Ronnie's Recipes

1. Cut open a milk container, fill with local organic :) beer and bury at garden edges as a predator feeding station!
A good one - one of my favorites. I can then walk out to the garden and drink some warm flat bug-laden beer whenever I want! It does work well.


2. Just a bit of Dr. Bronner's in water for aphids (too slippery for the little ones)
Cool.

3. Hot pepper and minced garlic in oil. Add to sprayer bottle for deterring rabbits and chipmunks.

And spray where? Base of plant? Perimeter? All of it!

Small, screen around plants is a good one. Cayenne around a perimeter works, too. Diatomaceous earth deters ants, as does boric acid (both white powders). Biodiesel, of course, works around perimeters, too, and is a good spot weed killer (as it biodegrades in 30 days or so). It sometimes need reapplication for burly weeds. Companion planting African Marigolds with plants, or again, around perimeters, is supposed to work. I have had mixed results with them, personally. And then there's basic stuff - sparkly stuff in the garden deters some birds.

The compost tea works well as pest deterrent, too. There's Serenade, for those with more money than time. Planting strawberries outside the garden gives the pests (which you know are coming) a diversion of sorts to a place outside the garden.

Sheet Mulching Playshop and Monique's Dirty 30!

Amy checking out the Permaculture technique of sheet mulching

Before sheet mulching, we cleared the weeds and rocks out. The idea is to not do work or disturb soil, so we technically could of slapped everything on top. This is useful for creating beds over lawns or even parking lots!


After the food scraps and a good smattering of aged horse manure, we hosed 'er down really well. Then we layered and overlapped cardboard and wetted it again.

Judy's awesome. She can make a toothpick grow and she does laundry!

Farmer Tom layin straw down with Rocco. Judy Fasani dropped a huge bale and cardboard off for use! We use straw, the byproduct, not hay which is full of seeds.

Nice 6-inch straw layer is down. looking good!

Sheet mulching in the fall is desirable and then soil is not needed. Here we add some of Carin's finished compost and topsoil

All ready to plant and celebrate
HomeGrown Truckee ladies done playing
Limes and mint go well together, kind of like Mojitos?


Monique celebrating with chocolate of course!

As a group we did like 160 pull-ups. I think Scott did 50 :)

Party People

Eric's Seven-Layer Ben & Jerry's Creation. Are you serious?

The waning moon and your garden: going deeper

We can enhance our attunement with the natural rhythms of nature by gardening with reverence for the moon's cycles. Just as a plant's life cycle follows the earth's relationship with the sun feeling the length of the day and temperatures of the season. The moon's effect is equally powerful as moon energy dances with water molecules evidenced by the changing tides. Today the moon is 92% full. It is waning, decreasing in size and luminosity with respect to our viewing. From Farmer's Almanac folklore, and biodynamic garden practices, what might be our best action in the garden at this time? Intuitively feeling when something decreases, goes down, lessens, is removed, what actions in your life and in your garden would make most sense now? You might sit in your garden and ask this question. Traditionally, the waning moon is a time of settling and letting go. It is a time for mowing, weeding, pruning and harvesting. With respect to our seed starts, the full and waning moon is a great time to plant root crops, like potatoes, beets, or carrots. Gravity and light are influenced by the moon's phases and this is especially understood by seeds. When you look on your seed packet, find the time a seed takes to germinate. Some seeds take 1-7 days, while others can take 28 days! Think about counting backwards from the new moon. This is when you should plan to see the seeds germinate. So, how about starting long germinating seeds like celery or garlic, and removing any clutter or scattered energy from your garden.

Garden Protection

Its become apparent that garden protection is top priority as we begin to move our starts outside. Judy mentioned some little mammal infiltration, but not with the chard, and Scott's manure got eaten from his sheet mulch! From hot sun, dry days, wind, and cold nights, to racoons, chipmunks, deer, birds and the bears, its time to discuss how we can best protect our gardens and compost materialistically and vitalistically and ensure a harvest for our bellies! Add a post here about this topic!

ABCD for Truckee's Sustainable Food System

A
Awareness of the system of the Truckee and regional food system. Determine how much production is needed to maintain a town of our size. How much energy leaves our economy? What are our historical stories of meaning, and future town plans? What is the town demand and supply or local, artisan food?

B
Baseline analysis: Where is Truckee to date in relationship to this project, including contact with like-minded organizations ie. Slow Food, SBC, Project Mana, New Moon Natural Foods, Sierra Valley Farms, Shaw Family Farm?

C
Vision: What is our present vision, our 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year based on principles for sustainability, leaving for creativity within constraints?

D
What are the steps necessary to align our awareness and baseline with our vision? Baby Steps. Do these actions provide us with a ROI and move us towards greater financial, social, and environmental sustainability? Is this action in the right direction towards our goals? Does this action provide us with a flexible platform for future movement?

Gathering Notes from April 7

Hay lovely farm folk!

On the calendar and NOTES from our Gathering on April 7th, 2009


We have chosen to focus our energy on a pre-existing garden space and give the Project MANA garden more love, more art, more kid energy, more veggies, more music, more.....
http://www.re-generation.us/media.html (Check this out from my friends in Colorado)

1. Dana and Mike have a great space with a projector for viewing movies to inspire us. Tamara and Pete have some to share.

2. Lettuce Turnip the Beets Harvest Hoedown! (Any artists to design t-shirt, stickers?)
How about a Food Art contest for the kids... and us too!

3. A bike ride tour map around Truckee to check out others gardens (Invite collaboration with Green Bikes?)

A big heartfelt thanks to those who could participate this week!


Cari would love to share gems from the Masters in Sustainability grad school that her and Monique went to in Sweden and will be sharing pieces of paradigm shifting leadership, community transformation, and sustainability throughout. If you have something to teach, please lettuce know and we can add it to the agenda. And remember that our new growers may be wondering how to start seeds. All this knowledge you have is so valuable!

Judy brought her friend Arnold, whose been growing here since 1960. He shared with us what he grows and could use some more help with those pesky squirrels. Check out the blog to see what Arnold grows www.homegrowntruckee.blogspot.com Thanks to Judy for her productive inquiry and to Arnold! It is truly beautiful to tap into the wisdom of the area.

We welcomed Tamara to HGT! She brought us eggs from her nine chickens from her home in Sierra Meadows and will be building a greenhouse this year with thermal mass of a combination of water and rocks so her family can grow year round! If you're interested in learning about greenhouse design for our area, you can learn more as this project is constructed. She inspires to nourish her family from food grown closer than 250 miles away. Tamara is also excited to create a mini CSA for us local growers, where we trade once a week our food stuffs. Maybe, I'm the lettuce queen, and you've got the juiciest tomatoes!

We also welcomed Pete to the group. His family has grown veggies here and his zucchini did great! Pete is excited to dedicate a plot to his dear friends who've recently experienced a great loss, and has a small truck to share. His interest is especially focused on growing with kids and families. He is willing to help transport food scraps to the compost at Project MANA at the Truckee Park as centralized compost is key to our success. Pete is also a permaculturist and can help us adopt permaculture practices into our garden.


And our other newcomer was Dana, of Papoose Preschool and Infant Care. and they will be building more planting beds from scrap wood this year and a cold frame with used sliding glass doors. She is a seasoned grower and spearheaded an awesome school garden when she taught in Arizona. Right now her and Mike are teaching the little farmers about eggs and seeds, and are excited to plant at Papoose in Armstrong Tract. Dana also has a great space for viewing movies at her and Mike's home.

Scott has a greenhouse in Prosser and is offering shelf space for starts! Scott's next to host and perhaps share with us the recipe from the yummy dessert he brought :)

Mike will be contacting Project MANA to see if we can give it the love this year. At the least, we will have plots to cultivate. He also can help us with food scraps from New Moon for your own compost pile if you bring a garbage can, and will be supporting the Project MANA compost as well.

We are streamling our Information share and have a Blog.
Go to: www.homegrowntruckee.blogspot.com
See at the top, login: username: homegrowntruckee password: hgt96161
You can then View Blog..... and also choose New Post and create an entry. This can be a poem, a recipe, what you did in your garden today, what your confused about....a vision or an idea... Lettuce practice transparency with one another and keep the knowledge flowing.You will also notice a place for Labels. This will help keep the blog organized and easy to search. Maybe you label it,... recipe, asparagus, Tamara... etc.
You'll notice once you log in, that the posts have an icon of a tool, like a wrench, at the bottom right corner, this is the edit button. you can click this on and edit a previous post.

If anyone is challenged by the blog, I can help walk you through it.
Also, Melissa Siig, who writes for SoulFood of Moonshine and Sierra Sun, will be interviewing Homegrown Truckee in May for a June article. woo hoo!!
Lastly, thanks for bringing something small to share at our salad mix-up dinner! Its amazing how we can inexpensively eat well together!

Much love and soulshine,

Cari 973-229-8623

First HomeGrown Truckee Gathering

HomeGrown Truckee Tuesday March 24, 2009
East River St. 7pm

I. Introductions and why we’re here….

Attending: Judy, Monique, Mike Kuygler, Mike Kahlich, Allison, Amy, Byron, Justin, Scott, Cari, Carin

II. HomeGrown Truckee Visioning:

Local Food Production
-¼ of Truckee’s food grown locally

Create Local Food Demand
- Local Food System Infrastructure
- education and promote restaurants buying more locally

Celebration of Food/ Food Gathering Places
- Food Artisan Partnership
- Canning, pickling, preserving
- Cooperative Greenhouse restaurant

Education
- Food/agriculture/ nutritional education
- Organization/ Forum/ Depot
- Workshops/ Playshops
- Tool lending library
- Tap into local knowledge/ Knowledge Sharing

Community Food Growing Places
- Greenhouse for Project Mana Gardens
- Judy’s Garden space
- Accesible Fertile Land
- Volunteer Efforts
- Private Land/ Public Land donated for growing
- Labor Sharing and community participation

Community Participation across the ages
- Community gardens with kids
- Agriculture and gardens in schools
- Garden at old Middle School

Food Policy
- Creating Regional Partnerships
- Tap in to government and grant funding on Climate Change
- Foundation/ support for agricultural efforts

Access and Availability
-Food Distribution System

III. Awareness of present

Fear of not being able to grow, doubt about soil, conditions, frost
Scott William’s green house available for seed starts
Papoose garden at Dana and Mike’s
Project MANA
Home gardens
Weston A. Price Foundation (Obama and poltical ties)
Farmers Market
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Foot hill farming
Lake of the Sky Garden Club
Shaw Family Farm
Craigslist for tools, suppplies
Slowfood USA
Local Nursery Businesses
-Trout Creek
-Villager Nursery
-Tahoe Tree Company
-Perennial Nursery
Composting Facility
-Full Circle Composting in Minden
-Shaw Family Farm
-Don in Olympic Heights

IV. Moving Forward

Personal gardens:
-What grows well here? broccoli, cauliflower, squash, peppers, peas…
- Site Analysis > (Judy) willing to do site visioning
- Order Seeds >Dana has a relationship with seed company from Willits
- Soil Analysis
- Workshop on Sheet mulching (Cari) and collaborate to get materials
- Sharing Cuttings, swapping

Centralized composting approach: Where can this happen? School? Brainstorm this.

Communication
Facebook/ e-mail/ website/ knowledge share forum/ calendar….
Newspaper Feed
-Moonshine
-Sierra Sun (Seth Lightcap)

Monthly meetings/Bi-monthly meetings and sharing gatherings

Wisdom share
-(Judy’s friend >older gentleman?)
-Gary’s expertise (Carin and Amy’s contact)
-Gathering for education on seed starts, transplanting…preparing site etc…
-Bulletin Board at New Moon

Garden Meditation and Inquiry

If you have an extra few moments, get out there and hang out with your potential garden space. Get in the dirt, sift through it, smell it, notice whats popping up. The soil is the immune system and the backbone of growing potential. Find a spot that speaks to you in the garden and be with the garden. Sit still and open all your senses. Be in wide curiosity and receptive to the energy of the garden. Also, check out the space from multiple perspectives. As you observe the garden,notice light movement, motion, evidence of water and weather, postive aspects, neglected aspects, feminine and masculine...It would be great to record these observations and share them. Ask the garden how it can be stewarded and how it can fulfill its potential? Like any endeavor, we first seek to understand and connect with our core being.

Sheet Mulching Playshop TBA

Thanks to your passion, we are ACTivated! Who has trouble growing here? Start your garden strong with energized soil. The practice of sheet mulching has been used to transform vacant urban parking lots into productive veggie gardens. 

Can we have a Sheet Mulching Work/Playshop at the Project MANA garden to learn about this permaculture practice and build healthy and productive soil. Bring the kids and lettuce make garden lasagna! The ingredients can be newspaper, grass clippings, straw (horses eat hay and straw is the byproduct, the husk), cardboard, aged manure, and compost. The cardboard and straw can be gathered at no cost. Can we manifest gifted manure and compost? Lettuce put it out there! Crank up your connective powers! With whom can we collaborate for these resources?

WHAT IF?

WHAT IF AS A COLLECTIVE, WE SYNERGIZE OUR EFF-ART, WE GROW MORE SUSTAINABLE, MORE ABUNDANT AND PROSPEROUS, AND MORE JOYFUL?  WHAT IF PROSPERITY IS GOVERNED BY A SYSTEM OF VALUES THAT REJUVENATE HUMAN HEALTH, AND PLANETARY SUSTAINABILITY? WHAT IF PROSPERITY IS MARKED BY CREATIVITY AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER? WHAT IF THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR INSPIRE OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE MORE FULLY IN THE CREATION OF OUR TOWN, OUR WORLD? WHAT IF WE INVITE PEOPLE INTO A NEW WAY OF BEING, A PARADIGM THAT VALUED PARTNERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND COOPERATION? WHAT IF OUR COLLECTIVE EFF-ART WAS SHOWCASED, CELEBRATED, AND WHAT IF HOMEGROWN TRUCKEE BECAME A BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABLE AND SACRED COMMERCE IN THE HIGH SIERRAS?  WHAT IF?

What Arnold's been growing in Olympic Heights since the 60's

Each year he adds compost to amend his soil. Squash will grow but "the kids" don't like it :)
Perennials
lovage, chives, walking onions, horseradish, rhubarb, strawberry, raspberry, Currants! come and get 'em, gooseberry
Annuals
Zuchinni, cucumbers, beets, carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, spinach, chard, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin

Healthy Group Dynamics

Because one of top three reasons sustainability efforts fail is because of group dynamics, like people being frustrated, poor communication, and unconscious ways of working together….
Here’s a list that we can add to as we root and rise and root and rise!

1. Gather in a circle, where all energies are equal. Honor all new members as family. Help invite them into a safe space.
2. Find an opening and closing activity that binds the group, allows laughter, movement or some other creative experience.
3. Choose a facilitator for each gathering and a recorder, scribe, or note taker.
4. All ideas and visions are valid and perfect in the moment.
5. ???? Ask Questions??? Invite collaboration, co-creation, and participation.
6. Rather than telling, or demanding, “Use the Inquiry” and our energy is inviting, and invokes critical thinking and creativity
7. Allow space for each person’s unique contribution
8. Take a deep breath before sharing, remembering that we all think and process as different speeds
9. Notice open and closed body language, relax, breathe, and use eye contact
10. When listening, use empathy and compassion. Try to truly listen, rather than thinking about what you will say next.
11. Keep an open mind and resist judgements and making assumptions. Each of us functions and makes decisions based on different perspectives of what’s right and wrong in the world. Honor new perspectives just as you honor yours.
12. When sharing an idea, instead of using BUT !….. use, Yes……and……
13. Seek clarity in thoughtful, slower statements with less words. And be aware of how much of the floor’s time you are holding.
14. See each person as a student and a teacher.
15. The “right” people are those who came to participate in the moment
16. The perceived problem is the solution.
17. If two people are butting heads, kindly take the dialogue outside the room until settled.

Seeds Ordered! Please add if you have packets to share.

These were ordered from Bountifulgardens.org  (organic and heirloom)

Lacinto Kale

Aisan lettuce mix

Heirloom lettuce mix

onions

alpine strawberries

basil

cilantro

Nasturtium

Romanesco

Broccoli

Envy Edamame

Arugula

Bulls Blood Beets

Lemon cucumbers

Sugar Snap Peas

Sweet Bell Pepper Mix

Jalepeno

Garden Inquiry (add ?'s here)

What is the sun's path?  

How many full sun hours are there?

Is there any shaded areas?

Where are the winds coming from?

Is it easily accessible?

Is there water available?

What is the nature of the soil?

Can I use planter boxes?

Is there existing vegetation and rocks?

Will I have to build raised beds?

Are there animals and birds that visit?

Do I need a fence?

Should I have hoop house, green house, or cold frame?

How much time will I choose to tend to my garden?

What kind of yield am I desiring?

Do I want my own garden, and/or do I want to support a community garden?

What is my biggest perceived challenge?

Connecting to our food systems in everyday verbage

How can we bring more awareness to our food system? Lettuce play with our verbage in the everyday!  Add to me....

cultivate

grow

sprout

marinate

brew

steep

sow