt had
> taken hold in the plants, Robinson said. He blamed growing the peppers
> three years in a row in the same field.
>
> Seeing firsthand the importance of rotating crops, the group established a
> second field to grow the chiles while the original plot now bears Yoeme
> blue corn. Volunteers will rotate the two crops every two years, Robinson
> said.
>
> “We had to make a lot of adjustments, but we made it work,” Robinson said.
> “Our first year’s crop was puny compared to what we have now.” This summer,
> volunteers have been collecting between 50 and 80 pounds of chiles each
> week.
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=d68da09734&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> Those successes, though, have come from a lot of learning, persistence and
> figuring out decision making within a team of volunteers. The Rev. Robert
> Saik, rector of Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, applauded the
> several people who have dedicated the time and energy to make the farm work.
>
> “We’ve had a group of people, particularly Bill, who have really stuck
> with it regardless of what happens,” Saik said. “So, all along the way,
> just like many farmers, we’ve had plenty of issues. We’ve had issues with
> varmints, we’ve had issues with birds, we’ve had issues with water, we’ve
> had issues with diseases—that’s the biggest one. We’ve had questions about
> how we’re supposed to pick, how we’re supposed to process, how we’re
> supposed to sell, how we’re supposed to package. There have been issues
> with all that stuff, but each time somebody’s found an answer and we keep
> going.”
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=0733afdc99&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> Crazy Chile Farm volunteers include mostly church members, but also others
> who heard about the project and wanted to help. Laura Ward started
> regularly coming to work with the chiles after Robinson contacted her about
> bringing her pair of draft horses to the church to plow and establish the
> church’s second field. The area, which had been a parking lot, was so
> compacted that the horse-drawn plow wasn’t able to turn the soil and a
> parishioner later rented a tractor to break ground. Ward has continued
> helping out in other ways, including bringing the Clydesdales to the annual
> Chile Pepper Harvest Festival.
>
> Along with the chiles and the Yoeme blue corn, the church is growing brown
> tepary beans, Mexican oregano and some native varieties of squash and
> pumpkin. Seeds for those native types of corn and beans are very limited,
> Robinson explained, so the church partnered with Native Seeds/SEARCH and
> the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture to help build up the supply.
>
> By selectively saving seeds from the chiles year to year and as the plants
> adapt to their new environment over time, the church is creating a new
> landrace variety of the Chimayo chile, Robinson explained. The church has
> named its chiles “Campo Dorado,” meaning “gold field” in Spanish, in honor
> of the Goldfield Mountains just to the north of the church.
>
> But how did the farm get its name?
>
> Robinson described how, soon after the church’s vestry had decided to
> embark on the small farm project, several of the group were attending an
> annual conference for the Episcopalian church diocese. The final night of
> the conference, the bishop was speaking on the Biblical parable of the
> sower, where a man scatters seeds across a path, onto rocks, in thorns and
> some on good soil.
>
> The bishop mentioned that his wife was from a farming community and that
> if anyone there would have been so careless with seed, people would have
> said they’re crazy. Robinson says the fellow parishioner sitting next to
> him elbowed him in the side and exclaimed, “We must be the crazy chile
> farm!”
>
> *Born into a farming family in northern Indiana, Marlys Weaver- Stoesz
> grew up as involved in growing and harvesting food as in eating it. Her
> passion for food and farming began on that small, heritage-breed dairy
> farm, but it has also taken her to harvesting coffee beans on a farm in
> Peru and working at natural food cooperatives and farmers markets. Marlys’
> writing work focuses on agriculture and education. Learn more
> at marlysws.com
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=8da2e03747&e=e2e8ba817b>.*
>
>
> <https://communitygarden.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabf5464da64e1cd36e90b8f7&id=488f7d8af1&e=e2e8ba817b>
>
> *Chile Pepper Harvest Festival*
>
> Pick up Crazy Chile Farm chile powder, compete in a cookoff and enjoy a
> horse-drawn wagon ride at the farm’s third annual Chile Pepper Harvest
> Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018.
>
> The event is from 8am to 2pm at the Episcopal Church of the
> Transfiguration, 514 S. Mountain Rd., Mesa.
>
> A variety of Crazy Chile Farm products and other area goods will be
> available at a farmers market during the festival. The day will also
> include live music, Clydesdale-drawn wagon rides, a freethrow shooting
> contest, a children’s art booth, tours of the farm and a chile cookoff.
>
> --
> Communications mailing list
> Communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org
>
> http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/mailman/listinfo/communications_chicagocommunitygardens.org
>
>
> --
> Resources mailing list
> Resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org
>
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>
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