When: January 12th, 2012 from 5-8 pm

Where: Madam’s Organ, 2461 18th St NW in Adams Morgan

What: Neighborhood Farm Initiative fundraiser to support Rooting DC 2012. Suggested donation of $15 includes entrance see and a Rooting DC t-shirt. Come to Madam’s Organ to eat, drink and enjoy the company of fellow RDC supporters. Madam’s Organ will graciously donate $1 per drink (including soda and juice) that is sold during happy hour, as well as 20% of all food sales! As always, seeds will be available from NFI!

Next week will mark the first Food Day celebration with events occurring across the United States. According to the website FoodDay.org, Food Day “seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.”

It is a “people-powered” movement that provides the avenue for celebration, education and access to food and nutrition-centered events, cooking demonstrations, volunteer (and eating) opportunities. There are numerous events planned, taking place all across the Washington Metropolitan Area for you and your family to be involved in Food Day 2011. Please ask your local church, school, farmers’ market or town hall for more information about what will be going on in your area.

Another great place to go for resources is the Food Day website, FoodDay.org. Here you can search for events near your neighborhood, whether you live in Washington DC or outside the beltway. There are also resources for you to get an event started if you want to do something yourself. Take a moment to check out the website and see what will be happening near you!

The purpose of Food Day is to promote six central principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods

2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness

3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger

4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms

5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids

6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

(for more information on the 6 Principles, please refer to Food Day – 6 Food Day Principles)

By conducting a quick search for the Washington, DC area, I was able to find almost an endless list of events that are planned including speakers, neighborhood garden open houses, food truck culinary appreciation, nutrition education, university sponsored events, and the list goes on! If you go to the FoodDay.org events page, enter your zip code or address to find something that is going on within your neighborhood. Among a few of my favorites include:

- Food Day Proclamation

- Food Day Food Truck Festival (13th-17th St and K St NW)

- Food Day Extravaganza

- Inaugural Bike Blender Smoothie Sale

- American University’s 3 Day Celebration also click here for more details: AU’s Food Day 2011 Celebration AUFood Day

And so many more!!

Check out the website, find what is going on in or around your neighborhood, and go celebrate Food Day 2011!

NFI’s 2nd Annual Homebrew Harvest

Host: Neighborhood Farm Initiative

Type: Fundraiser

Price: Suggested donation of $10 at the door

Date: Sunday, October 23

Time: 3 to 6 PM

Location: American Ice Co

Street: 917 V. St NW

City: Washington, DC

Description

We’ve certainly become more conscious of the importance of supporting local agriculture, but how many of us have pondered where our beer comes from and the size of our favorite sud’s carbon foot print? Homebrew is the perfect solution to enjoy beer while minimizing your carbon footprint – not to mention a fun way to add a creative twist to your beverage choices.

Please join the Neighborhood Farm Initiative (NFI) for their 2nd annual homebrew fundraiser, featuring a friendly competition among local home brewers. This year, NFI is teaming up with Food Day 2011 to bring you an afternoon of fall festivities, with – much like homebrew – a local focus.

The event will begin at 3 PM with a homebrew 101 workshop, followed by the tasting at 4 PM. Be prepared to whet your taste buds, because after the tasting, all participants will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite brews in a number of categories. Winners will be announced at 6 PM. After our event, feel free to stick around to mix, mingle, and enjoy a few additional beers from American Ice Co who has generously agreed to host this event.

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, a DC-based non-profit serving as an educational resource for adults and teenagers, working to engage in small-scale food production in Washington, DC.  See www.neighborhoodfarminitiative.org for more info.

We’d like to offer a special thanks to our sponsors: American Ice Co, Luke’s Lobster, Sugar Loaf Winery, Port City Brewing, DC Brau, and Birch & Barley.

Questions: Email NFI at NeighborhoodFarm@gmail.com

Ever wonder how to keep your thirsty plants happy in the summer, especially when you’re away?

Come tour the farm this Saturday June 25, 10:30am-12:30pm and see how we do it at Common Good City Farm. Your instructor is our fabulous volunteer staff member Murray Schmechel, who also installed our farm’s drip irrigation system. He’ll then show how to easily install one for your own small or patio garden. Principles learned can be applied to larger gardens and orchards.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to

• assemble a low-cost drip system;
• evaluate a variety of dripper and mini-sprinklers suitable for patios and small gardens;
• order, and install a small custom system for less than $125.

Spaces are still available! Register for this workshop.

Can’t come this Saturday? Check out other upcoming workshops and events at the farm.

Teacher: Murray Schmechel is a retired life long gardener who has been “dripping” for the last 15 years. He has helped numerous neighbors become “drip” enthusiasts.  He is part of the Common Good City Farm staff.

Happy National Garden Month!

As gardeners look forward to beginning a new season, we’d like to remind you to think about how your work in the garden can be a part of the global warming solution.

Last spring, as you may remember, we announced the publication of our guide, The Climate-Friendly Gardener: A Guide to Combating Global Warming from the Ground Up. Thousands of gardeners around the country have already received copies of this guide and are putting climate-friendly gardening practices to work in their own yards!

This spring, check out our new, short videos that demonstrate two of our recommended climate-friendly garden techniques—composting and planting trees. If you have already adopted these practices, please forward these valuable resources on to your fellow gardeners.

Our final video explains how gardeners can help make an impact on an even larger scale—by supporting the adoption of climate-friendly practices on our nation’s farms. As Congress prepares for the next Farm Bill, which will determine the course of food-related policy in our country, gardeners can play a key role. Our videoexplains how!

If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact me. And, of course, if you would like free copies of this publication, please email Jenn Yates at jyates@ucsusa.org.

We hope you enjoy the videos and guide, and wish you a happy and sustainable garden season!

- From The Food and Environment Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists

DC State Fair will be hosting a seedling swap of vegetables and herbs for area gardeners. Please start extra seed to share with your neighbors and bring them on down to Columbia Heights on May 14! Get new varieties, share tips with new and experienced growers, and learn a little more about DC State Fair. If you don’t have seedlings to share, come by anyway, we’ll have extras to get you started on your DC State Fair entries for this fall!

Date & Time: Saturday May 14, 10 AM to noon (please arrive promptly!)

Location: 14th Street NW and Park Road NW (one block north of Columbia Heights metro at the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace)

Cost/Registration Details: Free! Please come promptly at 10 AM with your seedlings to ensure everyone is able to share information about the plants and see what’s available during the swap.

Web Link and E-mail for More Information: Please visit dcstatefair.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/swapping-seedlings for more information or e-mail kenneth@thedcstatefair.org.

An Irresistible Fleet of Young Agrarians to Cycle Through DC

“The Greenhorns” Documentary Film Premieres in the Nation’s Capital

The Greenhorns, a national nonprofit organization led by a raucous posse of America’s next generation of sustainable farmers, will host a tour of urban farms and gardens in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 16. A broad spectrum of farmers, gardeners, cyclists, and citizen supporters from throughout the DC Metro area will be in attendance.

The Greenhorns DC Urban Farm Bike Tour is a grassroots-organized, multi-purpose event for networking and knowledge sharing among growers and eaters, both rural and urban. Over the course of the ride, participants will attend a series of workshops and skill-shares in farming, food, and activism. Activities begin at the Mamie D. Lee Community Garden, followed by the Washington Youth Garden and Common Good Community Farm. Session topics will include beekeeping, rain gardens, preparation of ‘seed bombs,’ and how to start a community garden. Up to 90 attendees will later gather at the Letelier Theater for the Washington DC premiere of “The Greenhorns” documentary film about America’s young farmer movement. A courtyard reception will follow with local, farm-fresh food and live music by The Second String Band.

Greenhorns events for young and aspiring farmers are crucial in a nation where the average age of farmers is 57. The overall numbers of new entrants in agriculture is steadily declining while the general population of eaters continues to rise. Young, aspiring, and early career farmers need and deserve support as they boldly step forward to serve their country food. There is good reason to be hopeful for their success, particularly in the District, where Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently called for 100,000 new farmers. USDA statistics show that while the nation’s farmers are indeed aging overall, the number of all farmers under 25 grew between 2002 and 2007. Events such as the Greenhorns DC Urban Farm Bike Tour demonstrate that the crises of aging and attrition in American agriculture are being met by a movement of tenacious newcomers. This is a party with purpose.

Event partners include the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, D.C. Guerilla Gardeners, City Blossoms, Common Good City Farm, the Washington Youth Garden, Neighborhood Farm Initiative, Beet Street Gardens, Mt. Rainier Bike Coop, and the Letelier Theater. Sponsors include the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, GLUT Food Coop, The Takoma Park Food Co-op, Metro Green Markets, Whole Foods, Flying Dog Brewery, and EcoFriendly Foods. The two local organizers are greenhorns Maureen Moody (farm director) and Ibti Vincent (mobile market manager) of theArcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.

WHO: The Greenhorns (http://www.thegreenhorns.net/) and YOU

WHAT: Washington DC Urban Farm Bike Tour

WHEN: Saturday, April 16th, 2011
 (Bike tour/workshops from 1:00-6:00pm
; Film screening and reception from 6:30-9:00pm)

WHERE: Meet at Mamie D. Lee Community Garden, 100 Gallatin St., NE (Fort Totten)

Screening at the Letelier Theater, 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Upper Courtyard (Georgetown)

CONTACT:

Greenhorns: Patrick Kiley, Greenhorns Outreach Director (517) 242-5684,film@thegreenhorns.net

DC urban farm information: Maureen Moodie, Arcadia Center Farm Directormaureen@arcadiafood.org

DC urban farm bike tour: Ibti Vincent, Arcadia Center Mobile Market Manager,ibti@arcadiafood.org

ABOUT THE GREENHORNS: The Greenhorns is a farm-based, grassroots national nonprofit group founded in 2007, with the mission to recruit, promote and support America’s young farmers. Visit www.thegreenhorns.net for more information

We are so excited to announce that this year City Blossoms will be working with a group of children and youth at the Marion Street Intergenerational Garden to create our first ever Herb CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Project. This is an exciting chance for local kids to learn basic business skills and improve their garden and herb know-how while sharing very-locally grown fresh herbs with neighbors. Shares are distributed every other week & include 3-5 bunches of herbs, recipe ideas, usage tips, facts about the herbs and updates on the garden. All proceeds will go towards supporting the garden and youth gardeners.

CSA DATES: late April through October 2011

COST: $60/ Share for the whole season (that’s less than $10/months for almost 7 months & can be paid in two $30 installments)

WHERE: Marion Street Intergernerational Garden, 1517 Marion Street, NW (near P Street)  Washington, D.C. 20001

The application to the CSA is available online. To learn more about City Blossoms or to become a CSA member contact info@cityblossoms.org or call 202.870.8158.